From the Yiddish – a combination of German and Hebrew – word “tzimmes,” we get the translation of “big deal” or “big to-do” or even “a big fuss,” but for me, the word evokes a name of a savory stew-like dish that is sweet and filling and most often served at Jewish tables during the four-week period called the Jewish High Holidays.

Tzimmes typically contains honey and is supposed to ensure a sweet start at the Jewish New Year.

So what exactly is the difference between a tzimmes and a stew? Well, not much and everything, depending on who you’re talking to.

Tzimmes is what I like to call a sweet vegetable stew with cinnamon as the most commonly used spice. It’s a really thick vegetable stew (usually without beans or barley) that has been cooked for no more than an hour or two. A stew is typically meat, veggies and seasoning in a thickened broth and cooked for hours and hours or in a crock pot. For me, most of my tzimmes recipes are vegetarian and include carrots, sweet potatoes or prunes or apricots.

A tzimmes is super easy to make and almost impossible to mess up.

You can interchange or leave out ingredients at your pleasure.

Classic Tzimmes

2 large onions, finely chopped

3 tablespoons margarine

2 pounds carrots, sliced thin

5 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces

4 ounces pitted prunes

4 ounces chopped apricots

4 tablespoons honey

Zest of 1 orange

Zest of 1 lemon

2 oranges and 2 lemons juiced (you need about 1 to 1 1/4 cup juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

A pinch grated nutmeg

Salt and white pepper to taste

Sauté the onions in the margarine in a large pot over a medium heat until the onion is soft but not mushy. Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, prunes, apricots, honey, zest, juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes stirring every 10 to 15 minutes to make sure the mixture doesn’t stick. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary; it needs to be sweet, but not overly so. Serves 6.

Pineapple Tzimmes

2 cans (15 ounces) of pineapple tidbits in pineapple juice

5 large carrots, peeled and cut into rounds (about 1 inch)

3 to 4 large sweet potatoes cut into bite-size chunks

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Additional water if needed

Place the carrots, sliced sweet potatoes and the pineapple with its juice in a large saucepan and bring it to a very low simmer. Add the cinnamon and mix to combine. Let the mixture simmer for 40 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes have absorbed most of the liquid and are soft. If the liquid gets too low before the vegetables are soft (but not mushy) add a little more water. Serves 4 to 6.

Fruit and Nut Tzimmes

2/3 cup honey

1/2 cup oil

2 tablespoons orange zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

2 cans (16 ounces) sweet potatoes, drained and sliced lengthwise

2 thinly sliced tart apples

1 cup golden seedless raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans or almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine the honey, oil, orange zest, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Grease a 4-quart baking dish. Combine the sweet potatoes, apple, raisins and walnuts in the bowl. Pour the honey mixture over the top and mix to coat. Bake uncovered for one hour. Serves 6 to 8.