Passover Recipes

Charoses

Passover Knishes

Vegetable Tzimmes

Chocolate Nut Cake

Greek Leek Patties

Matzo Kugel (Matzo-meal Pudding)

This mixture symbolizes the mortar and bricks that the enslaved Jews used to build the pharoahs’ cities, as well the sweetness of God's kindness.

2 tart apples, cored and grated

3/4 cups blanched almonds, ground

1/8 cup walnuts, ground

1-1/2 Tbs. sugar

1/4 tsp. each ground cinnamon and ginger

3/4 tsp. grated lemon rind

1-1/2 Tbs. lemon juice Passover red wine

Combine all ingredients and blend with enough wine to make spreadable.
from The Women's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery

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Passover Knishes
Makes 10 to 12 knishes

4-5 potatoes, pared

2 eggs, separated

1/4 tsp. salt

2 onions, diced

1/4 cup chicken fat or oil

1/2 cup matzo meal or potato flour

1/2 lb. cooked chicken, shredded, or cooked chopped liver (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook potatoes in salted water. Drain, mash, and cool. Beat egg whites with 1/4 tsp. salt until stiff. Brown onions in hot fat. Beat egg yolks until light, and add onions, mashed potatoes, fat, matzo meal or potato flour, and seasonings. Fold in egg whites.

Form into balls, make an indentation with your finger, and fill with meat, if desired. Close and flatten. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375º for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown.
from Second Helpings, Please

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Vegetable Tzimmes
Serves 4

Tzimmes, a dish of spiced and sweetened vegetables, fruit, and (sometimes) meat, is almost infinitely variable. Because of the variety of ingredients that must be scrubbed, peeled, sliced, diced, and simmered, the Yiddish word tzimmes is synonymous with a complicated chore or unnecessary fuss.

1 pound (about 6 large) carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice

1/2 pound white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice

1/2 cup chopped prunes

1/8 cup honey

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

1-1/2 tsp. Butter or margarine

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a stockpot, bring carrots to boil in 4 quarts water, then cover for 5 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and white potatoes and cook 5 minutes more. The vegetables should be barely tender. Drain.

Combine the carrots and sweet and white potatoes with the prunes, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon peel, and ½ cup of water. Turn the mixture into a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Dot the top with butter or margarine and bake for 30 minutes. If the top becomes too brown, cover it with aluminum foil.
from The Passover Table

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Chocolate Nut Cake

Serves 8

6 eggs, separated

1-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, grated

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, grated

2 apples, grated

1/2 cup matzo meal

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan or line it, bottom and sides, with baking parchment.

Beat the egg yolks until thick. Add the sugar and beat briefly. Add all the remaining ingredients except egg whites.

Beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Stir about 1/4 of the whites into the yolk mixture; carefully fold in the rest.

Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan before removing the sides. Well wrapped, the cake will keep for several days.

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Greek Leek Patties

makes about 12 patties

2 pounds leeks

2 large potatoes, peeled and boiled

3 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Vegetable oil for frying

Wash the leeks carefully. Dice the white base and part of the green leaves. Parboil in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain.

Using a potato masher or food processor, mash the potatoes. Add the leeks, blending them in well. Add the eggs, salt and pepper to taste, and Romano cheese. Blend well.

Heat some oil in a heavy frying pan. When the oil is sizzling (375º), drop the leek patties in by tablespoonfuls. Fry until golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towels.
from The Jewish Holiday Kitchen, by Joan Nathan

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Matzo Kugel (Matzo-meal Pudding)
Serves 6

3 matzos (and water to cover)

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. shortening or oil

3 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

1 cup chopped apples

1/2 cup chopped nuts

matzo meal to sprinkle

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Soak matzos in water to cover until they are soft. Squeeze out excess liquid. Stir until creamy. Add salt and oil. Beat egg yolks with sugar, rind, and juice. Blend into matzo mixture. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Alternate the batter with apples and nuts in a greased 2-quart pudding dish, starting and ending with batter. Sprinkle with matzo meal and cinnamon. Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and set. May be served with fruit or wine sauces, or garnished with berries. Serve warm.
from The Women's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery

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