Kosher Cuisine Show #12 – Rosh HaShanah. This is the original script for the show. Some of the non-essential text may have been edited out of the final version that aired on Community Radio due to time constraints. Also, some off-the-cuff comments may not appear in this script.  The script is posted in its entirety for both 12a and 12b Bandcamp podcasts.

First Segment

Hava Nagila Music Intro [35 seconds then fade…]

Hello, everyone! This is Leah Kiser and you’re listening to Kosher Cuisine. This is a show about food safety, international kosher recipes and amazing music from areas around the world. Today we’re going to continue our series on Jewish holidays and talk about Rosh HaShanah. After Shavuot, this is the next major holiday, and it’s a biggie. You’ve heard about 2xer’s – people who only attend their respective houses of religion twice a year? For Christians, that is usually Christmas and Easter. For Jews, it is Passover and Rosh HaShanah.

Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head of the year" or "first of the year." Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. The name "Rosh Hashanah" is not used in the Bible to discuss this holiday. The Bible refers to the holiday as Yom Ha-Zikkaron (the day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the shofar).

Now, Tishri is the 7th month of the year. How can that be the new year, you may ask? Well, Rosh HaShanah was the new year’s day from antiquity, but when Moses met God, one of the things God told him was to institute a “religious” new year separate from the secular new year – God said that Nisan the 1st, the new moon right before Passover, would be a new year’s day. There are two other quote unquote New Year’s Days on the Jewish calendar as well. One we talked about at Tu B’Shvat – the New Year of Trees, for counting the age of trees to determine whether or not they are old enough to tithe from and to harvest. The last quote unquote New Year is Elul the 1st, which is the new moon of the sixth month. That is the day designated as the birthday for all the young animals born over the spring and summer. Like the new year for trees, it helps to standardize the age of all the animals born in a given year, rather like here in Kentucky all horses have the birthday of January 1st regardless of when they were born. This determines their eligibility for various grades of races, and likewise, the new year for animals on Elul the first determines their eligibility for various sacrifices and dedications.

But Rosh HaShanah, the civil new year, is considered THE New Year’s Day for all practical purposes. It is said to be the day that God created mankind. Tishri the 1st is supposed to be the sixth day of creation, and Tishri the 2nd is the anniversary of the very first Shabbat, the weekly Sabbath day. So Tishri 1st and 2nd are celebrated together as festival days where no work can be done. They day following is a minor fast day, sunup to sundown, ostensibly observing the death of a Jewish martyr during the Babylonian invasion of Israel, but it also kicks off the 7 days of repentance.

You see, in Jewish tradition, Rosh HaShanah is the first day of Judgment, the future day of the first resurrection, supposedly. Everybody who is already written in the Book of Life is sealed on this day to be part of the Olam Haba- the world to come. This includes righteous gentiles as well as Jews – God judges people by what they know, not what they don’t know. And the observance of Rosh HaShanah itself is a test of sorts for Jews, because it’s the one holiday that falls on a New Moon.

That means you can’t know for sure when it will start. Oh, you can know about what day, but until the sliver of the new moon is actually sighted and confirmed by the priests, it doesn’t happen. Astronomical calculations don’t count. All you know is that it will be seen either on the 29th day of the month or possibly the 30th day of the month – the lunar cycle being 29 ½ days. Also there are clouds, haze and rain that can make sighting the moon on the 29th day impossible even if it is technically there. So an observant Jew shows their faith by being ready to close their businesses and stop working for up to three days. Think about it, if the moon is sighted Wednesday night, then Thursday and Friday are Rosh HaShanah, followed by the weekly Sabbath on Saturday. You really had to trust God for your livelihood that week if you work for a living. Nowadays, the orthodox rabbinate manipulates the calendar to avoid having three days in a row, but some sects of Judaism, such as the Karaites, don’t believe in fudging it.

However, God is a big believer in second chances. So if you miss the first cut and aren’t good enough to be sealed on Rosh HaShanah, you have 7 days, from Tishri 3rd until Tishri 9th, to get your act together, repent of your bad behavior, make it up to people, and qualify for round two. Round Two, which we’ll talk about in an upcoming show, is Yom Kippur on Tishri 10th.

Rosh HaShanah is referred to in scripture as Yom Teruah, which literally means “day of sounding” or even “day of shouting.” The main observance of the day is to blow ram’s horns called shofar. Some refer to this as the “day of the awakening blast,” as supposedly it will call the already righteous dead from the grave to enter the Olam Haba. Historically, it is believed that when the patriarch Abraham brought his son Isaac to be sacrifice, the Torah tactfully leaves out the part where Abraham actually kills him, so as not to give the idea that human sacrifice is ok. Isaac was therefore the first person to be resurrected in scripture. The story of the Akedah, the “binding of Isaac” is read the first day every Rosh HaShanah. The second day is the story of Hannah, who was childless and prayed for a baby, which resulted in the birth of the great prophet Samuel, who later went on to anoint the first King of Israel. Since Sukkot in part celebrates the anointing of the king and the dedication of the nation, the holidays have now come full circle.

For our music selections today, we’re going to hear tracks from a CD called “The Birthday of the World, Music and Traditions of the High Holy Days – Part I: Rosh HaShanah.” These are operatic renditions of the actual prayers sung in services, with narration by Leonard Nimoy! After the introduction and narration by Mr. Spock, er, I mean Mr. Nimoy, the first two songs are called “Ma Tovu” and “Tik’u.” I am particularly fond of this rendition of Ma Tovu because I learned to sing it in choir not too long ago.

Enjoy!

[Track 1-3 – The Birthday of the World ~7 minutes]


Second Segment

Welcome back to Kosher Cuisine! For our first set of recipes today we’ll do a dairy meal for Rosh HaShanah. Remember, now, in Judaism, fish is not considered meat. It is considered parve and can be served with either a meat or a dairy meal.

The first dish is salmon stuffed with mushrooms, potatoes and dill. Remember, when you’re working with fish, be sure and use a separate cutting board, because fish is a leading cause of cross contamination in home kitchens. If you buy frozen fish, be sure and thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, not on the counter – that isn’t safe. Also, your fish should not smell fishy. Fresh fish does not smell bad. If it does, it is old and you should not use it.

Use a clean parve or dairy cutting board and knife for your vegetables, and be sure and wash your veggies thoroughly in a food prep sink, not the sink where your dirty dishes are. If you don’t have one, use a plastic bin designated parve for washing fruits and veggies.

For this recipe, you will need:

1 white potato, peeled and diced – though I generally use a couple of Yukon gold or other yellow potatos and I don’t peel them.

Prepare 1 onion, peeled and chopped

8 ounces of sliced mushrooms
¼ cup chopped fresh dill

And 1 large salmon fillet, 3-4 pounds. This will serve 8 people.

Now measure out:

4 tablespoons of olive oil
½ cup of sour cream, preferably organic. You don’t need more hormones.
2 cups of dry white wine or dry vermouth, whichever you prefer
Juice of one lemon, or about 2 tablespoons
A pinch of salt
A pinch of black pepper

And a batch of Emerald Sauce. For the Sauce, you will need:

10 ounces of frozen chopped spinach, or a similar sized package. It doesn’t really have to be exact.

5 sprigs of fresh parsley
2 tablespoons of capers, which can be found in the pickle section
2 tablespoons of chopped green onions
¼ watercress leaves - pull them off the stems
And measure out:
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon of dry mustard
1 teaspoon of dried basil

½ cup of mayonaise – organic if at all possible. Nonorganic soybeans are GMO, and are heavily sprayed with glyphosate which is extremely toxic.

½ cup of sour cream – again, organic if at all possible. Dairy products made from cows treated with the synthetic growth factor called rBGHor rBST has anywhere from 100x to 1000x more than is natural of the hormone called insulin factor 1, which will mess up your hormones bigtime and may be a leading cause of obesity and insulin resistance.

To make the sauce, put the spinach, parsley, watercress, green onions, lemon juice, dry mustard and basil in a food processor and puree. Alternately, chop them very, very find and mix thoroughly. Add the sour cream and mayo, mix well, then add the capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

You can refrigerate this sauce for up to two weeks safely.

Now, to prepare the fish we will first prepare the stuffing. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil, and sauté the onions and potatoes until they are golden brown. Turn them often.

Add the mushrooms, and sauté them until they are soft and most of the liquid is almost all evaporated. If you get them too dry, add some oil.

Remove the pan from the heat, and mix in the sour cream, the dill, and the salt and pepper. Cool the mixture to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Now, take a large piece of aluminum foil, or, prepare a casserole dish with a glass cover or a dutch oven by oiling the bottom. Lay out the salmon either on the foil or in the casserole, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the potato mixture over the fatter half of the salmon fillet, then fold the skinnier half over top of it.

Cover either by putting a lid on the casserole or dutch oven, or by folding the aluminum foil over top of the fish. If you’re using foil, place the assembly on a baking sheet.

Roast the salmon for about 30 minutes, then open the lid and pour in the wine. If you are using foil, you will need to transfer the salmon to a baking dish or uncovered casserole first. Pour in enough wine to come up to the bottom 1” if the fish. Squeeze the lemon juice on top and recover the fillet. Bake again for about 20 more minutes, or until the fish is done through. You can cut a small slit with a knife to test it. When you’re sure it’s done, using two spatulas, one on each side, lift the fish to a serving platter. If you’re using foil you can put the foil on the platter and then carefully slide it out from underneath.

If you’re making the fish ahead, you can stop here and refrigerate it overnight. This dish can be served warm or chilled. Either way, when you’re ready cover it with the Emerald Sauce.

You might want to serve this with green beans and lemon sauce. You will need:

1 and ½ pounds of green beans, or haricot verts or other thin varieties
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil

And measure out:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons of dry white wine
A pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper

To begin, fill a pot with salted water and boil the beans for about 5 minutes. You want them to still be a bit crunchy. Drain them and run them under cold water to stop the cooking process. You can stop here and refrigerate them overnight if need be.

Next, in a skillet heat the oil, and sauté the minced garlic 1 minute, then add the wine and the lemon juice and heat 1 minute more. Now, stir in the beans, the salt and pepper, and the basil. Sauté the mixture until the beans are as tender as you want them to be, then serve warm.

Our next tracks from the Birthday of the World CD include more narration by the awesome Leonard Nimon, and a prayer called V’Choi Ma’aminim.

[Track 14 & 15]

Third Segment

Welcome back to Kosher Cuisine! If salmon isn’t your thing, you may prefer a meat meal for Rosh HaShanah. The most common dish served is brisket, a long-cooking cut of beef. I will give you my favorite recipe, which can be quick and easy to prepare. The “can be” part depends on whether you want to make your own tomato sauce or use kosher prepared tomato sauce, and whether you want to make your own pesto or buy kosher prepared pesto. The good foods co-op has what I believe in the only hechshered jars of pesto in town, though I could be wrong.

If you recall, a hechsher is a certification by a Jewish agency that you can find on many items that are sold in jars, cans, bags or boxes in the grocery store. All processed foods must be supervised to make sure they are not putting in any unkosher items, such as derivatives of pork or shellfish, and to make sure they don’t mix meat and dairy ingredients in the same package. A hechsher is a little copyrighted symbol used by various certifying agencies, some of which are more stringent in their rules than others. You might have seen a circle with a letter “u” in it on some of your packaged foods – that is the most common hechsher, from the orthodox union. There are others that are variations on Hebrew letters or cute little logos. But the point is, every packaged item you use should have some sort of hechsher on it. A plain letter “k” which is used on some commercial products is NOT acceptable unless you are only doing kosher-style instead of real kosher. Also, the Triangle-K brand has had some controversy regarding the chemical ingredients they allow, like gelatin thickeners which are made from meat products. So don’t use them, either, especially if you are vegan.

So, the easiest way to make this brisket is to simply to put the beef in the bottom of a roasting pan, cover with your favorite mushroom or garden vegetable hechshered tomato sauce, and then take a jar of hechshered pesto and drizzle it across the top. Put a lid or foil on top tightly and bake at 375 degrees for one hour, then turn the heat down to 250 degrees and bake at least 3 more hours. That’s it.

This makes a tender, flavorful brisket. Or, you can make your own tomato sauce and pesto sauce and do the same.

For tomato sauce, you can use two 28 ounce hechshered cans of diced tomatoes, or the equivalent of fresh diced tomatoes.

1 medium onion, diced finely
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf

And your choice of any or all of the following:
1 diced green pepper
8 ounces of sliced mushrooms
A half cup of chopped spinach leaves
and/or a half cup of small diced zucchini.

Measure out:
3 tablespoons of olive oil
½ teaspoon of dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon of salt, or to taste
And a pinch of black pepper.
As an option, you can add ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes as well.

Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the onion until it is golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, then add the tomatoes, the bay leaf, the thyme, the oregano, the salt and pepper, and the red pepper flakes if you are using them. Bring it all to a boil, and then turn the heat down to a simmer, stirring often.

Cook it down until most of the runny liquid is evaporated. You want it thick but not burnt. Don’t wander off while it’s cooking.

Finally, when it has reached the desired consistency, remove the bay leaf and taste it. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Some people add a teaspoon of sugar if they don’t like the acidness of the tomatoes.

To make pesto, you will need 2 garlic cloves, rough chopped
2 tablespoons of pine nuts
1 cup of packed fresh basil leaves
And ¼-1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Put all the dry ingredients in the food processor, and begin to drizzle in the oil. Give it a whirl and you’re done. Stop drizzling after about ¼ to test the consistency. You don’t want it too gloppy.

If you’re having a dairy meal, you can add ½ cup of parmesan cheese as well. In that case, you will need the full 1/3 cup of oil most likely.

And while your brisket is baking, you might want to make some kugel to go with it. This is a savory kugel, which goes great with this brisket recipe.

You will need:
Two 10 ounce box of frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
Two 8-10 ounce package of sliced mushrooms
2 medium onions
6 eggs
And a one pound box of noodles, or two 8-10 ounce packages – again, it doesn’t have to be exact. Cook them according to the package directions.

And measure out:
4tablespoons of flour, matzah meal, or gluten-free alternative
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of black pepper

And your choice of one of the following:
2 cups of hechshered chicken broth
2 cups of vegetable broth
2 cups of soy milk
2 cups of nut milk of your choice
Or 2 cups of parve hechshered non-dairy creamer.

I generally use one of the broth options but some people like a creamier end product. If you go with the non-dairy creamer, be extra careful to make sure it is hechshered parve and not dairy. Many supposedly non-dairy creamers actually have some dairy-derived ingredients and are made on equipment that also makes regular dairy creamers.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. You can put this in the oven with the brisket for its first hour of baking to same time and energy.

Scatter the broccoli pieces and the shrooms in the bottom of an oiled 9x13 casserole dish. Add the cooked noodles and mix well.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs, the broth or other liquid, the flour, and the salt and pepper together. When it is thoroughly combined, pour over the noodle mixture. Stir everything tother, cover, and bake for an hour and 15 minutes. Don’t worry about the temperature for the last 15 minutes if you have this in with the brisket. The residual heat in the oven will be adequate after you turn the heat down to finish the kugel. Remove from the oven and test the center with a fork. If the egg mixture has firmed up, you’re done. You can reheat the kugel back in the oven with the brisket for the last half hour or so, or if you have prepared the kugel separately, serve warm.

While you’re waiting, here are two more tracks from the Birthday of the World CD, another narrative by Leonard Nimoy and a rendition of the shofar blasts heard in synagogues around the world on Rosh HaShanah.

[Tracks 16 & 17]


Fourth Segment

Welcome back to Kosher Cuisine! For Rosh HaShanah dessert, I’m going to give you the cheat version of a classic Jewish treat, Rugelach. Normally rugelach are a long process to prepare, this is a quicker version that makes bars instead of rolled pastries.

For the pastry part you will need:

6-8 ounces or 1 square of cream cheese, preferably organic, or non dairy cheese substitute, such as tofu or a cashew-based paleo version.
To make the cashew substitute the 2 days before, you will need 1 and ½ cups of raw unsalted cashew halves, soaked for 12-24 hours in filtered water.

2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
And 2-3 tablespoons of filtered water

Once the cashews have soaked, drain them and rinse off the starch. Put them in a blender and add the remaining ingredients. Begin with 2 tablespoons of water and add more later if need be for a smooth consistency. Blend this for 2 minutes or so, then set aside for a couple of hours.

Next, you will need some cheesecloth or clean cotton fabric. Spoon the mixture onto the cheesecloth, pull up the sides, and tie into a bundle with a piece of string or twine. Hang the bundle over the sink or a large bowl, making sure there is plenty of room for the extra liquid to drip off. Leave it for 24 hours. Finally, remove from the bundle and add a few drops of vanilla. Viola, vegan cream cheese.

Once you have 6-8 ounces of whatever type of cream cheese or cream substitute you are going to use, you will need:

1 and a half sticks of margarine or butter, depending on whether you hare having a meat meal or a dairy meal. Cut it into small pieces.

Then measure out:
1 and ½ cups of all purpose flour, or gluten-free alternative
1/3 cup sugar, preferably organic evaporated cane
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
And ¼ teaspoon of salt

In a food processor, process the cream cheese and butter until blended thoroughly. Alternately, allow them to soften to room temperature and mix by hand. Add the flour, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Process or mix vigorously until the ingredients begin to hold together. Transfer to an oiled 9x13 in baking pan and press evenly into the bottom. Bake this for 25 minutes, or until the edges are browning and the center is lightly golden.

Meanwhile, for the topping you will need to measure out:
3 tablespoons of light brown sugar, or more evaporated cane will work fine
1 and ½ teaspoons of cinnamon
½ cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup of strawberry or apricot jam, or 1/3 cup of each

¼ cup mini chocolate chips – dark chocolate if you’re having a meat meal

And 2 melted tablespoons of butter or margarine, depending on whether this is a meat or dairy meal.

Take the jam and spread it over the baked bottom crust.

Mix the sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, walnuts, and chocolate chips, and sprinkle this evenly over the surface of the jam and crust.

Return the pan to the oven and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the jam are bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Finally, cut into small squares.

Another treat is sparkling citrus punch, very easy to make.

You will need:
One six ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate, partially thawed
One six ounce can of lemonade concentrate, partially thawed
One six ounce can of limeade concentrate, partially thawed
4 cups of cold water

A one liter bottle of lemon-lime carbonated beverage, or ginger ale, whichever you prefer

A sliced lemon, a sliced lime, and a sliced orange to float in the punch
And optionally, you can have mint leaves, to garnish.

Mix together all the partially thawed frozen concentrates and the water, and stir until thoroughly combined. At this point, you can put the bowl into the fridge to save for the next day. When you’re ready to serve, add the carbonated beverage, mix thoroughly, and then add the sliced fruit. Serve in cups with a sprig of mint leaves, if desired.

Of course, you can serve this punch during holiday parties as well. And you can spike it with the liquor of your choice, too. Of course, if you do drink alcoholic beverages, be sure not to drive afterwards. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.

Now, for the finale of the Rosh HaShanah services, here are the last four tracks of the Birthday of the World CD, narrated by Leonard Nimoy. These are the concluding prayers of the day.

[Tracks 20, 21, 22, 23]


Thank you for listening to Kosher Cuisine. Next week we will have some more great international food and music and we’ll talk a bit more about food safety and kashrut.

This is Leah Kiser wishing you Sabbath peace, this week and every week. Shalom.

[Hava Nagila fade…]