Photo by Phil Goodwin on Unsplash
The festival of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a joyous occasion celebrated by members of the Jewish community all over the world.
This festival consists of many elements, including prayer services in synagogues and the blowing of an ancient musical instrument called a “shofar”, which is made from a ram’s horn.
One of the most anticipated aspects of Rosh Hashanah is undeniably all of the delicious, sweet foods that Jewish people eat throughout the festival.
Two of the most recognisable food staples to be found on the dinner table during Rosh Hashanah are apple and honey, a tradition that has passed down the generations for centuries.
During the Communist years, it was illegal to practice religion. For Jews in the Soviet Union, religious practice was impossible and many traditions were lost. Through the work of The Together Plan we endeavour to help people back to Jewish life, and what better way than through teaching the rituals connected through symbolic foods and sharing recipes.
In Belarus, apple trees can be found in almost every village, for sure the Jewish people who once lived there would have picked them at this time of year for their Rosh Hashanah tables. They are for sure a symbol of memory for many people who have ancestry there when they return to visit. Sometimes they can even help people find their way home as in this short film.
We bring you here two delicious recipes which we hope will bring you only sweetness and joy for the year ahead.
Baked Apples with Honey – an authentic Belarus recipe
Inspired by Travel By Stove.
This is the perfect recipe for Rosh Hashannah because it is just made with apples and honey and a sprinkle of icing sugar for that extra sweetness
Serves 4
- 4 eating apples
- 1/2 to 1 cup of honey
- 2 tbsp powdered/icing sugar
First remove the core from the apples to make a well, making sure not to go all the way through the apple. Pour honey into the hollows of each apple where the core was. You don’t really have to measure the honey, just fill each hollow to the top.
Core the apples to fill them with honey
Bake at 180 degrees celsius for approximately 50 minutes until they are soft. You want the texture of the apple to be like the apple slices inside an apple pie. The honey becomes really watery in the oven and gets a little foamy.
Sprinkle the apples with powdered sugar and serve hot, with sour cream, yoghurt or ice cream or just as it is!
Apple and Honey Crumble
Serves 4
Ingredients
Apple and honey:
- 8 red apples or 8 bramleys
- 500ml fresh apple juice
- sprinkle of cinnamon
- 50ml honey
Crumble:
- 100g flaked almond
- 120g pumpkin seeds
- 100g chia seeds
- 150g coconut sugar
- 4 tbsp coconut oil melted
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- squeeze maple syrup
Method
Peel the apples, and slice thinly, discard the core
Place the apples and honey into a saucepan with a shallow layer of apple juice, Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer for about 10-15 mins until the apples are soft.
Allow to cool. If there is too much liquid, drain the apple juice and use it to make a smoothie or a salad dressing.
While the apples are cooking, place almond flakes, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, and cinnamon into a bowl and mix.
When the apple is cooked and drained, transfer to the bottom of an ovenable dish and top with the crumble.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and maple syrup.
You can make this ahead of time and store in the fridge for a couple of days. Bake at 180C/ Gas mark 5 for about 10-15 mins, until the crumble is golden, crunchy and delicious
Serve with a dollop of sour cream, creme fraiche, coconut yoghurt or ice cream
This recipe has been devised by [email protected]
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