Jewish Holidays | Rosh Hashana Tips
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​​Like any holiday, we anticipate Rosh Hashana with both excitement and anxiety.
We look forward to gathering with friends and family, but we dread the preparation.
While Rosh Hashana doesn’t have the dietary restrictions and cleaning requirements of Pesach, we still want the food to be delicious and the house to be welcoming.
​Here are some tips for greeting the holiday with calm, not panic.

Make a Plan & Keep it Simple
I’ve told you before – the larger the group, the simpler the menu. A holiday meal for 25 is not the time to test new recipes or prepare complicated dishes.

Many families still enjoy a “traditional” menu of gefilte fish, chicken soup, brisket, chicken, kugels, and honey cake. There’s nothing wrong with tradition, especially if you are less confident in the kitchen. Make what you know. But remember - keep your menu to a reasonable size. You don’t need brisket AND chicken. You don’t need potato AND noodle kugel. And you don’t need six desserts. If you’re hosting both nights, keep most of the menu the same; switch out one or two items to keep it interesting, but don’t feel obligated to make two completely different meals.

Don’t forget to ask if any of your guests have special dietary restrictions. You’re not obligated to make an entirely vegan, gluten-free, allergy friendly meal. But be gracious. Consider a vegetable-based soup and include at least one dessert that doesn’t have nuts.

Fruit Compote can be made ahead and frozen. It's gluten and nut free and vegan. Serve it along with any cake or cookie or by itself.

Prepare Ahead
Make some things ahead of time. While you're cooking is a great time to listen to some Jewish music or a podcast to get yourself in the mood for the holiday – consider The High Holidays Unbound, a podcast by Judaism Unbound, an organization that offers both traditional and new ideas about everything Jewish.

Freezing Matzo Balls
Some things freeze better than others. Soup of any kind freezes well and so do matzo balls. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon, place them on a sheet pan, and freeze – uncovered. When they are thoroughly frozen, put them in a sealed plastic bag or container.

Freezing Brisket
Brisket also is a good choice for making ahead; it reheats better than chicken, in my opinion. Use your favorite recipe. When it’s done, remove the meat from the pot, strain the gravy to separate the vegetables. Cool all of them – separately – overnight in the refrigerator. The next day slice the meat, skim the fat off the gravy, and put the gravy and carrots in a baking dish to freeze. Use this catering trick –wrap the entire dish in plastic wrap and then in heavy foil. Make sure the foil completely encloses the dish. Defrost as is; warm in the oven STILL WRAPPED. The plastic won’t melt, but it will keep everything inside from drying out.

More Freezing Tips
Cakes and cookies also freeze well. Again, wrap completely in plastic, then foil, to keep everything fresh. Don’t unwrap until the dessert is defrosted. Kugels can freeze well too, but to keep them from drying out or getting oily, undercook them by about 15 minutes; cool, wrap and freeze. Defrost, then uncover before warming. 

Cooking and freezing these items ahead of time leaves you time to make your vegetables or salads fresh, the day before or day of the holiday.

Ask for Help
Close friends and family will offer to bring something. If you’re inclined to accept, maintain control of your menu by assigning specific dishes, so you don’t end up with two broccoli kugels and three honey cakes. If someone offers to bring dessert, ask the next baker to bring something different. Also know your friends; guests who don’t cook or don’t have time can bring wine or flowers.

Create a Schedule
Write everything down, so you don’t forget to take something out or put something in. Include cutting the apples to dip in honey; how many times have I forgotten until it’s time for the blessing!? Set your table a day or two ahead; include serving dishes marked with what
goes in them, to be sure you have everything you need handy.    

Consider a Cocktail & Forshpeis
All your guests will not arrive at the same time. Consider making a pitcher of a special Rosh Hashana cocktail such as Pomegranate Martini or Maple Bourbon Apple Cider. Offer a forshpeis – a taste – of something to go with.

Consider a New Tradition
You know my philosophy about eating what’s in season and local; it makes sense now and it made sense to Jews all over the world throughout history. The reason gefilte fish, chicken soup, and honey cake became traditions is because those are the foods Eastern European families had available to them. Jews in other parts of the world developed different traditions, including a Rosh Hashana seder that I love.

Calcutta-born author, Rahel Musleah’s book, Apples and Pomegranates, provides everything you need to know. Information, written by Musleah, is also available online at MyJewishLearning.com. The seder includes symbolic foods that are in season in Northern Africa, the Middle East, and India – dates, pomegranates, lubia (long green beans), pumpkin, beets or their leaves, leeks or chives, and fish cooked with the head on. My Rosh Hashana menu from 2018 (above) includes all the symbolic foods.

Another option is to base your menu on what is available at farmer’s markets near you. Autumn squashes, the season’s final tomatoes and herbs, brussels sprouts and cabbage, cauliflower, apples, and pears are at their peak.

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