Passover Recipes

Moroccan Carrots (From: Simply Israel - A collection of recipes from the People of Israel by T.Gila Levine)

This popular spicy salad makes a great appetizer.


1.1/2 lb (3/4 kg.) carrots
1 hot pepper chopped or Harrisa  to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed 
2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves or parsley 
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt to taste
Dash white pepper 
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil



Peel carrots and boil until half cooked so they are not yet soft. Slice in rounds about 1/4" (1/2 cm) thick. 
Mix hot pepper, lemon, garlic, coriander (or parsley), cumin, salt, pepper and olive oil.
Pour over carrots and mix well. Cool. Serve Chilled.

 

Eggplant Salad (4-6 servings) (From: Popular Food from Israel by Ruth Sirkis)

Eggplant is the most versatile vegetable on the Israeli menu. It can be either fried, baked, cooked or roasted to produce mouth watering cold or hot dishes. The eggplant salad given here can be served as first course, side dish, dip or snack. It has no fat in it and is refreshing, piquant, and very colorful.


2 lbs. eggplants (2 medium)
1/4 cup lemon juice 
1 tomato
1 bell  pepper 
1/4 cup parsley, snipped
2 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsb. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper 


Rinse and pat eggplants dry. Do not peel. Broil on direct fire of cooker or on a barbeque. If direct fire not available, roast in oven at 400^oF on aluminum foil. Turn Occasionally while roasting or broiling so that the eggplant will become tender on all sides. Roasting time in oven is about 40 minutes, broiling on direct fire takes about 20 minutes. It is done when the peel looks charred all over and the flesh of the eggplant feels soft. Rinse Broiled eggplant for easier removal of the peel. Scoop out the the flesh into a bowl and immediately pour lemon juice over it to prevent discoloring. Mash the flesh with a wooden spoon and let cool. Before serving, add the tomato and bell pepper diced into small cubes. Add the snipped parsley, green onions and all seasonings. Stir well. Serve in individual plates, or fill a Pitah bread with it as a sandwich. You may add Thinah for an added interesting flavor. 


 

Shakshouka  (4-6 servings) (From: Popular Food from Israel by Ruth Sirkis)

Shakshouka - eggs cooked in a savory tomato and bell pepper sauce - can be found in any snack stand or oriental restaurant. It is eaten either in a Pitah bread - with green salad and french-fries - or on a plate, with the same side dishes. it is a tasty, filling and inexpensive dish.

Chop onion roughly; crush garlic cloves. Dip tomatoes for a few minutes in boiling water and peel. Dice tomatoes and peppers. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry onions until golden. Add garlic and stir-fry. Add tomatoes and peppers, stir, cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomatoe paste, tabasco and olives. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes. Before serving add the eggs, one at a time. You can scramble them or leave them whole. Cover the pan and cook until the eggs are quite firm. Each serving should include an egg and some of the sauce. (if using very small eggs, serve 2 eggs for each portion).

Creamy Jerusalem Artichoke  Soup - Chef Avi Steinitz (From: Fresh Flavors of Israel - 60 Delicious Souvenirs from the Land of Milk & Honey - Al Hashuolchan Magazine publication)

Jerusalem artichoke has nothing to do with Jerusalem, or with artichokes for that matter. Originally from North America, this tasty tuber is in fact a member of the sunflower family. Girasole, Italian for sunflower, sounds like Jerusalem, hence the mix-up. In Israel it has gained popularity over the last few decades, mainly in restaurants, usually as a soup or a puree.

Golden, smooth and creamy, this sop can also be served in espresso cups an as appetizer.



Ingredients (for 10 espresso cups or 4-6    soup bowls)

750 g (1.1/2 lb) Jerusalem artichokes,    
peeled and cut into 4 cm (2 inch) pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 leek (white part only), finely chopped
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup whipping cream
Salt and white pepper
The Garnish (Jerusalem artichoke   chips): 
2 Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and shaved   with a vegetable peeler 
Oil for deep frying


1. Heat oil in a heavy saucepan and saute   the chopped leeks until translucent. Add   the garlic and saute for one more minute. Add Jerusalem artichokes and saute for       a few more minutes.

2. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Season with a little salt and pepper, cover, and cook for 30 minutes over low heat until the artichokes are very tender. 

3. Puree the soup in a food processor and strain. Bring to a boil, add the cream, taste and adjust the seasoning. 

4. Prepare the garnish: Heat the oil for deep-frying and fry teh artichoke shavings until crisp. Drain excess oil on a paper towel.

Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Haroset - Chef Avi Steinitz (From: Fresh Flavors of Israel - 60 Delicious Souvenirs from the Land of Milk & Honey - Al Hashuolchan Magazine publication)

Haroset, juicy fruit and nut spoon sweer, is an important part of the passover ritual. As this recipe shows, it also makes a terrific filling for another symbol on the Seder table - the leg of lamb.


Ingredients (Serves six people) 

1.1/2 kg (3 lb) leg of lamb, shank bone left in, hip end of bone removed (have the butcher do this for you)
3 tablespoons olive oil
 
  The Haroset Stuffing:
  250 g (9 oz) ground beef or lamb
  2 tart baking apples, cored and diced 
  250 g (9 oz) date paste (see below)
  1.1/4 cups walnuts 
  Salt and freshy ground black pepper 
  1/4 teaspoon dry ginger
  Leaves from 1 thyme sprig


  The Spice Rub:
  Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
  1 spring rosemary, chopped
  1 tablespoon dry coriander seeds 
  1/2 teaspoon ground chili pepper 
  2 cloves garlic, crushed 
  5 tablespoons olive oil






1. Spread the leg of the lamb on a work surface (the side with the bone facing up). Mix the stuffing ingredients thoroughly and spread along the center of the leg. Wrap the meat over the stuffing to make an elongated package. Tie with kitchen string.

2. Preheat oven 180⁰C (350⁰F).

3. Combine the spice rub ingredients and rub meat on all sides.

4. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and brown the meat on all sides. Remove from skillet and wrap loosely in aluminum foil.

5. Roast for 50-60 minutes (a meat thermometer inserted inside the lamb should indicate  60⁰C/ 140⁰F for medium). Let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.


 

Siga Wat - Ethiopian Beef Stew (From: Simply Israel - A collection of recipes from the People of Israel by T.Gila Levine)

Although comlex in nature, Ethiopian cuisine is simple to prepare. It is made up of hot spices, thick stews and injera, a large, flat sourdough spongy pancake. Siga Wat is served on a bed of injera and is usually accompanied by a vegetable stew (See page 73) and a lentil stew. 



3 large onions,
finely chopped

2-4 tablespoons  
(30-60 ml) canola oil

5-10 medium garlic
cloves, crushed 

2-4 tablespoons (15-30 g)
berbere(Ethiopian
hot spice mixture-      
recipe included below)

1 lb (500 g) stew beef,
cubed small

6 tablespoons (100 g)
tomato paste

Salt to taste

4 cups (1 L) water and/or beef bouillon (more as needed)


For the Berbere:
Berbere is a hot Ethiopian pepper spice mixture that can be purchased at a specialty shop
or it can be approximated by lightly toasting the following combination of spices:

1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teapoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons (16 g) salt
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1/1.4 cups (100 g) cayenne pepper 
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 cup (55 g) paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 


Cook onion in a large pot over moderate heat. Add water a tablespoon at a time to prevent burning and sticking. When onions have started to turn translucent, add a tablespoon (15 ml) of oil and the garlic and continue cooking. Add berbere and stir to mix with oil; cook for a couple of minutes until berbere had combined with the onions and oil and heated through. Add water and oil alternately a little bit at a time as the mixture cooks so that a sauce begins to appear in the pan. Add cubed beef and stir thoroughly.  Beef may be added before much water has been added in order to brown the chunks, but this is optional.

Add tomato paste and water and/or beef stock and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 2 hours. Continue to add liquid as needed. Ass salt to taste. Stew liquid will reduce and slightly thicken into a rich red stew. It is said that the longer the wat cooks, the better it is. However, it can be ready as soon as the beef is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened. 


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