Apple and carrot tsimmes

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

6 carrots, peeled and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds

1/4 to 1/2 cup hot water

3 tart apples (Granny Smith) peeled, cored and sliced into thick wedges

3/4 cup brown or white onions, peeled, sliced, then sauteed until golden

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup brown sugar or honey, or to taste

Salt to taste

3/4 teaspoon white pepper

1 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons potato starch

1 to 2 tablespoons pareve margarine

Preheat oven to 350.

Place carrots in a saucepan; add hot water and cook, about 5 to 8 minutes, until tender. Add apples for last 5 minutes of cooking time. Drain and turn carrots, apples and onions into a lightly greased 2-1/2 quart casserole. Add raisins, sugar or honey, salt and pepper.

In a small bowl mix orange juice and potato starch until smooth. Pour over carrot-apple mixture. Dot with margarine and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

NOTE: While Jews in Lithuania used sweet potatoes and meat in their tsimmes, in Poland the main ingredient was carrots, accompanied, at the whim of the mama, by prunes, raisins, or apples.

From Jewish Cooking in America by Joan Nathan, (Alfred A. Knopf, 1988)

Nutrition facts per serving: 132 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 29 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 34 mg sodium, 4 g fiber