RECIPES FROM LEVANA KIRSCHENBAUM (WITH PERMISSION)

A Whole Foods Rosh Hashanah with Levana Kirschenbaum

“Whatever our culinary background may be, one thing unites all cuisines at Rosh Hashanah time: A sweet ingredient must be present in the dish: The Jewish way to usher in a sweet year by way of the kitchen.
The following dishes are all excerpted from my latest cookbook, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen: Glorious Meals Pure and Simple. (http://www.levanacooks.com/cookbooks/)
Just like every single recipe in the book (over four hundred), they clearly express my mind set and the guidelines I strive to impart to my readers: If the three golden rules in real estate are: Location, location, location, mine are; Streamline, streamline, streamline. Streamline the costs; streamline the steps; streamline the number of tools and utensils.
Above all, there’s one thing that affords you all this streamlining, deliciously, painlessly and effortlessly, and of course beautifully: Use only the best. Meaning, the real thing. And while food-shopping and cooking, hum to yourself, as I do, the immortal song: “Ain’t nothin’ like the real thing!” – Levana Kirschenbaum

Rosh Hashana Menu 1

Kale, Beet and Seaweed Salad- Gluten Free
With this dish, I am doing nothing more than group the veggies many of us wouldn’t imagine eating raw. The result is a real triumph, so get ready to adopt them wholeheartedly into the family! You would enjoy beets and turnips much more often, even raw, if only you would grate them very fine in a food processor. The salad will keep well a good couple of days.
1 bunch kale, tough stems removed, leaves cut into very thin ribbons
1 large beet, red or golden, grated very fine (food processor fine shredding blade)
6 scallions, sliced very thin
¼ cup hijiki or other seaweed: wakame, arame, etc. (health food stores), soaked in hot water to cover
½ cup sesame or other seeds (chia, flax, hemp, etc.), toasted
1 cup Chinese green tea dressing (page 9)
Place all salad ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Store refrigerated in glass jars. Makes 8 servings.
Variations:
Substitute other greens for the kale—mustard, collard, turnip, spinach, even nappa cabbage.
.. Substitute rutabaga (yellow wax turnip), daikon, carrots, or zucchini for the beet.
.. Throw in diced avocado.
.. Throw in some sprouts.
.. Throw in some chopped toasted cashews or peanuts.
.. Use any other kind of seaweed—nori, kelp, wakame, arame, etc.
.. Throw in some cooked lentils, brown rice, thawed frozen corn kernels, or any grain you have on hand and turn it into a complete main course.

Roasted Salmon with Maple Glaze- Gluten Free
One of my ¨C and many of my regulars great favorites. The short and dazzling flavor lineup does its magic with practically no work. You will never say you are bored of salmon again! Bluefish will be suitable here, as well as any thick white fish (bass, mahimahi, halibut, etc.).
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon cracked pepper, or less to taste
1 whole side salmon, about 3. pounds, skin off, bones out, trimmed
Preheat the oven to 500F. Mix all but last ingredient in a bowl. Place the salmon skin side up in a baking pan just large enough to fit it snugly in one layer (if you have empty spaces, the liquids will burn). Pour the sauce evenly over the fish. Bake 18 minutes, or a minute or two longer, until the fish is tender but firm to the touch. Transfer to a platter and pour the cooking juices over the fish. Serve hot, or at room temperature. Makes 8 main course servings, or a dozen ample first course servings.
Trimming salmon sides-You will notice on the outermost side of each salmon half a flat, opaque strip, which runs the whole length of the fish: It is very fatty and not meaty and contributes nothing but a greasy, fishy taste. Have no mercy, cut it all off and discard it: You are not wasting it, you are saving the salmon. PS: Sushi restaurants use that part of the salmon to great advantage, but you are not a sushi restaurant and are not equipped with their knowledge and quality control, so please don’t go there and order it in a good sushi restaurant!

Poultry and Meat

Boeuf Bourguignon- Gluten Free
Spend a wonderful evening with a few French classics and some wine to go with dinner! By the way, my bourguignon has been included in Joan Schwartz’s charming book, deceptively innocent, called Meat and Potatoes. My secret ingredient here is crème de cassis, the wonderful black currant liqueur. To peel tiny onions, throw them in a pot of boiling water for just one minute: The skins will slip right off. Better yet, get frozen tiny onions (also called cocktail onions). This dish reheats very well and improves with age, so go ahead and make it a day or two ahead.
4 pounds beef or bison shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes for stew
6 cups water
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cups dry red wine
¼ cup crème de cassis (liquor stores; Passover: use a nice berry liqueur)
2 large tomatoes, diced small
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
6 bay leaves, or 1 teaspoon ground
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only (or throw the sprigs in whole, but don’t forget to discard them at the end of cooking)
2 pounds very thin long carrots, peeled (about 20. Not baby carrots)
20 very small organic potatoes, scrubbed (only organic potatoes are safe with skins on)
2 dozen tiny onions, peeled and left whole (frozen OK: they are already peeled)
On a stove top: Place beef, water, and oil in a heavy, wide-bottom pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and cook covered for 2 hours. Add the garlic, wine, cassis, tomatoes, pepper, and bay leaves and cook 30 more minutes. Add thyme, carrots, potatoes, and onions and cook 30 more minutes. The meat should be fork-tender. Transfer meat and all vegetables on platter with a slotted spoon. If the liquid left in the pot is too thin, reduce it on a high flame until it is thickened, the consistency of maple syrup. Pour the reduced liquid over the whole dish and serve hot. Makes 8 servings.

Soba Noodles with Roasted Roots- Gluten Free
Roasting the roots intensifies their flavor and is practically all you have to do to make this delicious dish. The cinnamon is a great match for the root flavors.
1 large turnip
1 large carrot
1 large red onion
1 medium celery root
1 large wedge kabocha squash, unpeeled
12 cloves garlic
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cinnamon
Salt and ground pepper to taste
1 pound soba noodles
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Dice all the vegetables about ½ inch and combine them with all but last ingredient. Place the mixture in one layer on the cookie sheet (use 2 if necessary) and roast about 20 minutes, or a little longer, until dark and soft. Boil the noodles in a large pot of boiling water with a little added oil and salt. Drain and reserve ½ cup cooking liquid. Toss the pasta and reserved cooking liquid with the roasted vegetable mixture, along with any juices that may have accumulated. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 8 servings.

Frozen Coconut Crunch Chocolate Cake
I developed this wonderful recipe to accommodate kosher diners after a meat meal as well as dairy intolerant diners. Although it is delicious as is, feel free to substitute dairy ice cream for the sorbet, keeping the color scheme monochromatic: vanilla, coffee, chocolate. I tried with a red layer (berry) and found it disrupted the earthy color and flavor theme.
Crust:
4 cups crisp rice cereal
2 tablespoons instant coffee powder, diluted in a few drops water
1 cup unsweetened grated coconut, packed
½ cup pure cocoa powder
½ cup agave or maple syrup
3 cups coconut sorbet (first sorbet layer)
Cake layer:
1 pound unflavored sponge cake, good quality store-bought OK, sliced ½ inch thick
½ agave or maple syrup
3 cups coconut sorbet (second sorbet layer)
Top layer:
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup
2 tablespoons oil
¼ cup white or dark rum (don’t skimp: this is what will keep the top layer from freezing solid)
Mix the crust ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Press the mixture firmly into a 10-inch spring form pan. Spread the sorbet (first layer) over the crust. Spread the cake slices over the sorbet, compacting it, making sure you cover the whole surface. Pour the agave syrup slowly and evenly over the cake. Spread the sorbet (second layer) evenly over the cake. Place the cake in the freezer 2 to 3 hours to firm up. Make the top layer: Melt all top layer ingredients over a very low flame (or microwave 1 to 2 minutes). Whisk the mixture until smooth, and let it cool a few minutes, then pour evenly over the cake. Cover the cake tightly with plastic wrap and return to the freezer. Freeze the cake 8 hours or more. Take out the cake a few minutes before serving, then cut in wedges. Makes 20 ample servings.