Saturday, September 8, 2007

Rosh Hashonah is Coming with a Dilemma about Chicken

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Rosh Hashonah is the Jewish New Year . It's a time for reflection and promise and it will be here in less than a week. This year is truly a new year for us. It's our first in Halifax, our first with our wonderful grandson Boaz and our first time sharing in the celebratory feasting with our extended family.

So what do I make for dinner? Do I go the old tried and true traditional meal like two years ago (and frankly most years - although last year I did make a veal brisket instead of the usual Orange Ginger Capon)? My daughter Joanna is making brisket. We're invited to friends of the family and she's making turkey. I don't want to repeat anything. Afterall three nights of feasting in a row is truly excessive and the last thing I want to do is more of the same. But I do want to do a chicken dish and I've been experimenting this week. My family will probably be sick to death of it by the time our holiday dinner rolls around.

The Ezekiel Chicken recipe adapted from Cucina Ebraicawas scrumptious, but a little too piquant for Rosh Hashanah (a time for sweet dishes) and my kids felt it was not festive enough. There were a few other dishes I tried as well, but too ordinary to even mention here. So I'm still hunting through my collection of Jewish Cookbooks for something special. If any of you have suggestions, please share in the comments. I guess the rest of you (and me) will have to wait until next weekend to find out what I served.

But the Ezekiel's Chicken was so flavorful and so full of herbs - sage, rosemary & basil that I had to submit it to Kalyn's Kitchen's Weekend Herb Blogging. It's been a while since I've had a chance to participate. This week it's being hosted by Katie of Thyme for Cooking, a great blogger and frequent Presto Pasta Night contributor.

7 comments:

Kalyn Denny said...

This sounds like a great way to cook chicken, with all those delilcious herbs. Can you find canned San Marzano tomatoes? If you do, I'm very jealous. I've never been able to find them here, so I usually get Muir Glen organic canned tomatoes.

Katie Zeller said...

I nver thought of putting basil with sage and rosemary... but it sounds wonderful - and now's my chance when it's all looking good!
And the chicken looks pretty damn good, too! Not festive enough? Put it on a bed of something... quinoa?

Ruth Daniels said...

Kalyn, I don't mean to make you jealous...but, yes, I can find them here in Halifax. Not at every grocery store, but enough to make it fairly easy to come by. Muir Glen is not a bad option either.

Katiez, I wouldn't have thought to put the basil in the trio myself. But it works. As for festive..there are lots of holidays coming up that will be perfect for this chicken, but Rosh Hashonah is kind of like Christmas or Thanksgiving...where a giant bird, roast, ham...something spectacular is the centerpiece and carved at the table.

Scott at Real Epicurean said...

I was reading about Jewish food recently in, I beleive, a Nigella Lawson book. It looks really interesting - and so does this!

Anonymous said...

You know, I was just thinking this morning about the roast duck spice and honey dish I made Sunday, and I figured I shouldn't have to wait for another duck. I'm thinking on chicken. I thought I'd spatchcock mine, but that wouldn't look as splendid as roasting it on my tower.
I think you should make one too, and see if you like it. (I'm not suggesting duck because I don't have a self-cleaning oven and maybe you don't either.)

Anonymous said...

One of the best chicken recipes I have ever had is from the Silver Palette cookbook - Chicken Marbella. There are many sites on Google, here is one from Joan Nathan http://www.leitesculinaria.com/recipes/cookbook/chicken_marbella.html

It sounds like it would fit the bill

Alice

Ruth Daniels said...

Scott, Nigella does have some lovely Jewish dishes in her Feast book. In fact I think I'll try her St Tropez Honey Chicken.

Judith, your duck dish sounds awesome and definitely one I'll have to try. I think perhaps for Hanukah (Festival of Lights, usually around Christmas). The star is oil..sacred oil in the Ancient Temple. To celebrate, we use oil to fry latkes (potato pancakes) or safganyot (Doughnuts) and eat duck because of it's rich fatty and therefore crispy skin.

Anonymous, thanks for sharing your idea. I do love the recipe you mentioned from Silver Palate (sitting on my shelf, so that's a good thing).