Mexican chef, author and TV host Pati Jinich is ready with three delicious recipes to kick off the Jewish New Year -- Rosh Hashanah -- and the start of Hispanic Heritage Month.
On Friday, when Jinich observes the High Holiday, the Mexico City-born chef will be serving up a few dishes that perfectly blend her Jewish and Mexican roots.
"It is truly a feast of so many things that mean so much to me coming together," Jinich told "Good Morning America" about the two celebrations falling on Sept. 15. "There used to be a time when, as a Mexican in the U.S., there was one opportunity to share how much Mexicans can enrich the American life and table: Cinco de Mayo. With Hispanic Heritage Month being welcomed and celebrated and received so well, we have an entire month to not only celebrate Mexicanness but the incredible richness and diversity that exists in our Latin communities inside and outside of the U.S."
The James Beard Award winner added that "having Rosh Hashanah coincide with [Hispanic Heritage Month's] start this year just gives us more to celebrate."
Jinich shared three delicious recipes with "GMA" that will be a hit in any kitchen all season long, well beyond the Friday festivities.
"Veracruz Style Gefilte Fish is a dish that has been made for centuries by the Ashkenazi communities that settled in Mexico," she explained. "That rich tomato sauce spiked with olives, capers and pickled chiles comes from Veracruz, which was the point of entry for so many immigrant waves, including Jewish people. My paternal grandmother used to make and serve it with slices of challah and pickles."
Her riff on matzo ball soup, she said, is "a take on my maternal grandmother's recipe, who had to flee Austria during the second world war. She was a master at weaving her culinary heritage with the flavors of Mexico. She added nutmeg and parsley to her matzo balls and I started adding some toasted sesame oil as well, and it has become a staple here at home."
Finally, the star of the show, Jinich's brisket, is a recipe that she told "GMA" she "cobbled up at home, weaving in ... pasilla and tomatillo sauce from Michoacán with a full brisket."
"It connects our Mexican and Jewish roots deliciously," she said, noting the brisket "has also become a requested dish at home."
Check out her full recipes below to recreate them at home.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 cup matzo ball mix
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, or to taste
4 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sparkling water (optional), to make the matzo balls fluffy
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 jalapeño chiles, finely chopped, seeded optional, more or less to taste
1/2 pound white mushrooms, wiped clean with cloth, sliced
3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt or to taste
8-10 cups chicken broth
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the matzo ball mix, parsley, nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon of salt. In another small bowl, lightly beat the eggs with 1/3 cup of vegetable oil. Fold in the beaten eggs to the matzo ball mixture with a spatula. Add the sparkling water if you want the matzo balls fluffy, and mix well until well-combined. Cover the mix and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
Bring about 12 cups of salted water to a rolling boil in a large soup pot. Bring heat down to medium and keep at a steady simmer. With wet hands, make about 1 inch balls out of the matzo ball mix and gently drop them into the water. Cover and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a large cooking pot. Add the onion, garlic and chiles, and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until they have softened. Incorporate the sliced mushrooms. sprinkle the salt, stir and cover with a lid. Steam the mushrooms for about 6 to 8 minutes.
Take off the lid and pour the chicken broth over the mushroom base. Once it is simmering, incorporate the already cooked matzo balls, without their cooking liquid, and serve.
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 ounces (about 5 to 6) dried pasilla chiles; stemmed and seeded
3 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
2 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked, rinsed, quartered
1 large white onion, cut into chunks
10 garlic cloves, peeled
4 cups chicken broth
4 ounces (or 1/2 cup) grated piloncillo or brown sugar
1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes, halved
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
Greens of your choice for salad
Freshly squeezed lime juice and olive oil, to dress the salad
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Heat up a comal or skillet over medium heat, then toast the pasilla chiles for about 1 to 2 minutes, flipping with tongs as they toast. Remove from heat and place in a bowl.
Season the meat with 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Heat oil in a large casserole or roasting pan set over high heat. Brown the meat for about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add the toasted pasilla chiles, tomatillos, onion, garlic, chicken broth, piloncillo, the remaining teaspoon salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Make sure chiles are covered with the broth.
Cover and seal tight with a lid or aluminum foil. Place in the oven and braise for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender. Remove from the oven. Remove the meat and place on a chopping board.
In a pot with salted boiling water, cook the potatoes and the carrots for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Drain and reserve.
Pour all the remaining contents of the roasting pan into the jar of a blender and puree until completely smooth. Pour the sauce back into roasting pan.
Slice the meat against the grain into about 1/2 to 3/4-inch slices and return it to the roasting pan. Add the potatoes and carrots, cover everything with the sauce. Cover the dish and return to oven for another 30 minutes.
Remove the lid or aluminum foil, return to the oven and cook uncovered for another 30 minutes.
Toss the greens of your choice with lime juice and olive oil to taste. Serve the brisket with the side salad.
If there is any meat left over, you can cool, store and refrigerate it in a closed container and then reheat, covered, over a low simmer.
Yields 20 patties
Ingredients
For the fish patties:
1 pound red snapper filets, no skin or bones
1 pound flounder filets, no skin or bones
1/2 white onion, quartered, about 1/2 pound
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped, about 1/4 pound
3 eggs
1/2 cup matzo meal
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper or to taste
For the red sauce:
3 tablespoons safflower or corn oil
1/2 cup white onion chopped
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 cups fish broth or water
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper, or to taste
1 cup Manzanilla olives stuffed with pimientos
8 pepperoncini peppers in vinegar brine, or more to taste, chiles güeros en escabeche
2 tablespoons capers
Directions
To prepare the fish patty mixture: Rinse the red snapper and flounder fillets under a thin stream of cool water. Slice into smaller pieces and place in the food processor. Pulse for 5-10 seconds until fish is finely chopped but hasn’t turned into a paste. Turn fish mixture into a large mixing bowl. Then place the onion, carrots, eggs, matzo meal, salt and white pepper into food processor. Process until smooth and turn into the fish mixture. Combine thoroughly.
To prepare the red sauce: Heat the oil in a large cooking pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion, and let it cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent. Pour the crushed tomatoes into the pot, stir, and let the mix season and thicken for about 6 minutes. Incorporate 3 cups water, 2 tablespoons ketchup, salt and white pepper. Give it a good stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and bring sauce to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer while you roll the gefilte fish patties.
Place a small bowl with lukewarm water to the side of the simmering tomato broth. Start making the patties. I like to make them about 3 inches long, 2 inches wide and 1 inch high, in oval shapes. Wet your hands as necessary, so the fish mixture will not stick to your hands. As you make them, gently slide each patty into the simmering broth. Make sure it is simmering and raise the heat to medium if necessary to keep a steady simmer.
Once you finish making the patties, cover the pot and bring the heat to low. Cook them covered for 25 minutes. Take off the lid, incorporate the manzanilla olives, pepperoncini peppers and capers. Give it a gentle stir and simmer uncovered for 20 more minutes, so the gefilte fish will be thoroughly cooked and the broth will have seasoned and thickened nicely.
Serve hot with slices of challah and pickles.
For a fast and fuss-free Rosh Hashanah dessert recipe, food content creator and cookbook author Jake Cohen shared his moist apple honey cake recipe.
Click here for the full recipe and more on Cohen's Rosh Hashanah menu.