Sunday 9/20/09 - Rosh Hashanah Dinner

Sunday dinners were always a tradition in my house but unfortunately since I have moved out on my own I haven't really had a chance to host many big Sunday gatherings. For most people Sunday is recovery day so leaving the house gets difficult, that is unless its for football. I tend to be a little lazy myself on Sundays so this dinner was mostly done in advance so my day was actually pretty easy. I decided to do a mix of Ashkenazi & Sephardic dishes and I cooked most of the vegetable sides separately as we had our regular vegetarian attending.


The Menu:
Pinto Bean dip
Spinach Dip

Challah
Apple Butter
Honey
Apples & Pomegranate

Brisket
Tzimmes and Sweet Potatoes
Stuffed Peppers & Eggplant
Moroccan Meatballs
Spinach Kugel

Strawberry Tarte
Caramel Apple Tarte
Chocolate Cherry Rugelach
Fresh Whipped Cream
Vanilla Ice Cream

Some of the things were blends of recipes I found online or made up on my own, the meatballs were from a friend's mom and the Strawberry Tarte is something I learned from my Aunt Sandra so its probably just easier to write my own instructions but they will have to wait for now......

Spinach Dip
This idea came from a Girl's Night Out at Vento. Our table took forever to leave so we ended up with some champagne and spinach dip to ease the time away. The dip was excellent and when we asked what was so different- the waiter spilled the secret was in the Ricotta Cheese so I used that as my model.
2 frozen spinach - thawed in microwave and squeezed dry then diced
14 oz part skim ricotta cheese
4 oz light cream cheese
2 jar marinaded artichoke hearts
1 c Parmesan cheese - grated
6 cloves of roasted garlic- smashed
salt & pepper

1) Using the immersion blender smooth out the artichoke hearts
2) Add cream cheese, ricotta cheese, garlic, spinach, 1/2 c of the Parmesan and salt & pepper to taste - mix to combine
3) Spoon into a oven proof crock and top with the remaining Parmesan and place in oven at 350 F for 15 min or until browned and bubbly

Apple Butter
This is sort of a fast easy cheater version but it tastes great!
2 apples - peeled, cored and diced
1/2 c dark brown sugar - packed
2 tbsp cranberry juice
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1) Add ingredients to sauce pan and cook on med until cooked down - 30-45 min
2) Use immersion blender to smooth out