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PASSOVER 2008   By Sheilah Kaufman

”Passover is the classic example of a festival in which we eat, drink and live the ideas the holiday represents.”  With the arrival of Passover seders comes an abbreviated list of foods observant Jews can eat ... how many matzah bries and macaroons can anyone really enjoy in one week?  

GREEK SALMON

Susie Fishbein, who has published the Kosher by Design kosher cookbook series, understands that it can be difficult to create Passover meals once we've had our fill of the heavy meals of brisket and matzo ball soup. Fishbein, who recently released her new cookbook for the holiday, Passover by Design, worked with Dannon to create two unique easy-to-prepare recipes for the week of Passover with Dannon All Natural, the only national kosher for Passover yogurt. This Greek Salmon recipe provides an ethnic Mediterranean twist to a Passover meal, and uses Dannon All Natural yogurt in place of higher fat ingredients such as sour cream.

• 1 ¼ cups Dannon® All Natural plain yogurt
• 3 pounds salmon fillet, with skin, pin bones removed
• 20 kalamata olives, pitted, coarsely chopped
• 15 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• 6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, stems discarded, divided
• 6 sprigs fresh oregano, for garnish   

CAPPUCCINO CHEESECAKE

This is Fishbein’s Cappuccino Cheesecake, an exciting and delicious way to help spice up the holiday week. . Both dishes use Dannon All Natural yogurt in place of higher fat ingredients such as sour cream (full recipes below).

Crust:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 (7-ounce) box kosher for Passover chocolate cookies, can be sugar free
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee
• 1 (6-ounce) container Dannon® All Natural coffee yogurt, divided
• 3 (8-ounce) blocks reduced-fat (not fat-free) cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups Dannon® All Natural vanilla lowfat yogurt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• ground cinnamon

CRACKELTOP POTATO KUGEL

• 6 to 7 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups thinly sliced onion (about 3/ 4 lb)
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 6 large  or 8 medium russet potatoes, peeled
• 3 tablespoon matzoh meal
• 4 large eggs, bean
• Smoked sweet or hot paprika, optional
• 4 to 5 ounces high-quality kosher for Passover potato chips, enough to make 1 1/ 2 to 2 cups when coarsely crushed by hand

Snap off asparagus ends and cut spears on the diagonal into 2-inch lengths. If using frozen asparagus follow directions on the package but do not overcook, or in a large non-stick skillet, bring water to a boil. Cook asparagus for 5 to 7 minutes (start timing when water returns to a boil) or just until tender-crisp. Run under cold water to cool off; drain and set aside.

Heat margarine or oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus and garlic, stirring for 4 to 6 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a serving bowl; top with roasted almonds. If serving with a dairy meal, you can sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6.

DELITEFUL FRUITS ROMANOFF

From Nechama Cohen’s lovely new book Enlitened Kosher Cooking More than 250 Good-carb, healthy-fat, sugar-free recipes from the simple to the elegant (Feldheim Publishers). Note: Granny Smith apples may need additional sweetener unless you prefer a slightly tart flavor.

• 1 lb. sliced fruit
• Sugar substitute equal to 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 cup light pareve or regular sour cream
• Sugar substitute equal to 2 to 4 tablespoons sugar or to taste
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/ 2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/ 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon kosher dark rum or rum extract – optional

Place sliced fruit in individual dessert cups and sprinkle sugar substitute over each. Combine ingredients for topping and pour mixture over fruit, dividing evenly. Garnish as desired.

Serves 4.

PASSOVER CAULIFLOWER KUGEL WITH MUSHROOMS (pareve) Eileen Goltz

• 1 large cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 4 to 6 oz. mushrooms, quartered
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1 tablespoons matzo meal (optional)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Transfer to a bowl. Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in medium skillet, add the onion and sauté approximately 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms together with the onion over medium heat about 5 minutes or until mushrooms and onions are light brown. Remover from heat.

Add the eggs and matzo meal to the cauliflower mixture. Season well with salt and pepper.

Lightly stir the mushroom mixture and any oil in the pan into the egg/cauliflower
mixture. Grease a shallow 9 in. square baking dish. Add cauliflower mixture.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon oil over top. Sprinkle with paprika, then with the walnuts. Bake 30 minutes or until set. To serve, cut carefully in squares and run knife around edges. Use spoon to remove portions. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

PASSOVER APPLE SORT OF CRISP

PESACH FOR THE REST OF US : Making the Passover Seder Your Own by Marge Piercy is the perfect book for those who want to create their own Seder for family and friends. PESACH is a mix of memoir, family recipes, poems and fresh understandings of the rituals and symbols of the Passover meal. Passover, for Piercy, is the holiday where she finds the strongest personal meaning, and in this book she explores each ritual and practice, illuminating different and contemporary ways of interpreting the Seder plate and Haggadah. A lovely complement to whatever Haggadah you use and a sure way to made Passover a highly personal holiday.

• 1/3 cup almonds or walnuts
• 8 apples, cored and chopped
• 10 large eggs, at room temperature, divided
• 1/ 2 cup sugar
• Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
• 1/ 2 cup matzoh meal
• Nutmeg and/or ginger to taste

Preheat oven to 350F. Chop nuts in the food processor with a couple teaspoons of sugar to prevent “almond butter” from forming. A light hand, pulsing, is necessary.

Beat the yolks, add the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir in the apples. Add the matzoh meal, chopped nuts, and nutmeg and/or ginger.

Whip the egg whites until stiff enough to stand. Fold into the apple mixture and pour into a pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Serves 10.

VEGETARIAN GEFILTE

Also from PESACH FOR THE REST OF US : Making the Passover Seder Your Own by Marge Piercy

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 12 eggs, 10 hard cooked, 2 raw
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
• 2 good sized boiling potatoes
• 4 teaspoons matzoh meal
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil and sauté the onions until golden brown. Puree the hard cooked eggs with 2/ 3rds of the cooked onions. Put the rest of the cooked onions in a pot with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Add the carrots to the onions in the water and cook for 30 minutes. Peel the potatoes and grate them or process them briefly in the food processor with the grating blade.

Add the grated potatoes, matzoh meal, uncooked eggs, salt, and pepper to taste to the pureed egg-onion mixture and mix well.

With moist hands, form 12 to 16 balls. Add them to the pot with the onion and carrot and cook for 20 to 25 minutes over low heat.

Serve cold.

FIESTA MEETS FEASTING

Every year I love going to Rosa Mexicano’s Mexican Passover where the fresh flavors of Mexican cooking add a colorful twist to Passover with marvelous recipes from Culinary Director Roberto Santibanez.

As part of Rosa Mexicano’s Flavors of Mexico series (at their Washington, DC restaurant) Mexican Passover lunch and dinner menu additions will be available at all Rosa Mexicano restaurants.

Mexican Passover specials will be offered at all Rosa Mexicano locations from April 2 – 7.

http://www.rosamexicano.com/

MEXICAN PASSOVER RECIPES

Courtesy of Rosa Mexicano Culinary Director Roberto Santibanez

HIGADITO DE POLLO (CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER)

I don’t know if this will work for those who keep strictly kosher and must broiler their livers first.

• 4 oz. vegetable oil
• 1 1/ 2 pieces white onions, finely chopped
• 2 lbs. chicken livers, cleaned
• 1/ 2 teaspoon chile de arbol powder
• 4 each hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• Salt
• Chopped scallions for garnish
• Tomatillo-avocado sauce (recipe below)

Heat the vegetable oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat and add the onion. Sauté until the onions are caramelized (dark golden brown). Strain the onions and reserve the oil in the pan.

Place the livers in the pan approximately 1 lb at a time and sauté over a medium heat until they are cooked medium with just a touch of pink inside. Transfer the livers to a cutting board and chop. Reserve the oil.

In a mixing bowl combine the chopped livers, onions, hard boiled eggs, chile de arbol powder and the reserved oil. Season with salt to taste.

Place1/ 2 cup of tomatillo-avocado sauce in the center of a plate and top with 1/ 2cup of the chopped liver. Garnish with scallions.

TOMATILLO-AVOCADO SAUCE

• 1 lb tomatillos husked, washed and roughly chopped
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 2 serrano chiles, chopped
• 12 sprigs of cilantro, chopped
• 1 Haas avocado, chopped
• Salt

TROPICAL HAROSET

This is the other cooked charoset.

• 1 pear, peeled, cored and diced
• 3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 3 bananas, peeled and mashed
• 1 lbs. dates, pitted
• 1/ 2 lbs. blanched almonds
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup Sweet wine