During Passover each year much of the culinary focus is on the seder, the celebratory meal that commemorates the Jewish liberation and exodus from ancient Egypt.
But the special dietary restrictions that go with the holiday last at least a week, which can challenge even the most creative of cooks to come up with interesting meals.
During the week of Passover, Jews are supposed to adhere to dietary restrictions intended to remind them that their ancestors were in such a hurry to get out of Egypt, they didn’t even wait for their bread to rise, instead taking matzos, the unleavened flatbreads that still are eaten today.
This is why many Jews avoid foods made with wheat, barley, rye, spelt or oats that have been mixed with water and allowed to stand in the open air for more than 18 minutes — the amount of time it takes for natural leavening to begin. Many Jews also avoid other small grainlike foods, such as rice, millet, corn and legumes like beans and lentils.
Which is to say, there’s a whole lot of matzo sold during Passover. And a whole lot of label reading.
But for generations, Jewish cooks have turned these restrictions into a culinary challenge of sorts. Some people actually find the week devoid of these foods a refreshing change.
Laura Frankel, author of cookbooks such as “Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes,” points out that many people treat Passover as a kind of second New Year celebration because of the historical new beginning the holiday represents. And since Passover occurs at the start of spring, Frankel sees the holiday as a chance to transition from heavy winter cooking to lighter fare.
Frankel also prefers to focus on the many foods Jews can eat — fish, vegetables, fruit, meats and dairy — rather than on those they can’t.
For breakfast, which can be a difficult meal because it traditionally relies so heavily on cereals and breads, Frankel makes her family matzo- meal-coated patties of ground turkey, dried cranberries and pistachios, which are pan fried and served topped with a sunny-side-up egg.
When it comes to dinner, Frankel likes to make a light bourride, a bouillabaisse-like fish soup she prepares with fish stock leftover from making gefilte fish for the seder. As a special dessert, she makes a light chocolate mousse prepared with eggs and a high-quality olive oil.
Leah Koenig, author of “The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook,” agrees with the philosophy of celebrating what you can eat rather than what you can’t. And, apart from a few favorites she makes with matzo she tends to stay away from trying to re-create dishes one might normally make with any of the forbidden grains.
PASSOVER RECIPES
Charoset
Part of Passover symbolism, charoset represents the mortar between the bricks laid by the Isrealites in slavery. From Shalom Park, makes about 4 servings.
Ingredients
3 cups peeled, cored and grated apples
1 small lemon, juiced
½ cup walnuts
½ cup raisins
¼ cup honey
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup kosher for Passover sweet red wine
Directions
In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients and roughly chop. Chill and serve.
Orange Salmon
Chef Jake Behlow plans to prepare this dish for the seder at Shalom Park in Aurora. Makes 8 servings.
Ingredients
SALMON MARINADE
3 cups orange juice
¼ cup cottonseed oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup fresh herbs
Salt and pepper to taste
8 4- to 6-ounce pieces salmon
SAUCE
1 tablespoon cottonseed oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups orange juice
¼ cups fresh herbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
MAKE MARINADE
In a blender, combine all of the ingredients (except salmon) and blend well. Pour over salmon and marinate for 30 minutes.
MAKE SAUCE
In a small saucepan, heat oil and sauté garlic. Add orange juice and bring to a simmer. Reduce by one-third and remove from heat. Add fresh herbs and season to taste.
Remove salmon from marinade and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Place on serving platter and add sauce.
Potato Kugel
From Shalom Park, makes 4-6 servings.
Ingredients
3 eggs
¼ cup oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose matzo flour
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
4 medium potatoes
1 onion
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix eggs, oil, flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Coarsely grate the potatoes and onion by hand or food processor. Let stand 3-5 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid. Add grated potatoes to the egg-flour mixture. Mix by hand only until smooth.
Pour into a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour or until golden brown on top and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Poached Pears
From Shalom Park chef Jake Behlow, makes 8 servings.
Ingredients
½ cup sugar
1 bottle Rashi red wine
8 pears, peeled
½ cup Tofutti cream cheese (pareve)
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon sugar
Directions
In a large saucepan, combine sugar and wine and bring to a simmer, add pears and continue simmering for 20 minutes, remove pears from liquid and refrigerate. Reduce wine until thick, reserve for plating. Cut pears in half and remove core. Mix Toffutti, orange zest and sugar and pipe or scoop into pear halves. Place on serving tray and add sauce.
Matzo Brei Shepherd’s Pie
Start to finish: 1 hour 5 minutes (35 minutes active). From Jim Romanoff, The Associated Press. Makes 6 servings.
Ingredients
FILLING
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 medium)
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
1½ cups diced carrots (3 medium)
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup matzo meal
½ cup dry red wine
3 cups diced cooked brisket
1½ cups beef broth
Salt and ground black pepper
TOPPING
4 matzos
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
To make the filling, in a large skillet over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the onion and sauté until softened and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown, about another 5 minutes. Add the carrots and thyme, then cook, stirring often, for another 7 minutes.
Stir in the matzo meal and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, for 2 minutes.
Stir in the diced brisket and beef broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is simmering and has thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
To make the topping, crumble the matzos into a large colander placed over a bowl to catch crumbs, then hold the colander under running cold water until the matzos are moist and softened, but not completely disintegrated, 15 to 20 seconds. Transfer to the bowl with crumbs. Add the eggs and salt and mix gently with a fork.
Spread matzo mixture in an even layer over the top of the brisket mixture, then sprinkle with pepper. Bake until the matzo brei topping is golden and the brisket filling is bubbling.
Passover Sliders With Caramelized Onions
Start to finish: 35 minutes. From Jim Romanoff, Associated Press. Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
CARAMELIZED ONIONS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
SLIDERS
1¼ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
1 teaspoon onion powder
¾ cup matzo meal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup kosher chicken fat, duck fat or extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
To make the caramelized onions, in a medium saucepan over medium, heat the oil. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and quite golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside.
To make the sliders, in a large bowl, gently mix the ground beef and onion powder (be careful not to overmix). Form the beef mixture into 8 equal patties. Transfer to a plate and set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl, mix together matzo meal, salt and pepper.
Dip each beef patty into the beaten eggs, turning to coat, then transfer to the dish with the matzo meal. Turn gently to thoroughly coat. Return the coated patties to the plate.
In a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, heat the fat over medium-high. Fry the coated patties in the hot fat, turning once, until crusty and golden brown, 3 minutes per side for medium-rare or 5 minutes per side for well-done. Serve topped with caramelized onions.
