Raw Honey for a Sweet and Healthy New Year!

Can one word signify Rosh Hashanah better then the word honey, devash?   Honey is a major symbolic food during the Yomim Tovim as we dip fresh apples and round challahs into honey to signify blessings for a sweet, New Year as well as eat honey on Shavuot as way to equate Torah with the sweetness of devash.    
But, in addition to the sugar-coated symbolisms, honey may provide even broader meanings that can be applied to the Yomim Tovim as well. 

As we all know, honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers.  Rabbi Aharon Levin writes in his Sefer Drash ViHalyun,  “Bees are fascinating creatures. They possess many commendable traits. Examples include their unique sense of mission displayed in their lifelong construction of the beehive. Within the chaos of construction we find an extremely orderly division of labor… In summation the bee is a symbol of mission, discipline, respect and unity.” 

            Like the bee, the Jewish people also carry a unique mission of elevating and bringing kedusha into the world by foremost recognizing Hashem’s Malchos or Kingship.   Our constant awareness of Hashem’s Chochmah and Chesed, the incredible wonders he creates and sustains the world actualizes His Sovereignty of all things.   Each of us, like a worker bee, fastidiously performs ahavas, yiras and avodas Hashem through Torah and mitzvot.   Through our recognition and appreciation of Hashem’s Malchos, we help provide the sustenance, the sweet honey, to help lift the world into holiness and the coming of the Moshiach.  
Bringing home the sweetness:

            Bring sweetness and good health onto your Yom Tov table with raw honey!   Pure honey also known as raw honey is honey that has not been heated, pasteurized or processed in any way.   The differences between raw honey and processed honey are substantial and eating processed honey is equivalent to and just as unhealthy as eating table sugar because all of the honey’s natural vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other important phytonutrients are removed in this process of pasteurization.   Raw honey, on the other hand, is transferred directly from the hive to your honey jar without any processing in between, so it retains all the good components that make honey so medicinal. Raw honey can have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties, and in fact, I use honey on my children’s cuts before applying a band-aid to not only stop the bleeding, but prevent any potential infection.    When selecting a honey for you and your family make sure “raw” or “unpasteurized” honey is on the label.   Don’t be surprised by it’s appearance as it will not resemble the pasteurized, golden, liquid honey!  (Check out these great tips when cooking with raw honey.)  

When honey is transferred from the hive to the jar, it is in a liquid form; however, within a few weeks it will become solid at room temperature and often looks mirky or milky.   Also it is best to purchase honey from one country of origin, for instance, 100% Canadian rather then from a mixture of Asian and other foreign countries.    Please remember that although raw honey is a fantastic remedy and great addition to the pantry, it is not safe to consume for children under one years of age.  Raw honey may contain C. botulinium spores that infants do not yet have the ability to digest, meaning if they consume raw honey they could potentially develop botulism.   Below you will find a variety of delicious recipes that use pure honey and other forms of devash to create savory Yom Tov meals.   These dishes will not only taste delicious but also have a ton of great nutritious properties!  Also, you will find your guests buzzing for more!   Shana Tova.   May you and your family be sealed in the Book of Life.  Daniela Hermelin, M.D.

Yomim Tovim Menu:

Summer Minestrone Soup

Honey Lemon Salad

Honey Mustard Chicken with Apples

Nutty Wild Rice

Roasted Romanesco Broccoli with Dates and Pine Nuts

Date Nut Spiced Bread with Parve Vanilla Ice cream

Summer Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 yellow squash, sliced and quartered
1 zucchini, sliced and quartered
Dried oregano
Chopped fresh basil
Salt
Pepper
6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock, heated
8 ounces pasta shells
2 tomatoes, diced
1 head of Romanesco broccoli or regular broccoli

Directions:

In a soup pot add olive and saute onion and garlic.   Add carrots and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.  Add squash and zucchini.  Season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.  Add hot chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.  Add pasta, tomatoes and broccoli.  Simmer until pasta is cooked through.   

Honey Lemon Salad

Ingredients:

5 ounces English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
5 ounces red leaf lettuce, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon lightly packed lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Combine cucumber and lettuce in a bowl and, using clean hands, toss to mix thoroughly.

Mix remaining ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, close, and shake until well combined. Pour over greens and toss until lettuce is well coated with dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired. Serve immediately.

Honey Mustard Chicken with Apples

Ingredients:

8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (2 to 2 1/2 pounds)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, cut into large chunks

2 cooking apples (such as Cortland), cut into chunks

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 to 3 tablespoons honey mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons parve butter, softened

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 to 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until golden, about 6 minutes. Flip and cook 2 to 3 more minutes, then transfer to a plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings.

Add the onion and apples to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Mix the broth with the mustard, then add to the skillet and bring to a boil. Arrange the chicken, skin-side up, in the skillet. Transfer to the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Mix the parve butter and flour to form a paste. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken, apples and onion to plates. Bring the pan juices to a simmer, whisk in about half of the butter-flour mixture and boil to thicken, 2 minutes. Continue to cook, adding more of the butter-flour mixture as needed to make a slightly thick gravy. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken and sprinkle with parsley.

Nutty Wild Rice

Ingredients:  

1 (8-ounce) package wild rice

Chicken stock

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup toasted, skinless, chopped hazelnuts

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:  

Cook the rice according to package directions, using chicken stock instead of water, and adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the stock. When all the liquid has been absorbed, remove from the heat and let rest for at least 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add the nuts and parsley. Season to taste, as necessary.

Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower with Dates and Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

1 large head Romanesco broccoli or cauliflower, cut into florets (about 8 cups)

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Evenly spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast, tossing once with a spatula, until golden brown at the edges, about 20 minutes.

Put the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring frequently, until they're lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and dates and continue cooking until they're softened, 2 to 3 minutes more; season with salt.

Transfer the hot cauliflower to a serving bowl, drizzle the pine nut mixture over the top and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary and serve warm or at room temperature.

Date Nut Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups coarsely chopped dates (10 ounces pitted)

1/3 cup orange liqueur (recommended: Cointreau or Triple Sec)

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) parve butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 extra-large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon grated orange zest (2 oranges)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (3 oranges)

3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans (3 ounces)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom of an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pan.

Combine the dates and amaretto liqueur in a small bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the parve butter and brown sugar together on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the egg, vanilla, and orange zest. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. With the mixer still on low, add the flour mixture alternately with the orange juice to the creamed mixture, beating only until combined. By hand, stir in the dates with their liquid, and the pecans.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.