Vegetarian Tsimmes
Making a tsimmes—a stew of fruits and vegetables, often on the sweet side, and sometimes grains —can be a big deal, especially if you begin with a piece of meat. But as a delicious midwinter stew of dried fruits and root vegetables, served as a side dish or even a main course, it's hardly any work at all.
- 1 cup dried apricots
- 1 cup pitted prunes
- 1 cup dried pears
- 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 pound onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup chopped dates
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Pinch of ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of cayenne
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions:
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and preheat the oven to 375°F. Soak the apricots, prunes, and pears in warm water to cover. Parboil the sweet potatoes, carrots, and onions until just beginning to soften, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Drain the dried fruit.
-  Use half the butter or oil to grease a large casserole or baking dish. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss well; add to the casserole, along with about a cup of the reserved cooking liquid.
- Dot with the remaining butter and cover with foil; bake until everything is completely tender but not until everything is completely tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes, adding additional reserved cooking liquid if necessary to keep the mixture from drying out. Uncover and allow the top to brown a bit, then serve hot or at room temperature.