This year the holiday begins on the evening of Sept. 24. Start your Rosh Hashanah meal with the age-old tradition of dipping slices of apples and challah in honey. This ritual symbolizes hopes for a sweet, healthy and happy New Year and gives everyone the opportunity to exchange greetings. 

Soup is always a good choice for a holiday meal. One soup idea came to me recently while I was shopping at the Santa Monica farmers market, where I purchased fresh sugar snap peas. I boiled them until tender, let them cool, then put them into the blender. This became the base for a delicious soup. There is no need for cream or chicken stock; just add the cooking liquid to give the soup a rich flavor. 

With the variety of fresh produce available, it’s easy to prepare a cold Apple-Spinach Salad — just be sure to wait to combine ingredients until the last minute to keep them crisp. Farmers markets have the sweetest carrots, and I can’t resist making a Carrot Hummus to serve with this salad. 

For the main course, serve a baked eggplant dish adapted from a recipe I discovered at Mustards Grill many years ago on a trip to Napa Valley. Small eggplants seasoned with garlic are baked in a hot oven and served on fresh tomato sauce.

Pomegranates, in ancient lore, were known as one of the first fruits of the season. Their seeds symbolize the 613 mitzvot commanded by the Torah, and they are often enjoyed during Rosh Hashanah. For dessert, transform this traditional fruit into a ruby-colored ice and serve with crispy Sesame-Honey Thins that can be prepared in advance. Find this recipe and others at tribejournal.com. 

Shanah tovah!

SUGAR SNAP PEA SOUP

• 1 large ear of corn, uncooked
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 1/2 pounds sugar snap peas, ends trimmed and strings removed
• 3 to 4 cups water or vegetable stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Using a sharp knife, remove the kernels from ear of corn; place in a small bowl, and set aside for garnish.

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Sauté onion until soft; set aside.

Cut off both ends of snap peas, pulling off the threadlike strings. In a large pot, place snap peas with enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, about 15 minutes. Cool. 

Cut each snap pea in half, removing any remaining strings. In two batches, place snap peas, sautéed onion and cooking liquid in the blender; blend into a smooth puree. 

Pour into pot, add salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, reheat soup gently over medium-low heat. Ladle soup into heated bowls and garnish with fresh corn kernels for texture and crunch.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

APPLE-SPINACH SALAD

• 3 apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 3 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 bunch spinach, torn into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

In a large bowl, toss the apples, green onions and celery with juice of 1 lemon (to keep the apples from darkening); set aside.

In a blender, food processor or a small bowl, blend together the mayonnaise, tahini, honey and juice of remaining lemon; the mixture will be very thick. Toss with the apple mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. 

Just before serving, place spinach in a large bowl, add apple mixture, and toss to coat spinach thoroughly. Garnish with sesame seeds. 

Makes 6 servings.

CARROT HUMMUS

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch lengths
• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 4 pitted black olives, chopped

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add carrots, cover, and cook over medium-high heat until tender, about 20 minutes; drain.

Transfer carrots to a food processor or blender. Add tahini, lemon juice, garlic, honey, cumin and ginger; process to a smooth puree. Add olive oil, and continue processing until oil is completely incorporated and the hummus is thickened. Season with salt.

Spoon hummus into a serving bowl, and garnish with chopped olives. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap. Before serving, bring to room temperature. Serve with challah or crisp toast.

Makes about 3 cups.

BAKED EGGPLANT WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

• Fresh Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)
• 8 to 10 Japanese eggplants
• 1 whole head of garlic, separated into cloves, minced
• 1 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.

Prepare Fresh Tomato Sauce; set aside.

Wash and dry eggplants. Starting about 1/2 inch from stem end, slice eggplants into fans, cutting them lengthwise into 3 or 4 sections and taking care not to cut through stems.

In a bowl, combine garlic with olive oil, reserving 2 tablespoons oil. Spoon garlic-oil mixture over eggplants, pushing it between the slices.

Line a baking pan with foil; brush foil with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Place prepared eggplants on foil, spreading them flat in a fan shape. Brush with additional olive oil, and salt and pepper to tastwe. Bake 20 minutes, or until tender.

Spoon Fresh Tomato Sauce onto serving plates; place eggplants on top. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 to 10 servings. 

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

• 3 large tomatoes, peeled and seeded
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup rice or white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a food processor or blender, process the tomatoes, garlic and vinegar. Add the oil in a thin stream. Mix in the chives, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes about 2 cups