Tzimmes! Oy, that's sooooo good.

Since I’m sorta laid up, Suggie called and told me that she was bringing supper over. Period. Get used to it. She had made her favorite Tzimmes, in her grandmothers beautiful old casserole which must date from at least the 1920’s by the design. What could I say but “Uh. Okay.”

This dish is a tribute to the fall root vegetables and is so easy that even the novice cook can make it and have a standout wonderful meal that is both incredibly tasty, healthy and nutritious, and makes wonderful leftovers.

Tzimmes, a rich, sweet and savory casserole,  is of Ashkenazi Jewish derivation, and is traditionally served on the holiday of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year). This is a dish that can go from a very simple carrot dish cooked in honey, to a really full blown kitchen project passed down in families - and everything in between. It can be served several different ways, with brisket, short ribs of beef, roast beef or even chicken. Probably not so much with pork. That’s joke, son!

Suggie, the undisputed queen of TzimmesI took a look on the net and there are tons of different Tzimmes recipes, many with pitted prunes, apples, white potatoes and even pineapple. Suggie buries matzo balls (encased in mashed potato) and tender beef short ribs in hers, and then slow cooks it in the oven to a fare thee well.

This stuff is heaven on a plate. And that’s what her husband, Shelley claims (Tzimmes being his all time favorite dish).

This is the face of a happy man eating Tzimmes.

You can’t get much more thrifty than Tzimmes. Carrots and sweet potatoes are always cheap and plentiful. You can usually get the short ribs for a decent price - or use whatever cut of beef that’s on special that benefits from long slow cooking. That’s code for the cheaper cuts. And it really goes a long way in feeding a family or a crowd.

Ingredients and Technique

2 lbs of carrots, grated

1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice

1 small sweet onion, finely diced

1 lb of beef short ribs

2-1/2 cups water

1/2 cup all purpose flour, diluted with 1/4 cup water

1 cup sugar ( or can substitute honey)

1 tablespoon salt

Combine the carrots, sweet potatoes, onion plus sugar in a heavy, oven proof pot with a tight fitting lid. Put short ribs in down in the middle and cook on low heat for 2 hours on top of stove.

Meanwhile make your dumplings.

Dumpling Ingredients:

4 white russet potatoes, peeled, grated and cooked.

1 large egg, whisked

Salt, to taste

4 matzo balls. It’s fine to use a boxed Matzo ball recipe.

Grate and cook four white potatoes until tender. Drain well. Mix with a beaten egg and salt to taste. You will wrap four matzo balls in the cooked, mashed potatoes - which you are going to add later to the Tzimmes.

Remove meat and set aside. Mix Tzimmes thoroughly with the diluted flour mixture to thicken, and taste.  Adjust the salt and sweetness to your liking. Put meat back in center. Add dumplings around side and bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours, tightly covered.

This is the wonderfully warming dish you get to tuck into:

We served it with a big salad I’d whipped up:

Equal amounts of peppery Arugula and torn green leaf lettuce

1 green apple chopped

Crumbled blue cheese

1-2 stalks of celery, sliced on the diagonal

A handful of chopped nuts

Apple cider viniagrette dressing - Equal parts apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice. 2-3 tablespoons grapeseed oil ( you can substitute canola or a nut oil such as hazelnut or walnut). 2-3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar ( you can substitute maple syrup, or boiled apple cider syrup which is really delicious!). A dash of onion powder, Italian seasoning, sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Whisk all this together, and taste to adjust the sweet/acid/oil balance to your liking.

I topped the salad with whole leaves of fresh sage that I’d lightly fried in a tiny bit of oil until they were crispy, then quickly drained on a paper towel.

Bon appetit!

-maven