Growing up, my mom always told stories of my gran and her culinary skills, describing all the dishes that came out of her tiny kitchen in Haderah, Israel. Often, while we prepared traditional dishes for the Chag, my mom told me tales of how, when walking home from school on the morning before Rosh Hashana, she would reach the corner on her street and catch the wafts of boiling fish heads for the gefilte fish, at which point she would turn around and run away. Needless to say, the gefilte fish recipe was not passed down to me.

Beetroot has an abundance of nutritional power. Beetroots are a wonderous vegetable full of fibre, minerals, and antioxidant promoting compounds such as betalains. They help to support our innate detoxification pathways in our liver, reducing inflammation. They also support our vascular and cardiac system as they are rich in nitric oxide – a natural substance which dilates our blood vessels increasing the oxygen flow around our body.

Although the traditional gefilte fish was not found on our Yom Tov table, we always still had some form of fish. Fish, which breed in plenty, represent fertility, while the heads of the fish give us the strength to swim headfirst into the new year. Fish is a great source of lean protein, nourishing our bodies with B vitamins, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids (if using fatty fish such as salmon or trout). Omega-3s are potent anti-inflammatory agents promoting vascular health, healthy cholesterol, reducing atherosclerosis risk and improving brain health.

This fish recipe not only  combines  symbolic ingredients used during the time of Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year), but it also delicious and nutritious.

Ingredients
(serves 8-9)

Fish

1kg fillet salmon/trout
8 medium beetroots
1 cup pistachios
1 ½ cloves of garlic
1 ½ lemons- juice
1 lemon -zest
1 medium box fresh mint (80g) (¾ for beetroot crust, ¼ for serving)
Salt and pepper

Vegetable Base:

1 packet snap peas (200g)
3 small packets asparagus tips (300g)
1 packet tender stem broccoli (400g)
1 lemon- juice
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Fish

1 Pre-heat the oven to 180^o
2 Halve and peel the beetroots and parboil for 20 minutes (they will still be slightly hard).
3 In a food processor place the parboiled beetroot, pistachios, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, ¾ of the fresh mint, salt and pepper. Blend the ingredients together until they roughly combine, leaving a slight texture to the beetroot crust mixture.
4 On a roasting tray, place the salmon/trout and cover it with the beetroot and mint crust mixture so that the fish is coated evenly and sealed.
5 Place the fish in the oven and roast for approximately 40-45 minutes. Place the oven onto grill and leave it for 5 minutes until the crust slightly crisps up.
6 Place the cooked fish on top of the vegetable base. Chop the remaining fresh mint and sprinkle over the fish just before serving.

Vegetable Base

1 Place a wok on a medium heated stove top.
2 Once the pan is hot add the olive oil, snap peas, asparagus tips and broccoli into the wok. Sauté for 5 minutes, squeeze the lemon juice over the vegetables and sprinkle some salt.
3 Once cooked, place the vegetables onto a serving dish to use as the base on which to place the fish.

Nourish yourself to the sunrise.

Cooked with love,
Sunrise by HM

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