Let’s talk about the High Holidays…
by Sharon Lurie AKA “The Kosher Butcher’s Wife”
First night Rosh Hashanah is Monday 22 September this year. It’s a time of reflection, renewal, and return – when the shofar calls us to wake up spiritually and take stock of where we’ve been… and where we’re headed. Just a week later, the High Holidays reach their crescendo with Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement. We fast for 25 hours, standing together in prayer, united as one people. It’s intense, soulful, and deeply moving. But the journey doesn’t end there! We roll straight into the joy of Sukkot, where we step outside into our sukkahs and reconnect with nature, hospitality, and gratitude. And just when we think we’ve celebrated enough, Simchat Torah arrives – dancing, singing, and circling with the Torah as we complete the annual cycle and begin again. And through it all – we still have to eat! What’s a Yom Tov without our traditions? The smells, the flavours, the recipes passed down (and sometimes reinvented).
AUTHOR: Cooking with the Kosher Butcher’s Wife, Celebrating with the Kosher Butcher’s Wife, A Taste of South Africa with the Kosher Butcher’s Wife, FOOD EDITOR: Jewish Life, RADIO PRESENTER: Chai FM, Bobba Shar’s Salad Dressing
Sesame Smoked Salmon and Snoek Fish Balls
Elegant black and white sesame-coated appetisers
ingredients
250g smoked salmon off cuts
½ cup mayonnaise
1 TBL lemon juice
6 Salticrax (green box)
1 TBL finely chopped fresh parsley
½ cup black sesame seeds
½ cup white sesame seeds
METHOD
Combine the salmon, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Salticrax and parsley in a food processor until smooth. Roll into balls with wet hands and roll half the balls in white sesame seeds and the other half in black.
Note: Smoked snoek can be made as per recipe above, substituting the smoked salmon for snoek. Peel skin and ensure all bones are removed before processing.
Super Quick Fish Balls with a Sweet Bite
Store-bought made special with homemade sauce
ingredients
1kg store bought fish balls
Sweet Chilli Sauce:
⅓ cup honey
2 TBLs apricot jam
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup water
1 TBL minced garlic
(less if you don’t like garlic as much!)
1 heaped tsp fresh chilli finely
chopped
½ tsp salt
2 tsps cornflour dissolved
in ½ cup cold water
METHOD
Combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until thickened. Serve fish balls with sweet chilli sauce on the side.
Ruby Roots and Shoots Salad
A vibrant celebration of colour and flavour
ingredients
1 cup pearl couscous (raw – cooked as per instructions on packet)
1 red pepper finely chopped
1 red onion finely chopped
1 small handful of fresh coriander/basil, finely chopped
1 small handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
1 small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 medium raw beetroot, finely grated
2 cups red cabbage
8–10 fresh dates, stones removed and finely chopped
1 cup chopped apples
Pomegranate seeds
1 packet radicchio
Dressing:
1 cup of your favourite Italian salad dressing combined with ½ cup mayonnaise
METHOD
Cook couscous as per instructions on packet and allow to cool. Grate beetroot and set aside (suggest using gloves!). Layer radicchio on a platter. Sprinkle couscous over radicchio. Place the onions and red pepper over the couscous. Sprinkle the herbs over this, followed by the beetroot and cabbage. Finally add dates, apple and pomegranate seeds. Pour the dressing over the salad and serve.
Kung Flu Soup with Pinwheel Perogen
The original ‘penicillin’ with a touch of the East!
ingredients
Soup Pot One:
5 chicken carcasses
1 piece of shin (200g)
2 large onions (whole)
4 leeks checked by separating leaves (leave whole)
3 turnips peeled (left whole)
3 large carrots, peeled (leave whole)
500g cubed pumpkin
4 sticks of celery cut in half
Handful of chopped fresh parsley
1 packet fresh dill (20g) or 1 TBL dried
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp ginger powder
2 tsps salt
½ tsp pepper
2 bay leaves
4 TBLs chicken stock powder
ingredients
Chinese Style Vegetables (Pot Two):
6 baby marrows shredded
4 large carrots shredded
3 sticks of celery sliced finely on the diagonal
1 onion cut matchstick style
500g frozen sweetcorn
2 minute noodles (optional)
METHOD
Fry chicken carcasses and shin in a large lightly oiled soup pot until golden brown. Add 3 litres of water and all other pot one ingredients except stock powder. Ensure vegetables are covered by water about 10cm above vegetables. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 4–5 hours. Only after the vegetables are all soft can you add the chicken stock powder. In a separate saucepan, bring 3 cups of water and 1 tsp salt to the boil. Add the baby marrow, carrots, celery, onion, sweetcorn and optional noodles. Cook until just soft (approximately 10 minutes). Strain soup pot one, then add the Chinese vegetables to the strained soup.
Pinwheel Perogen
ingredients
4 onions finely chopped or grated
1kg mince
2 large carrots, finely grated
1 heaped TBL chicken stock powder dissolved in ½ cup boiling water
500g puff pastry
1 egg for egg wash
Sesame seeds
METHOD
Fry onions until golden brown. Add carrots and fry until soft. Set aside. Fry mince in the same pan. Blend in patches with a hand blender for smoother texture. Add onions, carrots and dissolved stock powder to mince. Roll out pastry into a rectangle. Spread meat mixture evenly over pastry and roll tightly. Cut into 1cm slices, place flat on baking tray with spiral facing up. Egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 180°C until golden brown.
It’s a ‘Sticky Situation’ Brisket
The perfect centrepiece for your Rosh Hashanah table
Brisket always seems the ‘go to’ cut for Rosh Hashanah. This recipe works well with a top rib roast or a raisin rib roast. Served with potato kugel and a flaumen tzimmes (prune tzimmes) you can’t go wrong!
ingredients
For a 3kg fresh brisket:
4 onions cut in half and sliced
½ cup date syrup
4 heaped TBLs onion soup mix powder
2 TBLs ready-made mustard or 1 TBL mustard powder
½ cup tomato purée
1 cup tomato sauce (All Gold)
2 tsps paprika
2 cups ginger ale soda
6 cloves garlic crushed
1 heaped tsp salt
METHOD
Place the onions on the bottom of a roasting dish. Brown the brisket in a pan on both sides and place it on top of the onions. Make up the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients. Pour sauce over brisket and cook, tightly covered, for 6 hours.Baste every hour.
One Pan Chicken and Broccoli Dish
Easy weeknight dinner with Asian-inspired flavours
Since broccoli florets are tight and difficult to check thoroughly, many authorities recommend using broccoli stems, cut into small pieces (around 3cm), because they are smooth and much easier to examine and clean. The broccoli can be substituted with bok choy or green beans.
ingredients
2kg thick chicken schnitzel breasts or thighs
500g broccoli stems or heads
2 large onions cut into eighths and leaves separated
100g toasted cashew nuts
SAUCE:
⅓ cup soy sauce
⅓ cup sesame oil
⅓ cup sweet chilli sauce
2 TBLs rice vinegar
⅓ cup honey
1 TBL finely grated ginger
1 tsp crushed garlic
METHOD
Combine all sauce ingredients and pour over chicken. Marinate overnight in a Ziploc bag or glass dish. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place chicken with marinade on a sheet pan. Dissolve 1 TBL chicken stock powder in ½ cup boiling water. Pour over broccoli and onions with ¼ cup oil and stir. Place vegetables between chicken pieces on the tray.
Bake for 30–40 minutes at 200°C. Check chicken is cooked through by cutting the thickest piece in half. Serve immediately over jasmine rice and sprinkle with cashew nuts.
Silan Carrot and Potato Sticks
A simple side that just works!
ingredients
5 potatoes peeled and cut into wedges
10 baby carrots or whole carrots cut lengthwise
⅓ cup Silan syrup (date syrup)
⅓ cup oil
1 TBL lemon juice
1 tsp salt
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine the Silan syrup, oil, lemon juice and salt until well combined. Place carrots and potatoes onto a baking paper lined roasting pan and pour over syrup mixture. Mix well ensuring all vegetables are covered. Bake covered for 45 minutes then remove the lid and roast until golden brown and cooked through.
Apple, Honey Crumb Cake and Custard
One of my all-time favourites
This has to be one of my all-time favourites. I make it with apples, without apples, with walnuts, without walnuts, but one thing I won’t go without is the crumb topping. That cinnamon crumble just makes it so moreish!
ingredients
Crumb Topping:
1 cup dark sticky brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 TBL ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 cup (225g) coconut oil
2½ cups flour
Cake:
2½ cups cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ cup margarine or
coconut oil, melted
1 cup honey
3 large eggs, at room
temperature
1 cup coconut cream
2 tsps vanilla
2 cups peeled and finely chopped
apples (Granny Smith)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180°C and grease 20cm x 28cm pan. Make crumb topping: Mix sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in melted margarine or coconut oil. Using a fork, lightly mix in flour until crumbles form. Don’t overmix. Make cake: Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Beat margarine and honey together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, coconut cream, and vanilla. Beat until combined. Mix in dry ingredients until smooth. Don’t overmix. Toss chopped apples and cinnamon together. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Top with cinnamon apples, then crumb topping. Press crumb topping lightly down so it sticks. Bake for 45–55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
Custard:
1 can coconut milk
2 TBLs custard powder
2 TBLs sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tsps vanilla essence
METHOD
Whisk all custard ingredients together. Place over low heat, whisking constantly until it thickens. Add water if too thick.
Rose, Honey, and Pistachio Turkish Dream
A delicate medley of rose-scented, honey and pistachio delights!
ingredients
Ice Cream:
1 tsp rosewater
250g strawberries (cut in half)
2 TBLs strawberry jam
½ cup honey
½ cup water
1½ cups coconut milk
1 TBL cornflour
2 cups non-dairy creamer
METHOD
In a medium saucepan, bring rosewater, strawberries, jam, honey, and water to the boil. Cook strawberries until soft and mash with a fork. Combine cold coconut milk with cornflour until dissolved, then add to strawberries. Simmer until thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Beat non-dairy creamer until thickened. Add strawberry mixture to cream and mix until combined.
Freeze overnight.
Serve with fried pastry twists dripping in honey, sprinkled with pistachio nuts, Turkish delight and fresh strawberries.
