Arts & Life
Food
5 Passover Keys
Five-ingredient recipes speed up seder preparations.
ANNABEL COHEN _
before serving. Makes 20-24 servings.
Special to the Jewish News
ir
our grandmother's brisket: 12
ingredients. A Bon Appetit
chocolate mocha roll cake: 14
ingredients. A recipe you Googled for
matzah sundried tomato and leek cro-
quettes with fresh mint and lemon: 16
ingredients.
It's no problem finding recipes for
Passover that require many ingredients
and even more steps to prepare. But, if
would rather not spend two days prepar-
ing, you may be in the market for some-
thing nearly effortless, yet scrumptious.
It's almost impossible to prepare really
special food with less than five ingredi-
ents. There are exceptions of course —
mashed potatoes are my favorite example.
The following recipes feature no more
than five ingredients (not including salt
and pepper). They're basic yet tasty addi-
tions to your standard fare and go well
with many different types of meals (after
all, Passover lasts a whole week).
These recipes can be "doctored" for
those who prefer more complex flavors.
The apple kugel can be made with pears
and ground ginger for more delicate fla-
vor. You may also add dried fruit, such
as chopped apricots or golden raisins to
the mix.
Try the spinach kugel with cooked
broccoli or with added minced garlic or
fresh chopped dill. Stuff the knishes
with a bit of caramelized onions. The
macaroons can be dipped in melted
chocolate.
PESADIK APPLE KUGEL
7 plain matzah sheets
8 large eggs
6 large apples (about 3 pounds), any
variety, peeled, cored and cut into
1/2-inch cubes
1-2 tsp. ground cinnamon (to taste)
1 1/2 cups sugar
Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a
9x13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish
with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Break the matzah sheets into small
pieces and place in a large bowl. Add
the eggs and stir well. Add the apples,
cinnamon, salt and sugar and stir well.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared
baking dish and bake, uncovered, for
1 hour. Allow to cool completely
before cutting into squares. Reheat
SPINACH SWISS KUGEL
2 packages (10 oz. each) frozen
chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
3 cups (24 oz. total) cottage cheese
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, or
another favorite cheese
7 large eggs
1/2 cup all matzah cake meal
2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper
Preheat oven to 350E Spray a 9x13-
inch baking dish well with nonstick
cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine all ingredients in a large
bowl; stir well. Transfer mixture to the
baking dish and bake for 40-50 minutes,
until top is firm and kugel is puffed.
Serve hot with large serving spoon or
cool completely, cut into squares and
reheat. Makes 15-20 servings.
COCONUT ALMOND
MACAROONS
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup sugar
6 large egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sliced almonds
Combine the coconut, sugar and
egg whites in a large saucepan over
medium heat. Cook, stirring frequent-
ly, until the mixture is very thick and
creamy, about 10-15 minutes (if the
mixture is not
cooked
enough,
the egg
will sepa-
rate dur-
ing bak-
ing). Stir in
the vanilla and
almonds and cool,
remove from heat and chill for 1 or
more hours.
Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking
sheet with parchment or a silicone
baking pad. Spoon a tablespoon of
dough onto the baking sheet (you may
need to shape it slightly with wet fin-
gers or another spoon). Repeat with
remaining dough. Bake uncovered for
25-30 minutes, until lightly browned.
Allow to cool completely before
removing from the baking sheet.
Keeps well in a tightly covered con-
tainer for up to three weeks. Makes
about 30 macaroons.
OVEN ROASTED POTATOES
WITH ONIONS
If you'd like to add 1 Tbsp. of dried
herbs, you may — dill, basil and pars-
ley are good choices.
4 pounds russet or Idaho potatoes
2 cups (about 1 large onion) chopped
sweet onion (such as Vidalia)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp. granulated garlic
kosher salt and pep-
per to taste
Preheat
oven to
400E
Spray a
large bak-
ing dish or
disposable
aluminum pan
with nonstick
cooking spray. Wash and scrub the
potatoes, but do not peel them. Cut
the potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes and
place in the prepared pan. Add
remaining ingredients and toss well
with a large spoon or your hands.
Spread the potatoes evenly over the
pan.
Roast, uncovered, for 1 hour (if the
tops brown too quickly, turn the pota-
toes carefully with a spatula). Test for
doneness and keep warm until ready
to serve. Makes 8 servings.
GREEN BEANS WITH RED
PEPPERS AND ALMONDS
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 cups (about 3 peppers) very thinly
sliced red or yellow peppers
2 cups (about 1 large onion) halved
and sliced very thin
3 pounds haricot verts (very thin
green beans)
1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Trim the stem ends of
the beans (no need
to remove the
string). Heat
oil in a large
pot over medi-
um-high heat.
Add the onions
and peppers and
cook for 5 minutes,
stirring frequently, until softened and
beginning to color. Add the beans and
cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
.
Place a lid on the pot and remove the
beans from the heat.
About 30 minutes before serving,
heat the beans on low (you may also
heat the beans in an oven), until hot.
Add salt and pepper to taste and stir
in the almonds. Transfer the beans to a
serving dish. Makes 8-12 servings.
SPRING VEGETABLES WITH
GINGER AND GARLIC
Fennel's flavor is distinct and strong. If
your crowd doesn't prefer fennel, opt
for mild baby zucchini.
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pound asparagus, tough lower stem
removed and cut into 2-inch lengths
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced or 1
pound baby zucchini, halved length-
wise
1 pound sugar snap peas or snow pea
pods, stringed
2 Tbsp. peeled minced fresh ginger-
root
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Preheat oven to 400E Toss all the
ingredients together in a large roasting
pan or disposable aluminum pan.
Roast uncovered for 30 minutes, turn-
ing once during cooking. Season to
taste with salt and pepper and serve
warm or at room temperature. Makes
8-12 servings.
POTATO KNISHES
For variety, add chopped cooked veg-
etables or chopped fresh dill or basil to
the batter. These may also be pan fried.
3 cups plain mashed potatoes
3 large eggs, lightly beaten, plus 1
beaten egg for brushing on knishes
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup matzah meal
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375E Grease a bak-
ing sheet well or spray well with non-
stick cooking spray (do not bake this
on a silicone pad or parchment).
Combine all ingredients in a large
bowl and stir well. Form about 2 Tbsp.
of the mixture into a slightly flattened
ball and place on the baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining potato mixture.
Brush the beaten egg over the knishes
and bake until golden, about 20-25
minutes. Makes 36-40 knishes. El
For more recipes, go to JNOnline.com
4/14
2005
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