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PASSOVER DELIGHTS FROM NEAR AND FAR 2009   By Sheilah Kaufman

In keeping with my philosophy of easy, elegant, fearless, fussless cooking, I always want recipes that could be, for the most part, made ahead or frozen, did not require a lot of preparation time, did not make a big mess, and tasted great! As I read new, and old cookbooks, I continued to be amazed at the creativity of Jewish women who have created the amazing dishes we can eat for Passover without feeling that we are really being denied anything. Here are some international dishes to grace your Passover table. I have included Sephardic recipes because not all my readers are Ashkenazic. 

MEAT AND LEEK PATTIES

Leeks are one of the oldest known vegetables. They are much loved by Middle Eastern peoples. This dish is served for Passover and Rosh Hashanah, and can be adapted as a dish for Hanukah by leaving out the meat. This is a wonderful recipe from Isabella Sciaky. (From: SEPHARDIC/ISRAELI CUISINE by Sheilah Kaufman). A variation is to dip them in matzo meal and fry them.

• 8 very thick leeks, whites only with a little green, roots removed
• 1/2 pound ground beef, ground twice
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper
• matzo meal
• oil for frying
• lemon slices, for garnish
    

Drain the leeks and let them cool. Squeeze out as much water as possible, but leave just a little water so the keftikas will not be too dry.
Place leeks in a meat grinder or food processor and grind them (twice through a meat grinder). (Do not put the leeks in the refrigerator until you have ground them since it will be impossible to grind them after refrigerating).
Combine the leeks, meat, eggs, salt, and pepper to taste and add enough matzo meal to form into patties (keftes). They should be about walnut size, then flatten them with your hands.
In a large skillet or fry pan, heat the oil (enough to at least cover the bottom of the pan) and fry until they are brown on each side. Drain well on paper towels. Serve with slices of lemon.

This serves 8 to 10 as a side dish

TURKISH EGGPLANT AND CHEESE CASSEROLE

Looking over all the wonderful recipes I have for this article, I realized I could use a good vegetarian main course. Going through Gil Mark’s book OLIVE TREES AND HONEY (Wiley, NJ), everything looked great, and not having time to read all 450 some pages, I called Rabbi Marks and asked him for a great Passover main course from his book. After a discussion, discarding recipes with cumin and mustard seed, he told me to use this recipe. The book is an unparalleled resource that will enrich your heart and mind, and certainly satisfy any appetite!

In the Ottoman Empire, Sephardic vegetable-egg-and cheese casseroles became known as almodrote or almudroit, Ladino for “hodgepodge.” This venerable dish can be served warm as an appetizer for Friday night dinner and as a main course at various dairy meals, as well as at room temperature as part or a Sabbath brunch.

• 2 eggplants (about 2 1/ 2 lbs total)
• 1 cup (5 oz) crumbled feta or 1 cup (8 oz) farmer or cream cheese
• 1 cup (4 oz) shredded kashkaval, Gruyere, or yellow Cheddar cheese
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/ 4 cup bread matza cake meal, (for non-Passover fresh bread crumbs), or mashed potatoes
• 1/ 2 teaspoon table salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• pinch of sugar
• about 1 tablespoon olive oil for drizzling
   

Serves 6 to 8.

PASSOVER MATZOH SOUP – A Sephardic Recipe

• 1 1/2 lbs fava beans, shelled
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless beef, lamb, or chicken, cut into bite size pieces
• 8 cups chicken or meat broth
• 1/4 cup olive or canola oil
• salt
• pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
• 1 1/2 lbs green peas, shelled (about 1 1/ 2 cups)
• 2 or 4 matzoh

Blanch the fava beans in boiling water for 2 minutes. Rinse in cold water and pinch off the skins.

In a soup pot, combine the meat, broth, oil, salt, pepper, saffron. Cover and simmer until half-cooked, 30 minutes for beef and lamb, or 15 minutes for chicken. Add the peas and favas. Cover and cook until the meat or chicken is tender, about 1 hour for beef and lamb or 25 minutes for chicken. Break up the matzoh and put the pieces in a soup tureen or individual bowls. Pour the hot soup over the matzoh and serve.

Serves 6 to 8.

MATZOH LASAGNA

Barbara Kaplan, from Staten Island, NY make her delicious Passover Matzoh Lasagna year round. She finds that using the matzoh instead of the lasagna noodles makes the recipe much lighter and less filling than the traditional lasagna, which she finds to be a very heavy dish. (Not to say that this one isn't rich and fattening). No one that doesn't already know, can tell that there is matzoh in the recipe. She refrains from making it for a couple of months close to Pesach, just so it is special again for the holiday. This is a saucy, cheesy recipe - the way her family likes it. This is her adaptation of a recipe that she clipped out of the New York "Jewish Week" many years ago. She always double the recipe and make 2 - 8 x 8-inch pans at a time. (If you don't use both, you can freeze one.)

• 3 sheets of matzoh
• 2 extra large eggs beaten with salt and pepper ( Use 3 for a double recipe)
• 8 oz. ricotta or small curd cottage cheese (she uses the ricotta, except on Pesach, and uses a 15 or 16 oz. container for a double recipe)
• Italian seasoning or oregano
• grated parmesan cheese
• 2 (10 1/2 oz each) cans of Rokeach tomato - mushroom sauce (not the unsalted kind)
• 7 oblong slices of munster or mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Mix eggs, salt and pepper, and ricotta cheese in a bowl.
In each 8 x 8-inch lightly greased square pan (you can use foil pans), layer:
1) 1/2 can tomato sauce sprinkled with Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese.
2) 1 sheet of matzoh which has first been briefly passed on both sides under warm/hot running tap water.
3) 1/3 of the ricotta/egg mixture.
4) 2 oblong slices of munster cheese.

Repeat this series of layers 2 more times (for a total of 3 layers of each).
Top with the last 1/2 can of tomato sauce. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese.
Break one oblong slice of munster cheese in half. Break each half into 2 triangles.
Form these 4 triangles into a pinwheel shape centered on top of the lasagna.
Bake at 350F for approximately 20 minutes. The top layer of cheese should be bubbly. (If it starts burning on top, cover loosely with foil.)

Serves: 4 to 6 people

SALMON IN RED WINE WITH VEGETABLES

• 4 pieces center-cut salmon filet, 6 to 8 ounces each
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium yellow onions, peeled, cut in medium dice
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut in medium dice
• 4 ribs celery, washed and cut in medium dice
• 2 bulbs fennel, cored and cut in medium dice
• 1 1/2 cups good-quality red wine
• 3 tablespoons chopped tarragon
• 2 tablespoons butter

Choose a sauté pan that will be large enough to accommodate all four pieces of salmon without overlapping and place over medium high heat. Pat the fish thoroughly dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper Add the oil and place the salmon filets skin side up in the pan. Brown on the first side, about 3 minutes, and turn carefully with a spatula. Brown on the other side for about two minutes and remove to a platter.

Reduce heat to medium and, using the same pan, sauté the onions in the 3 tablespoons of butter and the remaining vegetable oil, stirring frequently, for 3 - 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the diced carrots, celery, and fennel, cover the pan and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are lightly browned (but not yet tender), about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the red wine. Cook the wine down to half its volume, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Return the fish to the pan and simmer very gently for about five minutes, until the fish is just cooked through. Transfer the fish to a serving platter; add the chopped tarragon and swirl in the butter. Spoon the vegetables and sauce over the fish and serve immediately. If the juices are thin and runny, reduce them down after transferring the fish and vegetables.

Serves 4.