Comfort Me With Apples

Actually the lovesick bride in Song of Solomon requests that her bridegroom:

Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples; for I am sick of love.

Song of Solomon 2:5

KVJ - 1611

It looks like God's Secretaries weren't quite as temperate as other translators of holy writings.  Several other versions of this passage from Song of Solomon insist that it's raisins or raisin cakes that offer strength.  Myself I rather like the First Cambridge Company of translator's idea that ferments and bottles the grape of the vine rather than just drying it then using it in cookery.  It's more like the Anglican tradition I was brought up in.

That first apple harvest as imagined
by the wonderful Emanuele Luzzati.

 When it comes to those apples it's fascinating how many translations of this verse think of them as being a source of refreshment rather than comfort.  Given that the apple became known as the forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden it's a wonder that anything so representative of sin was asked for on a wedding night - or not!

The apple - which at one time was the name given to anything that was not a berry - has figured as a symbol in the mythology of most world religions from the Abrahimic to the Norse.  In many of these myths it seems to have been the cause of sin, strife, envy, discord and greed.  However its reputation is saved in both the Song of Solomon and in world culinary traditions where the apple does indeed become a thing of refreshment and comfort.  What could be more of a comfort food than apple pie - well okay apple pie with ice cream - or a baked apple?

So why this ramble about the Malus domestica which is appearing in abundance in the markets these days?  Well exactly that!   At the moment the market stalls have a remarkable variety of apples available and I've been madly searching for ways to include them in the recent spate of cooking I've been doing.  While looking for a recipe I had for slow cooker apple butter I came across an Apple and Almond cake that my friend Ben made for a Rosh Hashanah dinner he attended last year.  The tradition of that holiday is to eat apples dipped in honey to represent a sweet beginning to the New Year.  

The act is accompanied by a prayer:

Blessed are you Lord, our God, Ruler of the world,
Creator of the fruit of the tree.
(Baruch atah Ado-nai, Ehlo-haynu melech Ha-olam,
Borai p'ree ha'aitz.)

An apple slice is dipped in the honey and eaten.

 May it be Your will, Adonai, our God and the God of our forefathers,
that You renew for us a good and sweet year.
(Y'hee ratzon mee-l'fanekha, Adonai Elohaynu v'elohey avoteynu sh'tichadeish aleinu shanah tovah um'tuqah.

Though there is no honey in this recipe I can vouch that it has just the right amount of sweetness for the New Year.

Apple and Almond Cake - serves 12

3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped roughly - Braeburns or Granny Smith
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
8 eggs
1 3/4 cup superfine sugar
3 1/4 cups ground almonds
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup flaked almost
1 tsp confectioners' sugar

Put chopped apples, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tsp sugar in a sauce pan and bring to boil over a medium heat.  Cover and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes or until you can mash the apple to a rough puree with a wooden spoon or fork.  Leave to cool.

Preheat oven to 350º F - 175c.  Oil a 10" spring-form pan with almond oil or flavourless vegetable oil and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Put the cooled puree, eggs, ground almonds, sugar and tbsp of lemon juice into a processor and blitz to a puree.

Pour and scrape into the prepared pan, sprinkle the flaked almonds on top and bake for 45 minutes.  Check after 35 minutes as ovens vary and see if a knife comes out clean when inserted.  Adjust timings accordingly.

Put on a wire rack to cool then remove the sides of the pan.  It is best served warm though it's still good cold. (Beyond good - warm or cold Laurent assures me.)

Before bringing it to the table push a tsp of confectioners' sugar through a fine sieve to give it a light dusting.

Many thanks for the recipe Ben - it's a winner.  And L'shanah tovah tikatevu.

September 26 - 1973:  Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking time.

Tizku Leshanim Rabbot * (Mercoledi Musicale)

From a 13th century Jewish Prayer Book.

*May you merit many years

Though there are many greetings for the New Year as observed by my Jewish friends I have always preferred the Sephardi greeting that is the title of this post.  Perhaps because I think the response is a particularly fitting one:

Ne'imot VeTovot  - pleasant and good ones

I was hard pressed to find any traditional music for Rosh Hasanah as most of what appears on YouTube is a little more oriented to a younger crowd so decided to go with one of the versicles set by Salomone Rossi the Hebrew, the great Jewish composer of the Renaissance.   Surely any psalm as exultant as this is appropriate for the beginning of the year 5775?

Baruch haba b'sheim Adonai

Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD; we bless you out of the house of the Lord.
The LORD is God, and hath given us light; order the festival procession with boughs, even unto the horns of the altar. 
Thou art my God, and I will give thanks unto Thee; Thou art my God, I will exalt Thee.
O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good; his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 118: 26-29

JPS - 1917

And as the first evening prayer of the new year ends I wish all of my friends who are commemorating this feast tonight:  Le'Shanah Tovah Tikoseiv Veseichoseim (Le'Alter LeChaim Tovim U'Leshalom).


September 24 - 1852: The first airship powered by (a steam) engine, created by Henri Giffard, travels 17 miles (27 km) from Paris to Trappes.

Tizku leshanim rabbot*

Ne'imot ve-tovot**

To all my friends, not just those celebrating this feast day: may your year be filled with the tartness of apples and the sweetness of honey; may your blessings be as numerous as the seeds of the pomegranate and the fish of the sea; may your happiness be as intoxicating as a flagon of good wine; may your laughter be as joyful as a sounding trumpet; and may there always be a candle to ban the darkness from your life.


The traditional Sephardic greeting for Rosh Hashanah:

*May you merit many years!

and the response:

**Pleasant and good one!

16 September - 1966: The Metropolitan Opera House opens at Lincoln Center in New York City with the world premiere of Samuel Barber's opera, Antony and Cleopatra.

Tizku leshanim rabbot*

שנה טובה ומתוקה

*May you merit many years - the old Shepardic gretting for Rosh Hashanah

The response to which is: ne'imot ve-tovot (pleasant and good ones)

In the seventh month, on the first of the month, there shall be a sabbath for you, a remembrance with shofar blasts, a holy convocation.

Leviticus 16:24

Tonight begins the celebration of year 5772 in the Jewish Calendar - which is traditionally calculated by adding up all the ages of people mentioned in the Torah to pinpoint the date of Creation.  Though as someone wisely says its more symbolic than accurate and most Orthodox or Reform Jews believe that the world is certainly more than six thousand years old.

I extend to all my friends - those who are observing this High Holiday and those for whom it is an unknown custom - a wish for all our new days and new years: May you merit many years.  And indeed may they be pleasant and good ones.

28 settembre/September - Capodanno ebraico

L'shana tova - שנה טובה

L'Shanah Tovah

L'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem (May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year).

This is a page from an Italian manuscript published in 1490 stating the rules for the celebration of Rosh Hashana, which began the Jewish High Holidays earlier this week.

Quite by chance we were in the Ghetto for dinner the night before at a restaurant which had been recommended in one of the tourist magazines. Ba'Ghetto is one of four or five restaurants on Via portico d'Ottavia and advertises itself as "the best Kosher restaurant in Rome". And if one goes by food alone it is exceptional, their Concia of zucchini was perfectly spiced, the goulash fork tender and the steak cooked to perfection. I would like to be able to comment on a few other dishes on the menu but it seemed that every second item was unavailable as were certain (cheaper???) wines. And we were told so with a take it or leave it shrug - and that was the major problem: the service. You become use to arrogant waiters here, it is all part of the game in certain restaurants and can be, believe it or not, entertaining. Sadly this young man could not carry off arrogance and was simply rude. At one point he walked away as Laurent was giving him his order. And the entire staff seemed disorganized - even for Rome!

I looked longingly across the street to La Taverna del Ghetto where we had eaten two weeks ago - there the food was excellent, the owner friendly and the staff - well they perform in true Roman tradition. And they had one of my favorite Roman-Jewish starters - Roast Half Tomatoes.

There is a very strong Jewish tradition in Roman cooking and many of the dishes that are consider local have their roots in the Ghetto kitchens - Carciofo (Artichokes) alla guidia, Tortino di aliciotti e indivia (anchovy and endive pie), many of the salt cod recipes and traditional dolci such as Prune and Pistachio torte.

This picture from their website doesn't half do this dish justice.

And of course those tomatoes - strange how I love food that seem to have the plural case ending "toes" - I mean don't get me started on potatoes!

Here's the recipe for those roast tomatoes - that can be used as a side dish or even as a dressing for pasta with a little bit of the cooking oil.

Roast Half Tomatoes

9 ripe medium tomatoes or 6 large ones
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic or to taste
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper
Olive Oil

Wash the tomatoes and slice them in half across the width. If there are a large amount of seeds, remove at least part of them.

Preheat the oven to 325f - 170c

1. Use a flameproof baking dish large enough to hold all the tomato halves in a single layer - they can be crowded tightly as they will shrink in cooking.
2. Arrange the tomato halves cut side up and sprinkle them with the parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Pour in the olive oil until it comes 1/4 inch up the side of the pan.
4. Cook on top of the stove over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes until they are tender.
5. When the pulp is soft, baste with a little of the oil and transfer the dish to the next to highest rack in the oven. From time to time baste with the cooking oil.
6. Cook for about 1 hour until the tomatoes have shrunk to about half their original size - don't worry about some blackening they aren't burnt.
7. Transfer them with a slotted spoon to a serving dish, leaving all the oil behind.

They can be served hot or at room temperature.

They can also be prepared several days ahead but since they are to be reheated they should be refrigerated with some or all of the cooking oil covered very tightly with plastic wrap. To reheat, return to a 325f-170c oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

PS: In answer to CP's comment - if they are drained properly there should be a good deal of oil left but I'm not sure how good it is for other uses but I do use it when the recipe is for pasta and it should be used to moisten the pasta when it serves as a saucing.

20 settembre - Sant'Andrea Kim Taegon e i Santi martiri corean

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