Vegetarian Tsimmes
“Don’t make a big tsimmes out of it” was a favorite expression of my mother’s, as if making a tsimmes was a big deal and therefore making a big tsimmes—well, you get the idea. Making a tsimmes—a stew of fruits and vegetables, often on the sweet side, and sometimes grains—can be a big deal, especially if you begin with a piece of meat. But as a delicious midwinter stew of dried fruits and root vegetables, served as a side dish or even a main course, it’s hardly any work at all. To make one with meat, simply add these ingredients to the Cholent recipe on page 380. Many tsimmes recipes call for cooking the fruit until it falls apart, which is all too easy to do. In this one, which has less water than most, the fruit is cooked until perfectly tender but still intact. Other vegetables you can prepare this way: vary this as you like—not only is meat common, but so are turnips, beets, apples, barley, and the small egg noodles known as farfel. The key ingredients are the dried fruit, sweet potatoes, and carrots.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 to 8 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and preheat the oven to 375°F. Soak the apricots, prunes, and pears in warm water to cover. Parboil the sweet potatoes, carrots, and onions until just beginning to soften, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Drain the dried fruit.
Step 2
Use half the butter or oil to grease a large casserole or baking dish. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss well; add to the casserole, along with about a cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Dot with the remaining butter and cover with foil; bake until everything is completely tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes, adding additional reserved cooking liquid if necessary to keep the mixture from drying out. Uncover and allow the top to brown a bit, then serve hot or at room temperature.
