An International Passover

 Jews all over the world will be celebrating Passover on Wednesday. Almost every  continent has traditional dishes for this holy week.It;s nice to incorporate these into traditional family tables for something different.

One of the most exotic of Jewish food is from the Sephardic sect. These are Jews from Spain,Portugal, NNorthAfrica and the Middle East.Their dishes reflect this with various spices and lamb dishes. There is mina de matza, similar to moussaka.This is a layered dish with soaked matzoh filled with spiced meat,spinach or cheese,Many Sephardim create kefkes de prasa,a deicious leek, egg and matzoh patty fried golden in oil. Potatoes and beef are added to them at times to create a heartier dish.North Africa is represented with fish and chickpeas.This is white fish cooked with tomato paste, garlic paprika, pepper and olives along wit chickpeas, The one thing that they shared with the Ashkenazi sect is tzimmes.Where they make theirs with sweet potatoes and dates the Sephardim add lamb to theirs for a sweet and savory flavor.There are also Spanish style pepper salad too along with a Tishpishti  cake made with ground nuts and matzoh meal.

A sizable Jewish population migrated to the Caribbean.There the dishes were influenced by African and tropical flavors. Fried chicken even gets makeover with using matzoh meal instead of regular white flour. Cinnamon and ginger  are added a long with paprika and cloves are added for zing and color.Red  Red is a Ghanian based dish ,suitable for the holiday .This is a savory dish full of black eyed peas, tomatoes, and onions. habanero give it a distinct fire  along with red palm oil. The bitter herb dish can be replaced by mustard greens or cilantro.Matzoh ball soup can also be served but there's a twist The matzoh balls are stuffed with turnips greens for more color and taste. Sweet potatoes are used in many of the dishes because they also represent hope in African cultures. South American Seders have their own take on dishes. too.There is the specialty huevos haminados taken from Mediterranean Jews .These are eggs cooked with coffee grounds, onions and olive oil.It results in eggs in a creamy brown sauce that has a unique flavor, There is also a matzoh babka made with matzoh eggs and nuts, probably taken from German Jews relocating to Argentina.

Passover has many dishes from all over the world.Try them for a different taste. They're interesting and exciting.

Memories Of Spring Holidays

 Passover is coming up. Meethi Eid has just passed . Everyone has favorite memories of these holidays. What was your favorite Seder like? Was it the macaroons? The brisket? 

What about Meethi Eid ? Was it the tabouli eat after a day of fasting ?Or was it the dates to celebrate the first bite of the day? Let us know and include recipes

To End A Seder

 Passover is less than a week away.This holiday , starting next Monday APril 22nd, is full of good food. How do you end a Seder? With a tasty dessert?

All Passover desserts are flour less yet you can make a delicious cake or kugel. The most traditonal dessert  are apple  cake and  coconut rich macaroons. Apple cake can be made with almond or ground matzoh meal.There are still eggs added to give it body and spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg. It can be varied with the addition of ground walnuts. Flour less apple muffins can also be made  as a sub in for cupcakes. it;'s more or less the same recipe as  for the cake  Macaroons can be made at home. They only require four ingredients, egg whites, ,sugar vanilla extracts and shredded coconut Vegan ones cna be made if you sub in kosher aqua faba or chickpea water for the egg whites. Chocolate chips can be added or the macaroons can be dipped in chocolate for an even tastier treat. The macaroons can also have a bit of lemon zest for a citrus-y take on the recipe. The original macaron recipe can also be made for Passover  since they're made without flour. You could do a simple vanilla, chocolate coffee or any fruit flavor with a matching or contrasting buttercream filling.

Of course you could always bake everyone's favorite  - a flour less chocolate cake. This is a blend of  just eggs, butter ,cocoa powder sugar and vanilla. Eggs are used to act as a binder.It is a thick, fudgey cake that's more like candy .Can cupcakes be made this way? Absolutely! Yes! Again it's the same recipe but poured into cupcake papers. Again eggs are the most important ingredient here because they act as the binder that brings all the other ingredients together. These can also be made in vanilla too if you want something different.Cookies can also be made for the holiday. Surprisingly there are even flour less chocolate chip cookies along with other types. What gives them substance? Both oatmeal or almond flour work. You should add baking powder to give them some rise otherwise they'll be too flat.Mix it and the flours together before adding the other ingredients. The wet ingredients are then added as with a regular cookie recipe and then the chips. The dough is then rolled into balls and put on a  cookie sheet. 

What ends a good Seder? A good dessert. It could be a traditional apple cake or a chocolate chip cookie. It's up to you how you want to  create a fun and delicious ending.

Being Vegan For The Holidays

 Easter and Passover are about celebrating with family and friends. Yet what if they are vegetarian or vegan? Do you exclude them from the holiday meal? No! You include them with including vegan and vegetarian recipes. You can create new traditions by using more plant protein!

For the Easter holiday lamb and ham usually are the stars of the table. However there are some great dishes that vegetarians would approve of. Think a spinach or veggie lasagna with using plant based cheeses. You can also serve up a mushroom one too.Savory tarts are a nice change up . You can make a quiche without eggs. Just sub in chickpea flour mixed with soy or any nut milk to get that creamy texture. Try a leek and mushroom one baked in a shortcrust pastry shell. Some vegetarians do allow eggs into their diet so an Easter brunch with a traditional quiche is not out of the question. Instead of ham you can easily crumble soy bacon on top or sub in a variety of different veggies like broccoli or onions. If you want a bigger main course then think about using Beyond Beef for both Easter and Passover. The product is kosher certified so it can be incorporated into the seder. Bake it in a loaf pan and serve it with gravy. For Passover along with Easter, you can also roast portabella mushroom caps or bake cauliflower  steaks for a new classic main course.

Desserts shouldn't be tricky. You can easily sub in Just egg or Vegg Vegan Baking Mix for eggs and any kind of non dairy milk for the real thing. Soy milk is recommended because it has the same texture as cow;s milk. Creating buttercream frosting is just as easy. Use Melt plant butter instead of butter for a creamy textured frosting. Again you can use soy or almond milk to thin it out if it becomes too thick. Aquafaba, or chickpea brine can produce lovely meringues . Divide it up and add a drops of food coloring for meringues the color of Easter eggs. A truly elegant dessert is a pavlova. This is layers of meringue interspersed with whipped cream. Various fruits top this. As for the whipped cream make your own dairy free one by whipping together full fat coconut milk, vanilla extract and a few drops of maple syrup. You just have t skim the "fat' off the top and use that for the whole cream.The Passover seder can end with no bake chocolate macaroons, made with the traditional coconut flakes but with the twist of bananas and coconut oil to bind them.

A vegan holiday meal is easy to whip up. You can create a delicious main course and desserts from plant based ingredients. It's easy to do for Easter and Passover.

Gearing Up For Holiday Cooking

 Three major holidays happen this month and that means prepping the kitchen for holiday cooking. Ramadan, Easter and Passover happen within weeks of each other. it means planning and shopping along with scanning over recipes to see what works.

Ramadan starts tonight and ends on May 1st.There is fasting from dawn to sunset but that doesn't mean there can't be tasty dishes. The fast has to b broken each night with iftar the traditional meal. Of course the fast is usually broken by eating Medjool dates but there are other dishes that can be enjoyed by the family or by a crowd.Samosas are perfect, They're fun , finger foods and can be filled with either meat or potatoes. Think chicken or potatoes highly spiced with a variety of different spices like cumin and turmeric.Another tasty and quick to make dish are kabobs. A good choice is lamb or again chicken interspersed with onions, tomatoes and bell peppers.You could have stuffed veggies too or stews like one with lentils and beef. Sweets could be lokaymat, sweet dough balls fried and soaked in honey. Passover also begins this month and with it comes traditional recipes along with new spins on the classics.Of course there will be matzoh ball soup, highlighted by fluffy matzoh balls lightened a splash of seltzer. Brisket is always served. This savory cut can be seasoned with brown sugar, rosemary and a dash of paprika. What to serve with it? A vegetable kugel would work .it's a host of different veggies baked into a savory cake held together with potato starch and egg. A different dessert would be flourless chocolate cookies instead of the traditional cake.

Easter , itself, brings tradition and new spins.Most families serve ham with some kind of glaze. Southerners love one made with a good splash of Coke or Dr. Pepper. This cuts the meat's saltiness. Martha Stewart offers one with a cognac and brown sugar glaze. For a light  Spring-y meal Cornish hens will work. They have a more delicate taste than chicken and are perfect with an orange based glaze. Asparagus are a must , whether at a Seder or Easter meal. As for desserts, a cake would be nice. Think a bunny one, with  coconut frosting and jelly bean eyes. For all the holidays, make sure you have all the ingredients and the gadgets to prep them. Do you have enough pans for roasts along with plastic bowls and containers for left overs? What about linens? Is it time to get a new Spring tablecloth along with linen napkins. If it's warmer weather then what about having an outdoor holiday feast. Do you have enough outdoor chairs and plastic tablecloths? Now is the time to start buying for it all, along with planning. 

This is a month for holidays. Make sure you're ready with your recipes and ingredients.Planning and prepping will ensure a smoothly run holiday meal.

New Recipes For A Traditional Seder

 Passover will be coming up soon and with it a new kind of Seder. Families will be gathering but it won't be like the large groups of years past. There still will be traditions but updated ones. It's time to update the age old dishes as well.

Susan Spungen , chef,cookbook author, food stylist and food consultant (she was vital to such moves as Julie & Julia, It's Complicated and Eat,Pray, Love , wrote about five new recipes to add to the Passover table in yesterday's New York Times Food section. These are dishes for a new type of holy day  and Seder meal. Some dishes like haroset , matzoh ball soup and gefilte fish cannot be changed. Others though, can be tweaked.For the main meal, think  about serving chicken with apricots and olives. It's festive to be made for birthdays too. The chicken can be marinated for anywhere from two hours to overnight with a blend of different spices.Ground sumac (the same used in za'atar) gives the tang as well as a pinkness to the meat. Apricots and olives are also added to the marinade for a combination of sweetness and saltiness along with dried thyme. Fresh squeezed lemon and oranges juices give it more fruitiness as well. Or course there has to be matzoh at the table, but try a matzoh frittata instead of a matzoh brei. This is combining the traditional egg and matzoh with caramelized onions, button mushrooms and rosemary.The mushrooms and onions are cooked first and then added to the egg and matzoh mixture.

Chef Spungen also offers a yummy whole roasted cauliflower with pistachio pesto. The pesto is a mix of pistachios and cilantro along with flat leaf parsley leaves for the traditional  green  pesto color and texture.Lemon zest is added for tartness and color The cauliflower itself is roasted with two small yellow onions and olive oil. The pesto is spooned on top of it along with additional zest and parsley. Many home chefs serve tsimmes or the traditional Ashkenazi stew of carrots, prunes and raisins. Chef Spungen offers something slightly different with no prep work and very little time. Hers is sweet potatoes with a tsimmes glaze. The sweet potatoes are first cut and halved lengthwise and then rubbed with olive oil . After they're  roasted in a 400 degree Farenheit oven for thirty to forty minutes. The glaze is a blend of either the juice of navel or Cara Cara oranges along honey cinnamon and ginger. Cut prunes, vital in the original tsimmes recipe, are also added. The glaze is first boiled them simmered until it becomes thick and syrupy. It's then poured over the sweet potatoes. Orange zest is put on top for decoration and to counteract the sweetness

Again ,Passover will be different this year. Have dishes celebrating the difference. Try these recipes for a spin on the traditional  flavors and tastes.

Your Spring Planning Guide

Spring is a time of holiday and party planning, thanks to Easter and Passover.It's also shower season  and graduation party season too. All of these bring a certain amount of panic. However, don't worry. Start plotting and planning  - and it'll be smooth sailing through this busy season.

Easter and Passover require thought. Even though they're a couple of weeks away it's time to begin to write all sorts of lists The most important is the guest list. Who's coming - who's coming for both dinner and dessert and who's just stopping by for dessert.Another important list is an allergy and likes and dislikes. list.. There's also the question of the ham. Do  you want a dry or wet one? Do you want to just serve it as the solo main dish or have an accompanying leg of lamb? What about the vegans in you life? What will they eat? As for sides, do you want Spring fresh asparagus or go for more heartier fare such as homemade potato salad and baked beans? Passover also brings about several dilemmas for the home chef  Will a brisket be satisfying or lamb? would a leg of lamb be more satisfying than lamb chops?.Should the seder table be based on family traditions or jazzed up with a more trendy Mediterranean one that features za'atar and harissa? Also, should the desserts for both be a  buffet of different sweet treats or just one type of dessert. Another question, should the dinners be held outdoors if the weather is warm and sunny?

Showers and college grad parties will also crop up like Spring flowers.Many weddings take place in June and July so April and May are prime shower months. There may also be proposed baby showers too. Again the hosts not only have to start compiling lists but possible seating arrangements too. The last thing any party giver and celebrant need is a battle erupting. Another question is indoors or outdoors? If the house is too small, then consider a backyard venue which means start looking into tent, chair and table rentals. Now comes the next question is buffet or pot luck better? To be honest , people (and you do have to have to invite the opposite sex) are too busy gossiping and playing catch up to eat. Think about serving nibbles such as spinach pies or mini pizzas along with cheese puffs and small skewers of  cheese and veggies. Desserts can follow in the same vain with mini cupcakes and petit fours  iced with frosting that reflects the wedding's color scheme. Graduation parties also require planning too. Keep in mind that you may be housing  former dorm mates and roomies Respect their likes and dislikes along with allergies and culinary bent. If they can contribute great - they may even have some interesting contributions to the buffet.

Spring is hear and with it a varieties of holiday dinners and parties to plan.  Don't panic, Careful planning will help you get through this hectic season with ease.

Aquafaba The New Game Changer

Something exciting has happened in the food world and we have the chickpea to thank for it. Actually we have the liquid that surrounds it  for this new discovery. With it , vegans now can expand their diets to include everything from meringues to mayo.

Jane Black wrote about this breakthrough in today's New York Times Food section It started with Goose Wohlt, a software engineer from Indiana and recent vegan who was in charge of the dessert for his family's Passover seder. He wanted to create a meringue however , as any vegan home chef will tell you, is impossible. Replacing the egg , in particular, the egg white is difficult , even more so to  it replicate. Egg whites are a combination of water and proteins, and it has been impossible to create an animal friendly version - until Mr. Wohlt started tinkering with the idea.Science is his passion, Before the chickpeas, his great love was antigravity.He scoured literature on proteins, starches and vegetable gums.It was his wife however who provided the key to his discovery. She had mentioned seeing a video about two French cooks who used the liquid from canned chickpeas to make a chocolate mousse. He decided to try it with the meringues. It worked. The liquid  whipped up instantly into a snowy white foam and create the perfect meringue.He posted it on Facebook to a group called "What Fat Vegans Eat" back in March and created a sensation. He christened the liquid aquafaba, Latin for bean water.

It is a true game changer and something both professional and home chefs can get excited about. (it made me order an immersion blender on overnight delivery so I can try the recipes). Aquafaba is now being used in everything from pancakes to purees. Even companies are getting in on the craze. Sir Kensington, a condiment company is introducing a vegan mayonnaise using aquafaba. How does chickpea water turn into glossy meringue and silky mayo? It has to do with having the same chemical makeup as egg whites: ninety per cent water and ten percent water. when the two are whipped together, those proteins unfold and bond together  trapping the air bubbles caused by whisking. Pour aquafaba into a mixer and it will foam instantly.The only drawback is the slightly beany smell that disappears when cooked. There's no residual flavor and best of all few calories.It's excellent as a sub for the real mayo. Many have tried to replicate the original using peas which created a vegetal aftertaste. I am looking forward to making the mayo recipe with it since eggs are off my table thanks to gallbladder issues.It'll be flavorful thanks to the addition of dry mustard and lemon juice, perfect for sandwiches and salads.

Aquafaba is a rising star. It's an exciting new ingredient that will be a kitchen necessary in years to come.Watch yourselves, egg whites, you;re about to be replaced!

Passover:New And Traditional Foods

Passover is starting soon and with it the special recipes that have been handed down. The holiday is celebrated all over the wold and with that come international recipes.Cooks , well versed in the tradition can change It up a bit. Novice ones can fall back on the traditional but traditional with a twist.

Both Elaine Scolino and Melissa Clark touched on this yesterday in Wednesday's New York Times Dining section.Ms. Sciolino lives in Paris and creates a French styled seder for her husband (she is Sicilian and Catholic) Instead of the usual chicken fat or schmaltz she uses duck fat. The matzoh is  infused with orange and wine ,w hile the noodles are made from potato and egg. She is able to buy ground almonds because the French sell them in their marketplaces.. Here she makes ossobucco and a Sephardic Jew tradition rice (the Ashkenazis ban it completely from the Passover table.)If you;re not too much into tradition, you can try this as well.

Melissa Clark goes for the traditional by making use of Manishcwitz Wine, a jammy port like brew. The wine has been standard for generations here in the States. It is primarily used in haroseth , a loose paste  made with chopped apples, walnuts and cinnamon, She takes it  a step further with an endive salad with relatively the same ingredients. To this she adds the walnuts but coats them with a bath of egg white and cayenne mixed with the Manischewitz for bite and sweetness..

Passover seders have always relied on the traditional. However it's nice to experiment or add from other tables, It makes for an interesting meal , not to mention an interesting palate.