This year, the eve of Rosh ha Shannah (the onset of the New Year) falls on Friday 29 September. All of which sounds simple enough but keeping track of all the holidays celebrated in Israel is a mammoth chore. In addition to secular national holidays, there are the religious festivals of an abundance of faiths. Jewish, Moslem, Christian, Druze, Circassian, Bahai, Karaite and Samaritan holy days are all important parts of the national calendar.

To complicate things even further, there are three different Sabbaths (Fridays for Moslems, Saturdays for Jews and Sundays for Christians) and four different calendars in daily use throughout the country. Between the Gregorian (that's the one most Westerners use), the Hebrew, the Julian and the Moslem calendars it is sometimes difficult for even the most astute thinker to know precisely where he or she is at. Regardless of one's religion, however, it is impossible to be oblivious of Rosh Hashanah, for as one pundit put it, "this is the day when nearly every Jew in the country overeats".

In addition to celebrating the creation of the world, this first day of the year also marks the day of judgment when each person is judged according to the quality of his or her deeds. Unless it falls on Saturday, the shofar (ram's horn) is blown to remind people to repent for their sins.

To those neither fortunate or good enough to attain forgiveness on Rosh Hashanah, ten full days are given for repentance, prayers for forgiveness and good deeds to try to compensate for the past year before the day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Forgiveness and Atonement. Many Israelis find these ten days a bit too heavy to bear and one not unpopular way of passing these particular Days of Awe is to go abroad. Just how much prayer and repentance takes place on Greek Islands or in Paris is hard to say, but many Israelis do manage to feel considerably renewed after such trips.

One tradition to which nearly all Israeli families adhere is involved with the Rosh Hashanah feast. A rich meal is served, partly to celebrate the onset of the year and partly in hope that the comforts and abundance of this special meal will be indicative of the year to come. The following dinner, designed specially for the holiday, is based on dishes brought to Israel by Jews from many nations. The dinner will serve 6.

Bean Soup - Greece

2 lbs. (900 gr.) marrow bones
1 cup dried white beans
3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, diced
2 medium onions
1 small celery root, cleaned
salt and pepper to taste

Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Drain and rinse the beans and place them in a large saucepan with the marrow bones. Add cold water to cover. On a high flame bring to a rapid boil and skim the foam from the surface. Cover, reduce the flame and simmer for 2 hours, opening occasionally to skim.

Add the remaining ingredients, bring the soup to a boil again and let boil 2 - 3 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for l hour. Discard the onion and celery root before serving. Serve with the bones.

Stuffed Veal Breast - Italy

3 1/2 lb. (11/2 kilo) veal breast
1 1/2 lb. (675 gr.) stewing veal
6 oz (180 gr.) calf's liver
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 cup chicken or veal stock
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 head celery, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
2 large onions, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 slices white bread, soaked and squeezed dry
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. butter
1 bouillon cube
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
olive oil for frying

In a heavy skillet melt the butter and in this saute the onions until golden. Add 1/2 cup wine, simmer until reduced by about half and then add 1/4 cup stock and reduce again. Repeat this process 4 times (using in all 1 cup each wine and stock) and then allow to simmer until the gravy is thick. Pour this over the bread slices and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Mash and mix well.

Mince together the stewing veal and the liver and mix these with the bread mixture. Add the eggs and mushrooms and mix well.

Make a deep lengthwise cut in the breast and stuff with the above mixture. Sew closed with kitchen thread and then tie with string in 4 - 5 places. In a large skillet heat the olive oil and in this saute the tied breast until it is browned all over.

In a large baking casserole place the onions, celery and carrots and lay the meat on top of these. Cover with greaseproof paper and roast in a medium oven, turning occasionally and basting with white wine until the meat is tender. Remove the paper and roast another 15 minutes until the meat is brown. Remove the meat and set aside to cool for 15 minutes, slicing only after the meat has cooled. Set the meat aside to keep warm.

Transfer the remaining gravy to a saucepan, add some wine and let simmer until the wine evaporates. Add 1 cup of stock, the bouillon cube and salt and pepper to taste. Strain the gravy into a gravy dish. Serve hot. (Serves 10 - 12. The unused portion will provide superb leftovers).

Green Beans and Peanuts - Algeria

1 1/2 lbs. (675 gr.) fresh green beans, trimmed
2 medium onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup unsalted, skinned peanuts
1/4 cup olive or other oil
1/2 tsp. each salt and black pepper

In a skillet heat the oil and in this saute the onions, nuts and garlic until the onions are translucent. To this add the remaining ingredients and continue to saute until the beans are tender. Serve hot.

Baked Apples with Almonds and Raisins - Spain

6 large apples, for baking
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
3 oz (85 gr.) blanched almonds, lightly toasted and ground
3 Tbsp. each raisins and light rum
3 egg yolks lemon juice as required

In a small saucepan mix together the rum and raisins with 1 1/2 Tbsp. of water. Heat gently until warm. Remove from the flame and let stand.

Peel and core the apples, leaving a base of about 1/2" (1 cm.) at the bottom and a hollowed cylinder of 1 1/2" (4 cm.)in diameter. Rub the apples with lemon juice to prevent discoloration. In a small bowl mix together the egg yolks, 6 Tbsp. of the sugar, the almonds and the butter or margarine. Drain the raisins, reserving the liquid and add the raisins to the egg mixture.

Fill each apple with about 2 Tbsp. of the filling. Place the apples in a shallow ovenproof pan and pour in the reserved liquid from the raisins. Pour in another 1/2 cup of water and the remain- ing sugar. Bake in a medium oven, basting occasionally and adding more water if the pan dries out. Cover and bake until the apples are tender (about 15 minutes longer). Serve hot or warm.

© Daniel Rogov