Glazed Carrot Tzimmes

with Leeks, Ginger, Fenugreek, and Honey

Sticky and glossy, with complex flavors that will delight everyone at your holiday table.

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Tzimmes is a big deal. That’s what the word means, a big deal. This tzimmes is fairly simple (is that an oxymoron?) in that it uses only carrots, sweetened with honey, and enhanced with warm spices. Leeks balance the sweetness of the honey, and a little squeeze of lemon brightens the whole dish. The spices in the dish are used in India as well as in the Middle East, and so I sauté the leeks in a bit of coconut oil to enhances that relationship. Tzimmes often uses dried fruits, traditionally prunes and/or apricots, but creative cooks often use others, as well. Cranberries, cherries, or any dried fruits that you fancy are welcome to drop in. That’s the beauty of this dish. It’s sort of the Jackson Pollak of Jewish cooking. Just keep tossing in what you like, and something beautiful is sure to emerge. This time, I’m going to add some bits of dried pineapple and a handful of slivered almonds at the end.

I like using orange juice for the liquid, but you can use water. Here’s the magic—I use a minimum of liquid to cook the carrots. As they become tender, the liquid cooks out and what remains is the fat and the honey, which turn into a beautiful, shiny glaze.

What’s great about this recipe, besides the fact that it tastes really, really good, is that it’s perfect for Rosh Hashanah because it incorporates several of the holiday’s symbolic foods for the new year in a delicious and creative way. Carrot coins represent prosperity, honey expresses our hope for a sweet year, leeks are for hope that our enemies may be decimated (harsh!), and fenugreek is our wish for our merits to increase. It’s also pretty easy to make, once you get everything into the pot. This tzimmes cooks in a pot, stovetop. You can serve it right away, but I usually make it in advance. I think it comes out even better if you turn it into a greased casserole dish and warm it in the oven later, as that way the carrots develop a bit of char around the edges.

Glazed Carrot Tzimmes with Leeks, Ginger, Fenugreek, and Honey

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced into ½-inch thick diagonal slices. Rainbow carrots are nice here, but ordinary orange one will do just fine.

• 2 leeks, white parts and tender green parts, cleaned and sliced into rings

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

• ½—1 teaspoon ground ginger, to taste

• 1 teaspoon fenugreek

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• a mixture of half orange juice and half water, just enough to cover the carrots in the pot

• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

• Optional: A handful of dried prunes (I like the little ones here), and/or dried apricots. Or some bits of dried pineapple. You can also add slivered almonds. pine nuts, or pistachios for crunch.

Method:

• In a large saucepan or deep-sided skillet, heat the coconut oil until it’s melted and hot. Add the leeks and cook them, stirring occasionally, until soft but not brown, about 4 minutes.

• Add the carrot slices and cook them for a minute or two, so that they’re coated with the oil.

• Add the ginger, fenugreek, and cinnamon, and toss for another minute to coat the carrots with the spices.

• Add the water and orange juice blend, just enough to cover the vegetables. Now add the honey, a sprinkling of salt, a few grinds of the pepper mill, a squeeze of lemon, and any dried fruits that you’re using. Mix to combine.

• Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Then lower the heat somewhat and keep it at a gentle boil.

• Here’s the tricky part—You want all of the liquid to cook out, but you have to watch it carefully so that it doesn’t burn. If it cooks too slowly the carrots will be overdone and mushy; too fast and they’ll be hard. Watch the pot carefully, stirring on occasion, and adjust the heat as necessary.

• As soon as the liquid is almost gone, start gently tossing the carrots with a large spoon so that a glaze forms over them. Then immediately remove them from the and turn the contents of the pot into a greased casserole dish. Gently stir in any nuts you might be using. You can keep the dish in a warm oven until ready to serve, or refrigerate it for later use.

• When it's time to reheat the dish, slide it into the oven until heated through and the edges begin to caramelize. The temperature of the oven can vary from 325° to 425°, so it can share space with whatever else you’ve got baking in there. A hotter oven will have them done faster than a slower oven, but it works either way.

• Sprinkle with the fresh parsley or cilantro just before serving