Passover

Rehfwitz Chicken Soup

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  • 4-5 pounds chicken parts
  • Leaves and small stalks from the inside of 2 bunches of celery, plus 2-3 big celery stalks cut into 2” pieces
  • 6-8 carrots, (peeled if you will be using in soup, otherwise just washed well) and cut into 2” pieces
  • 2-3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2” pieces
  • 2-3 onions peeled and quartered
  • 8 sprigs parsley
  • Some fresh dill (optional)
  • 1 Tbs. peppercorns
  • Kosher salt to taste

Cover chicken pieces with about 3 inches of water in large stock pot.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As the water boils, scum will form. Skim it off and discard. This may take a while. Keep cooking until scum stops forming. The scum will not affect the flavor of the soup, but if not removed, it will make the broth cloudy. Add remaining ingredients; reduce heat and simmer, with the lid partially open, for 2 hours or so.

Remove chicken and vegetables and cool.

Strain stock using cheesecloth and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Skim fat from the top of broth and discard or save to use in other recipes like matzo balls.

Separate chicken from veggies, bones and skin. Chicken can be shredded and added back to soup or saved for another purpose. You may want to slice carrots and add them back to the soup if you will be reheating it right away. If the carrots are too mushy, or if you are planning to freeze the broth before using, discard them with the rest of the veggies, bones and skin.

When ready to reheat the soup, add salt to taste. You may also want to add fresh carrots and/or celery, noodles, kreplach, or matzo balls.

French Garlic Chicken

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Submitted by Elaine Thorpe, who adapted it from Richard Olney’s Cookbook, circa 1970.

  • 1 or 2 large HEADS garlic
  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 Tablespoon oil
  • 3 to 4 pounds chicken parts
  • 1 lemon, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Separate cloves of garlic and place in a saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil.  Discard water, cover with cold water and peel garlic.  Simmer peeled garlic for 30 minutes in stock. (Partially cover pan)

In a heavy skillet, melt butter and add oil.  When hot, sauté dried chicken pieces until golden.  Remove chicken and place in a 9 by 13 Pyrex or other casserole. Put garlic cloves and lemon slices over chicken.  Make sauce by stirring flour  into the fat in the skillet where the chicken used to be and stir till it’s beginning to thicken; Pour  over chicken, garlic and lemon.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is done.

New American Charoset

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Submitted by JoAnne Levy

  • 2 Granny Smith apples
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 cup fresh mango, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon Port or sweet wine

Peel, core, and dice the apples and sprinkle with the lemon juice.

Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse once or twice just to break up. Let sit for the flavors to meld.

Yield: About 2 Cups

Passover Apple Cake

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Submitted Joyce Bayer, who originally got it from one of the Detroit newspapers.

  • 9 egg yolks
  • 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
  • 2 cup sugar, divided
  • ½ cup cake meal
  • 1/3 cup potato starch
  • 9 stiffly beaten egg whites
  • 4 medium apples, pared and sliced (4 cups)
  • 2 teaspoon water
  • ½ cup chopped nuts
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat egg yolks, lemon juice, and lemon peel until thick. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until smooth. Sift ½ cup sugar, cake meal, and starch together. Blend into yolk mixture. Fold in beaten egg whites. Spread half of batter in ungreased 9x13x2-inch pan. Bake 30-35 minutes. Cook apples in water, covered, over low heat until barely tender (8-10 minutes). Stir in ½ cup sugar, nuts, remaining juice, and cinnamon into apples, and arrange apple mixture over cake. Cover with remaining batter. Bake 50-60 minutes more. Cool.

Pignoli And Dried Fruit Farfel Pilaf

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From the kitchen of: Annabel Cohen, as Published in 5 Ways to Freshen Up Your Seder by Women’s Department of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, April 8, 2008

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1-1/2 cups chopped onions
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 8 cups matzo farfel
  • 2 cups chicken or beef stock or broth
  • 1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
  • 1-1/2 cups dried sweetened cherries or other dried fruit (golden raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or a combination of these), chopped if large
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the farfel and sauté until the farfel is lightly toasted and browned. Add the stock and sauté until the liquid is incorporated. Add remaining ingredients and season to taste. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Reheat in microwave and serve warm.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutty Matzo Farfel Chocolate Crumble

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From Harriett Silverman who got it from Annabel Cohen

  • 3 cups semi sweet or milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup peanut butter or almond butter
  • 4 cups matzo farfel, lightly toasted in the oven
  • 2 cups roasted cashews, peanuts or other nuts (salted is ok)
  • 1 ½ cups dried cranberries, cherries or other dried fruit
  • 1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

Line a clean baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Set aside.

Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 2 minutes. Remove from oven and stir well, until melted. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth.

While the chocolate is melting, place remaining ingredients in a large bowl and toss well.

Drizzle the chocolate mixture over the farfel mixture and using a large spoon or plastic gloved hands, toss well to coat.

Spread the mixture on the baking sheet and cool at room temperature or cooler for one hour or more. Break up the crumble and place in a serving bowl.

Makes about 10 cups of crumble or 12 or more servings.

Matza Kugel

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From Denise Levenson

  • 3 square matzos
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 15 ounces grated apple (4-5 medium apples) or applesauce
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)
  • 3/4 cup raisins
  • 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
  • 1 cup well-packed brown sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons margarine
  • 4 eggs, slightly beaten

Break up matzos and combine with water and toss.  Let stand until water is absorbed.

Add everything else and combine thoroughly.

Pour into a greased 1 1/2 quart casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until set in the middle.

Serves 12.

Matzoh Crunch

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From A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman

  • 4 to 6 unsalted matzohs
  • ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter or unsalted Passover margarine
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • ¾ cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips or coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate

 

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a large baking sheet (or two smaller sheets) completely with foil. Cover the bottom of the sheet(s) with baking parchment – on top of the foil. This is very important since the mixture becomes sticky during baking.

Line the bottom of the baking sheet evenly with the motzohs, cutting extra pieces, as required, to fit any spaces.

In a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter or margarine and the brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil (2 to 4 minutes). Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and pour over the matzohs, covering completely.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350°. Bake for 15 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure the mixture is not burning (if it seems to be browning too quickly, remove the pan from the oven, lower the heat to 325° and replace the pan)

Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with the chopped chocolate or chips. Let stand for 5 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate over the matzoh. While still warm, break into squares or odd shapes. (Or you can chill the entire pan and then break into pieces after it’s hard and set.) Chill, still in the pan, in the freezer until set.

Variation: You can also use coarsely chopped white chocolate (or a combination of white and dark) and chopped or slivered toasted almonds (sprinkled on top as the chocolate sets)> You can also omit the chocolate for a caramel-alone butter crunch.

Sephardic Charoset (Haroseth)

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From The Gourmet Jewish Cook by Judy Zeidler

· ½ cup pitted dates

· 2 cups apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

· ½ cup dried apricots

· ½ cup chopped walnuts

In a medium saucepan, combine the dates, apples, and dried apricots. Add water to cover. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the mixture is tender enough to mash with a fork. Place the mixture in a processor and process, turning on and off until the mixture is blended. Do not puree. Just before serving, fold in the walnuts.

Makes about 2 ½ cups.