BRINGING IN A SWEET NEW YEAR

T zimmes and sweet tajines come from very different places--the first is a specialty of Ashkenazi Jews from eastern and central Europe, the latter are made by Sephardic Jews from Morocco--but they have things in common. Not least is the fact that these slow-cooked stews, frequently featuring meat and dried fruit, make perfect meals for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year that begins this year on Monday evening.

In the Ashkenazi home where I grew up, tzimmes appeared frequently at family celebrations, especially on Rosh Hashana, when eating sweet foods is customary in hopes of having a sweet year. It wasn’t until years later in Paris that Moroccan Jewish friends introduced me to tajine.

There are two main types of tajine . Spicy tajines, with seasoned with garlic, cumin and red pepper, are generally meat and vegetable stews. Sweet tajines use sweet spices and replace the vegetables with fruit.

What surprised me was how much sweet tajines resembled tzimmes . Both cook meat with dried fruit and honey in an onion-flavored broth. The effect is sweet, not sweet and sour; they contain no lemon juice, vinegar or other acidic ingredient, which some people avoid on the Jewish New Year--another reason why both are perfect for the occasion.

The main differences between sweet tajines and tzimmes are in the accents. The tajines always have complex spicing--usually saffron, cinnamon or both, often nutmeg and ginger as well, sometimes a touch of turmeric--which beautifully balances their sweetness. Many Ashkenazi cooks, on the other hand, season their tzimmes with nothing but salt and pepper. (I’m with those who add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves.)

Tajines are thickened by simmering until the liquid reduces and the taste is concentrated. Tzimmes are more likely to be served with plenty of liquid, thickened only with a little flour.

Beef cuts such as brisket or chuck are the classic tzimmes meat. (Today many cooks substitute chicken because it’s lower in fat.) Lamb and chicken are preferred in tajines .

Unlike tzimmes , tajines are not exclusively Jewish. Other North Africans make tajines , though they might add butter, which Jews do not, since it would make these meaty dishes non-kosher.

Honey is the sweetener of choice. Moroccan cooks rarely use anything else, though Ashkenazi cooks are almost as likely to use brown or even white sugar. How sweet to make the dishes depends on family taste. My mother sweetens tzimmes with a light hand, and that’s how I make tajines, too.

Both tzimmes and sweet tajines usually contain fruit. Prunes are by far the most traditional, though Moroccans use raisins nearly as often and may even include dried apricots and dates and fresh quinces, apples and pears. A garnish of fried almonds or toasted sesame seeds provides a wonderful accent.

Vegetables are more likely to show up in a tzimmes than in a tajine . Carrots and sweet potatoes are the most common, followed by white potatoes. Turnips might appear in the tzimmes pots of French Jews, rutabaga in England.

In Morocco, vegetables are not characteristic of sweet tajines . If one is added--and there will be only one kind--it might be sweet potatoes or carrots, as in tzimmes , or occasionally pumpkin or tomatoes. When a sweet tajine is made with a vegetable, fruit (apart, perhaps, from raisins) will be omitted.

Neither dish is carved in stone. Still, I don’t tamper with these age-old favorites too much, particularly during the holidays, when the most important ingredient is tradition.

Levy is author of “1,000 Jewish Recipes” (Hungry Minds, $35).

Wine goblet, dinnerware and silverware from Crate & Barrel.

Beef Tzimmes With Butternut Squash and Matzo Balls

Active Work Time: 40 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours 40 minutes

To substitute sweet potatoes for the squash, use 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds of the orange-fleshed type. Tzimmes should be moist and saucy but not soupy. Some cooks thicken it from the beginning with a roux by cooking flour with the sauteed onions. Because the stew gains body while simmering and standing, most wait until it’s done to decide. The preferred techniques are adding a flour slurry or baking the tzimmes. If you’re making tzimmes ahead, it’s best to heat the matzo balls separately and add them to the reheated stew. Once you’ve added them to the pan, you can thicken the sauce by baking but not by stirring in a slurry because they might fall apart. I poach the matzo balls separately so they cook evenly, then add them to the finished tzimmes so they won’t break up.

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MATZO BALLS

2 eggs

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 cup matzo meal, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons more, if needed

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

Dash freshly ground pepper

1 to 3 tablespoons tzimmes broth, chicken broth or water

Lightly beat the eggs with oil in a bowl. Add the 1/2 cup matzo meal, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Stir with a fork until the batter is smooth. Slowly stir in the broth. Cover the batter and refrigerate for 20 minutes; the batter will thicken.

In a saucepan, bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Reduce the heat so the water barely simmers.

With wet hands, take about 1 teaspoon of batter and shape it lightly in a small, roughly round dumpling by gently rolling it between your palms. The batter should be too soft to form a neat, smooth ball. If you’re not sure whether the matzo balls will hold together, cook one in the simmering water for 10 minutes, remove it with a slotted spoon and taste it for firmness and seasoning. If it is too soft, stir in matzo meal by tablespoons. If it is too firm, gradually stir in broth by tablespoons.

Continue shaping the matzo balls, wetting your hands before each one and slipping them carefully into the simmering water. Cover and simmer over low heat until just firm, 30 minutes. This may seem long, but it makes them tender. Keep them warm in their covered pan until ready to serve, or refrigerate in their cooking liquid and reheat gently in the liquid. To serve, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon.

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TZIMMES

2 pounds boneless lean beef chuck, trimmed of fat

1 to 2 tablespoons oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 large carrots, cut in 1-inch chunks

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 to 2 1/2 cups water

2 pounds butternut squash

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/4 cups pitted dried plums or prunes

Cut the beef in 1 1/4-to 1 1/2-inch pieces and pat them dry. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy stew pan. Add the beef cubes in 2 batches, browning each lightly on all sides over medium-high heat and removing the browned meat with a slotted spoon to a plate. This should take 13 to 15 minutes.

Add more oil if the pan is dry and heat it. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until brown, about 10 minutes; cover if the pan becomes dry. Return the meat to the pan with any juices on the plate. Add the carrots, salt and pepper to taste and enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil, skimming occasionally. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender, 1 1/2 hours. (For a lighter sauce, refrigerate the cooked meat and its sauce separately for several hours, then skim the fat from the top of the sauce. Return the beef to the sauce and reheat.)

Peel the squash and cut it in half lengthwise. Discard the seeds and stringy parts in the cavity. Cut the squash in 1-inch cubes.

Once the beef is tender, stir the honey and cinnamon into the sauce. Add the squash and push the pieces into the liquid. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn the squash pieces over. Add the plums. Cover and simmer until the squash is tender, 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

You can add matzo balls to the tzimmes or put a few in each portion at serving time. In either case, use a slotted spoon to transfer them gently from their cooking liquid. If you’re adding them to the pan, spoon a little sauce over them, cover and let stand so they absorb flavor for 10 minutes, or until ready to serve.

4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings:

584 calories; 1,408 mg sodium; 175 mg cholesterol; 25 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 56 grams carbohydrates; 37 grams protein; 4.19 grams fiber.

Note: If you would like to thicken the sauce, choose one of these methods. Baking: Bake the tzimmes uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes. Using a flour slurry: Mix 1 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of water to a smooth paste in a bowl. Bring the tzimmes to a gentle simmer. Gradually ladle about 1 cup of tzimmes sauce into the flour paste, stirring until smooth. Return the mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer, stirring as gently as possible to avoid breaking up the squash and prunes. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

Lamb Tajine With Apricots, Saffron and Ginger

Active Work Time: 45 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

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1/3 cup whole blanched almonds

2 1/2 pounds lamb shoulder chops or 2 pounds lamb stew meat

1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or mild olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

Dash saffron threads (about 1/8 teaspoon tightly packed)

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups water

1 pound orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 3/4-inch dice, optional

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 cup dried apricots

1 cup pitted dried plums or prunes

1 tablespoon honey

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Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the almonds in a shallow baking pan until lightly browned, 7 minutes. Immediately transfer them to a plate and set aside.

Cut the meat from the bones, discarding excess fat. Reserve the bones. Cut the meat in 1-inch cubes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy stew pan. Add the lamb cubes in 2 batches, browning each lightly on all sides over medium-high heat and removing the browned meat with a slotted spoon to a plate. Brown the bones lightly over medium heat, 10 to 15 minutes, and remove.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil if the pan is dry and heat it. Add the onions and cook over medium heat until light brown, 7 minutes; cover if the pan becomes dry. Return the meat, bones and any juices from the plate to the pan. Add the saffron, salt and pepper to taste and water. Mix well; the liquid will not cover the lamb. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is tender, 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lamb cubes and bones with tongs, leaving the onions in the pan. Remove any bits of meat adhering to the bones and add to the lamb cubes. Discard the bones. (For a lighter sauce, refrigerate the cooked meat and its sauce separately for several hours, then skim the fat from the top of the sauce.)

Bring the sauce to a simmer and add the sweet potatoes. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. If the sauce is too thin, remove the sweet potatoes with a slotted spoon, leaving most of onions in the pan, and simmer the sauce, uncovered, until it thickens, a few minutes; then return the sweet potatoes to the pan. If the sauce is too thick, add 3 or 4 tablespoons of hot water. Add the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, apricots and plums. Cover and cook, gently stirring once or twice, until the sweet potatoes and fruit are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the honey to the sauce and stir very gently. Return the lamb cubes to the pan, cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the amounts of salt, pepper, ginger and nutmeg. Serve hot, garnished with the toasted almonds.

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4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings: 445 calories; 130 mg sodium; 114 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 39 grams protein; 3.64 grams fiber.

Hazelnut Honey Squares

Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 1/2 hours

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2 1/4 cups flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash ground cloves

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup honey

3/4 cup oil

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

3/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch square pan, line it with parchment paper or wax paper and grease the paper.

Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves.

Beat the eggs lightly in a mixer bowl. Add the sugar and honey and beat until the mixture is smooth and lightened in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the oil and beat until blended. Add the lemon and orange zests and beat briefly. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture alternately with the applesauce, each in 3 portions. Add the nuts and beat just until blended.

Pour the batter into a pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a rack and carefully peel off the paper. Cover tightly when completely cool. Serve at room temperature. Cut in squares or bars.

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9 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings: 412 calories; 176 mg sodium; 52 mg cholesterol; 19 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 58 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 1.64 grams fiber.