This tsimmes created by Chef Lenard Rubin of the Phoenician Club in Phoenix, Arizona, is so good that I sometimes serve it alone without stuffing it into the chilies.

　　

Ingredients

Yield: 10 to 12 servings (P)

　　3/4 pound pitted prunes

　　6 medium peeled carrots, cut in chunks

　　3 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and diced

　　6 tablespoons honey

　　1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

　　1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　1 tablespoon lemon juice

　　1/4 cup orange juice

　　2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

　　12 green or red Anaheim chilies

　　

Step 1

1. Mix all the ingredients except the coriander and the chilies in a greased 3-quart baking dish.

　　

Step 2

2. Cover and bake in a preheated 250-degree oven, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, but not mushy, about 2 hours. Let cool.

　　

Step 3

3. Using a fork or a potato masher mash the mixture coarsely with the chopped coriander to facilitate stuffing into the chilies. This can be prepared a day ahead.

　　

Step 4

4. Place the chilies on a cookie sheet in a preheated 450-degree oven. Roast for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally, or until the skin is black. Remove to a plastic or paper bag and leave until cool. Peel off the skin.

　　

Step 5

5. With a sharp knife, make a slit from the bottom of the stem to the point of each chili.

　　

Step 6

6. Gently scrape out the seeds and rinse the inside of the chili.

　　

Step 7

7. Pat each chili dry and stuff with chopped tsimmes so that each chili is slightly overstuffed, causing the slit in the chili to open, exposing the filling.

　　

Step 8

8. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Alternately, you can merely put the stuffing mixture in a greased flat casserole, approximately 9- by 13-inch, and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes or until it is warm.

　　Reprinted with permission from Jewish Cooking in America by Joan Nathan. © 1998 Knopf