Pesach Recipes
While the main meal of the Pesach Seder often varies from country to country – and family to family – there are several specific ingredients to a Seder that are part of every celebration, whether it is held in Jerusalem, Sydney or New York City. This is because they symbolize specific portions of the story that is traditionally related during the Passover Seder and, partaking of the food becomes a tangible metaphor for taking in the teaching and the history and is, of course, part of the whole meaning of being Jewish.
Everyone has their own family traditions when it comes to Pesach food but we thought it would be nice to share some of our congregational recipes with you and your family.
An Entire Passover Seder: John Bard
Moroccan Haroset
2 cups Walnut Pieces
1 cup Blanched Slivered Almonds
25 ea. Pitted Dates, halved
10 lg. Brown (“calimyrna”) figs, stems removed & quartered
20 ea. Dried Apricots, halved
10 lg. Pitted Prunes, halved
½ cup Shelled Pistachios (optional)
¼ cup Sweet Red Pesach Wine
Ground Cinnamon (optional)
Place nuts & dried fruits in food processor with metal blade. Mix in just enough wine to make a smooth paste that is soft & malleable. Form the mixture into 1” balls. If desired, sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Store in refrigerator. For best flavor, let them come to room temperature before serving. Makes about 6 dozen balls (about 3 cups of haroset mixture.
Sephardic Haroset
½ lb. Pitted Dates, chopped
½ cup Raisins
1 med. Apple, peeled & chopped (about a ½ cup)
2 oz. Walnut Pieces
1 tsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
¼ cup Sweet Pesach Wine
Prepare all ingredients and mix together.
Sweet Potato & Apple Tzimmes
4 lg. Sweet Potatoes (or yams) peeled & cut into ¾” cubes
1 med. Butternut squash, peeled & cut into ¾” cubes
4 med. Apples, peeled, cored & coarsely chopped
7 – 8 oz. Pitted Prunes
¼ cup Sweet Red Pesach Wine
1 ½ tsp. Ground Cinnamon
½ cup sugar (approx.)
½ tsp. Ground Ginger (optional)
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Turn them out into a greased 9” x 11” casserole dish or baking pan. Tightly cover with aluminum foil. Bake the Tzimmes in a preheated 375-degree oven for about One hour or until the sweet potatoes & squash are tender. Stir the Tzimmes before serving to evenly distribute the sauce & slightly mash the apples. Makes about 8 servings.
Tagine of Lamb with Prunes & Almonds
2 TB. Pareve Margarine or Vegetable Oil
1 med. Onion, finely chopped
3 ½ lb. Leg of Lamb, cut into 1” pieces
1 cup Water
1 to 3 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp. Ground Ginger
½ tsp. Black Pepper
Pinch of Salt
10–12 oz. Pitted Prunes
1 TB. Honey or Sugar (optional)
1 cup Whole Blanched Almonds, lightly toasted
In a very large deep skillet or dutch oven, over medium-high heat, heat the margarine or oil. Then sauté the Lamb pieces until brown on all sides add onions & sauté until translucent. Mix the water with the cinnamon, ginger, salt * pepper and pour over the browned lamb. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover tightly, lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the prunes & honey to the skillet, evenly distributing the prunes around the lamb pieces and making sure they are covered with the liquid. Cover the skillet again, and simmer the lamb and prunes together for about 20 minutes, or until both are very tender. If the sauce becomes too dry and begins to stick to the bottom of the skillet, stir in additional water as needed. Use tongs or slotted spoon to transfer the lamb to a large serving platter. Stir about half of the almonds into the prune sauce remaining in the pot; then spoon the sauce mixture over the lamb. Garnish the top with remaining almonds. Makes about 6 servings.
Roasted Chicken Au Jus
2 each Whole Chickens or Fryers
4 each Carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise & cut in 5” pieces
2 stalks Celery cut in half lengthwise & into 5” pieces
1 each White Onion, quartered
2 cloves Garlic, slivered
3 TB Olive Oil
1-46 oz. Can Chicken Broth
1 each Bouquet Garni (mixture of fresh herbs, thyme, rosemary, oregano & sage,
Can be found in Produce Section as Poultry Mix)
To Taste Salt & Pepper
Wash Chickens thoroughly and prepare vegetables. Season Chickens inside and out with salt & pepper. Stuff cavity of chickens with ½ of the vegetables and herbs so the cascade out the back in a decorative manner. Chop about two tablespoons of fresh herbs and rub on outside of chickens with the olive oil. Place the remaining vegetables on the bottom of a roasted pan with the chickens placed on top. Place in 350-degree oven. Then pour about half the chicken broth into the bottom of the pan, enough to cover the bottom. Bake for about 2 hours or until you reach an internal temperature of 170 degrees. Checks occasionally, adding more chicken broth if necessary, don’t let all the broth evaporate. Remove chickens from pan and let them rest for about 20 minutes. Place the roasting pan on stovetop and adjust the broth's seasoning and consistently. Broth can be reduced for more flavors. Cut chickens into pieces, pour sauce over top and garnish with vegetables. Serves about 6 people.
Chocolate Matzah Toffee
1/2 lb. Matzah (approx. 8 matzos)
1 cup Butter or Margarine
1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
2 cups Mini Chocolate Chips (they melt more easily)
1 cup Chopped Nuts
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line cookie sheet w/ foil. Fit matzo in one layer covering entire pan. Melt butter w/ brown sugar. Boil until mixture coats a spoon (3 – 5 minutes or more) Spread mixture over the matzo and bake 4 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and bake 1 minute. Remove from oven and gently spread melted chocolate to cover as completely as possible. Sprinkle with nuts if desired. Refrigerate until completely cool. Break into pieces and refrigerate in covered container. Yields 2 pounds.
Brisket For Passover: Doug Lynn
In my family, Passover was always a fun night. All of the family and many guests who are close to family as non-blood can be would congregate and we would have share many laughs as we read the haggadah as a community. Yet the fun would for me as the meal was served. We had turkey at every single Seder and in fact at any family function. After complaining loudly about the turkey one year, my Mother called my bluff and “voluntold” me to make a Brisket for next year. Not knowing where to start, I turned to the internet. Following is the basic recipe that I found, but modified for years on end. This is the first dish I ever really cooked for others and I credit it with the reason I fell in love with cooking.
Ingredients:
A 5 to 6 pound first cut beef brisket
Approximately 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
About 5 cups of yellow onion chopped
3 large cloves of garlic minced
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper
3 cups red table wine
3 cups beef or chicken stock
Matzoh Meal (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy pan in the oven. While the oil is heating, pat the brisket dry and season with salt and pepper. Roast the brisket in the pan uncovered for 30 minutes.
On the stovetop in a large heavy skillet cook all of the onions in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Cook them over high heat stirring until the onions are soft and beginning to turn a nice shade of gold. Reduce the heat and continue to cook until the onions are a deep gold. You may need to reduce the heat some more, and don't forget to stir them occasionally so all the onions get gold (approximately 20 minutes). Stir in the minced garlic, paprika, salt and pepper and cook for one more minute. Stir in 1 ½ cups red wine and 1 ½ cups either chicken of beef stock. Bring to a boil.
Pour the onion mixture over the brisket and bake for 3 ½ hours or until the brisket is tender. Make sure to cover the brisket leaving the lid slightly ajar.
Bring the remaining 1 and ½ cups wine and 1 ½ cups broth to a boil and reserve.
Check on the brisket every 45 minutes to an hour and add some of the wine/broth mixture as needed.
Remove the brisket from the pan, scraping all of the onion mixture back into the pan. Wrap the brisket in foil and chill overnight. Spoon the onion mixture into a 1 quart measuring cup, cover and chill overnight. Store the remaining wine/broth in the refrigerator as well.
A few hours prior to your Seder, preheat the oven to 350.
Take your onion mixture and discard the fat. Spoon the onion mixture into a blender and add water or the remaining wine/broth to measure three cups. Blend the gravy until smooth. If you like a thicker sauce, you can thicken it by adding matzoh meal, if you like a thinner gravy add more liquid. Pour the gravy into large oven proof skillet and heat in the oven until hot. Add thick cut carrots, potatoes, or any other veggies you like with your brisket and cook until almost tender.
Slice the brisket against the grain, and add the brisket. Heat for 30 minutes.
Doug Lynn is the Director of our Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps.
Fanny's Northwest Baked Geflite Fish and Babaloo's Farfel Muffins: Howard Kaplan
Fanny's Northwest Baked Geflite Fish
Several years ago we made 'The Gefilte Fish Tapes" with my friend's mom. It was a great way to pass down a recipe that would otherwise be lost...and we had a great time. I encourage everyone to do this with family so you don't lose these treasures. This recipe is one of "feel" and you can adjust as you learn it and get comfortable over time.
2 1/2 - 3 Lbs. Snapper
2 1/2 - 3 lbs. Halibut
1 lb. Salmon
Have fish ground (or grind yourself) but not too fine...you want some texture.
Add to fish:
4-5 Eggs
3-4 Onions finely chopped
About a 3/4 - 1 cup =/- of matzo meal (or more..this is where feel comes in)
Some water - maybe 1/2 to 1 cup...we're talking feel here.
Salt & pepper to taste.
Mix it all up...it should be moist...not too wet..but not too dry. You can fry a little in a non-stick pan to check taste..
Put mixture in greased pan - about 3/4 - 1 inch thick (or thicker if you like).
Slice some red onions VERY thin...spread lightly (or however you like) on top...sprinkle top with paprika.
Cook at 350 for about 30-40 minutes until done..but don't let it dry out...some water will come up during cooking...don't worry.
If you can find it (Canter's carries it) get some Atomic Horseradish...
Babaloo's Farfel Muffins
My mom..known to her grandkids and many others as Babaloo makes these every Pesach, they are Ari and Matthew's favorite:
8 cups Farfel
6 tbs. butter or margarine
3 to 3 1/2 cups boiling water
Stir and add salt and pepper to taste
Cool
Add 8 large eggs (scrambled)
Cook in well greased muffin tins at 350 -375 degrees for 1 hr or until golden brown and yummy.
Howard Kaplan is our Executive Director.
Easy Traditional Charoset: Rabbi Harvey J. Fields, Ph.D.
3 medium apples – cored, peeled and finely dices
1 ½ cup walnuts – lightly toasted and cooled – then chopped
½ cup sweet red wine
1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon
1 Tlbsp. of honey
Mix all together and store at room temperature and enjoy!
Rabbi Harvey J. Fields, Ph.D. is our Rabbi Emeritus.
Lazy Cook's Gefilte Fish: Sybil Fields
Buy a jar (s) of Manischewitz (important to be this brand) white fish and pike, also important.
Boil 3 inches of water and add 1 sliced carrot, one onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, two pinches of pepper. Cook for 20 minutes or until veggies are soft. Then add the jar (s) with broth. Cook covered on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool and put in your own serving dish. When your guests tell you it is delicious – just say thank you.
Various Recipes: Parents from the "Raising a Jewish Child 101" Committee