Going Beyond Matzah

Now that Passover is here and you have 7 or 8 days of leaven-free cooking, here are many dishes and recipes sure to please everyone in the family. There's Sweet and Sour Stuffed Grape Leaves or Spinach Salad with Mushrooms and Hibiscus Flower Vinaigrette; Egg Lemon Soup with Matzos, or a Bitter Herb Salad; Chicken with Bitter Herb Pesto and Brazilian Holiday Fish with Cilantro and Wine.

And desserts...
Chocolate Olive Oil Mousse, Almond-Lemon Macaroons, Carrot Souffle with Pecan Topping, Sesame Vanilla Passover Cookies, Double Chocolate Mocha Drop Cookies and so much more.

You'll also find traditional recipes for gefilte fish and seder ideas from Argentina and Jerusalem.  So what are you waiting for?  Read on.

  
Continue reading for meals and recipes.

Passover Antipasti, Low Carb, Fat Free

Yield: 10 servings

You can use almost any vegetable for this lovely and popular dish. The following is a list of suggested vegetables.

Salad:

1 large onion, peeled and quartered, mixed with 1/4 teaspoon ground curry powder
2 small tomatoes
1 small eggplant, washed and ends removed
1 small sweet potato
2 small-medium zucchini
1 basket any type of mushroom or combination of different kinds

Dressing:
Non-stick cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: fresh and/dried basil and/or rosemary, a bit of kosher salt

Slice vegetables and lay flat in a baking pan lined with baking paper that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Spray vegetables with the non-stick spray as well. Wisk the dressing ingredients and spread on the vegetables. Sprinkle with dried herbs of choice. Bake covered at 400°F until golden, about 15-25 minutes. Uncover and bake until tender-crisp. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts: Serving size 3 pieces (oz) 4 (g) 120 Calories 58 Protein (g) 1.7 Carbs (g) 3 Fat (g) 0.8 Sat. Fat (g) 0.3 Cholesterol (mg) 0 Sodium (mg) 10 Calcium (mg) 31 Fiber (g) 2.5 Exchanges: Vegetable 1

Tunisian Passover Ratatouille

During Passover, the eight-day observance when distinctive food themes and various rules govern what may be eaten, this casserole recipe meets the requirements.  This simple dish uses eggplants and tomatoes plus herbs and spices.

Servings: Makes 6 side-dish servings.
Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins

ingredients
2 mediumeggplant (about 1-1/2 pounds)
3 tablespoonsolive oil
2 mediumtomatoes, quartered
4 clovesgarlic, minced
1 tablespoonsnipped fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
1 teaspooncoriander seeds, crushed
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoonsalt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspooncrushed red pepper
2 tablespoonspine nuts, toasted
Fresh marjoram leaves

Continue reading for directions.

Mock Chopped Liver, Vegetarian Style

A Vegetarian Option

A vegetarian version of a timeless Jewish favorite, this recipe is delicious as a spread, dip or even as a side dish.

Ingredients

1 can French style green beans
2 hard boiled eggs
2 medium onions
oil for browning onions
1/4 cup walnuts
salt to taste

Directions

Saute onions in oil until brown. Drain green beans, pressing out as much water as possible. Put all ingredients into food processor, processing until smooth. Salt to taste.

Note: You can substitute additional hard boiled egg whites for one or both of the yolks. This recipe can also be made vegan by replacing the eggs with fresh mushrooms.

Kibbeh Nabilseeyah

Syrian Stuffed Fried Bulgur Wheat

Kubbeh, or kibbeh, is the noun based on the Arabic verb "to form into a ball or circular shape." Kibbeh nabilseeyah is bulgur wheat fashioned into a torpedo shape, stuffed, and then fried in oil; it is one of the hardest Syrian appetizers to prepare. Its reputation for difficulty is so widespread that it makes even the best cooks irrationally nervous! A special appetizer for a gala occasion, these "torpedoes" require time and patience. But when you're rewarded with blissful sighs as each guest bites through the crisp, cumin-scented crust into the aromatic filling, you'll be glad you went the extra mile.

To add an authentic touch, serve with fresh lemon wedges; the juice should be squeezed onto each bite until the torpedo disappears. Add pomegranate seeds to the meat mixture and you'll pass as a native. If doing these pastries scares you off (as it did Grandma Fritzie) but you still want to impress your guests, try the "alternative" bulgur wheat pie [see variations]. Follow the same basic guidelines below when stuffing and frying the dough for all three variations.

Continue reading for recipe.

Hamantaschen

These cookies are traditionally served on the Jewish holiday of Purim, although they make a great snack year round.

MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN

INGREDIENTS

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup flour
2 tbsp. apricot preserves
2 tbsp. raspberry preserves
1 egg white, beaten

INSTRUCTIONS 1. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat with a mixer until fluffy. Add flour; beat. Form dough into a thin disk. Wrap disk in plastic wrap; chill for 30 minutes.

2. Transfer dough to a floured surface; roll to a 3⁄16" thickness. Using a 2½" round cookie cutter, cut dough into rounds. Reroll scraps; repeat. Transfer the rounds to 2 parchment paper–lined baking sheets. Place about ½ tsp. apricot preserves in center of half the rounds; place about ½ tsp. raspberry preserves in the center of remaining rounds. Brush egg white around edges. Fold in edges to form a triangular package, leaving a small opening at the top. Refrigerate filled cookies for 30 minutes.

3. Heat oven to 350°. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Savory Hamantaschen

Beyond poppyseed, these triangles are a salty, cheesy delight.

Purim is a holiday of upside downs, masquerades, and the unexpected. On Purim we celebrate the success of Esther and Mordecai's subversion of evil Haman's plot to kill the Jews. The observance of Purim involves costumes, gifts to friends, donations to the poor, and festive meals. The most traditional Purim food--the hamantaschen--is typically a cookie filled with fruit preserves or poppy seeds. So as a celebration of surprise and new takes on old favorites, here is a recipe for savory hamantaschen.

These hamantaschen are like little savory tartlets, perfect as an appetizer at your festive Purim meal or for a snack just about any time.

Hamantaschen Dough
2 cups white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (about 3 twigs, stripped)
1 cup butter, chopped into 1 inch sqares
Onion Filling
3 onions, chopped
1 Tablespoon butter or oil
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
pinch of pepper
(optional garnish) course sea salt

Continue reading for directions.