Rosh Hashanah : A Moroccan New Year: Celebrating With Spice

Like many Moroccan-born Jews who emigrated to the United States, Solange Emsellem, 71, is superstitious. On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, she will not serve black olives for fear that the color and sour taste might augur evil for the coming year. She removes the purple-black skin of eggplants for similar reasons.

“I know it’s in my head,” she says at her Rockville, Md., home. “We think of black as a mourning color, not like green, which is for happiness for the New Year and the harvest period.”

Prior to the festive Rosh Hashanah meal, which marks the beginning of the two-day holiday, Emsellem, like other Sephardic Jews (Jews whose ancestors came from Spain and Portugal), will say a prayer over a number of symbolic fruits and vegetables. This year Rosh Hashanah comes unseasonally early, commencing the evening of Labor Day. Since this is also the beginning of the fall harvest season, fall food and vegetables are celebrated.

First, sept legumes (seven vegetables) boiled and then baked with sugar, cinnamon and a little margarine, will be tasted. Emsellem will include three different kinds of squash--pumpkin, zucchini and yellow--as well as turnips, onions, carrots and spinach. Before tasting the various vegetables, her husband Albert will recite the following prayer: “May the coming year grow as a gourd in fullness of blessing. In the year to come, if enemies gather against us, mayest Thou guard us as we eat of this gourd with the prayer: Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who createst the fruit of the earth.”

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The head of a fish or lamb will be served to the senior family members at the table, “so we will begin the new year at the head, not the tail,” Emsellem says, laughing. As part of the meal, she will serve baked whole sea trout with red peppers, garlic and cilantro.

Other prayers, including the wish for a happy, sweet, plentiful and prosperous year will be made both nights of the holiday over dates and sesame and anise seeds. The first night an apple will be dipped in honey, and the second night the blessing will be said over a pomegranate. “God wants the Jews to multiply like sesame or pomegranate seeds,” Emsellem explains.

When Emsellem came to the United States 21 years ago from Fez, Morocco, her recipes were more Moroccan than what she cooks today. Having American-born grandchildren, she has learned to make American dishes and uses store-bought instead of homemade filo dough.

Inherited from her forebears who fled from Toledo, Spain, at the time of the Expulsion in 1492, Emsellem’s recipes, with their unique blend of Moroccan, French and American influences, have been modified to take advantage of the American ingredients she uses today. The French influence on Moroccan culture and cuisine plays itself out in Emsellem’s kitchen, as does the French language, which still comes more naturally to her than English, even after many years in this country.

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After a short ceremony, Emsellem will serve a festive dinner in her apartment. The meal will begin with a blessing over pain petri (“kneaded bread”), the sweet Moroccan challah that is made circular to symbolize a full, “round” year. “It should taste sweet, like a brioche,” says Emsellem. “At Rosh Hashanah we dip it into sugar, not salt, as we do for the Sabbath.” Although Emsellem does not, many Moroccan women include sesame and anise seeds in their rendition of pain petri.

As every Moroccan Jewish festival meal, Emsellem’s meal will open with a spread of cooked salads--carrots, peppers and eggplant (with the ill-omened black skin removed)--dishes cooked in advance, and particularly suited to this year’s warm beginning of the New Year.

The meal will continue with the baked sea trout followed by the famous Moroccan pastels, meat-filled turnovers. In Morocco, her main course would have included a tongue with green olives, but because of her American grandchildren, she now makes brisket instead.

Honey-dipped “cigars” filled with ground almonds, French mocha cakes, Napoleons and macaroons will be the dessert instead of the typical Eastern European honey cake found in the majority of American Jewish homes.

The following day, after Rosh Hashanah morning services, in Moroccan Jewish homes a traditional Moroccan couscous is served with a sweet vegetable dish. And on Yom Kippur (the day of atonement)--10 days after Rosh Hashanah--tea and figuelas (“figs”), deep-fried pastries soaked in a sweet syrup, break the fast.

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Moroccan women are, for good reason, fiercely proud of their culinary skills. It takes both dexterity and extreme patience to prepare the dainty pastels and other delicacies for their holiday meals. Recipes vary from city to city and from family to family, many of them proudly kept family secrets. Some women, as superstitious about their everyday cooking as Emsellem is about her holiday foods, will never reveal their recipes. Fortunately, Emsellem was willing to share some of the dishes she will prepare this Rosh Hashanah.

MOROCCAN WHOLE BAKED SEA TROUT WITH RED PEPPERS AND CILANTRO 1 (5-pound) sea trout or rockfish, gutted and split down center, leave head on 1 cup chopped cilantro 1 head garlic or to taste, minced 4 medium tomatoes, sliced 1 sweet red pepper, sliced in rings 3 lemons, sliced 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads 1/2 cup boiling water 1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil

Place entire fish in glass or earthenware baking dish. Stuff fish with most of cilantro and garlic. Surround with remaining cilantro and garlic along with tomatoes, sweet red pepper and lemon slices.

In bowl of boiling water dissolve saffron. Let stand few minutes. Then sprinkle saffron water over fish and tomato mixture. Pour oil around fish and tomatoes. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees until fish is golden and crisp, 30 minutes. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Each of 8 servings contains about:

328 calories; 113 mg sodium; 151 mg cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 32 grams protein; 0.51 gram fiber.

MOROCCAN RED PEPPER SALAD 6 sweet red peppers or combination of sweet red, yellow, orange and green peppers 3 cloves garlic, pressed Salt Freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup olive oil 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Place peppers on baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees, turning once, until peppers are charred, about 20 minutes. Immediately remove and place peppers in paper bag. Seal bag and set aside 30 minutes. When cool, peel off outer skins. Remove seeds and membranes. Slice peppers into long 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Place peppers in bowl along with garlic, salt and pepper to taste and olive oil. Cover and marinate overnight in refrigerator. Just before serving, stir in lemon juice. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Each of 4 servings contains about:

194 calories; 77 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.53 gram fiber.

CARROT SALAD 1 pound carrots, peeled Salt 1 clove garlic, minced Juice 2 lemons Salt Freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon ground cumin or to taste 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika 1/4 cup oil 1/2 cup minced parsley

Place carrots in saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Add salt to taste and bring to boil. Simmer, uncovered, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and slice carrots into 1/4-inch rounds.

Mix garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, cumin, paprika and oil in small cup and pour over carrots in bowl. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 days before serving. When ready to serve, bring to room temperature and sprinkle with parsley. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Each of 4 servings contains about:

179 calories; 265 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 1.39 grams fiber.

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A sweet kneaded bread for Rosh Hashanah or the Sabbath.

PAIN PETRI 3 pounds unbleached flour 1/2 cup sugar 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk 1/2 cup oil plus 1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, optional 1 tablespoon anise seeds, optional 2 packages active dried yeast 1 cup warm water, plus additional 3 cups water

Place flour in large bowl. Make well in center and add sugar, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup oil and sesame and anise seeds.

Combine yeast and 1 cup warm water in bowl. Set aside 5 minutes until mixture expands and foams. Then add to well in flour. Use hands to gradually work in flour, adding more water as needed, about 3 cups. When medium dough is formed, knead on wooden board about 20 minutes.

Form dough into ball. Place in greased bowl and turn to coat surface. Cover with towel. Let rise in warm place 30 to 40 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Punch down and knead once more few minutes.

Divide dough into 5 pieces. Shape into 5 round loaves or roll each piece into cylinder and coil into spiral form with 1 end of dough at high point in center. Cover with towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Place loaves on baking sheet covered with foil.

Mix remaining egg yolk and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Brush loaves with mixture. Bake at 400 degrees until loaves are golden, 40 to 50 minutes. Makes 5 loaves, about 5 servings each.

Each serving contains about:

270 calories; 9 mg sodium; 36 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.16 grams fiber;

*Photo props from Bristol Farms Cook ‘N’ Things, South Pasadena.