On Passover, we’re all looking for those new and different appetizers and entrees that aren’t the same old same old recycled boring ones. This year, shake up your Pesach menus with the following extra special and fun recipes by Eileen Goltz.
Ms. Goltz, author of the cookbook Perfectly Pareve, presents original recipes comprising a treasure trove of selections, including chicken, muffins, kugel, desserts, and salads. She is a freelance kosher food writer who was born and raised in the Chicago area. She graduated from Indiana University and the Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Paris. She lectures on various food-related topics across the United States and Canada and writes weekly columns for the Chicago Jewish News, kosher.com and the OU Shabbat Shalom Web site. She is the author of the Perfectly Pareve Cookbook (Feldheim) and is a contributing writer for the Chicken Soup for the Soul Book Group, Chicago Sun Times, Detroit Free Press and Woman’s World Magazine.
The following are some of her new, featured recipes, either dairy or pareve, that can be found on www.oupassover.org, the Passover website of the OU.
Note: Pareve means the recipe contains neither meat nor milk products and can be consumed with either.
SWEET APPLE MATZAH MEAL PANCAKES (dairy or pareve)
1 cup matzah meal
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
8 oz. club soda
3 egg whites
oil, for frying
2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced in rounds
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
In a bowl combine the matzah meal, salt, sugar whole eggs and club soda. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. While the batter is resting, in a skillet melt the butter or margarine and sauté the apples with the sugar and cinnamon. Cook or 4 to 5 minutes until the apples are soft but not mushy. Place the slices in a bowl with the sauce. Do not clean out the pan but set it aside. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites until they become stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the matzo meal mixture. Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, drop the pancake batter by the spoonful into the pan. Brown lightly on both sides. Serve with the apple rounds on top and drizzle a little of the syrup on top. Serves 4.
HONEY GLAZED ROASTED VEGETABLES FOR PASSOVER (pareve)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme, or more to taste
8 to 10 red quartered red potatoes,
3 to 4 sliced zucchini,
2 thickly sliced red onions,
2 red peppers cut into chunks
4 carrots cut into chunks
1 large sweet potatoes cut into chunks
1 eggplant peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes, salted, placed in colander 20 minutes, rinsed in cold water
Preheat oven to 400°. In a bowl combine the honey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crushed garlic, and thyme and mix to combine. Grease a roasting pan and then combine the potatoes, zucchini, onions, red peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, and eggplant. Drizzle the honey mixture over the vegetables and then mix to make sure everything is coated. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes stirring every 10 minutes making sure nothing gets burnt. Serves 8
PASSOVER GRANOLA (pareve)
3 cups matzah farfel
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2/3 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped apricots
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 325°. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a spoon until well mixed. Grease a cookie sheet with sides and spread mixture evenly on it. Bake for 75 minutes or until the mixture browns. (Watch this carefully after 50 minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn. Stir it occasionally. Can be made a week or two in advance. Store in an airtight container. Make 5 to 6 cups.
PASSOVER MATZAH CRUNCH CANDY (dairy)
6 to 7 matzahs
1/2 pound butter (margarine just doesn’t work here)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped almonds
2 cups (or enough to cover the matzos) semi sweet chocolate chips
2 cups mini kosher for Pesach marshmallows
1 cup white or dark chocolate cups
Preheat oven to 350. Cover a large cookie sheet with side with aluminum foil. Spray or grease well and then line it with parchment paper. Lay the matzah in the prepared cookie so that there is no space between the pieces of matzah, breaking the sheets if you need to. In a sauce pan combine the brown sugar and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Pour the mixture over the matzahs, making sure that the mixture covers all of the matzah. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until bubbly but not burning. Remove the matzah from the oven and then immediately sprinkle the 2 cups of chocolate chips on top. Let the chocolate melt and then spread it over the top with a knife. Top the still hot chocolate with the marshmallows and chopped nuts. Melt the remaining chips and then drizzle the chocolate over the marshmallows and nuts. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and then break into pieces. Break into pieces and serve. Serves 8 to 10.
SAVORY PASSOVER ROLLS (pareve)
2 cups boiling water
10 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon black pepper (depending on how spicy you like them)
2 cups matzah cake meal
6 eggs
In a pan combine the water, oil, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the matzah meal, mix well. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Let the mixture stand for about 5 to10 minutes. Preheat oven to Heat oven 400°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Wet your hands with water and make 8 to 10 large balls from the batter. Place each ball on the paper (not too close to each other) and bake for a full 50 minutes or fully risen and golden. DO NOT open the oven door to check on these rolls – they might deflate. Makes 8 to 10.
PASSOVER PIZZA (dairy)
Crust:
1 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups fine matzah meal
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon oregano
5 large eggs
Topping:
1 to 2 large chopped and seeded tomatoes
1/2 to 1 cup chopped black olives
2 cups tomato sauce
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
Oregano, to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste
Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place the water and oil in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and then remove it from the heat. Add all the matzah meal and oregano. Mix to combine and return to a medium heat stirring constantly for 4 minutes. Add the 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese and continue cooking and stirring for 1 more minute. Let the dough cool for about 5 minutes. Beat in 1 egg at a time until all the eggs have been added. I use an electric mixer for this part. Spread the dough onto the parchment paper in a large circle or 2 smaller ones. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove the crust from the oven. Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the pizza crust and sprinkle the chopped tomato, olives and oregano over the top of the sauce. Sprinkle the cheeses over the top of the tomatoes. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Serves 4 to 6.