Passover Food

Passover begins at sunset on Monday, so I wanted to post a few Passover recipes. Here are six, including Noodle Kugel and Brisket With Horseradish Gremolata. Enjoy!

For a short explaination of Passover, check out Judaism 101.

BRISKET WITH HORSERADISH GREMOLATA

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “character from two distinct sources. Searing the meat until dark brown gives the sauce a caramelized, intensely brawny taste, while a bracing garnish of fresh horseradish gremolata spiked with parsley and lemon zest adds brightness and a sinus-clearing bite. Make the meat a few days ahead, it only gets better as it rests. But to get the most out of the gremolata, don’t grate the horseradish until an hour or two before serving. If you can’t find fresh horseradish, use 4 cloves minced garlic instead.”

Yield: 8 to 12 servings; Time: 4 hours, plus marinating

This was featured in “Gremolata Gives Passover Brisket a Brighter Side and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 (4- to 5-pound) brisket, preferably second cut

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

4 garlic cloves, chopped

6 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

2 large carrots, sliced into thin rounds

2 large celery stalks, diced

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

2 whole bay leaves

1 1/2 cups parsley, coarsely chopped

Grated zest of 1 small lemon

3 tablespoons fresh, coarsely grated horseradish

Flaky sea salt, for serving

Preparation

Season brisket all over with salt and pepper. Place brisket in a large container and spread garlic and thyme sprigs all over top and bottom of meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours. Let meat stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Wipe off the garlic and thyme. Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat a very large Dutch oven over high heat. Add oil and let heat. Add brisket and sear, without moving, until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. (Cut meat into 2 chunks and sear in batches if it doesn’t fit in the pot in a single layer.) Transfer to a plate.

Add onions, carrots and celery to pot and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook vegetables, tossing occasionally, until onions are golden brown around the edges and very tender, about 15 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in bay leaves and bring liquid to a simmer; let simmer for 5 minutes to reduce slightly.

Place meat in pot, then cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook, turning every 30 minutes, until meat is completely fork tender, 3 to 4 hours. After 2 1/2 hours, uncover pot so some of the liquid can evaporate and the sauce can thicken. If the brisket starts to get too brown and the sauce too reduced before the meat is tender, cover pot again.

Spoon fat from the top before serving. (If you have time, let brisket cool completely first, then refrigerate overnight in the pot; this makes it easier to remove the white fat from the top. Reheat the meat, covered, in a 350-degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes.) If sauce seems thin, remove meat from pot and bring liquid to a simmer. Let cook until reduced to taste.

In a bowl, toss together parsley, lemon zest and horseradish to make gremolata. Slice meat against the grain and serve with the sauce, garnished with horseradish gremolata and sea salt.

SWEET AND SOUR BRAISED BRISKET WITH CRANBERRIES

This is from David Firestone and Susan Brenna, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Yield: 8 to 10 servings; Time: 4 1/2 hours.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

7 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt, more as needed

1 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes

1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or hot paprika

5 pounds brisket, preferably second cut, trimmed

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries

1/2 cup fruity white wine

1/3 cup apple cider

2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses, optional

Chopped parsley, for garnish

Preparation

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, rosemary, black pepper, 1 tablespoon salt, chile flakes and Aleppo pepper. Place the brisket, fat side up, in a large Dutch oven. Rub meat all over with the spice mixture. If you have time, let meat rest at room temperature for 1 hour. (You can skip this step if necessary.) Transfer pot to oven and roast, uncovered, 20 minutes.

While meat cooks, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the cranberries and remaining 6 tablespoons sugar. Simmer, uncovered, until cranberries begin to break down, about 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, cider and pomegranate molasses if using. Season with salt.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Pour cranberry mixture over the brisket. Cover and cook until meat is very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours; turn meat every hour. Slice meat and serve with plenty of sauce and parsley for garnish.

POTATO LATKES

Makes 10 latkes. 1 latke per serving

Print Friendly: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=675

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/675.shtml

Ingredients

2 cups peeled and shredded Russet potatoes, firmly packed (about 1 pound)

1/4 cup grated or finely chopped onion

1 large egg

6 tablespoons egg substitute

2 – 3 tablespoons low sodium matzo meal (a little less than 1 matzo, processed into fine crumbs)

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons canola oil

Directions

Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth or double thickness of paper towels and wring to extract as much water out of the potatoes as possible.

In medium bowl, stir the potatoes, onion, egg, egg substitute and matzo meal and salt together well.

In a large heavy-bottomed non stick skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Make sure the oil is spread evenly over the bottom of the skillet.

Place 1/4 cup (level measure) of potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties. Spray tops with canola cooking spray.

Brown on one side about 3 minutes, turn over and brown the other side (about 3 minutes).

Serve these hot with applesauce, fat free or light sour cream and chopped green onions.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 71; Protein: 3 g; Fat: 1 g; Sodium: 237 mg; Cholesterol: 21 mg; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 12 g

NOODLE KUGEL

Yield: 12 Servings

Print Friendly: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=684

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/684.shtml

Source: The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked broad egg noodles

3 large eggs, beaten, or 3/4 cup egg substitute

3/4 cup low-fat small-curd cottage cheese

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and diced in 1/4-inch pieces

1/4 cup raisins, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained

1/4 cup margarine, melted

Directions

Cook the noodles according to the package directions, omitting salt; drain well. There should be 4 cups of cooked noodles.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare an 8-inch-square pan with non-stick pan spray.

Combine the eggs, cottage cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in the noodles, apple, and raisins. Pour into the prepared dish.

Drizzle the margarine evenly over the top of the casserole.

Bake, uncovered, for 45 to 55 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Cut the kugel into 12 equal pieces (about 2 x 2 inches). Serve hot or chilled.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 156; Protein: 6 g; Fat: 6 g; Sodium: 122 mg; Cholesterol: 71 mg; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 20 g; Exchanges: 1-1/2 Starch, 1 Fat

CHAROSET

This came from Judaism 101. It starts off, "This fruit, nut and wine mix is eaten during the seder. It is meant to remind us of the mortar used by the Jews to build during the period of slavery. It should have a coarse texture. The ingredient quantities listed here are at best a rough estimate; I usually just eye-ball it. The recipe below makes a very large quantity, but we usually wind up making more before the holiday is over. Other fruits or nuts can be used."

4 medium apples, 2 tart and 2 sweet

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

1/4 cup sweet wine

1/4 cup dry wine

1 Tbs. cinnamon

Shred the apples. Add all other ingredients. Allow to sit for 3-6 hours, until the wine is absorbed by the other ingredients. Serve on matzah. Goes very well with horseradish.

HONEY CUPCAKES (for PASSOVER)

This comes from Nichelle Stephens, About.com's Cupcake expert, who writes, "Honey cake is a Jewish traditional dessert that is often served at high holidays like Passover and Rosh Hashanah. I am not Jewish, but I had my first Seder meal at the Catholic elementary school that I attended in Alabama. Now that I have gotten your attention with the previous sentence, it is important as a food writer to sample foods from different cultures and countries. The cool thing about cupcakes is that you can be inspired to bake cupcakes from food all over the world. Honey cupcakes are a nice treat for both kids and adult that will be welcomed at Passover Seder dinner along family and friends. A Passover seder is a festive holiday meal. In some ways, it is somewhat similar to Thanksgiving where families gather, but there are prayers and a ritual that happens throughout the meal. These honey cupcakes are adapted from a Baked-Delicious.com recipe that originally had whole wheat flavor. For Passover, it is necessary to use unleavened bread like matzo for baking." Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; Total Time: 50 minutes; Yield: 18 cupcakes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

A pinch of salt

1 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup honey

1 lemon (only use the juice the zest)

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons milk

2 eggs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325F. In a large bowl, sift the cake meal, flour, salt, spices and baking soda. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the honey and butter. Add in the lemon zest and juice and stir until well blended. Make a well in the center of the bowl that has the dry ingredients. Slowly add the honey mixture, stirring until it is well blended.

Beat the eggs and mil together in a measuring cup or small bowl. Then slowly beat into the batter. Use an ice cream scoop to pour the batter into baking cups. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the center cupcake is well risen and springy.

Set the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.

Make a honey syrup with 4 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons water and the grated zest of one lemon. Drizzle or brush honey syrup on top. For garnish you can add lemon zest and chopped almonds or peanuts on top. Honey cupcakes keep well and taste even better after two or three days.