Herby Green Apple and Farro Salad
Plus: Organize your fridge for Rosh Hashanah (or any holiday dinner)
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Hello The Jewish Table Readers!
Rosh Hashanah begins next week, and I have a lovely autumn salad to share with you. I developed this Herby Green Apple and Farro Salad a few years back in collaboration with Rebekah Lowin, and since then it has become one of my go-to fall favorites. The mix of crunchy vegetables and crisp apple with spicy arugula and chewy farro grains, all topped with a red wine and honey vinaigrette is really something special. A salad worth writing home about. A salad worth delighting your holiday dinner guests with. A salad to make on repeat all season long.
You can find the recipe below along with a bevy of other delicious high holiday recipes from The Jewish Table archives. And I’ve also shared some tips to get your fridge ready and organized for Rosh Hashanah dinner.
Organize Your Fridge for Rosh Hashanah
Keeping your fridge organized when cooking for a crowd is often as stressful as menu planning. (Tupperware Tetris, anyone?) And there is nothing more frustrating when entertaining than not being able to find that dozen eggs you’re sure you bought (but can’t find, so now you’re doubting yourself and contemplating a last minute mad dash to the store), or that salad dressing you dutifully made ahead and now need for your salad.
A little bit of fridge chaos is inevitable, but read below for some organization strategies to help you keep calm and cook on. These tips are not just for Rosh Hashanah dinner, of course. So if you’re not cooking for a crowd this holiday, tuck them away for another time when you are hosting. And just to clarify, I am not sponsored by any of the products I mention below (just a fan!), nor do I receive a kick back if you choose to buy anything.
Start with A Clean Out
Maximize your fridge space by clearing out anything you don’t need. Pull everything off the shelves and check expiration dates. Old jars of condiments you don’t use? Gone. A bag of limp carrots or celery stalks in the vegetable drawer? Set them aside for your chicken soup. (If they aren’t slimy or smelly, they will work just fine.) A long forgotten tub of yogurt in the back? Whoops! See ya.
While your fridge is empty, scrub down the shelves and walls with a non-toxic spray like Seventh Generation All-Purpose Cleaner and a no-scratch Scrub Daddy sponge. Then dry everything off with Papaya Reusable Paper Towels. Yes, this takes extra work. But taking 30 minutes to really deep clean your fridge gives you clean slate and more room to work with.
Zone Out
Once your fridge is clean, take a minute to game plan before putting everything back in. I like to chart out “zones” for different ingredients and dishes. Vegetables and fruits go in the vegetable drawers, of course. (If I am really in a space crunch, I remove heartier fruits like apples, oranges, and citrus and let them hang out in a bowl on the counter until there’s room for them again.)
I typically save the larger top shelf for big ticket items like pots of soup or brisket. I group cooked side dishes in the middle shelf, and leave the bottom for ingredients like eggs and any containers of vegetables I have prepped ahead. Every fridge is different, so your fridge zones might look different than mine. But if you roughly know where something is supposed to go, it will be easier to find when you need it.
See-Through Storage
If you have ever stepped into a restaurant refrigerator’s walk-in, you know the power of smart refrigerator storage. For a home kitchen, I think the most important rule for storage containers is that they be see-through (plastic or, ideally, glass) so you immediately know what is inside. I love this Pyrex storage container set because it comes with lids and includes several different-sized containers. I use the smaller ones to hold prepped veggies (like chopped onions or carrots), and the larger ones for roasted veggies and saucy dishes like meatballs.
I recently augmented my Pyrex collection to include a few larger, 11-cup containers. These are great for freezing batches of cookies, or storing roasted chicken or side dishes until I’m ready to heat everything up.
Prep Your Produce
When you get home from the store with an ingredient haul, take a little time to prep your produce before storing it. Wash and spin dry things like strawberries and blueberries, snap peas, and lettuce, then store them in containers with a layer or two of paper towels to help mop up any excess moisture. If you’re working with pre-washed, bagged greens, asparagus, or broccoli florets, simply open the bag or clamshell and layer a few pieces of paper towel inside. The veggies are guaranteed to last several days longer this way. Same goes for fresh herbs: wrap them in (you guessed it) a paper towel before storing.
Basically, when it comes to keeping veggies fresher longer, paper towels are your best friend. (I like Seventh Generation’s 100% Recycled Paper Towels.) It is such a drag to start making your salad on the second night of Rosh Hashanah only to find that your lettuce and herbs have gone slimy. Let’s stop that scenario before it starts!
Sharpies + Painter’s Tape
Whenever I am making a bunch of recipes in advance to refrigerate or freeze, I find it helps to label everything. That soup pot holding butternut squash stew? A Pyrex container filled with kasha varnishkes? The jar of tahini sauce I prepped ahead to drizzle over roasted cauliflower just before serving? They all get a piece of blue painter’s tape (which comes off easily and mess-free) across the top and/or side of the container, with the name of the dish inside and the date it was made. It takes the guess work out of how long ago something was prepped.
I hope these ideas help make your holiday a little less stressful! Let us know what food organization tips you swear by in the comments below.
Rosh Hashanah Recipes from The Jewish Table
I’m in the process of putting together a (long overdue!) recipe archive for The Jewish Table. The archive will be paid subscribers’ “one stop shop” for every recipe ever published in this newsletter over the last 3 1/2 years. I’m hoping to launch the archive in the coming weeks. In the meantime, here are some recipe highlights to help you plan your Rosh Hashanah menu.
Soups, Salads, Sides
Fattoush with Green Apple and Grapes
Kasha Varnishkes with Fall Veggies
Roasted Sweet Potatoes, 3 Ways
Mains
Vegetable Stew for Couscous (vegan)
Herby Stuffed Acorn Squash (vegan / gluten free)
Majestic Boureka Pie (vegetarian)
Rice and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Chicken
Beef and Carrot Plov with Chickpeas
Challah and Desserts
Sweet Orange and Almond Challah
Black and White Banana Bread Cookies
Early Autumn Fruit Platter with Chocolate-Tahini Dip
Walnut and Pistachio Stuffed Dates
Herby Green Apple Farro Salad
Make sure to use pearled farro for this salad. Pearled farro has had its outer bran layer removed, which means it does not require a pre-cooking soak, and it softens significantly faster than whole-grain farro.
Serves 6 to 8 (but easily doubled)
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