I love the bold and fabulous flavors of these recipes. By the time we get to the meal, I’m ready for some great dishes that delight my palate. Of course, these recipes are not just for Seder night but are also great for any Yom Tov meal. Make sure to serve the brisket with lots of pan juices to drizzle all over the mashed potatoes. The dessert is perfect because it’s light and refreshing not to mention beautiful too.
Moroccan Salmon
Makes 8 servings
- 3 red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
- 8 cloves garlic
- 2 cups chopped fresh cilantro, divided
- ¼ cup kalamata olives
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- Kosher salt, to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 8 (5-ounce) fillets boneless, skinless salmon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine bell peppers, jalapeños, and garlic in a food processor; pulse until chunky. Add 1 cup of the cilantro and pulse to incorporate. Season with salt and set aside.
Heat oil and lemon juice in a large skillet over medium. Add remaining 1 cup cilantro, olives, and tomatoes and cook 30 seconds. Add reserved pepper puree. Cook 2 minutes and remove from heat.
Place salmon in a 9x13 oven-safe pan. Pour prepared sauce over salmon. Bake for 18 – 22 minutes. To serve, place salmon on platter and spoon sauce over and around the fish.
Olive Oil and Garlic Whipped Potatoes
Makes 8 servings
Roasted Garlic:
- 1 large head garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Potatoes:
- 3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces (Yukon Gold potatoes work well or red potatoes with skins on)
- 1 cup olive oil, divided
- ½ cup non-dairy creamer
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
To prepare the garlic: Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice the top off the head of the garlic, exposing the cloves. Place a large piece of aluminum foil under and around the garlic head. Drizzle olive oil over the garlic, allowing the oil to cover the garlic completely. Wrap tightly with the foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove from oven to cool. When cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic out of skins and mash into a pulp. Set aside.
To prepare the potatoes: Place potatoes in a large stockpot; add enough water to cover and salt well. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain potatoes; transfer to a large bowl. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes until chunky. Do not over mix or they will become gummy and dense.
Add reserved roasted garlic, ¾ cup of the olive oil, non-dairy creamer, salt, nutmeg, and pepper to mashed potatoes; mash or beat slowly with an electric mixer to desired consistency. Drizzle with olive oil; stir in chopped chives.
Serve warm.
Stewed Mushrooms
Makes 8 servings
- ½ cup (1 stick) margarine
- 3 tablespoons potato starch
- 3 pounds button mushrooms
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons Passover soy sauce or white horseradish
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Melt margarine over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add potato starch and stir to blend; cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add mushrooms, wine, broth, onion, garlic, and Passover soy sauce/horseradish. Cook until mushrooms are tender and sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper.
Transfer mushrooms to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon
Serves 8
- 2 lbs. asparagus, washed and trimmed (white or green)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large, low-sided roasting pan, place asparagus in a single layer. Drizzle with oil and garlic. Toss well.
Roast for 12 – 14 minutes (depending on thickness of asparagus and color, white takes longer, and thin asparagus might be cooked through with only 7 minutes cooking time). Remove from oven. Sprinkle lemon zest, juice, salt, pepper and parsley over asparagus.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Savory and Sweet Cola Brisket
Serves 10
- 1 (5 to 6 pound) brisket
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 cups low-sodium broth or water
- 1 cup cola (regular not diet)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small dish, mix together the brown sugar, garlic, cumin, salt, and cayenne. Rub the mixture generously and evenly over the brisket.
In a large roasting pan or Dutch oven, place the chopped onions on the bottom of the pan. Top with the brisket. Pour broth, and cola on top of and around brisket. Cover tightly, and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Cool and slice thinly. Return to pan juices. Rewarm covered. Serve brisket with sauces.
Lemon Mousse with Berries
Serves 8
- 1 tablespoon finely grated Meyer lemon zest or lemon zest
- ½ cup fresh Meyer lemon juice or fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted margarine, cut into pieces, divided
- ½ cup sugar, divided
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup chilled pareve cream
- 1 cup strawberries
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Meyer Lemon Mousse
Bring lemon zest and juice, ¼ cup margarine, and ¼ cup sugar to a simmer over medium heat in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat.
Whisk egg yolks, egg, and remaining ¼ cup sugar in a small bowl until pale and thick, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot lemon mixture into egg mixture. Transfer back to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until curd is thickened and whisk leaves a trail, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining ¼ cup margarine, whisking until melted and curd is smooth.
Transfer curd to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto surface. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours.
When ready to serve, whip cream in a small bowl to soft peaks and gently fold into curd.
In a medium bowl, stir strawberries and blueberries with sugar and balsamic vinegar. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
To serve: Place lemon curd in decorative bowls. Spoon berries and sauce over mousse.
Do Ahead: Lemon curd can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.
(3) Anonymous, April 17, 2016 2:45 PM
I need a recipe please?
My recipe books have gone into storage longer than expected as we are between houses. So I need a receipe for Charoset, Can you help please?
Chag Sameach
(2) Susan Peters, December 24, 2015 2:34 AM
For Passover 2014 there was a recipe for sweet potatoes. They were sliced and stood upright and had a sauce to pour over. It was so delicious and I thought I saved it but can't find it. Could you possibly find it for me? It also had a thin sauce to pour over it. I would appreciate it if you would find it for me.
Many thanks,
Susan Peters
(1) Rabbi Dr. Alan Ira Silver, March 29, 2015 5:58 PM
FRESH ASPARAGUS INSPECTION
There is a problem of insect infestation in asparagus, which is available in the U.S. These insects are called “thrip”. They are tiny and approximately 1-2 mm long - their color ranges from brown to black. At first these insects look like splinters, but on closer inspection one can detect that they are insects.
• A large white or very light-colored bowl should be half-filled with warm water. The asparagus should be put into the water and swirled around a number of times.
• The asparagus should be taken out and held by the middle or lower part of the stems but not in the area (head). Whilst holding them over the bowl, droplets of water should be shaken off the floret (head) end of the vegetable so that the droplets of water fall back into the bowl of water, (this plus the swirling around of the vegetable will inevitably dislodge some of the thrips and cause them to land in the water).
• Allow the water to settle for about half a minute, during which time the living thrips will rise to the very top of the water. One should then look very carefully at the water’s surface for tiny, light or dark brown or black splinter-like things. If in doubt whether or not what one is looking at is a thrip, it is simplest to scoop it out with a teaspoon and deposit it on a flat white plate.
• By looking very closely at these things one will be able to identify them as insects. However, a x10 magnifying glass is of particular assistance and will make this identification much simpler for many people. These insects are very active once they are out of water and one will therefore be able to observe them climbing up the sides of the bowl above the water level and on to dry parts of the plate once they have been deposited on it.
• If no infestation is found by the above method, the vegetable is insect free and it may be used without any further inspection or stripping down.
Anonymous, March 30, 2015 2:30 PM
info.
Plz. send me a link to this info.
I'd like to be able to inspect & clean asparagus.
Thank you,
S Rudoph