You'll be saying ‘Ole!’ (not ‘Oy vey!’) to chef Ivy Stark’s spicy interpretations of traditional Jewish New Year recipes

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, is a time when many families celebrate with time-honored recipes passed down through the generations. But why not spice things up a bit? Ivy Stark, chef at New York City’s celebrated Dos Caminos restaurant, was invited on “Today” to share some Mexican-inspired variations on the usual fare. Here are the recipes...........

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Spicy Chicken Liver Chipotle Spread

2 large tomatoes, broiled until blackened and soft
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 can chipotles en adobo
1-1/2 pounds chicken livers, trimmed of connective tissue, and cut into 6 pieces
3 tablespoons melted chicken fat or butter
1 medium onion, diced
Salt to taste

Toasted challah for serving

Place the unpeeled tomatoes, garlic, and chiles into a blender and blend until almost smooth; there should be a little texture to the sauce.

Heat the chicken fat/butter in sauté pan, add the onion and liver pieces, sprinkle lightly with salt and sauté, tossing almost constantly for about 3 minutes over high heat. Add the tomato mixture and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and process in food processor until smooth, pour into serving dish and chill.

Serve with warm toasted challah.

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Salmon Gefilte Fish with Habanero Pickled Beets

4 medium red beets, peeled and sliced into quarter-inch slices
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 habanero pepper, split in half
2 medium Spanish onions, peeled and roughly chopped
5 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup parsley sprigs
1 pound salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 pounds white fish fillets (cod, sole, snapper) cut into 2-inch pieces
3 large eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Mixed greens or bibb lettuce for serving
Lime wedges

Make the pickled beets up to one day ahead: Bring vinegar, sugar and habanero to a boil, then add beets. Cook 5 minutes and remove from heat. Allow to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, process onions until minced, remove to a large bowl. Process carrots, celery and parsley until ground. Add to onions in bowl.

Process salmon until ground. With motor running, add white fish and process until ground. Add to vegetables in bowl. Add eggs, oil, sugar, salt and pepper to processor, and mix until well blended. Add to fish mixture and combine thoroughly.

Transfer mixture to an ungreased 9x13 glass baking dish. Bake uncovered for one hour or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and cool.

Arrange mixed greens and radish slices on a serving platter. Top with gefilte fish and garnish with lime wedges.

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Chile-Rubbed Brisket

6 ancho chiles, seeded and stemmed
4 chiles de arbol, seeded and stemmed
1-1/2 cups dry red wine
1/4 cup rice vinegar
6 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons cumin, toasted and freshly ground
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon canela (Mexican cinnamon)
1 piece (2-1/2 to 3 pounds) center-cut beef brisket, surface fat trimmed
4 medium onions, thinly sliced

Toast the chiles lightly in a dry sauté pan, until they just begin to lighten in color. Remove to a pot with about 1 quart of water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let chiles stand in hot water until soft, about 15 minutes.

Remove the chiles from the water and puree in a blender with the wine, vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano and canela until smooth.

Season meat on both sides with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan and cover with chile mixture and onions. Seal pan tightly with aluminum foil and cover. Roast at 350 degrees for about 4 hours until brisket is very tender.

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Butternut Squash Kugel with Canela and Queso Fresco

2 butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
6 eggs
1 teaspoon freshly grated canela (Mexican cinnamon) or Ceylon cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco (Mexican fresh cheese)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash in a baking dish, flesh side down, and cook until soft, about 1 hour. Allow to cool slightly and scoop flesh out of the skins into a bowl, stir in butter.

In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine flour, heavy cream, and eggs. Add squash to mixture.

Place in a 9x13 baking dish, sprinkle with canela, and bake at 350 degrees for one hour until lightly browned. Remove from oven and sprinkle with queso fresco. Serve warm.

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Honey Almond Cake

1 cup hot water
1 cup honey
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup dark rum (or water)
1 teaspoon fennel seed, ground
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon canela (Mexican cinnamon), ground
1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, chopped
2 cups rye flour
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup almonds, toasted lightly and chopped
6 granny smith apples
1 Mexican vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 pound butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9x5 inch loaf pan, and line bottom with greased parchment paper.

In a large bowl, pour the hot water over the honey, and stir to thin consistency. Add the salt, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder; stir to dissolve. Add the rum, spices, and crystallized ginger; stir until combined thoroughly. Add rye flour slowly and combine well; then add all-purpose flour slowly, then add the orange rind, raisins and almonds, stirring to combine thoroughly.

Transfer to the prepared pan and bake 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until golden brown, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Test for doneness with a skewer inserted in the center of the cake; when it comes out clean and dry it is done.

Cool the cake on a rack.

Peel and quarter apples, place in a large saucepan with the vanilla bean, brown sugar, and butter. Simmer over low heat until apples are soft. Serve warm over the cake slices.

© 2004 MSNBC.com