40 | APRIL 4 • 2024
J
N
I
n last week’s issue, we cov-
ered Passover appetizers and
sides. This week, we’ll be
focusing on main dishes.
I surveyed friends to learn
more about the main dishes
they would eat on Passover.
What surprised me (but maybe
shouldn’t have) was that no
one responded with very
much enthusiasm — I gener-
ally didn’t hear about dishes I
needed to try or particularly
memorable flavors. I did hear
about some fun traditions, like
a friend whose mother would
make chicken with 40 cloves of
garlic, a nod to the 40 years the
Israelites would spend in the
wilderness.
On my part, for most years,
the main would either involve
chicken (roasted, chicken
Marbella) or brisket in a pretty
standard formulation, though
there has been the occasional
fish-based or vegetarian meal.
It was actually a vegetarian
seder meal that reigns as my
favorite to date. That meal was
tapas themed: The inspiration
came from the idea that if
we’re going to be drinking four
glasses of wine at the seder,
then they might as well be
sangria. And so indeed, the
wine was sangria, and the meal
included lots of small plates,
including Spanish-style roasted
eggplant, peppers and onions;
potatoes with a romesco sauce;
and Spanish-style cheese. The
main dish was a Spanish-style
tortilla (tortilla Española),
involving thinly sliced potatoes
and onions sautéed in obscene
amounts of olive oil and then
enrobed in an egg mixture,
with the whole concoction
dramatically flipped to cook on
both sides.
While I had received some
skepticism from purists who
believe that it is not Passover
without brisket, I am gratified
to share that they were ulti-
mately converted. Though the
ingredients are simple, the dish
succeeds at being more than
the sum of its parts and is only
enhanced by some aioli or the
aforementioned romesco sauce.
In case I haven’t won you
over, in addition to the tortilla
Española (which also makes
a great non-seder Passover
meal), I’ve also included reci-
pes for a simple chicken with
bold flavors including garlic,
oregano and lemon as well as a
corned beef. What I appreciate
about all of these recipes is that
they bring substantial flavor
and don’t require purchasing
a store’s worth of Passover-
specific ingredients.
TORTILLA ESPAOLA
Adapted from Daniel Gritzer
Serves 6 to 8
Parve
Ingredients
8 large eggs
Kosher salt, to taste
2 cups (475ml) extra-virgin olive
oil
1½ pounds (700g) Yukon Gold
potatoes, peeled, halved, and thin-
ly sliced crosswise
¾ pound (350g) yellow onions,
thinly sliced
Aioli or romesco sauce, for serving
Preparation
In a large bowl, beat eggs
vigorously with a large pinch
of salt until frothy. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a 10-inch
nonstick or well-seasoned
carbon steel skillet, heat oil
over medium-high heat until
shimmering. Add potatoes
and onions; they should
gently (but not vigorously)
bubble in the oil. Regulating
heat to maintain a gentle
FOOD
PASSOVER
Food for Thought:
Passover Mains
Passover Mains
JOELLE ABRAMOWITZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER