Passover
269 recipes found
Matzo, Lox, Eggs and Onions
One morning during Passover, when I was eating matzo brei but dreaming about bagels and lox, it hit me. If I added smoked salmon to the matzo brei, I’d end up with a heartier twist on another Jewish staple: lox, eggs and onions.
Classic Matzo Brei
In this matzo brei (rhymes with fry) recipe, the matzo sheets are browned in butter until crisp before being lightly scrambled with eggs. You make this either sweet or savory as you prefer. Add black pepper, plenty of salt and chives for a savory version, or Demerara sugar and maple syrup or honey if you would like something sweeter. It’s a fine breakfast or brunch any time of the year, and especially during Passover.
Provençal Haroseth for Passover
This is a 13th-century haroseth recipe from Provence, using the Mediterranean fruits and nuts that are still available in the region. Back then, Jewish families would have saved chestnuts from the fall harvest and roasted or boiled them for this springtime Passover recipe — and then laboriously peeled them by hand — but now you can buy cooked, pre-peeled chestnuts any time.
Easy Matzo
At its most traditional, matzo is made from just flour and water. But adding a little salt for flavor and olive oil for richness yields an airy, tender matzo that’s easy to make. This version also includes a small amount of whole-wheat flour for earthiness, but you can use all white flour if you prefer. Matzos will keep for at least a week stored airtight at room temperature. (Note that these matzos are not kosher for Passover.)
Cilantro-Cumin Dip
Use this bright green, earthy mix as a dip for crudités or a dressing for heartier salad greens like radicchio, spinach, arugula, thinly sliced fennel, or a combination. It’s also terrific as a dressing, drizzled on a simple roasted or grilled chicken, meats or fish.
Drunken Pharaoh
To add some funk to Manischewitz, the notoriously sweet kosher wine that’s used as often for a punchline as, say, a punch ingredient, Jill Schulster, the co-owner of JoeDoe, mixed it with Old Pogue bourbon along with a splash of lemon juice and some mellowing fizz from club soda. “To remind you that it’s Passover,” Ms. Schulster said, she added a chunky and slightly chewy rim of crushed matzo, tempered with confectioner’s sugar, to the glass the drink is served in. While the Manischewitz’s cloying sweetness comes through (one suspects it would take a full gallon of bourbon to subdue that candied Concord grapiness), the drink is determinedly balanced, and rather festive to boot.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Pistachio Pesto
Whole roasted cauliflower is a sight to behold and never fails to delight, especially when it’s topped with a verdant blend of herbs and pistachios. This version delivers a browned cauliflower that ends up soft enough — custardy almost — to serve with a spoon. And it all comes together in one pan, with water added right to the skillet to steam and soften the cauliflower while it roasts over caramelized onions. Sprinkling some Parmesan on top is a nice way to finish this dish.
Haroseth With Chestnuts, Pine Nuts, Pears and Dried Fruits
Haroseth was served for Passover at Seders in Roman times, if not earlier, and versions exist all over the world, adapted for the fruits and nuts available. This recipe from Italy contains no spices, relying instead on a vibrant mix of fresh and dried fruit for flavor — so use the ripest and sweetest you can find.
Apple and Walnut Haroseth
This very classic Ashkenazi haroseth, which is a ceremonial part of the Passover Seder, is made from diced apple, toasted walnuts, a touch of cinnamon and a shower of sweet Passover wine. It’s meant to represent the mortar used by the Israelites when they were slaves in Egypt. The sweeter the apples you use, the less honey you’ll need to add at the end. But tart apples are nice here, too, as long as you balance their acidity. If you can’t get Manischewitz or another sweet Passover wine, ruby port is a fine substitute. You can make this haroseth one day ahead and store it in the refrigerator; just mix it well before serving to reincorporate any liquid that might have seeped out of the mix.
Pomegranate Baked Rice and Onions With Dill
This tangy-sweet casserole is adapted from Shimi Aaron, an Israeli chef also known for his elaborate chocolate babkas. In this colorful dish, a layer of short-grain rice studded with pine nuts and dill is bathed in pomegranate juice and honey, and topped with shingles of red and yellow onions. When it emerges from the oven, the onions glisten like jewels, and the rice is fragrant, tender and a little sticky. Serve this as a meatless main course with a crisp salad, or as scene-stealing side dish alongside a simple roast chicken or fish.
Haroseth
This recipe, adapted from Alon Shaya of Domenica Restaurant, an Italian restaurant in New Orleans, plays on traditional haroseth. Moscato wine takes the place of Manischewitz, and hazelnuts for almonds. A spin on a recipe from Mr. Shaya’s mother, Joan Nathan brought it to The Times in 2011.
Pecan And Hazelnut Roll
Nana José’s Chocolate Pecan Cake
A Passover flourless chocolate pecan torte, served with berries sweetened with shaved piloncillo, raw Mexican brown sugar, and flavored with lime juice.
Chocolate and Olive Oil Mousse
Olive oil makes this bittersweet chocolate mousse kosher for a meat meal. Joan Nathan brought the recipe to The Times in 2007. “This is a contemporary dessert from Tangiers, a city with a blend of cultures,” the cookbook author Ana Benarroch de Bensadón said. “Originally this recipe included butter and cream, but we replaced it with olive oil, making it ‘parve’ or neutral.”
Gefilte Fish
If you loathe gefilte fish, that staple of the Seder, it may just be that you've never had it homemade. In this recipe, created to convert gefilte fish skeptics, the traditional patties are updated with more flavorful fish, and then poached in court-bouillon — that is, a light vegetable broth. Be sure to use a wide pot here; the patties rise to the top as they cook, and you want to give them enough space.
Horseradish Matzo Ball Soup
Brisket With Horseradish Gremolata
This tender, deeply flavored brisket gets its character from two distinct sources. Searing the meat until dark brown gives the sauce a caramelized, intensely brawny taste, while a bracing garnish of fresh horseradish gremolata spiked with parsley and lemon zest adds brightness and a sinus-clearing bite. Make the meat a few days ahead, it only gets better as it rests. But to get the most out of the gremolata, don’t grate the horseradish until an hour or two before serving. If you can’t find fresh horseradish, use 4 cloves minced garlic instead.
Classic Beef Brisket With Caramelized Onions
This is a classic brisket recipe with no bells and whistles, just deep flavor, moist succulent meat and lots of caramelized onions. The only caveat: Buy a brisket that’s not too lean. You want it well-marbled with fat or the result will be dry, not juicy.
Vermouth-Braised Short Ribs
When it comes to short ribs, you have choices. Boneless short ribs are easier to serve to a crowd and can be substituted pound for pound in your grandmother’s time-honored brisket recipe. Bone-in short ribs require a very large pot and are somewhat more awkward to plate. The upside is that they have even more flavor because the marrow that seeps out of the bones seasons the sauce. You can buy them either cut across the bone, called flanken, or along the bones, often called English style — the way it is done in fancy restaurants. You’ll need about three-quarters of a pound of bone-in short ribs per person. If you cook the beef the day before and chill it overnight, you’ll be able to lift off much of the fat that hardens on top of the sauce.
Joan Nathan’s Matzo Chremsel
Braised Brisket With Pomegranate Juice, Chestnuts and Turnips
Fried Matzo
Venetian Cauliflower
Give commonplace cauliflower an upgrade and it becomes holiday fare. Take a classic Venetian approach by using a mixture of sweet spices. Caramelized onions, saffron and cinnamon build the fragrant foundation, along with fennel and coriander seeds. Currants, golden raisins and pine nuts add complexity.
