JEWTINA Y CO. ROSH HASHANAH RECIPE BOOK INTRO

Rosh Hashanah is one of the many Jewish holidays that calls for a celebratory meal. As we begin the new year, it is in our tradition to eat simanim (symbolic foods), say blessings, and make wishes for the year ahead.

While Rosh Hashanah Seders are more typically celebrated in Sephardi and Mizrahi homes, more Jews from around the world are starting to incorporate this practice into their New Year celebrations. This year, we want to invite folks preparing a Rosh Hashanah Seder to do so Latino/x style. In this guide, we will introduce the traditional simanim, their corresponding blessings, and a traditional Latin American recipe that features the symbolic food. Carefully selected for maximum flavor, we guarantee these foods will sweeten your new year.
 

POMEGRANATE - GRANADA - RIMON

One of the seven fruits of Israel, the pomegranate, or rimon in Hebrew, is believed to also have 613 seeds, symbolizing the 613 Mitzvot, or deeds, we are commanded to achieve in our lifetime. With this blessing, we ask for a year of good deeds.

Una de las siete frutas de Israel, la granada, o "rimon" en hebreo, tiene 613 semillas, simbolizando las 613 "Mitzvot", o hechos, que se nos ordena lograr en nuestra vida. Con esta bendición, pedimos un año de buenas obras.

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱלֹהינוּ וֵאלֵֹהי אֲבוֹתֵינו שֶׁנִּהְיֶה מְלֵאִים מִצְוות כרִימון
Yehi ratzon milfanecha Adonai Eloheinu v’elohei avoteinu, she’nihiyeh m’lei’im mitzvot ka’rimon.
Yeji ratzón milfaneja Adonai Elojeinu v'elojei avoteinu, she’nijiyeh m’lei’im mitzvot ka’rimón.

May it be Your will, Eternal our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors, that we be filled with mitzvot like a pomegranate (that is filled with seeds).

Que sea Tu voluntad, Dios Eterno y Dios de nuestros antepasados, que seamos llenos de mitzvot como una granada (que está llena de semillas).
 

Pomegranate Mojito
Symbolic rimon dish inspired by Femina Travel (Cuba)
 

INGREDIENTS
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
4 cups pomegranate juice
2 cups of lemonade
3 cups of white rum
A big bunch of mint
2 limes, quartered, plus slices to garnish

PREP TIME
Prep | 10 m
Ready in | 20 m
Duration | 3 days
Yields | 6-7 cups

DIRECTIONS
A day before the gathering, freeze some pomegranate seeds along with water in an ice cube tray.
Setting aside half the mint for garnish, tear the rest into a large jug with the lime quarters. Muddle the mint and lime to release the flavors.
Pour the pomegranate juice, lemonade and white rum into the jug. Put ice cubes into each glass, strain the pomegranate mix through a sieve. Garnish with lime and mint.
 

BEET - BETERAGA - SILKA

The Aramaic word for beet, silka (or selek in Hebrew), is related to the word silek (to retreat). With this blessing, we ask that we be freed from those who wish us harm.

La palabra aramea para beteraga, "silka" (o "selek" en hebreo), está relacionada con la palabra "silek" (retirarse). Con esta bendición, pedimos que nos liberemos de aquellos que desean hacernos daño.

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱלֹהינוּ וֵאלֵֹהי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁיִּסְתַּלְּקוּ אוֹיְבֵינוּ וְשׂוֹנְאֵינוּ וְכָל מְבַקְשֵׁי רָעָתֵנוּ
Yehi ratzon milfanecha Adonai Eloheinu v'elohei avoteinu, she'yistalku oyveinu v'soneinu v'kol m'vakshei ra'ateinu.
Yeji ratzón milfaneja Adonai Elojeinu v'elojei avoteinu, she'yistalku oyveinu v'soneinu v'kol m'vakshei ra'ateinu.

May it be Your will, Eternal our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors, that our enemies, haters and those who wish evil upon us shall depart.

Que sea Tu voluntad, Dios Eterno y Dios de nuestros antepasados, que nuestros enemigos, odiadores y aquellos que desean el mal sobre nosotros se vayan.
 

Beet and Citrus Ensalada
Symbolic silka dish by Liliana Fuchs (Colombia)

INGREDIENTS
​​2 roasted, peeled, and sliced golden beets 
2 roasted, peeled, and sliced red beets 
2 avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into quarters 
2 oranges 
2 blood oranges 
¼ cup roasted pistachios, chopped 
Extra virgin olive oil 
Sea salt flakes
Fresh basil leaves 

PREP TIME
Prep | 2.5 h (beet roasting)
Ready in | 20 m
Duration | 5 days
Yields | 4 portions

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small baking dish, rub the beets with olive oil. Add water and cover tightly with foil and roast for 2.5 hours, or until tender when pierced with a knife.
When cool, peel the beets and slice them. Transfer to a large bowl.
Peel oranges with a paring knife to remove any pith. Slice oranges crosswise into 1/4" rounds.
On a serving plate, arrange beet, orange, and avocado slices. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Tuck a few basil leaves into the salad. Enjoy!
 

CARROT - ZANAHORIA - GEZER

The Hebrew word for carrot gezer is similar to ligzor, to decree, so we ask that God judge us with a positive decree.

La palabra hebrea para zanahoria "gezer" es similar a "ligzor", decretar, así que le pedimos a Dios que nos juzgue con un decreto positivo.

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁתִּרְגֹז עָלֵינוּ גְזֵרוֹת טוֹבוֹת
Yehi ratzon milfanecha Adonai Eloheinu v'elohei avoteinu, she'tirgoz aleinu g'zeirot tovot.
Yeji ratzón milfaneja Adonai Elojeinu v'elojei avoteinu, she'tirgoz aleinu g'zeirot tovot.

May it be Your will, Eternal our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors, that you decree for us good outcomes.

Que sea Tu voluntad, Dios Eterno y Dios de nuestros antepasados, que nos decretes buenos resultados.
 

Dip de Zanahoria Asada
Symbolic gezer dish inspired by Carmen Pérez (Venezuela)


INGREDIENTS
2 pounds of carrots, peeled 
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup tahini
Juice from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon cumin
2-3 tbsp almond milk or water
Optional garnish

PREP TIME
Prep | 10 m
Ready in | 20 m
Duration | 3 days
Yields | 2 cups

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and cut the carrots into 1 inch sized chunks, toss them in olive oil and salt and place on a baking sheet along with the garlic cloves. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes until the carrots are tender and lightly browned on the edges.
In a food processor combine the cooked carrots, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin and liquid and blend until smooth.
Serve sprinkled with a pinch of smoked paprika, parsley or pomegranate seeds.
 

SWEETNESS - DULZURA - METIKOOT

While you may be accustomed to dipping apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah, any sweet food can represent the wish for a sweet year to come.

Si bien puede estar acostumbrado a comer manzanas y miel para Rosh Hashaná, cualquier alimento dulce puede representar el deseo de un año dulce por venir.

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱלֹהינוּ וֵאלֵֹהי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁתְּחַדֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ שָׁנָה טוֹבָה וּמְתוּקָה כַּדְּבָשׁ
Yehi ratzon milfanecha Adonai Eloheinu v'elohei avoteinu, she't'chadesh aleinu shanah tovah u'metukah ka'devash.
Yeji ratzón milfaneja Adonai Elojeinu v'elojei avoteinu, she't'jadesh aleinu shaná tová u'metuká ka'devesh.

May it be Your will, Eternal our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors, that You renew for us a year good and sweet like honey.

Que sea Tu voluntad, Dios Eterno y Dios de nuestros antepasados, que nos renueves un año bueno y dulce como la miel.
 

Semita de Piña
Symbolic sweet dish inspired by Solomon Dueñas (El Salvador)
 

INGREDIENTS
1 fresh pineapple (30 oz.)
2 cups of brown sugar
1 stick cinnamon
6 cloves
3 tablespoon cornflour
¼ cup water
⅓ cup warm water
2¼ teaspoons of active dry yeast
¾ cup milk warm
½ cup butter melted
¼ cup white sugar or raw
3 cups of plain flour
1¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs beaten
1 egg beaten
2 tablespoon white sugar

PREP TIME
Prep | 5 m
Ready in | 15 m
Duration | 4 days
Yields | 4 portions

DIRECTIONS
Remove the skin and core from the pineapple. Discard the trimmings and purée the flesh. Transfer the flesh to a saucepan, add the brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Heat the saucepan over medium heat, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook the pineapple for 1 hour, stirring until it's thick like apple sauce.
Remove cinnamon and cloves and discard them. Dissolve cornflour in the water and mix it well through the cooked pineapple. Turn off  heat and set aside until cooled completely before storing in a sealed container in the fridge.
Combine warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Stir well and set aside for 5-10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, dissolve the remaining ¼ cup of sugar into the warm milk and butter. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt and whisk to aerate. Make a well in the centre then pour in the yeast mixture, milk mixture and 3 beaten eggs. Stir ingredients together, transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, then knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Wipe out the large mixing bowl, lightly grease it with oil, then put the dough into it. Cover with plastic and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size. It could take up to two hours.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a flat or shallow tray with baking paper and set aside.
Take risen dough, punch it down and cut it in half. Roll one of the halves into a rectangle about 7 mm thick. Transfer rolled pastry onto the lined baking tray. Trim sides so that they're straight, reserving the trimmings.
Spread the pineapple jam evenly over the rolled pastry, leaving about 2 centimeters of space on the edges. The jam needs to be about 5 mm thick.
Lightly brush a little of the remaining beaten egg on the edges of the pastry. Roll the other half of the dough to the same size as the first, carefully lay it over the first half of the pastry and jam, then trim the sides to match the first layer of pastry. Add the trimmings to the reserved ones.
Using a fork, press down the edges to seal. To make a cross pattern - Knead  remaining offcuts of pastry together, then roll to the same length as your baking tray. Cut the pastry into 5 mm strips. Brush the top of the prepared semita with the beaten egg, then carefully lay the strips of pastry diagonally over the top, pressing them down gently and trimming to size as needed.
Lay more strips on top, this time to cross over in the other direction to form a diagonal lattice. Press these down gently, then lightly brush the strips with beaten egg. Scatter over remaining sugar and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden.
Cool completely in the tray before cutting into portions. Store the semita in a sealed container. If storing for a couple of days, do so in the fridge.