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