Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year holiday begins at sundown on September 24. One of my favorite holidays to cook for, Rosh Hashanah is a joyous occasion and the holiday meals are festive. As I explained in my earlier posts, traditional Rosh Hashanah foods are often sweet – to express our wish for a sweet new year – or round to symbolize the circle of life in which one year ends and another begins. Today’s Rosh Hashanah dish is both sweet and round and features a seasonal vegetable, carrots.
Every year on Rosh Hashanah, I make Carrot Tzimmes, a sweet, honey-scented side dish in which carrots are cut into rounds to resemble gold coins — eating these carrot “coins” on Rosh Hashanah is said to ensure a prosperous New Year. I do not know how effective that is, but at a minimum, this dish is guaranteed to deliver Vitamin A to your children. Kids, even picky ones, love the sweet taste and the not-too-crunchy, not-too-mushy texture of the carrots. Plus if you tell them about the gold coin idea, they like it even more. Maybe you could offer a reward for cleaning their plates!
When making this dish, buy the bunches of carrots with the green tops still on. I read in one of the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks years ago that these carrots are the most flavorful, and I agree. Even better, buy some of the pretty heirloom carrot varieties at your local farmers’ market.
Given how quickly this dish comes together, you should not wait for Rosh Hashanah to make it. Now that carrots are in season and especially flavorful, you should add this healthy and kid-friendly side dish to your regular rotation.
- 4 bunches of carrots with tops on, trimmed, peeled and cut into round pieces
- 3 TB butter, olive oil or a combination of the two
- 3 TB honey
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup raisins
- Salt and pepper
- Heat the butter or oil in a large shallow saute pan over medium heat. (Butter will give the richest taste, but if you observe Jewish dietary laws, or have a child allergic to dairy, olive oil works fine.)
- Toss the carrot “coins” in the fat to coat them.
- Add honey, cinnamon, orange juice and stir to combine.
- Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the saute pan and cook until the carrots are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Remove cover and add raisins.
- Turn the heat up to medium and reduce the sauce until it is a syrupy glaze about 3-5 more minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
