34 | MARCH 11 • 2021 

M

aybe I’m different, 
but I like the chal-
lenge of cooking 
delicious, creative side dishes 
to accompany my favorite 
Passover brisket. But not 
everyone feels the way I do, 
I’m certain.
So along with 
the “same-old,” 
we know more 
than ever what’s 
possible. There’s 
no reason most 
any food cannot 
be adapted, if 
needed, to com-
ply with Passover customs.
We’re pretty lucky that 
we have so many choices. If 
you’re Sephardic, as I am, 
your choices are even great-
er — we can include rice 
and beans with our Passover 
meal. In the old days, while 
some matzah-based dishes 
were created especially for 
the holiday, most people pre-
pared the same foods they ate 

every Shabbat, with just a few 
Pesachdik modifications. 

Here we offer some old and 
some new ideas for Passover, 
and some inspiration to get 
you thinking about the possi-
bilities to how you can adapt 
your favorite cuisine for the 
holiday. After all — there 
are eight days of eating, and 
gefilte fish and potato kugel 
on a daily basis can get bor-
ing very fast.

EASY FOIL-ROASTED 
BRISKET
Ingredients
1 4-5 pound beef brisket, 
trimmed of most of the fat
Kosher salt and pepper
4 cups thin-sliced onions
1 can (about 15-ounces) 
tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Stack 
two very large lengths (about 
30-inches each) of foil on a 

clean surface. Arrange the 
onions in the center of the 
foil (where the brisket will 
lay). Sprinkle the garlic over 
the onions. Pour the tomato 
sauce over the onions. 
Lay the brisket over the 
onions and season it well 
with salt and pepper. Bring 
up the sides of the foil and 
form into a package, seal-
ing the edges well. Place 
the package on a baking 
sheet and cook for 4 hours. 
Remove from the oven and 
chill overnight. 
Carefully remove the bris-
ket from the foil and place 
on a cutting board. Pour the 
remaining ingredients into a 
bowl and set aside. 
Using a sharp knife or 
electric knife, slice the beef 
against the grain into thin 
slices. Place the brisket slices 
(stacked like a loaf of bread) 
in a glass or ceramic baking 
dish large enough to hold 
them.
Remove the hardened, con-
gealed fat from the juices and 
onions in the bowl. Transfer 
the onion mixture to the 

bowl of a food processor or 
blender and process or blend 
until smooth. Pour this over 
around the brisket. Wrap 
the brisket with plastic wrap 
until ready to serve (up to a 
day ahead).
To reheat, Preheat the oven 
to 250F. Remove the wrap 
from the baking dish. Place 
the brisket in the oven and 
heat for 1-2 hours, until very 
tender. If the meat becomes 
too brown, cover with foil.
Taste the beef and juices 
for seasoning and add salt 
and pepper to taste before 
serving. (It’s important to 
heat the beef uncovered to 
give the brisket an appetizing 
color). Makes 6-10 servings.

CHUNKY RATATOUILLE
This doubles as a fabulous 
side dish or an entree option 
for vegetarians/vegans. It’s 
yummy to boot.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large red onion cut into 
1-inch chunks
2 tsp. minced garlic

ARTS&LIFE
DINING-IN

Here are creative side dishes to 
enhance your Passover dining.

Beefi
 ng
 Up the
BRISKET

Annabel 
Cohen
 Contributing
Writer

