68 | MARCH 28 • 2024
J
N
N
ow that Purim has
passed, it can mean
only one thing: that
Passover is on its way. I think
we can probably agree that
Passover represents the Super
Bowl of the Jewish culinary
calendar. With two nights of
seders for potentially sizable
crowds and another six days
of chametz-free eating, along
with the need to kasher the
kitchen, use different dishes
and buy Passover-specific
ingredients, the preparation
is substantial and the execu-
tion is demanding.
All the more, the food
restrictions, timing con-
straints and cooking for
crowds require additional
creativity. To rise to the occa-
sion, I am here with recipes:
appetizers and sides this
week, mains next week and
desserts the week after.
My goal for these recipes is
to offer you something new
that you might not have tried
before or thought about eat-
ing on Passover. While I am
fully in support of embracing
family or regional recipes,
I also believe there is value
in making those recipes and
meals our own, based on
our own tastes and based on
local and seasonal availabil-
ity.
Getting started with start-
ers, more than other meals,
these dishes are critical both
for the choreography of the
seder as well as keeping
appetites at bay during seders
that start late and go long.
First, I offer a framework
for my signature charoset
recipe. This recipe diverg-
es from the traditional
Ashkenazi charoset of apples
and walnuts that I grew up
with. I had never thought of
charoset any other way until
I went to my first non-Ash-
kenazi seder during college,
complete with rice (which is
off-limits for Ashkenazim),
and a more multidimensional
charoset made from different
dried fruits and nuts. I was
so struck by the flavors that
I aimed to recreate it myself
(with some Ashkenazi ele-
ments) in future years, and
it has since become a staple
at any seder that I host.
Nonetheless, I have never
come across a charoset rec-
ipe with the same flavors,
so I cannot attribute it to a
specific region or tradition. I
do not include quantities for
the ingredients (a no-recipe
recipe) to encourage you to
feel empowered to make it
your own.
Next, as a non-gefilte-fish
eater, I provide a quick grav-
lax alternative. While tradi-
tional gravlax takes several
days (and valuable refrigera-
tor space) to cure, this recipe
requires only 30 minutes of
curing as a result of slicing
the salmon into thin pieces
first.
Finally, I include a recipe
for a salad of roasted cab-
bage and kale using crispy
quinoa as a topping and an
agrodolce dressing of red
wine vinegar and honey with
quick-pickled red onions. I
like this recipe because (1) it
can be made in advance, (2)
the crispy quinoa provides
a welcome textural contrast
and (3) the dressing provides
a bold sweet-and-sour flavor.
Appetizers and sides for Passover
Food for Thought
continued on page 70
JOELLE ABRAMOWITZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
FOOD
PASSOVER