Tzimmes

By Jackie Marinoff
@Jackie_Marinoff

Tzimmes is a Jewish sweet casserole dish traditionally served during the holidays such as Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Sukkoth. However, I also make it at Thanksgiving.

There are a lot of different ways to make Tzimmes, including using meat as an ingredient. However, I like this way because it is filled with wonderful varieties of fruits and veggies baked into a delicious sweet casserole. Tzimmes is served hot as a side dish or as dessert

Rating:

★★★★★ 2 votes

Comments:

4 Comments

Serves:

10 to 15 people

Prep:

3 Hr

Cook:

40 Min

Method:

Bake

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Notes from the Test Kitchen:
Whether you decide to serve this as a holiday side dish or a dessert, it will be delicious! I really loved this classic Jewish casserole. The mixture of sweet potatoes and carrots with all the fruit and juices is fabulous. It's a great balance of sweet and savory. It makes a lot, so if you're having a big holiday dinner consider adding this to your menu.

Note: If fresh apricots aren't in season, use canned but make sure to drain any liquid.

Ingredients

1 lb: baby carrots, sliced in half
7 large: sweet potatoes, sliced
9 oz: prunes or plums pitted, sliced in half
1 c: orange juice, pulp free
20 oz: pineapple chunks with juice, canned
33 oz: mandarin oranges, with juice, canned
2 1/2 c: golden raisins
15 oz: apricots, fresh
1/2 c: brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 tsp: salt
1/2 tsp: cinnamon
1 stick: butter, sliced into pats
1/4 tsp: nutmeg
: vegetable cooking spray w/ flour

How to Make Tzimmes

Step-by-Step

1First and foremost put on your “Just A Pinch Apron” and a huge smile! Spray a 3 quart casserole dish with vegetable cooking spray. This will help with the clean-up. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE YOU START.
2SWEET POTATOES: Wash sweet potatoes and place in a large soup kettle and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cook until sweet potatoes are firm but tender NOT mushy. Remove hot water from kettle and put in cold water.
3PEELING SWEET POTATOES: Let sweet potatoes cool in water until you can handle them. Take one sweet potato at a time and make a slice down the length of the sweet potato. Then with your hands remove the skin. Do this for each sweet potato. Once the skin is removed cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes and place back into the large soup kettle.
4BABY CARROTS: Wash baby carrots and cut into halves. Place the carrots in a saucepan and cover with water, bring to a boil. Cook until tender but firm.
5Drain carrots and add them to the soup kettle with the sweet potatoes.
6PRUNES/PLUMS AND RAISINS: Cut prunes or plums (whichever you desire) in half and add them to the soup kettle. Then add the golden raisins to the soup kettle. Now very gently mix all the ingredients in the soup kettle together. I actually like to wash my hands and toss with my hands. Then place all ingredients in the soup kettle into a 3 quart sprayed casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7JUICES AND OTHER INGREDIENTS: In a medium size bowl, mix (juice ONLY) orange juice, pineapple juice, mandarin orange juice, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Then pour this mixture evenly over the ingredients in the 3-quart casserole dish.
8Slice butter into pats and place them evenly over the 3 quart casserole dish. I usually place the pats 3 rows down and 4-5 rows across.
9Place a cover over the 3 quart casserole dish. If you don’t have a cover use aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
10PINEAPPLE, MANDARIN ORANGES & APRICOTS: Uncover the casserole dish. Place in a mixing bowl the pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges. Cut the apricot half and into half again and add to mixing bowl. Gently mix all the fruit together and then put into 3-quart casserole dish. Mix everything in the 3-quart casserole dish making sure you include the juice in the mixing.
11Bake for 10 minutes UNCOVERED. Remove casserole dish from oven and serve hot as a side dish or dessert.