Tzimmes

The main requirement was that the tzimmes be orange. This recipe had about my quantities of roots and this one my preferred number of pots (only the casserole), so I combined them.

Serves 6–8.

Ingredients

Rosh Hashanah

• 1 ¼ lbs. sweet potatoes or yams
• 3–6 carrots (about ¾ lb.)
• about 6 oz. raisins, currants, or other dried fruit
• 1 T. honey
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ c. orange juice
• ½ c. water
• ½ T. oil (optional)

Passover

• 3 mixed sweet potatoes/yams (about 2 ½ lbs)
• 6–9 carrots (about 1 ½ lbs)
• about 12 oz. mixed raisins, currants, or other dried fruit
• 2 T. honey, agave, or molasses
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 c. orange juice
• 1 c. water
• 1 T. oil (optional)

Directions

1. Peel and chop the roots.
2. Combine with fruit in a large greased baking dish.
3. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over the dish.
4. Cook covered at 350° for one hour.
5. Sprinkle with oil and cook uncovered for 45–60 more minutes.

Variants

Steam the roots first for 10 minutes for quicker baking (1 hour), in which case you can omit the water from the recipe and leave the dish uncovered. Raise the temperature to 375° and stir occasionally while baking.

Prunes are the traditional fruit, but figs are more fun.

For Rosh Hashanah, you can expand the list to include pumpkin (i.e., gourd or any winter squash), beets, leeks, dates, black-eyed peas, or other traditional foods. Except for winter squash and golden beets, it’s easier to cook these separately and add them later. The main recipe is also cut down from the Passover quantity (which is more appropriate for the lack of other foods).