Honey-thyme glazed chicken – Rosh Hashana celebrates seasonal food

By Jim Romanoff, Associated Press

Honey-thyme glazed chicken with cider gravy and baby spinach salad has a sweet, autumnal flavor that can be tailored to your region by using a local wildflower honey and a cider made with heirloom apples. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

You may not think of Jewish cooking as trendsetting, but truth is it has been focused on seasonal recipes sporting local ingredients since long before farmers’ markets became the darling of the foodie scene. And the Jewish New Year meal, served at Rosh Hashana, is a perfect example of this unintended hipness.
While the foods of this holiday are most often acknowledged for their emblematic value – think apples and honey to represent a sweet year to come – they also are intentionally seasonal for both the symbolic and practical reasons of wanting to celebrate the hope of new beginnings by using what you have on hand in late summer and early fall.

So Rosh Hashana turns out to be the perfect opportunity to serve a local, in-season meal while fully embracing the spirit of the holiday. Traditionally, foods are chosen that are both sweet and round. Round foods represent the circle of life that continues with the new year, says Leah Koenig, a Brooklyn, N.Y., resident and author of “The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook.”

Laura Frankel, author of various cookbooks including “Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes,” is taking a local, seasonal holiday meal even further. She is holding a “Rosh Hashana Boot Camp” cooking class in Chicago at Spertus, a Jewish culture and learning center, where she is the executive chef.

“I just want to get people out of the rut of making the standard brisket and honey cake for the holidays. There’s so much available at this time of year that you can tie in with the symbolism of Rosh Hashana,” says Frankel.

She’ll be showing boot camp attendees how to make chicken and turkey with a Concord grape and honey glaze, a beautiful purple sorbet infused with honey and lemon zest and a festive spritzer made by blending a sparkling white wine with Concord grapes muddled with fresh mint and lemon zest (recipes available on Cheflauraskosher.com). Following are two seasonal dishes we’ve created to try.

HONEY-THYME GLAZED CHICKEN WITH CIDER GRAVY

2 whole chickens (4 to 5 pounds EACH), giblets discarded
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
4 teaspoons dried thyme
1 large yellow onion, quartered
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup water
4 tablespoons non-dairy margarine
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups apple cider
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pat chickens dry with paper towels and rub 1 tablespoon oil over outside of each.

Sprinkle inside and outside of chicken with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon each of the thyme. Stuff each chicken with 2 onion quarters. Tuck wings behind the back and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.

Arrange the chickens, breast side down, on a V-rack set inside a roasting pan. Roast on middle rack in a preheated 425-degree oven about 45 minutes, until chickens are golden. Remove pan from oven and carefully, using paper towels, flip chickens so that they are breast side up.

Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Pour wine and water into roasting pan. Return pan to oven and roast until thigh meat registers 165 to 170 degrees F, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. If the pan dries out, add more water 1/2 cup at a time.

Meanwhile, to make the glaze, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine margarine and remaining 2 teaspoons thyme. Melt margarine and cook, stirring a minute or two. Add honey and 1/2 cup apple cider, then simmer until glaze has thickened and reduced a bit, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice and set aside.

Remove pan from oven and brush chickens evenly with a thick layer of glaze (you’ll have some remaining to brush on later) and continue to roast until glaze is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer chickens to a cutting board, brush with remaining glaze and let rest 15 minutes before cutting (do not clean the roasting pan).

To make the cider gravy, whisk 1/2 cup chicken broth and flour in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.

Set roasting pan over 2 burners on medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 cup cider and bring to a boil. Cook, scraping up the browned bits from the pan, until the liquid is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups broth. Increase heat to high and return to a boil, whisking often. Boil until liquid is reduced by about half, 5 to 7 minutes.

Whisk reserved flour-broth mixture into pan. Boil, whisking constantly, until gravy is thickened, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and pour gravy through a fine sieve into a large measuring cup (discard the solids). Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve chicken with cider gravy for passing. Makes 10 servings.

BABY SPINACH SALAD WITH POMEGRANATE DRESSING

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1/4 teaspoon chopped lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
10 ounces baby spinach, rinsed and large stems removed
2 small Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
2 small red onions, sliced into very thin rings
Seeds of 1 pomegranate, optional
In a small bowl, make dressing, by whisking together olive oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon zest, lemon juice and honey. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.

Divide spinach evenly between 10 salad plates. Arrange avocado slices and red onion rings over each salad. Whisk dressing to recombine and drizzle over each salad. Top with pomegranate seeds, if desired. Serve immediately. Makes 10 servings.

NOTE: If salad is not being served with meat, 1/2 cup goat cheese can be used and crumbled over salads before adding dressing.

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