Vegetarian Passover

[bluesman13]

we're vegetarians!

What should I do/make now? grr. I wish I had known before I invited them!

[NancyH]

we're vegetarians! 

What should I do/make now?  grr. I wish I had known before I invited them! 

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I have a guest who is not a strict vegetarian, but eats very little meat. I suggest:

Gefilte Fish (if they eat fish)

Mock Chopped Liver (recipes abound on the internet for this)

Salad

Hot vegetable

Vegetarian kugel - potato, farfel, or version of your choice

Extra Hard Boiled Eggs

Vegetarian soup w/matzoh balls (Tabatchnick has an ascetptic packaged product for soup this year)

[little ms foodie]

I seriously would have told them that I didn't know and have a menu with lamb on it but would be happy to make them a few things too..........

[zeffer81]

I'm a vegetarian and have been attending Passover Seder (as well as many other special holidays and dinners) with no problem for years. I've found that I can fill up just fine on the side items. The suggestions above sound delicious. The kugel, especially, can be a great vegetarian main course.

[jende]

we're vegetarians! 

What should I do/make now?  grr. I wish I had known before I invited them! 

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I have some vegetarian friends (they grew on me before I knew about it) and I usually don't go out of my way to make anything special for them; they're pretty content to enjoy the side dishes. If I'm feeling particularly hospitable, I'll whip something up just for them but given the limitations of Passover, I can't think of anything off the top of my head.

[cakewalk]

I agree with everyone else who said that the side dishes are usually enough for most veggies. Matzah and haroset usually does it for me. (But I have an amazing ability to continue to eat well after I am no longer hungry.) Also, they may not be so interested in the food (it happens sometimes) as in the ritual.

[stuart_s]

I was sure I had some suitable Sephardic recipes. Sephardic Jews have many more options in Passover meal planning whether it's veggie or not. Needless to say I couldn't track down what I wanted but I came across this web page. It had two vegetarian Passover menus - one Ashkenazi and the other Sephardic. The Ashkenazic menu made me grateful that I'm not a vegetarian but the Sephardic menu made me quite sorry that my relatives aren't Sephardic.

In case your not familiar with the difference, Sephardic Jews eat rice and peas during Passover. The Ashkenazic prohibition on these and other legumes is based not on the inherent qualities of rice but on the two-fold risk of contamination and confusion. I think contemporary Orthodox authorities offer only the argument based on tradition for upholding the prohibition. I even vaguely recall reading something about some Orthodox rabbis reconsidering it. As far as I know that's still a radical opinion in the Orthodox community but I don't think you should have an qualms about serving it in a Refrorm setting.

Whether or not you're comfortable serving so-called kitniyot you may want to try searching for Sephardic recipes. They're likely to be novel and boldly flavored. If you're searching on Amazon or Google combining the keywords "Passover recipes" with "sephardic" or "rice" will give you a entirely new set of options.

I assume you've got dessert covered but you could continue the Sephardic theme through dessert with these mouth watering recipes from the Times.

[ludja]

Hard boilied eggs split in half and covered with a sauce could be a small vegetarian entree. I know any dairy would be out at the meal but perhaps an herby-lemon-olive oil sauce; some variation on salsa verde would work or some type of horseradish sauce.

[scubadoo97]

I'm not a vegetarian but the Sephardic menu made me quite sorry that my relatives aren't Sephardic.

new tradition??

Edited March 29, 2007 by scubadoo97 (log)

[deensiebat]

minas are a nice main dish option in the sephardic tradition that also can fall within ashkenazi dietary constraints -- they're basically matzoh pies. think the sort of thing done with phyllo dough, except with soaked matzot. i've had a spanikopita-like version, and another with eggplant (there are tons of variations out there). my friend's sephardic seder also featured baby artichokes with lemony garlicky matzoh crumbs....

[Gifted Gourmet]

vegetarians take heed! this is your Passover!

Plenty of great ideas ...

and a few more ...

[Jesikka]

Unlike me, you clearly did not put "vegetarians must receive special permission" in your invite.

[Pan]

The first seder I'm going to is held at the home of my militantly-vegetarian cousins. But they do eat eggs and make a great egg salad!

Another dish I'm thinking of is one my mother and I made years ago, when we had an all-Italian seder with dishes from Edda Servi-Machlin's cookbook (her first, I believe). The dish was potatoes and tomatoes with fresh rosemary and I suppose a bit of olive oil and salt, baked in the oven (al forno). It was great!

My other cousin makes a delicious rhubarb/raisin chutney which is not a mere seasoning but really a side dish.

I mean, the possibilities are really almost endless. You could make funghi trifolati using kosher wine. You could make sauteed zucchini slices with tomatoes, onions, and whatever herbs you like. Etc., etc.

And don't forget salad! I particularly like Hungarian cucumber salad (use a recipe that doesn't include sour cream, so as to avoid making the meal milchedik).

[Gifted Gourmet]

Aw, what the hell, this is for everyone who does Pesach ... surely one can find something appropriate among the 503 recipe choices ...

[Marlene]

I don't know what the limitations of passover are, but last Christmas I made a spinach/noodle torte for a vegetarian guest of mine. The original recipe called for kale I think. It was in the Dec issue of Gourmet. I'll see if I can find it.

[Gifted Gourmet]

the limitations of passover are

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Leavened baked goods of any kind-cakes, cookies, as well as any items made with regular flour-are not permitted during this time. And there are other limitations on ingredients, too, that can stymie even the most capable cook. Because of these restrictions, Passover meals tend to focus on chicken, turkey, or beef brisket, and friendly squabbles about hard and soft matzo balls. But savory sides and small desserts can round out the menu and more fully evoke the holiday...

[Marlene]

So if the noodles were made with something other than regular flour - does whole wheat or seminola flour count?

[Gifted Gourmet]

any flour is out .. let me look up a proper answer on this ..

the first time I made "Passover noodles" and put them into my Passover chicken soup, they disintegrated completely ... I was aghast!

Made very quick matzo balls and that worked ...

[Gifted Gourmet]

If one plans to make Passover noodles, this is the preferred recipe I have used:

2 eggs,beaten

4 tbsp matzo meal

pinch of salt

2 oz water

Combine ingredients, pour in frying pan, using scant oil, cook on one side till firm, turn and then continue cooking. When done, slip out onto a plate to cool. When cooled, slice into thin strips, add to soup and enjoy.

Like a very thin omelet really ...

A note: matzo meal substitutes for flour duing Passover ... matzo meal has not "risen" as per the restrictions of this holiday, and is, therefore, acceptable ...

[bluesman13]

thank you all so much for all the suggestions!

I've found out that the vegetarian guests are lacto-ovum-vegetarians (they eat dairy and eggs). That's a relief!

So the menu is looking like this:

Vegtable soup with matzo balls (still looking for a good recipe for vegtable soup-not tomato based though)

Eggs w/ some sort of lemon/olive oil sauce (thanks to Ludja)

Potato or noodle kugel (thanks to NancyH)

haroset

fruit salad (blueberries, strawberries, pears, and oranges)

vegtable salad (brought by another guest)

For dessert:

almond-lemon macaroons (thanks to stuart for the NYT link)

Velvet chocolate cake (from the insert ot the Scharffen Berger chocolate box)

Thanks also for the information about sephardic allowances. I knew about the rice - but peas? Why would those not be allowed during passover?

Gifted Gourmet, thanks for the recipes and info.

And, Jesikka, I knew there had to be reason why my invitaitions were in the sale rack!

[Rebecca263]

Good friends will find somehing to eat at your Seder, even if you don't make special dishes for them, there are bound to be even vegan options at your table already. Charoset is pretty dense nutrition, you know! That said, I think that you are great for thinking of making foods that will satiate and tempt them, too. That is the sign of a great host, and you get an A+ for caring!

[Pan]

Bluesman, that menu looks fine, but if you want another suggestion, eggs scrambled with farfel and some vegetables with some nice strong spices is a really pleasant thing for vegetarians and carnivores alike.

[BeeZee]

I go to a Passover dinner every year which has at least 2 vegetarians in attendance; they agree that they can be very happy with the "side" dishes. I'm always in charge of the vegetarian sides since the hostess isn't really "in" to that stuff...usually bring a farfel stuffing (made with veg broth) or potato kugel. Considering a Passover lasagne (uses matzoh instead of noodles) this year.

[Pam R]

Perhaps too late for this year, but an eggplant casserole is a great Passover option. You can dredge the slices of eggplant in seasoned cake meal, then eggs, then seasoned matzo meal to give the dish some bulk. Fry (or bake) then layer with tomato sauce, Parmesan, mozzarella, some fresh basil, garlic, etc. Bake until melted and golden brown. I think I'll make this later this week.

[jaynesb]

I'm chiming in too late also for veggie suggestions but here are some that might be helpful for the future.

This year, I made this golden veg broth for matzoh ball soup . It had a good body to it, probably because of the leeks. I waited until 1 hour into the cooking to add the parsely and dill but it's probably fine to just follow the recipe. I liked it better than other veggie soups I've previously made.

In addition to using it for soup for matzoh balls, the broth was great for cooking purposes. I used it instead of water to prepare Passover couscous (from a box) and served roasted vegetables (cubed red pepper, sweet potato, zucchini, red onion with garlic olive oil and thyme) as the vegetarian entree. Leftovers can be drizzled with a vinaigrette dressing and would make a good cold lunch. The couscous does get a little gummy but that's the nature of the Passover version.

I also make a jicama and orange salad. It's got cilantro and mint and is pretty much a combination of the veggies and herbs from this and the dressing from this

It's very refreshing and has great colors and textures. I usually use regular navel oranges and cut them up quickly instead of removing the membranes.

jayne