It seems slightly ridiculous to be thinking about Rosh Hashanah recipes mid-August, but with the High Holidays coming so early this year, now’s the time!

Carrots are a traditional Rosh Hashanah food, because the Yiddish word for carrot, “merren,” also means “more.” Eating carrots symbolizes our desire for more good in the coming year. You might be familiar with the traditional tzimmes dish—sliced carrot rounds cooked with honey (and sometimes sweet potato and pineapple) until soft and sugary.

I am not a big tzimmes fan—I find it much too sweet, but that doesn’t mean doing away with the carrots altogether. I recently came up with this carrot soup, which, fascinatingly, I absolutely love, even though I don’t like carrots!


It does involve more work than your typical “throw it all in the pot and walk away” soup, but you’ll end up with a silky smooth, lightly sweet soup with a hint of warmth from the ginger.


Cut the onions in half-rounds.


Put the onions in a good, non-stick frying pan. Add ¼ cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt, the brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and garlic powder. Cook over high heat for a couple of minutes, then cover and sauté on a low flame for 30-40 minutes.


Transfer the onions and their cooking juices to a pot. Add the water, a peeled 1-inch piece of ginger and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook (covered) on a very low flame for 30-60 minutes.


Meanwhile, peel the carrots and cut them into thin slices.


Drizzle them with 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. salt, and roast on 400 for 15-20 minutes.


Remove from the oven, and once the onions have simmered for a while, add in the carrots and simmer for another 30 minutes.


Remove the ginger and throw it away. It’s given the soup a great flavor by cooking with it; we don’t want to actually blend it in.

Let the soup cool for an hour or two, and blend it with the almond milk until smooth and silky.

You can eat it right away, or store in the fridge for 3-4 days. The soup also freezes fabulously (and I say this as someone who is not big on freezing food).


Ingredients:

  • 5 purple onions
  • ¼ cup + 1 tbsp. olive oil (divided)
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt (divided)
  • 1 tbsp. brown sugar (optional)
  • 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 lbs. carrots
  • 3 cups water
  • 1-inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled
  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

  1. Cut purple onions in half rounds. Sauté the onions, with the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, garlic powder, ¼ cup of oil and 1 tsp. salt over high heat for a few minutes, and then cover, turn down the flame to low, and cook for another 30-40 minutes.
  2. Transfer the onion mixture to a pot and add 3 cups of water and an approximately 1 inch chunk of ginger. Bring to a boil and then simmer in a low flame for 30-60 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400.
  4. Peel the carrots and cut then into strips. Toss the carrots with 1 tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt. Lay them flat on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.
  5. After the onion broth has simmered, add in the roasted carrots and simmer for another 30 minutes.
  6. Remove the pot from the fire and let cool slightly. Remove the ginger and throw it away or use it for something else.
  7. Blend the onion carrot mixture with 2 cups unsweetened almond milk, heat and enjoy.

Yields: 6-8 servings

Want to top it off for some delicious homemade croutons? You’re in luck. I made some fresh and crunchy garlic croutons which went perfectly with the soup.

You’ll need left-over bread or challah, garlic powder, fresh parsley, salt and olive oil.


Take the bread, and cut it into cubes.


In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, garlic powder and chopped parsley.


Toss the bread with the oil and spice mixture, and spread over a greased baking tray.

Bake on 350 for 15-20 minutes. Halfway through, pull out the tray and give the croutons a quick mix so they bake evenly.


Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for a day or two. Do NOT freeze or refrigerate the croutons.

Ingredients:

  • 2 bread rolls (or challah), or 4-6 slices of bread
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Cut bread into cubes.
  3. Mix olive oil, salt, garlic and parsley. Toss with cubed bread.
  4. Spread bread on a baking tray, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Halfway through, mix the croutons and return to the oven.
  5. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for a day or two. Do not freeze or refrigerate.