Halloween Carrot Tzimmes

Happy Halloween!

Celebrating Halloween is actually fairly new to me... When I was growing up, my family didn't celebrate Halloween - the Jewish holiday for "dressing up" was Purim, which takes place in March, so for most of my childhood I eagerly planned my costume for each Spring while most of my friends were planning their costumes for two seasons earlier. Amazingly, it wasn't until I was in college that one of my roommates exuberantly insisted that I improvise a costume on the spot so we could attend a Halloween party, and ever since then I've been hooked on dressing up twice a year! Indeed, I think Zach and I are especially fortunate, as every year we are able to celebrate the holidays both of us grew up with.

Returning to the holiday of the moment, however, this year I thought it would be fun to prepare a Jewish dish for our fusion-of-cultures approach to the holidays! Since Zach isn't a huge fan of pumpkins that aren't safely disguised in the form of cornbread or other baked goods, I decided to turn to another bright orange, Autumn root vegetable - carrots! Carrots are often a central component in the traditional Jewish dish called tzimmes, and, given the success of our savory leek tzimmes last month, I began to envision a classic sweet tzimmes tempered by the notes of onions and rosemary.

Thus, our Halloween Carrot Tzimmes, prepared last night and poised and ready in the slow cooker this morning, swirled with honey, cinnamon, and balsamic vinegar, was born...

Halloween Carrot Tzimmes

2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 lb carrots, cut into 1" pieces
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp cinnamon

~ In a small skillet over medium high heat, saute the onion in the olive oil until the onion is limp and translucent.
~ Scoop the onion into a large stockpot or slow cooker, and stir in the broth, carrots, sweet potatoes, and raisins. Simmer gently until the carrots and sweet potatoes are tender.
~ Stir in the honey, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 more minutes, and serve warm!

On the blog this time last year... Soy-Glazed Tempeh!