The following tsimmes with beets, turnips, carrots, and meat came from Vilna to Brooklyn earlier in this century. When I make this for my family I do not tell the children that it includes beets and turnips. For some unknown reason they never ask me how the dish became so red. They love it.

　　

Ingredients

Yield: 6 to 8 servings (M)

　　3 teaspoons salt

　　1/2 teaspoon pepper

　　3 pounds flanken, chuck, or brisket of beef

　　2 onions, chopped

　　2 tablespoons flour

　　3 cups boiling water

　　1/4 cup honey or to taste

　　8 carrots, coarsely grated

　　1 turnip, coarsely grated

　　1 beet, coarsely grated

　　1 sweet potato, peeled and quartered (optional)

　　

Step 1

1. Mix 2 teaspoons of the salt and pepper and rub it into the beef. Place in a Dutch oven or heavy pot with the onions and brown slowly over a medium heat. Add the flour, mixing well. Add the water, stirring, until it reaches the boiling point. Cover and simmer slowly for about 1 hour.

　　

Step 2

2. Mix the honey in with the meat, then add the vegetables and remaining salt. Cover and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for an hour and a half, removing the cover for the last 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

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