In My Kitchen: *Ring* in the New Year

Bagels and simit for a savory New Year snack.

I’m always searching around for foods that symbolize good luck in the coming year as New Years approaches. I’ve covered a number them on Recipes for Health – favorites like my delicious salad made with black eyed peas in a cumin vinaigrette. This year I had a lot of fun playing around with ring-shaped pastries. The rings symbolize the year’s coming full circle, and also eternity. Donuts come to mind, but that doesn’t quite fit the Recipes for Health profile. I made wonderful 100 percent whole wheat bagels and a couple of delicious, moist Bundt cakes, one with poppy seeds and lemon and the other with walnuts and dried apricots. I also made two of my favorite Mediterranean snacks, sesame-covered rings popular in Greece, Turkey and Egypt called simit, and taralli, small, hard twice-baked ring-A Southern Italian ring-shaped snacks flavored with pepper or fennel, and fragrant with olive oil. They are irresistible, and I made so many that I am bound to have a productive New Year. I hope all of you do as well.