Come Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot, there are extra guests for dinner; I am always looking for a tasty family meal that everyone will enjoy. This tzimmes chicken combines the traditional ingredients in one pot.
I looked up the definition of tzimmes and it means to make a fuss over someone or something. It is the sense of the word that gives this dish its name, a lot of things mixed together.
The classic tzimmes is an Eastern European recipe for honey-baked carrots. In Yiddish, the word “meren” means “carrots” and “to increase.” On Rosh Hashanah we often use carrots as they symbolize our hope that we increase our good deeds in the coming year. Another reason for eating them is that the sliced carrots look like golden coins – we wish that our pockets should never be empty in the year to come! Tzimmes recipes vary considerably but all of them are sweet and contain the vital ingredient of carrots.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes; Cooking Time: 1 hour 45 minutes.
Serves: 6- 8 people
Ingredients
1 large chicken (5 pounds)
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 sliced, unpeeled cooking apples
1 pound carrots, peeled, sliced into discs
2 cups pitted prunes, cut in half
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1-½ cups chicken stock
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1-inch fresh ginger root – peeled and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Garnish: 2 oranges, sliced
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Place the chicken in a large ovenware dish.
3. Mix the potatoes, apples, carrots and prunes together and place round the chicken.
4. Combine the chicken stock, wine, zest and juice of an orange, honey, sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Pour over the chicken.
5. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Cover with aluminum foil and roast for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Carve the chicken as desired.
Ingredients
1 large chicken (5 pounds)
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 sliced, unpeeled cooking apples
1 pound carrots, peeled, sliced into discs
2 cups pitted prunes, cut in half
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1-½ cups chicken stock
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1-inch fresh ginger root – peeled and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Garnish: 2 oranges, sliced
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Place the chicken in a large ovenware dish.
3. Mix the potatoes, apples, carrots and prunes together and place round the chicken.
4. Combine the chicken stock, wine, zest and juice of an orange, honey, sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Pour over the chicken.
5. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Cover with aluminum foil and roast for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Carve the chicken as desired.
To serve the stylish way: Dust the serving platter with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon and garnish with sliced oranges.
Denise Phillips is a Professional Chef and Cookery Writer. She may be contacted at: her e-mail – [email protected] and website: www.jewishcookery.com.
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