Rosh Ha-Shanah Menu
Rosh Hashanah is on its way, and I think I’ve got the menu for night 2 just about finalized. (We’ll be guests of friends for night 1.) Here it is (recipes will follow in upcoming posts):
Round raisin challah
Symbolic foods (apples & honey, carrots, beets)
Capon matsah ball soup and vegetarian alternative
Gefilte fish
Green salad with balsamic vinaigrette
Italian style pot roast
Sweet potato-apple tsmimmis
Marinated vegetables with tofu
Honey cake (from mother-in-law)
Cardamom rice pudding (parve, of course)
Now, to choose the wine. We’ll need 3 or 4 bottles, and it will have to be mevushal, unfortunately. I’m thinking that we may be able to get away with a Herzog Selection Chateneuf on account of the soup and fish, but we will also need some robust reds to go with the pot roast. Barkan Cabernet is one strong possibility. Any other suggestions?
The Recanati Merlot actually isn’t bad, even for people who don’t usually drink Merlot. I think Rashi of all places makes a really nice, flavorful, crowd-pleasing Claret which comes in a really tacky-looking bottle but was one of the best wines we had all last year. At least I think it was Rashi. We were all concerned but then pleasantly surprised.
What are you using for your ‘new’ fruit? We have a really hard time figuring out our fruit every year - now that most fruits are available year-round, it is hard to come up with one that no one at the table has eaten… then there is the problem of determining if the exotic “fruit” is actually ha-eitz, since we have no idea how fruit is grown (i.e. bananas).
Any suggestions?
Marti: Thanks for the tips. I’m not a big fan of Recanti Merlot, actually (and it’s not mevushal), but I’m looking forward to trying the Rashi Claret, which I ordered from Kosherwine.com. I also decided to go with the Barkan Cabernet and to try the Kolobarra Hills blend recommended by nonmevushalmarc a while back (which is, ironically, mevushal). One of our guests will also be bringing a bottle of wine, so we will have plenty.
Marina: Ah, the annual new-fruit dilemma. We’re having a guest bring ours, so it will be a surprise. Usually, we buy starfruit, since it’s one of the few rare fruits to which I’m not allergic. Technically, however, the fruit only has to be new to the person making kiddush, so you don’t actually have to worry about everyone at the table. Also, if the fruit is in season and the person making the bracha has only eaten it when it was out of season, I think you’re also okay (ask your local halakhic authority to make sure). And remember: you only need a “new fruit” for the second night.