The traditional Jewish dish of tzimmes usually includes sweet potatoes, carrots, honey, and a cut of meat that takes several hours to simmer to spoon tenderness. You can also make a vegetable tzimmes (the name means “mixed up” or “confused”), which cooks in half an hour, and serve it beside roast chicken or another main course, or make it the entree with other sides. Typically, tzimmes is quite sweet, layered with lots of dried fruits and honey. This version has just a taste of honey and prunes, caramelized red onions, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and paprika. It’s more of a tagine than anything else.

Use some of the fruits and vegetables to make an old-fashioned bread pudding, layered with challah or brioche, eggs, and milk. Serve the second dish the following day for lunch, or freeze the leftover tzimmes and make it next week at the end of the Yom Kippur fast, as a welcoming and comforting meal.

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SHOPPING LIST

(For tzimmes, tzimmes bread pudding)

2 tablespoons butter

6 eggs

1½ cups whole milk

4 large sweet potatoes

10 carrots

3 red onions

Large handful parsley stems

1 clove garlic

Salt and pepper

1 loaf (1 pound) challah, brioche,
or other rich white bread

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 cup pitted prunes

½ cup golden raisins

2 tablespoons honey