A Rosh Hashanah Middle Eastern Feast!

L'shanah tovah! There are many ways of celebrating, but all of them definitely involve food. In this case, I decided to embrace my Sephardic roots and cook a Middle Eastern feast with a special focus on Moroccan food. (My Mom is Moroccan and my grandmother cooked Moroccan food at many family meals growing up.) You'll find a veggie-heavy meal full of Middle eastern flavors, but served alongside some challah, Jewish apple apple cake, and chocolate honey cake to connect to a few Ashkenazi and traditional Rosh Hashanah dishes.

I served the meal across three courses - and the recipes included below are in italics. A few aren't listed since they are elsewhere on the site or were my husband's creations instead of mine.

We started with appetizers:

Roasted Eggplant with Garlic Confit (pictured above)

Matbucha

Hummus

Pita

(paired with some manchego, brie, and crackers)

We moved on to the main course:

Yemenite-Spiced Cauliflower with Schug Labneh

Roasted Citrus-Pomegranate Glazed Carrots

Egyptian Moussaka

Moroccan Lamb Shoulder

Couscous with Dates and Pistachios

Round Challah (challah is elsewhere on blog... just make it round instead of braided)

And we finally ended with dessert:

Tut (marzipan)

Chocolate Honey Cake

Jewish Apple Cake (elsewhere on blog)

We started prep the night before and I'll note below where I did that and then started cooking about five hours before dinner time. I'll note the time for each recipe below, but you won't find a total time for this meal since each piece may add up differently and not all recipes are in full detail below. Most importantly, though, it was absolutely delicious and everyone had a great time. Here is a to a good next year!

Matbucha

Time: 30 min

This was amazing... It may have been my single favorite item out of the entire meal and I wasn't alone in thinking it. Definitely dig in and make it sooner than later, and then again and again and again. My parents always purchased a version of this (remembered as amtbucha in my mind but google doesn't seem to believe me) but this was my first time making it... and they couldn't get enough of it either. Just a note of warning - be careful when working with the serrano chili. Wash your hands well after handling it or you'll end up burning your face (or worse - eyes). It won't leave lasting damage, but it may be uncomfortable for a bit! But the end result in the dish isn't spicy due to the ratio, removal of seeds/membranes, and simmering time. So grab some pita, mop up a big serving of matbucha, and try to resist eating the entire dish alone. This recipe is adapted from The Jewish Holiday Table by Naama Shefi and the Jewish Food Society.

Ingredients:

6 tbsp canola oil

8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

18 oz sweet cherry tomatoes (about 3 c), halved, but don't lose any juices! (I used Wegmans Flavor Bombs which are my favorite cherry tomatoes)

1 small serrano chile, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced (see note above on handling)

1 tsp sweet paprika

1/4 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Put the canola oil in a 12" pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, cooking 2-3 minutes to let it soften but stirring regularly and keeping it from browning. Adjust the heat down slightly if needed.

Add the tomatoes, all of their juices, the chile, paprika, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Stir well to evenly incorporate. Bring to a simmer, half cover, and let it cook for about 10 minutes.

Uncover the pan and ensure it's lightly but steadily simmering. Cook, regularly stirring and scraping to avoid burning on the bottom, for about 20 minutes. The tomatoes should continue to break down and the texture should be a bit thick and jammy.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Serve with pita and try to avoid gulping it all down at once!

Roasted Eggplant with Garlic Confit

Time: 1.5 hours

While this was quite good, the garlic flavor actually came through more strongly the next day. You could consider making this one in advance and then allowing it to slowly come to room temperature before serving. This recipe is adapted from the cookbook Zahav Home by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook.

Ingredients:

1.5 tbsp olive oil + 1 c olive oil

2 eggplants

1 head garlic, all cloves separated and peeled

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 lemon

Get your oven pre-heating to 425 F.

Brush the 1.5 tbsp of olive oil all over the whole (washed) eggplants and then put them on a cookie sheet. Roast for about 75 minutes, rolling them to the other side halfway through. They should be falling in on themselves and collapsing at the end of the baking time. Set them aside to let them cool.

While the eggplants are cooking, you can make the garlic confit. Add the garlic cloves (whole) to a small pot and then add the 1 c olive oil. Cook over low heat on your stove for about 30 minutes (20 if small cloves), uncovered, stirring a couple times during the process to flip and evenly cook the garlic cloves. At the end of this time, the garlic cloves themselves should be very tender. When you reach that point, remove the pot from the heat and cover it to let it steam a bit more for five more minutes. At that time, you can carefully remove the garlic cloves from the pot and mash them with a fork.

Once the eggplant are cool, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh. It should fall out gently so use a spatula or large spoon to scrape all the "meat" from the eggplant skin. Put it into a large bowl. Add the mashed garlic from the confit and 1-2 tbsp of the garlic oil from the confit, to taste. Add the salt. Mash with a fork until it reaches a chunky but evenly mixed consistency.

Put the eggplant into whatever dish you are using to serve and sprinkle the paprika across the top evenly. Drizzle another teaspoon or so of the garlic oil over the top. (The rest of the olive oil can be saved for future use... it should be deliciously garlick-y olive oil so use in any place you use olive oil for a burst of extra flavor!)

Serve with pita or veggie crudite for dipping.

Hummus

Time: 24 hrs (overnight soaking - day of it's about 2 hrs)

This hummus is to die for. I realize I'm a totally biased audience here but... it really just is. It does take some effort. You have to set the chickpeas soaking the night before. You have to spend the time taking the skin off every single chickpea. But don't skimp. Really embrace this and you'll have the silkiest, smoothest, most flavorful hummus you've ever tasted. You won't be able to resist scraping the bowl clean. Unfortunately, due to that delicious nature, I only remembered to take a photo after that happened... so you'll have to excuse I don't have one here. But I make this regularly so check back for a photo in the future and trust me that it's worth making - picture or not! This recipe is adapted from The Tahini Table by Amy Zitelman.

Ingredients:

1/2 c dried chickpeas

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 garlic cloves

1.25 tsp sea salt

1 lemon

1/2 c Soom tahini (you can use other high-end tahini paste, but Soom is the best and you'll get the best results if you use it. Trust me on this. It's incredible.)

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1/3 c cold water

The night before cooking, put the chickpeas into a quart container (I just use a tupperware) and fill most of the way with water. Add 1/4 tsp baking soda and stir to evenly incorporate. Put the lid on and set aside overnight or up to 24 hours.

The next day, when ready to cook the hummus, drain and rinse the chickpeas. They should have doubled in size and be nice and plump. Put them in a medium pot and add the remaining 1/4 tsp baking soda. Add enough water to cover the chickpeas by 3-4 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat, and cook for about 45 minutes or until the chickpeas are very soft. If any white foam appears, you can skim it off, but this isn't usually a major issue. As long as it's not boiling over, it won't be an issue.

As the chickpeas are cooking, turn to the lemon tahini sauce. Mince the garlic and put in a medium bowl with 1/4 tsp sea salt. Use a fork to coarsely mix and let sit for about five minutes. Squeeze a fresh lemon (so much better than from a container - don't cut corners here!) and add two tbsp of fresh lemon juice to the garlic-salt mix. Stir again and let sit for two minutes.

Add the tahini (shake well before taking tahini from the jar) and cumin to the garlic mixture and whisk to combine. It will quickly become very, very thick and that's okay. Once evenly incorporated, add two tablespoons of very cold water at a time, up to ~1/3 c of cold water as needed. Whisk well to incorporate between each water addition. When you reach the right point, the mix should lighten in color and be the consistency of a creamy dressing, like Ranch or Honey Mustard. Set aside for now.

When the chickpeas are done cooking, drain and let cool until easy to handle. Go through, a single chickpea at a time, popping off the skin and adding the skinless chickpea to a food processor. The skins should all be loosened already so they should pop out super easily. Some may have already separated, but you really need to take the time to pick through each and every one. Discard the skins as you go. Skimping here will sacrifice the texture.

Once all the (skinless) chickpeas are in the food processor, add in the lemon tahini sauce (scraping to get all of it out of your bowl), the remaining tsp of sea salt, and remaining 1/4 tsp ground cumin. Process until smooth - and now keep processing. You typically need to process twice as long as you think to get it super smooth and sikly.

Enjoy with hummus or crudite vegetables. Or just scoop with a spoon and love it. We won't judge.

Yemenite Spiced Cauliflower with Schug Labneh

Time: 1 hr (though if making your own labneh start the day before! more than 24 hrs needed)

I doubled this recipe for my dinner party since we had a group of ten, but the recipe below is for a single version that would serve four to five people. You can also make an extra batch of the schug labneh to use in other situations! This recipe is adapted from Zahav Home by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook.

Ingredients:

3/4 tsp black peppercorns

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp coriander seeds

1/4 tsp green cardamom pods

1/8 tsp whole cloves

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 c olive oil

1 head of cauliflower, stem left on but leaves removed and cut into 6-8 wedges

1 head of garlic, unpeeled with stem on but sliced down the middle

1 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp salt

1 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded, roughly chopped

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, stems removed

2 tbsp fresh parsley, stems removed

1 garlic clove

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp lemon juice (fresh is best)

2 tsp canola oil

1 c labneh (see note below on making own)

Note: If you are making the labneh, you'll need to start the night before. Start with a 32 oz container of plain, whole fat yogurt. Set a large square of cheese cloth in a fine mesh strainer. Spoon the yogurt into the middle of the cheese cloth. Sprinkle on 1/4 tsp sea salt and stir to incorporate evenly. Set the mesh strainer over a large bowl, gather the corners of the cheese cloth so the labneh is covered, and set it in your fridge. Leave at least 24 hours, up to 48 hours, to drain. At the end, discard the liquid in the bowl and scrape out the thickened yogurt left in the cheese cloth - that's your delicious labneh! This will make about two cups so if doing that here, either only use half the yogurt to start or save the remaining cup for something else. (It will keep for a couple weeks in an air tight container in the fridge.)

Additional note: The black peppercorns, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cloves, and turmeric you'll mix below are to make a spice mix called hawaij. You can also purchase hawaij at a well-stocked specialty store and save having to make it. If you do that, use a tbsp of the mix in place of this step.

Add the black peppercorns, cumin, coriander, cardamom, and cloves to a small pan. Heat over medium to medium high heat for about five minutes, stirring to keep from burning. (Note: there is no oil in this.) When it's done, let it cool and stir in the turmeric. This is your hawaij. You can set it aside for now.

Get your oven pre-heating to 425 degrees.

Pour two tablespoons olive oil in to the bottom of a glass baking dish and tilt back and forth to coat evenly. Place the cut cauliflower wedges into the dish and place the sliced garlic in between somewhere. Drizzle the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil over the top and sprinkle on a tsp salt. Sprinkle the hawaij you prepared (or from a spice mix) evenly across the cauliflower. Roast for 45 minutes.

While the cauliflower is cooking, you can turn to the schug. Add the chopped poblano, cilantro, parsley, garlic, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground cardamom, ground ginger, and lemon juice to a food processor. Process, pulsing and scraping as needed, until it is a coarsely chopped paste. Put in a bowl, drizzle on the canola oil, and mix well to incorporate.

Take about 2 tbsp of the schug (it may make slightly more) and add to the cub of labneh. Stir well to incorporate. Taste and add more schug as needed - or save the remainder for a spread on a sandwich or over eggs the next morning.

When the cauliflower is done, it should be knife tender. Place on a serving dish. Squish the roasted garlic cloves out of their pods and serve in the same dish as the cauliflower so people can scoop up both together. Serve the schug labneh in a dish alongside for dipping and plopping on top!

Roasted Citrus-Pomegranate Glazed Carrots

Time: 55 min

This is also one that I doubled for my large group of ten! But making a single version, as shown below, would serve 4-5 people. Keep in mind, while these carrots are delicious the day of, as they sit in the fridge they soak up the sauce even more and continue to soften, becoming absolutely delectable. You may want to make a double serving of this just so you can enjoy it (with the couscous with dates and pistachios) for lunch the following week! This recipe is adapted from Zahav Home by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook.

Ingredients:

1 lb rainbow carrots, trimmed and halved as needed

1/2 c orange juice

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp aleppo pepper

1.5 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp raw peanuts, chopped

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp sesame seeds

Get your oven pre-heating to 425 degrees.

Put the carrots into a glass baking dish. You should make sure the larger ones are cut in half lengthwise, but smaller ones can be left just trimmed.

In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, pomegranate molasses, salt, black pepper, aleppo pepper until evenly mixed. Set aside for a moment.

Drizzle the olive oil over the carrots and toss well to coat evenly. Then, drizzle the orange juice spice mix over the top of the carrots. It will pool below the carrots but make sure it is poured on top so they get some coating all over.

Roast the carrots for about 45 minutes, stirring and tossing twice during the process (at 15 and 30 min marks) so that the carrots get coated again in the sauce.

While the carrots are roasting, put the peanuts and coriander into a small pan and lightly toast over med heat. This should take just about three minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the sesame seeds.

When the carrots are done, they should be fork tender. Sprinkle the toasted peanut topping evenly over the top.

This is great enjoyed on its own or also with the couscous with dates and pistachios!

Egyptian Moussaka

Time: 1 h 15

So this is called Moussaka - but it may not be what you are used to seeing at Middle Eastern restaurants. Usually you find moussaka at Greek restaurants. It's delicious, but entirely different, with thick bechamel and, often, meat. This is Egyptian Moussaka which is cooked in a tomato sauce and highlights the eggplant a lot more. Give it a ago and see what you think. It's extra delicious served with the couscous with dates and pistachios. This is adapted from The Mediterranean Dish by Suzy Karadsheh. (And this is one of my favorite cookbooks ever so buy it if you don't have it yet!)

Ingredients:

2 eggplants

1/4 c olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 red bell peppers

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 can whole San Marzano tomatoes, with the juice (28 oz)

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp sweet paprika

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2.5 tbsp distilled white vinegar

Get your oven pr-heating to 400 degrees.

Trip the ends off the eggplants and slice lengthwise into 1/2" thick slabs. Core and seed the bell peppers and slice into two inch strips. Brush the peppers and eggplants with about 2 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle  on the salt. Spread evenly on cookie sheets and bake for about 20 minutes until soft.

While the eggplant is cooking, heat a large pan over medium heat and add two tbsp of olive oil. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring regularly to keep from burning. Add the tomatoes (with all juices), black pepper, any remaining salt you didn't sprinkle on the eggplant, coriander, sweet paprika, and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil and let boil for about five minutes. Reduce the heat to low and let it summer over low heat until the eggplant and peppers are done cooking. Add the vinegar and stir well to incorporate.

When the eggplant and pepper are done cooking, add them to the sauce and spoon some over to mix them in without tossing/breaking the veggies. Cook for another 15-20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened a bit.

Enjoy with the couscous with dates and pistachios or pita if you prefer!

Couscous with Dates and Pistachios

Time: 15 min

This is fast and simple to make, using quick cooking couscous out of a box, but the pistachios and dates really elevate it. The sweetness and crunchiness also pairs really well with the cauliflower, eggplant, and carrots. We also served it alongside the Moroccan Lamb Shoulder but that isn't featured on this post since my husband made that (since I don't eat meat!) I made a double version of the below for a group of ten.

Ingredients:

1 box couscous (I used Near East brand)

1/2 c dates, pitted and coarsely chopped

1/4 c unsalted roasted pistachios, chopped

Prepare the couscous, following the directions on the box. When you reach the endpoint and it's ready to serve, add the pistachios and dates and toss well to mix evenly. Enjoy!

Tut (Marzipan)

Time: 15 min

I've eaten marzipan before, but never made it. It turns out - it's quite easy to make! (And bonus, as you can see in the photos, it's rather like playing with play-doh so a good project for kids to shape the end product.) This one is a slight twist on it that includes rosewater since it's a Persian recipe. That flavor definitely comes through. I found it delightful but feel free to reduce the rosewater if you want a lighter flavor. This recipe is adapted from The Jewish Holiday Table by Naama Shefi and the Jewish Food Society.

Ingredients:

1 c blanched sliced almonds

1 c powdered sugar

1 tbsp rosewater

1/2 c granulated or colored sugar

15 roasted unsalted pistachios, halved

Put the almonds and powdered sugar and process for about two minutes or until it's a sandy mix, scraping down the sides as needed. While the processor is running, slowly pour in the rosewater and it should make a smooth, soft dough in another few minutes. Scrape out of the processor into a bowl.

Place the granulated sugar in a small dish and the pistachios in another. Scoop up about a teaspoon of the dough, rolling it in your hands to the desired shape. Roll in the sugar, as desired, to coat the outside, and decorate with a pistachio halve on top. You can get creative here, skipping the toppings or adding others and making any shapes you desire. You should be able to make about 30 marzipan in total. Your hands will get a little oily since the almonds make an oil when ground, but playing with the dough will be great fun!

Serve fresh and store any leftovers (hah!) in an airtight container.

Chocolate Honey Cake

Time: 5 hrs (a lot of it is cooling time)

On Rosh Hashanah, we eat apples and honey! In this cake... Jewish apple cake (elsewhere on blog) and chocolate honey cake. Is anyone going to argue with that? This cake does involve a few steps but you can make it in advance. In my case, I made the cake the day before, let it cool overnight, and then added the chocolate topping in the morning. You want to give it a couple hours after adding the chocolate topping anyway so it can harden a bit before enjoying. This recipe is adapted from Saveur.

Honey cake ingredients:

1 3/4 c all purpose flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1.5 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp granted orange rind or zest (fresh best but i do sometimes turn to dried here)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 c honey

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c canola oil

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c egg whites

1/2 c brewed (strong) coffee, cooled to room temperature

1/4 c orange juice

1 tsp vanilla

Chocolate cake ingredients:

1 c all purpose flour

1/2 c rye flour

1/3 c cocoa powder

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c canola oil

1/2 c egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

1 c cream soda

Chocolate ganache topping ingredients:

8 oz 70% (or similar) dark chocolate, finely chopped

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp honey

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a springboard angle food cake pan with parchment paper (you'll need to cut out a circle for the middle) and lightly grease with some of your canola oil or a stick of butter. It'll just take a small amount. Grease the sides and bottom.

You'll start by making the honey cake layer. I did this by hand and then used an electric hand mixer, but you could also use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment if you have one. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, orange zest, baking soda, allspice, ginger, and salt. Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the honey, brown sugar, oil, sugar, eggs, coffee, orange juice, and vanilla. Whisk well or use an electric hand mixer to combine evenly. While running your hand mixer in one hand (or stand mixer) slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Pause and scrape as needed, mixing until you get a smooth, even batter. Pour this into the prepared angel food cake pan. It should come about 40% of the way up.

You'll now make the chocolate cake layer. Start with a clean bowl. Add the flour, rye flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined evenly. In another clean bowl, add the sugar, brown sugar, oil, egg whites, vanilla, and cream soda. Whisk until evenly combined. While running your hand mixer (or stand mixer) in one hand in the dry mix, slowly pour in the wet mix, pausing to scrape as needed. Whisk or mix until evenly combined for a smooth batter.

Pour the chocolate batter slowly on top of the honey batter. Do NOT purposefully mix the layers, but as you pour the chocolate batter will naturally mix into the honey batter so you'll see a mixed pattern start to emerge. Let that happen naturally but do not otherwise mix or combine.

Place the angel food cake pan onto a large baking sheet just in case you have any mess and bake for 6-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. When done, put the cake pan onto a wire rack (or gas elevated stove) to cool for 30 minutes. When that is done, carefully use a butter knife to loosen the sides and pop off the springboard side of the pan. Place a large plate upside down over the top of the cake and then hold that with one hand and the bottom of the angel food cake pan with the other so you hold them together. Flip the entire thing quickly and smoothly so the cake inverts onto the plate. Remove the bottom of the pan and the parchment paper. Let the cake cool completely. This could take a couple hours. This is when I covered and left it overnight! One cool, place a cake preserver bottom upside down over the cake and use the same technique to invert it back onto the cake preserver.

You'll now need to make the chocolate ganache topping. Put the water in the bottom of a double boiler pan. Add the chocolate, coconut oil, and honey into the top of the double boiler. Bring the bottom portion to a light boil and stir constantly to evenly melt and incorporate the chocolate and other toppings on the top. This should take 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep stirring until completely smooth. Pour the chocolate ganache evenly over the cake (now sitting on the cake preserver bottom), making sure to get the inside and outsides as well as the top. The chocolate will pool a bit around the cake, which is totally fine. It shouldn't spill out of the cake preserver. Set aside and let it cool and thicken/harden for an hour or more. Enjoy!

(And you can now easily add the top of the cake preserver if you have leftovers to save!)