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| Roast chicken with fruit stuffing, a festive dish for a holiday meal. |
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown on Monday, September 22—coincidentally the first day of autumn. Those of you who observe the holiday have probably long since planned a special menu and, likely, have even begun the cooking. This is the first of fall/winter holidays, from Rosh Hashana to All Saints/All Souls (Halloween), Thanksgiving to Christmas, Hanukkah to New Year’s, with many occasions to gather friends and family for festive dining.
To help you plan holiday meals, have a look at my new cookbook, Flavors of al-Andalus, The Culinary Legacy of Spain. A section of Menu Suggestions at the back of the book shows you how to use the recipes in your life.
Here are the menu ideas for an Autumn/Winter Holiday Meal--appetizers, starters, mains, desserts, cookies, and confections. Recipes for all of the dishes listed can be found in Flavors of al-Andalus. (The recipe for Roast Chicken with Fruit Stuffing follows.)
Chicken and Liver Pâté (Morteruelo) accompanied with toasts
Winter Gazpacho with Oranges (Gazpacho de Invierno)
Savory Almond Soup (Sopa de Almendras)
Hake in Saffron Sauce (Merluza al Azafrán)
Roast Chicken with Fruit Stuffing (Pollo Relleno con Frutas)
Cauliflower (or cardoons) in Almond Sauce (Coliflor en Salsa de Almendras)
Pumpkin Pudding (Arnadí)
Crumbly Olive Oil Cookies (Mantecados de Aceite)
Fig Pâté (Pan de Higos)
Honey-Almond Logs (Alfajores)
The roast chicken is a gorgeous dish for any holiday, but it is especially appropriate for Rosh Hashana because its roots are in Spain’s Sephardic Jewish cooking.
Quite a few of the recipes in Flavors of al-Andalus have come down to us from the community of Sephardic Jews. Sepharad was the name that the Jews gave to the Iberian peninsula, where, for more than 13 centuries, Jews lived alongside Romans, Visigoths, Muslims and Christians in communities throughout the country. The Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492 by the same Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, who, having defeated the last of the Moors in the kingdom of Granada, funded Columbus’s scheme to sail west to look for the Spice Islands.
(Note: The recipes in Flavors of al-Andalus with their roots in Islamic Spain are not kosher nor halal. However, they are easily adapted to respect those dietary laws. For instance, Jews can substitute chicken in recipes for rabbit; Muslims can substitute fruit juice for wine. None of the recipes calls for pork, ham or chorizo.)
Roast Chicken with Fruit Stuffing
Pollo Relleno con Frutas
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| Chicken stuffing is a mixture of dried fruits, apples, and breadcrumbs with Sherry. |
(Excerpted from Flavors of al-Andalus, The Culinary Legacy of Spain)
A recipe for “a Jewish dish of chicken with stuffing” appears in an anonymous Arabic manuscript from the 13th century. It calls for the chicken liver and gizzard to be ground up with almonds, pine nuts, fennel, cilantro, spices and beaten eggs. Once the chicken is done and the stuffing set, the recipe instructs the cook to “ladle it out and put the stuffing around it, garnish with cut rue and fennel, eyes of mint, and toasted almonds, and present it, God willing.”
Fast-forward to the 21st century, and we find a recipe from Catalonia (the eastern Mediterranean region where Barcelona is located) for roast, stuffed chicken or turkey that is prepared for the Christmas feast. It is stuffed with pork sausage meat, nuts and dried fruits. The origin of the recipe may well be medieval Jewish, when it would have been made with a forcemeat of minced chicken or veal instead of pork. It is a very festive dish.
A medium-dry Sherry such as amontillado or oloroso seco flavors the stuffing and the pan juices. If not available, use any white wine. Use any combination of dried fruits. Truffles are an optional, luxurious, addition to the stuffing mixture. Small onions, carrots, and turnips can be added to the roasting pan, if desired.
The stuffing can also be used for small birds such as squab, Cornish game hens or for turkey (although turkey is not included in recipes in Flavors of al-Andalus because it is a fowl from the New World, unknown in Moorish Spain).
Serves 8.
1 roasting chicken or capon (5 to 6 pounds)
1 teaspoon salt + more for sprinkling
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon + ½ cup medium-dry Sherry
1 cup chopped dried fruits (raisins, apricots, prunes, figs)
¼ cup hot water
8 ounces ground chicken or veal
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup chopped onions
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 cup diced apple
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of cloves
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Pinch dried thyme
Truffles, diced (optional)
1 tablespoon capers
Small onions, carrots, turnips (optional)
½ to 1 cup chicken stock
Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Rub the cavity with 1 tablespoon of the Sherry. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
Soak the dried fruits in hot water for 10 minutes to soften them.
Combine the ground chicken in a large bowl with the dried fruits and their soaking water. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet and toast the pine nuts until golden. Skim them out and add to the bowl with the ground chicken. Add the onion to the skillet and sauté until softened, 3 minutes. Add the onion to the bowl along with the breadcrumbs, apple, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, parsley, thyme, truffles if using, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Combine well.
Stuff the chicken with the mixture. Skewer the neck and body openings closed and truss the chicken with kitchen twine. Place in a heavy roasting pan or in a large ovenproof skillet. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. (Add vegetables to the roasting pan, if desired.)
Place the pan in the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 350ºF. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Add the remaining ½ cup Sherry and ½ cup stock to the pan. Spoon some of the juices over the chicken. Roast for 30 minutes more, basting occasionally. Add up to ½ cup additional stock if the pan looks dry. Roast 1 hour more or until internal temperature of the stuffing reaches 160ºF when tested with an instant-read thermometer.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest 20 minutes. Carve the chicken and scoop the stuffing into a serving bowl. Skim the fat from the remaining pan juices. Spoon some of the juices over the chicken and serve the rest in a bowl.
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More recipes for Rosh Hashana:
Stuffed Chickens Roasted in a Clay Pot (from Sabores de Sefarad by Javier Zafra).
Chicken Marbella (my version)
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***Anyada buena, dulce i alegre.*** Feliz año nuevo.***Happy New Year.***
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FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS
The Culinary Legacy of Spain
has menus and recipes for Tapas Party, Brunch, Summer Barbecue, Family Dinners (one vegetarian), Sunday Lunch, Dinner Party, Spring Holiday Meal, and Autumn/Winter Holiday Meal. From your favorite bookseller or click below to order.
This cookbook explores the fascinating story of the deep and lasting influences that Islamic culture has left on modern Spanish cooking.
Author and Spanish cooking expert Janet Mendel tells the story of the Moorish influence on Spanish cooking through 120 recipes and photographs for modern-day dishes, from salads and vegetables to fish, poultry and meat to sweets and pastries, that trace their heritage to foods served in medieval times. Dishes from this era include exotic spices such as saffron, the use of fruits and almonds with savory dishes, and honeyed sweets and pastries. The flavors of al-Andalus live on in modern Spanish cooking and are what makes Spain’s cuisine distinctive from the rest of Europe. (Hippocrene Books)
Use PROMO CODE HIPPOCRENE40 for 40% off on all Hippocrene titles at IndiePubs online bookstore.
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