Kugels

My multi-talented friend Betsy has gone from rocket scientist (literally) to caterer to therapist. I assume this recipe is from her catering days!!

4 ounces margarine
1/2 cup matzah meal
1 teaspoon Kosher For Passover Baking powder
3 tablespoons potato starch
1/2 cup sweet red wine
1 pound carrots, grated
2 heaping ounces raisins
3-1/2 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
grated lemon rind (optional)
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9" baking pan. Cream together margarine and matzah meal. Add baking powder and blend. Dissolve potato starch in wine. Combine all ingredients thoroughly. It is easiest to use your hands because this is a thick batter. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour.
This recipe doubles and triples easily.
It also freezes well.
Serves 12-16.

A mina (or maiena in Egypt) is a pie. For Passover, minas are made with matzahs softened with a little vegetable stock as the crust. The pie is delicious when the vegetable mixture is well-prepared, plentiful and nicely seasoned. Adding 1-2 up crumbled feta cheese to the vegetable mixture makes this dairy.

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 pound mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 pound of spinach, stems removed
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted (12 minutes at 375 degrees F)
1-1/2 cups vegetable stock
5 eggs
8 matzas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Fry the onions and garlic in 3 tablespoons of the oil. Add the mushrooms and saute over a medium-high heat until they are browned. Add the spinach and over the skillet so that the greens will steam and soften, about 7 minutes. Take the skillet off the heat, add the walnuts, parsley, cinnamon and 1/2 cup stock. Season well with the salt and pepper. Add 3 of the eggs, beating them first and mix well. Oil a shallow 6-8 cup baking dish with the last tablespoon oil. For the crust, briefly soak 4 of the matzas in the stock until well-moistened but not falling apart. Place them in 2 layers in the baking dish, breaking pieces to fit. Spoon the filling over and top with the remaining 4 matzas, also soaked. Pour the remaining stock over the pie, then pour the last beaten egg over the top. Bake for 30 minutes.
Serves 6.

There are many variations on this theme. This recipe comes from my good friend Laura who also enjoys the creative challenge of Passover.

6 matzas
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 cup soaked raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 granny smith apples, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Break matzah into small pieces. Place in a medium-sized bowl and cover with hot water. Wait one minute and drain.

In another bowl, beat the eggs. Add sugar, vanilla, margarine, raisins, pecans and apples. Mix with the matza. Pour into greased 3-quart casserole. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Dot with margarine. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower heat to 300 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes. Great warm or cold.
Serves 8.

2 cups chicken broth
1 12 ounce box of matzah farfel
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 bulb fennel, tops removed, coarsely chopped
1- 10 ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl stir together the chicken broth and matzah farfel. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes. Then gently stir in eggs. In a skillet, cook the onion in the olive oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened. Add the fennel and cook the mixture, stirring for 5 minutes, or until the fennel is crisp-tender. Stir in the spinach and cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring until the liquid is evaporated. Stir the vegetable mixture into the matzah farfel and season with salt and pepper. Pour into greased 9x13-inch pan and bake for 1 hour.

FromThe Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking, by sisters Phyllis Glazer and Miriyam Glazer.

4 matzahs (egg matza is especially good)
2/3 cup kosher for Passover canola or olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup celery, cut into 1/4" slices (2 medium ribs)
2 cups sliced mushrooms (button, portobello, wild mushrooms) -- use any combination you wish
2 cups grated carrots
2 cups grated zucchini
6 eggs
3/4 cup finely diced Italian parsley
2 teaspoons salt
11/2 teaspoons pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Lightly grease a 2 quart baking pan and set aside.
Break the matzahs into small pieces (about the size of a quarter). Place in a strainer, and let a stream of cold water run over them until softened. Squeeze out and place in a large bowl.
Heat 1/3 cup of oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and finely diced celery. Saute over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, till the onion is translucent. Add the mushrooms, and continue sauteing and stirring, until the mushrooms are just softened. Transfer to the bowl with the squeezed out matzah.
Heat the remaining oil in a separate skillet, and saute the carrots till nearly soft, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini and saute an additional 3-4 minutes, till both the vegetables are soft. Add to the bowl with the matzah, mix gently to cool.
Stir in the eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper, mixing through. Place in the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Fabulous! Serves 8-10

This is very easy and very good.

4-5 pounds small new red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried dill weed.
1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1/2 cup margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients in baking pan. Bake for 2 – 3 hours, the longer the better.

This is from Nancy Weisbrod who teaches vegetarian cooking. The texture and taste of this dish resembles meat. They can be served hot as part of the meal or at room temperature as a salad.

6 portobello mushrooms
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1-2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Wash the mushrooms well and trim the earthy stems by about 1/2 inch. Slice the mushrooms thickly. Scatter over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and vinegar and sprinkle with the salt. Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes.

Hard to tell how many they serve since they get eaten up very quickly!

How can it be Yom Tov without a tzimmes?

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup pitted prunes
orange juice
honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine potatoes, carrots and fruit in an oven-proof casserole dish or baking pan. Drizzle honey over mixture, varying the amount depending on how sweet you like it. Pour enough orange juice over mixture to cover the bottom with 1/4 inch of juice. Cover casserole tightly and bake for 1-1/2 hours.
Serves 8.

3 large eggs
3 tablespoons warm water
5 pieces of matza
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium leeks (white and light green parts only), diced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
8 large zucchinis, peeled and coarsely grated
6 scallions, trimmed and chopped
2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 11x7-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and water. Break matzah into 1-inch pieces. Add to eggs and toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile in a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring for two minutes. Stir in garlic. Add zucchini and cook for 4 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in scallions, salt and pepper. Add vegetable mixture to soaked matzah and mix well. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes or until top is firm to touch. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Makes 8 servings.

2 acorn or butternut squash
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup raisins or Craisins
2 cups apples, cubed or shredded
4 t. slivered or chopped almonds
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 t. brown sugar
2 tsp. oil

Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C . Cut each squash in half lengthwise; remove the seeds and any stringy parts. This is easier to do if you first bake the squash, covered, in the oven for about 30 minutes. Combine the lemon juice, raisins, apples, almonds, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Spoon this mixture into the cavity of each squash and drizzle oil over them. Place them, cavityside- up, in a deep baking pan with one inch of water covering the bottom. Cover the pan and bake for an hour. Uncover for the last 15 minutes. If the squash was baked alone first, the baking time when stuffed is reduced. Serve alone or with mashed potatoes.
Serves 4-6

2 cups purple cabbage, shredded
1 head lettuce, washed and shredded
5 medium cucumbers, cubed
2-3 cups cherry tomatoes
2 medium carrots, shredded
4 medium zucchini, shredded
1 white or red onion, sliced into rings
1 each of red, yellow, and green pepper, sliced in thin rings
1 pineapple ring
Craisins
1 can mandarin oranges, optional
alfalfa sprouts
1 cup sliced or slivered almonds

Place the shredded cabbage and lettuce into a trifle bowl. Continue layering each vegetable in a colorful order, except for the peppers. Place the pepper rings in a decorative pattern on top. Top the trifle with the pineapple ring in the middle with Craisins around it, and a cherry tomato or more Craisins in its center. Then arrange several mandarin orange slices outside of the pineaple ring and alfalfa sprouts around the outer edge. Sprinkle almonds over the top. Serve immediately with a choice of dressings on the side.

TIP:
Shredding the lettuce by hand keeps it fresher longer.

NOTE:
Two delicious dressings recommended for this trifle are "Lemon Salad Dressing" and "All Natural Salad Dressing" found on pages 50 and 52.

1 bag bug-free romaine lettuce, rinsed and dried
1 large, fresh mango, peeled and sliced
1 large avocado, peeled and cubed
1/3 cup Craisins or dark raisins
1/2 cup candied pecans, crushed
1 small red pepper, chopped

Dressing:
1/4 cup honey
2 t. oil
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar or regular vinegar
2 tsp. granulated garlic powder
2 tsp. granulated onion powder
 

Tear apart the lettuce and place it in a large salad bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix it all together.

Dressing:
Whisk all of this together and pour it over the salad right before serving. Yum!

TIP:
This is a great way to use up all your leftover romaine lettuce leaves!

TIP:
You can use your homemade mayonnaise from the recipe on page 49

Serves 4-5

4-5 beets, cooked and sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 t. vinegar
3 t. sugar
1 t. olive oil
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
small pinch of salt

Toss all of the ingredients together in a bowl to mix well. Place the mixture in a pot, close with the lid, and bring to a boil over a high flame. Reduce the flame to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and refrigerate. Stir before serving.
Serves 4-6

4 medium beets
3 t. freshly grated horseradish root
1 tsp. salt
4 t. sugar
2 t. (wine) vinegar
2-3 t. beet water

Peel and wash the beets very well. Cut them into large chunks, put them in a pot, cover them with water, and cook until they are soft, about 1 hour. Drain the beets, reserving 2-3 t. beet water. Puree the beets and mix them together with the horseradish root. Add the remaining ingredients and let it sit covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Adjust the seasonings to taste. For a sweeter taste, add more sugar; for a milder taste, add more beets; for a stronger taste, add more horseradish root. Add them each a little at a time as the smell can very quickly become overpowering. Refrigerate before serving.
Yields 2-2½ cups

This recipe (and the fennel recipe that follows) uses a technique called braising - first saut? the vegetables in oil and then add a small amount of liquid to finish the cooking. The result is a crisp-cooked vegetable in a flavorful sauce.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds (1 kilo) carrots, sliced diagonally
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsweetened grape juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper

Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the carrots and cinnamon and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.

Add the juice, vinegar, water, salt and pepper to the carrots and mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

Serves 6-8

3-4 fennel bulbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Trim the root and stem ends of the fennel. Remove any tough outer leaves. Slice the fennel in half lengthwise, remove the core, and rinse well.

In a large saut' pan, heat the olive oil and then add the fennel in one layer. Cook the fennel until it turns golden brown, turning occasionally. Add the water (it should barely cover the fennel) and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the water to a gentle boil and cook, uncovered, until the fennel is tender and most of the water has evaporated.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6