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Passover, the eight-day festival of freedom, begins at sundown April 6. Jews will sit down to a ritual service and meal called a Seder (Hebrew for order) and also celebrate Shabbat. No challah tonight. We will have to make do with matzo.
Through the years, I have shared recipes for my matzo ball soup, chopped liver, roast capon, vegetables, kugels and all sorts of Passover sweets including the famous flourless chocolate cake.
This year I offer a mishmash of recipes for the Seder, weekday dinner or Sunday brunch. All ingredients which contain leavening are banished from the house. Getting the house ready for Passover is no easy feat.
Did you know that the Jews invented spring cleaning? In the run up to Pesach, the kitchen, pantry, cupboards, refrigerator and freezer are thoroughly cleaned and stocked with Passover foods. Items are donated to food banks and soup kitchens. When I was a girl, my mother, my sister and I went shopping for new dresses, shoes and spring coats, which have since disappeared like the T-Rex.
My grandparents drove us to Vineland, N.J., where we purchased crates and crates and crates of eggs for our extended family. Passover also could be called the festival of eggs since they turn up in dozens of recipes.
I’ve conducted a taste test of matzo and found Yehuda, made in Israel, is the finest you can buy. It’s crisp and works best in Matzo Brei, (fried matzo), which is Edward’s specialty.
I wish you all a sweet and healthy Passover.
Gefilte Fish
Ingredients:
Enough Canola oil to coat the bottom of a large pot
1 large onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into coins
4 cans of Rokeach gefilte fish, with the jellied juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground lack pepper, to taste
Enough cold water to cover the fish
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, for about eight minutes. Add remaining ingredients, bring the contents of the pot to a boil, lower the heat to simmer, cover and simmer gently for about 45 minutes. Cool at room temperature and place in covered containers. Serve with horseradish.
Serves 16.
Note from Phyllis: This is the best canned fish on the market. Rokeach Old Vienna Style is loaded with sugar so don’t buy it.
Almond Cake
From “The Food of Spain” by Claudia Roden
Ingredients:
1/2 pound of blanched whole almonds, ground in the food processor
6 large eggs, separated
1-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
4 drops of almond extract
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting.
Directions:
Using an electric mixer, beat the yolks with the sugar to a smooth pale cream. Beat in the zests and almond extract. Add the almonds and mix very well.
With clean beaters, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold them into the egg and almond mixture (the mixture is thick so you will need to turn it over quite a bit into the egg whites).
Grease an 11-inch springform pan, preferably nonstick, with butter and dust with matzo meal. Pour in the cake batter and bake for 40 minutes, or until it feels firm to the touch. Let cool before turning out.
Dust with the sugar.
Serves 10.
Note from Phyllis: I would use a vegetable spray instead of butter if you are serving this dessert after a meat meal.
Matzo Brei
Ingredients:
4 sheets of matzo
4 eggs, beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons of Canola oil
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Maple syrup and assorted preserves, for topping
Directions:
Set the kettle on to boil. Break the matzo over a large mixing bowl. The pieces should measure about 1-inch each. Pour boiling water over the matzo making sure it is just enough to soften it. You don’t want to drown it.
Squeeze out the water. Add the eggs, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Heat the oil and butter over medium-high. Add the matzo mixture and allow to settle for about one minute in the skillet. Start to toss the matzo brei around as you would scrambled eggs. A rubber spatula works well here.
Serves two.
Note from Phyllis: We prefer our matzo brei gently scrambled. Recipe can be easily doubled. SPR
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