Passover 2006–

[Lior]

thanks! I guess gefilte fish cannot be photogenic. Happy pesach!

[Pam R]

We ended up serving gefilte fish and chopped liver for starters, followed by a rib roast, apricot glazed chicken, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, two types of kugel, roasted beets, sautéed vegetables and a salad (mixed lettuce, fresh orange segments, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, red onion and balsamic vinaigrette). Dessert was fresh fruit and a pecan flan.

It was a fantastic dinner and a great holiday meal shared with family and friends.

The last two nights dinners were both chicken soup and big salads. Something about Pesach begs for salads. Tonight though, it will be chicken schnitzel with a potato/onion bake and dilled carrots.

How were all of your seders/meals?

*

Edited April 2, 2010 by Pam R
Edited to change dessert because even though I made 20+ chocolate tarts we actually served a Pecan Flan at our dinner. (log)

[NancyH]

Yes salads, which equal roughage; very necessary when living on matzoh!

We had two lovely Seders.

My home-made Gefilte Fish and home-made garden horseradish to the left..

Fish and Hard-Cooked Egg with Home-made Horseradish and Maztoh:

I use Alton Brown's technique of steaming the eggs for 12 minutes, rather than boiling them. They come out so creamy!

And for the first time, this year - home-made macaroons!

I learned that the quality of the coconut is critical for this. Since I don't worry about Kosher For Passover labels (I figure that since Moses didn't, I'm not going to) - spring for the best quality, preservative-free coconut you can find. I used Bob's Red Mill.

Please see my blog for more Passover photos.

Edited April 2, 2010 by NancyH (log)

[KatieLoeb]

I can hardly believe that no one has touched this topic in two years. So here goes:

Passover Inspired Cocktails

This would be my area of expertise. I have to say I am fond of some of these ideas. While it might be slightly more challenging to find kosher for Passover spirits that are free of grain spirit for the holidays, it would certainly be worth looking. Potato vodka has potential, but you would have to be certain there is no neutral grain spirit mixed in. If you're Sephardic you could get away with drinking sake. It's best to think of kosher for Passover spirits as striving for the same dietary restrictions as "gluten free", so 100% agave tequila is always a good choice!

Edited April 5, 2012 by KatieLoeb (log)

[scubadoo97]

Rum should be okay as well as long as no NGS are used in production

[jpr54_]

I am visiting family in NJ from Florida for the holidays-

no cooking for me this Pesach-

the pics of the gefilte fish look delicious

Happy Pesach!

[Lucy1946]

Hi all,

 

I'm wondering if anyone has any good recpies/methods for making a delicious passover-friendly starch, and a veggie dish.  Anything you've made before and your family/friends have loved?  I'm responsible for making a veggie side dish and a starch (2 dishes) for 8ppl for seder-- any ideas? 

 

Thanks!

Lucy

[Katie Meadow]

I no longer have veg duty, but when I did, I often made a warm mixed vegetable plate: very simple, vegetables steamed until crunchy-tender and dressed with a basic garlicky, mustardy oil and vinegar or oil and lemon, parsley, etc. For the starchy part I like waxy potatoes. String beans, cauliflower, carrots etc all work well. Roast a bunch of scallions and garnish and you are good to go. I prefer the veggies not mixed, just organized next to each other. That way if people hate cauliflower or something they can avoid it. The bonus is that this can be served warm or room temp.

[Alex]

How about a Jerusalem kugel for one of the starches?

[mache]

For the starch I would do a thai sweet potato mash. Roast peeled and sliced sweet potatoes on a sheet pan at 400F and then mashed and mix them with a lemongrass, coconut milk, kafir lime leaf, soy, fish sauce, chili sauce, honey. Not traditional at all but works great.

 

For the veggie dish one could make a szechuan eggplant casserole. I would roast the eggplants first.

 

-- Mache

[scubadoo97]

For the starch I would do a thai sweet potato mash. Roast peeled and sliced sweet potatoes on a sheet pan at 400F and then mashed and mix them with a lemongrass, coconut milk, kafir lime leaf, soy, fish sauce, chili sauce, honey. Not traditional at all but works great.

For the veggie dish one could make a szechuan eggplant casserole. I would roast the eggplants first.

-- Mache

This sounds really good. Depending on how kosher you are the fish sauce could be a bit iffy

[Sandra Levine]

Too late for this year for you, but I made an Italian-Jewish-style vegetable "lasagne" from Joan Nathan's Jewish cooking in America that uses soaked matzos to stand in for the pasta, so it's starch and vegetable all in one dish.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Sandra Levine (log)

[scubadoo97]

Passover is not over. Just the first two seders. Would make a nice weeknight dinner. I like to make matzo lasagne but my wife and kids are not a fan. They just don't like matzo but it's a good way to finish off a box

[Kerry Beal]

I think the best way to finish off a box of matzo (though have no idea if it would be kosher or passover approved) is to make caramel candy out of it 

 

 

 

• 1 sleeve saltine crackers (in this case replace with matzo)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1 pkg chocolate chips

 

 

Boil together sugar and butter for 3 minutes. Lay out single layer of matzo on cookie sheet. Pour over candy mixture. Bake at 350 for 6 minutes, watching carefully for burning. After removing from oven sprinkle with choc chips and when melted, spread over mixture. May vary by topping with toasted almonds.

 

[Pam R]

Too late for the seders, but still almost a week to go.   This year, for the first time, I did a quinoa pilaf that I really liked.  Steamed the quinoa, sauteed a lot of red onion, mushrooms, celery and orange/red peppers with some salt, black pepper and fresh garlic.  Tossed it altogether and added heaps of toasted almonds.  Delicious.

 

There are all sorts of things you can do with potatoes -- I like reds or baby potatoes and of course, sweet potatoes.  And then there are kugels and salads.  And roasted vegetables and latkes and gnocchi and . . .  lots of ideas. 

[scubadoo97]

No doubt Kerry. The matzo "crack" is always a big hit and so easy. About as healthy as the matzo lasagna

[Shel_B]

There's Chocolate Toffee Matzo Crunch

http://theshiksa.com/2014/04/10/chocolate-toffee-matzo-crunch/

 

and some vegetarian ideas:

http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/vegetarian-ashkenazi-passover-recipes/

Edited April 17, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[BeeZee]

Not a savory item, but if anyone has matzoh they want to use up, make matzoh toffee crunch, it's like crack. This was the first time I made it, bringing it to a dinner tonight, and couldn't stop sampling the broken off pieces. The really small bits and nuts that were left on the foil after cutting went into a container to sprinkle over yogurt (or ice cream if you are less virtuous). Reynolds non-stick alum foil was a lifesaver when making this. Burnt sugar slides right off.

[chefmd]

Went to DH family sedar dinner last night.  The family is blended: divorces, shiksas, etc.  One person was "gluten intolerant".  We started with gluten free matzoh ball soup.  It was all down hill from there.  Food wise.  The company was lovely.  

 

[rotuts]

@chefmd

 

with respect , indeed great respect to all  families  and their traditions

 

how can you make gluten free matzoh balls ?

 

no comment on the beverages

[chefmd]

@rotuts my point exactly.   

[cakewalk]

I was wondering the same thing, but there seem to be quite a few recipes for gluten-free matazh balls. Here's one: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/gluten-free-potato-knaidelach/ It uses potatoes, potato starch, and almond flour. I've seen recipes that use rice flour or chickpea flour, which would work for people who eat kitniyot (legumes); Ashkenazis traditionally do not. I can't imagine what the texture would be like. You can get gluten-free matzah meal: https://www.amazon.com/Yehuda-Gluten-Free-Matzo-Ounce/dp/B00IRRGK1Q?th=1 I'm glad I didn't have to think about this stuff, we just had regular old matzah balls, which were very very good.

[KennethT]

@chefmd I have felt your pain... many times!!!  Although the GF matzah balls are a first...  I'd imagine you'd make them with gluten free matzah - I assume that Streits has jumped on that bandwagon, no?  Most matzah balls are heavy like lead anyway - I only remember one seder when the host made them and they were really light.  My father, rest his soul, loved Manischewitz.  He always said that it reminded him of a cordial - he refused to drink anything else, even as much better KFP wine came on the market in NY years ago.

[cakewalk]

24 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Most matzah balls are heavy like lead anyway 

Oh, I can't let that one go by. There's a whole range of matzah balls, from sinkers to floaters. I happen to be partial to the sinkers myself, but they're not heavy like lead. They're dense and solid, for sure, but if they're made well they're delicious. Here's a good read: 

https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/04/how-to-make-the-best-matzo-balls.html

[kayb]

This Methodist has never eaten a matzah ball. I should remedy that.

 

I make a fine latke, though.