Jerusalem : Compass of the Diaspora Jew
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I spent all year looking for delicious Passover dishes so you won’t have to.
I spend time all year searching, testing, altering and tasting recipes that I then post for Passover. I love looking for flavors that delight the palate, fill the tummy, and make Passover a little more exciting to prepare for. These recipes are new to my repertoire but will surely become part of my yearly favorites. When I was creating and testing them, my kids did not even realize they were Passover recipes. Chag Sameach and enjoy!
Serves 6
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line and grease two large baking sheets with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, mix tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, garlic and onions. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, ½ teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and toss until all vegetables are coated. Spread vegetables and any juices onto baking sheets in a single layer.
Bake for 35 minutes, until soft and browned. When cool, remove the skin from the peppers.
Place the vegetables in a food processor and pulse, do not puree them. They should be the consistency of salsa.
In a large soup pot, heat the chicken stock over medium-high heat. When hot, add the vegetables and turn down the heat to simmer. Add remaining ½ teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in the non-dairy creamer and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the basil and serve warm.
Serves 6
This has super flavors infused in a traditional Moroccan stew. It keeps for days, covered in the refrigerator or up to two months in the freezer so it’s a great make-ahead Passover meal.
In a 2-quart nonreactive saucepan, bring the orange juice to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat, add the tea leaves, and steep for 3 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible, and set aside. If using prepared seeped tea, warm orange juice and tea in a small saucepan. Turn off heat and set aside.
Season the lamb with salt and pepper. In a flat dish, combine the mustard, cumin, and cloves. Dredge the cubed lamb in the mixture.
In a 7- to 8-quart heavy-duty pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Set aside. Add the remaining 1tablespoon oil, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, ginger, and any remaining spice mixture (from the dredge) to the pot. Cook, stirring often and scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the infused orange juice, tomatoes, cinnamon stick, and beef stock. Return the lamb to the pot. Add the apricots, cover, and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, turning the stew occasionally, until tender, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
Stir in the chopped mint. Serve topped with whole mint leaves.
Serves 5
I love the taste and color of beets. They liven up any salad. The creamy goat cheese is especially nice with sweet beets and pears too, if you want to make it dairy and it’s just as good.
Roasted Beets
Vinaigrette
Salad
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degree F.
For the roasted beets: Place the beets in a sheet of foil and place another sheet on top and create a seal around the beet. Roast the beets on a baking sheet until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool the beets in their foil packet for a few minutes, and then rub off the skins using a paring knife if needed. The beets need to still be a little warm to be able to remove the skins easily.
While the beets are roasting, toast the almonds in a small skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Remove and cool.
For the vinaigrette: Make the vinaigrette by stirring together the vinegar, mustard, shallots, salt and sugar, and then slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
Slice the cooled and peeled beets into 1/4-inch thick slices and add half the vinaigrette, tossing to coat completely. Toss the remaining vinaigrette with the salad greens. It’s best to toss warm beets in the vinaigrette so they absorb all the flavors.
Quarter and core the pear and slice it into julienne strips, about 1/8-inch thick.
Arrange the dressed greens, and beets on a platter and top with the pear, and toasted nuts (add goat cheese if making dairy version).
Serves 10
This can be made with sweet potatoes too.
Place the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
Lightly grease the bottom of a medium gratin dish or ovenproof skillet with one of the small cubes of margarine. Layer the squash slices on top, overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle the herbs evenly on the squash and pour the pareve whip and syrup on top. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Bake, basting the squash with the juices once or twice, for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the squash feels tender when tested with a small, sharp knife. Remove from the heat and let sit for a few minutes to let the juices settle before serving.
Serves 10
I serve this cake on Rosh Hashanah too with a simple substitution of flour for the potato starch. This cake has a light flakey top and a moist apple center. Sweet and delicious for Passover.
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease the bottom and side of an 8-inch springform pan.
In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the potato starch and matzo cake meal with the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the almond extract and the remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar at medium-high speed until thick and pale yellow and a ribbon forms when the beaters are lifted, 8 to 10 minutes. Gently fold in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.
Spread the apples in the prepared pan in an even layer, then pour the batter evenly over them. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the batter to sink in a little.
Bake for about 1 hour, until it is golden and crisp on top and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and let rest for 15 minutes. Unmold and transfer to a serving platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.