Serving up a Rosh Hashanah meal

Apple cinnamon and honey challah

(Makes 2 small round challahs)

INGREDIENTS
525g (31⁄2 cups) plain flour, plus extra
250ml (1 cup) warm water
3 teaspoons dried yeast
55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
60ml (1/4 cup) oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 egg, beaten
2 heaped teaspoons salt
Apple filling:
1 extra large (or 2 small) Granny Smith apples
55g (1/4 cup) white sugar
55g (1/3 cup) sultanas
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
To glaze:
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon demerara sugar

METHOD
Line a large baking tray. Put the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if making by hand). Make a well in the flour and add the warm water. Add the yeast and caster sugar, stirring in the well until combined. To ensure the yeast is active, allow to stand for 15 minutes, or until foamy.

Combine the oil, honey, egg and salt in a small bowl and add to the mixture in the well. Mix with a wooden spoon and gradually incorporate the flour into the mixture in the well. Once combined, using the dough hook attachment of the stand mixer, knead on low-medium speed for 6 minutes until you have a smooth, soft and sticky dough.

You can also knead it by hand for 10 minutes on your benchtop; you will need to add extra flour but add as little as possible to avoid toughening the dough.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Set aside in a warm place and allow the dough to rise for 2 hours or until it has doubled in volume. Towards the end of the rising time, prepare the filling.

Peel the apples and cut into fine dice. Toss with the white sugar, sultanas and cinnamon. When the dough has risen, remove from the bowl and place on a very lightly floured benchtop. Divide into 2.

Flatten one piece of the dough with floured hands to form a long rectangle. Press half of the filling into the surface of the dough and roll the rectangle into a snake from the long side. Hold the end of the snake in the middle of the baking paper (where one loaf will sit) and coil the snake around itself to form a large circle. Tuck the end underneath the outside coil and press to seal. Repeat with the other half of the dough so you have 2 loaves.

Cover the loaves with a light tea towel and allow them to rise for 45 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180°C. When risen, brush them well (including all crevices) with the egg wash and sprinkle with the demerara sugar.

Bake for 35 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Recipe from Monday Morning Cooking Club’s Now For Something Sweet (2020).

Yemenite lamb and Israeli rice pilaf

FOR THE YEMENITE LAMB
INGREDIENTS
60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 x 1.5 kg boned lamb shoulder, cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon each sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground sweet or smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160oC.
Heat the oil in a medium flameproof casserole dish over low to medium heat. Saute the onions for 15 minutes, or until soft and lightly golden. Remove the dish from the heat.

Mix together the salt, pepper and spices in a large bowl, add the lamb and toss until coated. Place the lamb in the casserole dish and mix with the onion. Cover and cook for 90 minutes or until the meat is fork tender. The juices from the meat should keep the dish moist, but check after 1 hour of cooking and add a little water if necessary.

FOR THE ISRAELI RICE PILAF
INGREDIENTS
75g dry vermicelli noodles
60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
440g (2 cups) basmati or long grain rice
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 onion, chopped
40g (1/4 cup) pine nuts
40g (1/4 cup) currants or sultanas

METHOD
Break up the vermicelli noodles into short pieces, about 5 cm (2 inches) long.

In a large, preferably non-stick, saucepan, heat half the oil over medium heat and cook the vermicelli, watching carefully until they turn brown. Take care, they burn easily.

Add the rice and saute for a few minutes until the rice becomes opaque. Add the stock (broth) and the salt, bring to the boil, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, undisturbed, for 20 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, heat the remaining oil in a small frying pan and saute the onion until golden, about 15 minutes. Add the pine nuts and currants or sultanas, tossing to toast them lightly. Remove from heat.

Turn the cooked rice onto a serving platter and fluff with fork. Top with onion, pine nuts and currants.

Recipe from Monday Morning Cooking Club’s It’s Always About The Food (2017).

Honey cake with a dash of spices and tea

INGREDIENTS
Dry mixture:
110g (3/4 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
110g (3/4 cup) self-raising flour
3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
(baking soda)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of salt

Wet mixture:
2 eggs
175g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
100ml (1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp) vegetable oil
250g (3/4 cup) honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
To mix:
3/4 cup freshly brewed black tea

METHOD
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Line a large loaf tin (25 cm x 13 cm).

For the dry mixture, sift the dry ingredients together into a bowl. For the wet mixture, in a separate large bowl (or electric mixer bowl), mix the wet ingredients together until well combined. Mix the dry mixture into the wet mixture, alternating with the hot tea.

Pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 25 minutes and then turn the oven down to 160 degrees C for a further 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool before removing from the tin. This honey cake is great eaten on the day it’s made, but is at its sticky peak 2-3 days after baking.

Recipe from Monday Morning Cooking Club’s Now For Something Sweet (2020).

For more information visit mondaymorningcookingclub.com.au

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