RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Karen Selwyn Fish, Sephardic, Baked w/Vegetables: Plaki - pareve
If you really want to make this an authentic Sephardic Rosh Hashanah experience, you will return the recipe below to its original form and prepare it with an whole fish including the head. This Sephardic practice of serving the fish with its head is to sybolically remind us that we should be an example to others ("be the head"). Karen Selwyn * * * * * * * * SEPHARDIC BAKED FISH WITH VEGETABLES (PLAKI) "This is a traditional Sabbath dish, but it is particularly popular at Rosh Hashana because of the many symbolic meanings of fish - emblem of fertility and prosperity, and a reminder of the creation of life marked by Rosh Hashana." Gil Marks 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil 3 medium onions, sliced 3 garlic cloves, crushed 3 cups (about 1 pound) peeled, seeded, and chopped plum tomatoes 3 medium baking potatoes, sliced 2 medium red peppers, seeded and sliced 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1/8 teaspoon sugar 4 pounds cod, flounder, grouper, halibut, sea bass, OR other firm-fleshed fish fillets or 8 steaks Set the oven at 350 degrees. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, parsley, salt, pepper, and sugar, and simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 15 minutes. (The sauce can be prepared ahead, covered, and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat before continuing.) Spread half of the sauce in a large baking dish, add the fish in a single layer, and top with the remaining sauce. Cover and bake until the fish is tender, about 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8. Original source: Adapted from "The World of Jewish Entertaining" Gil Marks Current source: "Cooks's Library: Jewish Treasures" Julie Riven BOSTON GLOBE (on-line edition), 9/9/98
