Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (79 page)
Artichokes are a Passover favorite in the French-Jewish and Sephardic kitchens. This is an easy, flavorful way to serve them.
4 medium or 8 small artichokes
2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
5 or 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1
â
2
to 1 teaspoon minced jalapeño pepper, or to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1.
To trim artichokes: cut off top 1 inch of large artichokes or
1
â
2
-inch of small ones. Trim spikes from tips of leaves with scissors.
2.
Put artichokes in a large saucepan of boiling salted water and cover with a lid of slightly smaller diameter than that of the pan to keep them submerged. Cook over medium heat until a leaf can be easily pulled out; medium artichokes will need about 30 minutes and small ones 15 to 20 minutes.
3.
To make dressing: whisk lemon juice with salt and pepper. Whisk in oil, thyme, and jalapeño pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Before using, whisk dressing and add chopped parsley.
4.
Using tongs, remove artichokes from water, turn them upside down, and drain thoroughly. Either cover to keep warm or let cool and serve at room temperature or chilled. Serve dressing on the side.
When my husband was growing up in Israel, hazelnuts were known as "Passover nuts," and he still often refers to them by this name. A sprinkling of hazelnuts lends a festive touch to this salad. We toast the hazelnuts for richer flavor but you can use them raw in the salad if you like.
For the greens, I often use chopped romaine lettuce hearts mixed with tender butter lettuce or crunchy iceberg lettuce. Another terrific choice is mixed baby greens. Sliced red radishes and thin slivers of mild onionsâeither sweet onions or red onionsâgive pleasing accents of taste and color.
1
â
4
cup hazelnuts
4 cups romaine lettuce
2 cups butter lettuce (Boston lettuce)
1 cup iceberg lettuce
4 to 6 baby radishes, cut into thin slices
1
â
4
sweet onion, cut into thin slivers
3 to 4 tablespoons
Passover Vinaigrette
1.
To toast the hazelnuts, preheat oven to 350°F. Toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan in oven about 8 minutes or until skins begin to split. Transfer to a strainer. Rub hot hazelnuts with a towel against strainer to remove some of skins. Cool nuts on a plate.
2.
Tear or cut lettuces into bite-size pieces or larger. Mix lettuces, radishes, and onion in a serving bowl. Just before serving, add dressing, and toss until greens are moistened. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve salad sprinkled with nuts.
Olive oil is the best choice for vinaigrette, and not only for reasons of taste. Many vegetable oils are not kosher for Passover, as they might contain corn oil, soy oil, or other types of oil that are avoided during the holiday. Wine vinegar that is kosher for Passover is widely available in supermarkets and at kosher markets.
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
5 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin or other olive oil
Whisk vinegar with salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in olive oil. You can multiply this dressing as you like and keep it in a jar in the refrigerator. Shake or whisk before using.
Matzo ball soup undoubtedly originated as a Passover specialty, because the kneidelach, or dumplings, are made from matzo meal. It became so popular that it is a standard on the Shabbat table in many homes. Our family enjoys it not only for Shabbat, but also for most holidays. Indeed, some people want to be able to feast on this savory soup any day of the year and therefore it is one of the best-loved items on deli menus.
Passover matzo balls are made without baking powder because no leavening is allowed. I like to give the soup a springtime accent with plenty of fresh parsley from my garden and occasionally some baby carrots or asparagus.
2 pounds chicken pieces
10 cups cold water
1 whole onion, peeled
2 ribs celery, including leafy tops
1 bay leaf
5 sprigs fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1
â
2
pound baby carrots, peeled
3 large eggs
1 cup matzo meal
About 2 quarts salted water (for simmering the matzo balls)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1.
Combine chicken, water, onion, celery, bay leaf, parsley sprigs, and a pinch of salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Skim thoroughly. Partially cover and simmer 1
1
â
2
hours, skimming occasionally. Add carrots and simmer about 15 minutes or until tender. Skim off excess fat. Chicken soup can be kept 3 days in refrigerator; skim fat again and reheat before serving. Add pepper and taste for seasoning.
2.
To make matzo balls: Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl. Add matzo meal and a pinch of salt and pepper and stir with a fork until smooth. Gradually stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons chicken soup, adding enough so mixture is just firm enough to hold together in rough-shaped balls.
3.
Bring salted water to a bare simmer. With wet hands, take about 2 teaspoons of matzo ball mixture and roll it between your palms into a ball. (Mixture will be very soft.) Gently drop matzo ball into simmering water. Continue making balls, wetting hands before shaping each one. Cover and simmer over low heat 30 minutes. Cover to keep them warm until ready to serve.
4.
When serving, skim fat again from soup. Discard onion, celery, bay leaf, and parsley sprigs. Reheat to a simmer. Remove from heat and add chopped parsley.
5.
For each serving, remove 2 or 3 matzo balls from their cooking liquid with a slotted spoon, add them to soup bowls, and ladle hot soup over them. Serve hot.
Note:
If the soup is hot, skim the fat from its surface with a large spoon. To remove the last bits of fat, you can dab the surface with a double thickness of paper towels; this must be done quickly so the towels won't disintegrate into the soup. The fat can be skimmed off most easily if the soup is first refrigerated. As the soup cools, the fat rises to the top and solidifies. The fat can be scraped off the cold soup's surface with a spoon.
Instead of being thickened with flour, this light, thyme-scented soup gains its body from a puree of zucchini and onion. The croutons are made of toasted matzo farfel rather than bread.
1 cup matzo farfel
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Pinch of paprika
1 large onion, halved and cut into thin slices
1
1
â
2
pounds zucchini, unpeeled and sliced
1 large sprig fresh thyme or
1
â
2
teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1
1
â
2
cups vegetable broth or water
1
â
2
cup milk
1
â
3
cup whipping cream or additional milk
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1.
To make croutons: Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix farfel with 2 teaspoons oil and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Spread on a baking sheet and sprinkle with paprika. Bake, stirring once or twice, about 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
2.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until soft but not brown. Add zucchini, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir over low heat for 2 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat about 10 minutes or until zucchini are very tender. Discard bay leaf and fresh thyme sprig.
3.
Let soup cool slightly. Pour into blender. Puree soup until smooth. Return soup to pan and bring to boil, stirring. Stir in milk and bring to a simmer. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Add cayenne pepper, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot soup with croutons.