Sephardic Passover cuisine is rich and delicious—and since it’s traditional, we often make the same dishes year after year. This year, freshen up your menu with a few new recipes.
Sephardic-Style Charoset
20 pitted dates
3 bananas
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup sweet red wine
3 tablespoons date syrup/honey
1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted
1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachio nuts (not dyed red), toasted
1/2 cup whole almonds, toasted
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
In a food processor, purée dates until smooth. Add bananas, raisins, wine, and date syrup, and process to combine. Add walnuts, pistachios, almonds, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and cloves, and process until smooth. Store, covered, at room temperature until ready to serve.
Simple Cucumber Salad
6 medium cucumbers
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar
1 medium onion, sliced
Wash cucumbers. Do not peel them. Slice them thinly by hand or use a food processor. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 20 minutes. Drain. Add lemon juice, sugar and onion. Refrigerate for a few hours.
Lamb with Green Garlic
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 pounds lamb shouldertrimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups water or meat broth
1/2 pound green garlic or 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
2 pounds green onions, cut in
2-inch lengths, about 5 or 6 bunches
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, dill or flat leaf parsley
Film a large heavy skillet with about 3 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add the lamb to the oil and brown on all sides.
Transfer the lamb to a heavy stew pot, add the tomato paste, vinegar, 1 cup of the water or broth, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pan. Cook slowly over low heat for 50 to 60 minutes.
Do not peel the green garlic but snip off the root end and slice into two-inch lengths, using all of the green. Trim the roots off the green onions and also cut them into 2-inch lengths. Blanch garlic and green onions in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then drain.
Saute the garlic and green onions in remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderate heat for about 5 minutes, just to get a bit of color on them. Season with salt and pepper and then set them aside.
After the lamb has cooked about 1 hour, add the garlic and green onions to the pot. Cover and continue to cook until lamb is tender, another 20 or 30 minutes. Drain excess fat then add the remaining 1/2 cup water or broth, scraping up any browned bits. Adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with chopped mint, dill or parsley and serve at once.
Note: Consider using trimmed lamb stew meat. Otherwise, buy a little extra whole shoulder if it has a thick cap of fat on it. Serves 8.
Lemony Leek and Mushroom Soup
Stock:
7 cups water
1 cup chopped onion
Green parts from 2 leeks, well washed
4 sprigs parsley
1 large celery stalk, coarsely chopped
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large leeks, white and lightest green parts only, chopped and well rinsed
2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large celery stalk, diced
2 bay leaves
14 1/2-ounce can imported tomatoes with liquid, chopped
12 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh dill
Matzah farfel (coarse crumbs made of matzah flour, available in boxes from the supermarket) for garnish, optional
Combine all the ingredients for the stock in a soup pot or large saucepan.
Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Let stand until needed, then strain before using. Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the chopped leeks and sautee over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the leeks just begin to go limp. Add the stock, turnips, celery and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and mushrooms and continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender, another 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Remove from the heat. Allow the soup to stand for several hours, or cool and refrigerate overnight.
Before serving, heat through as needed. Stir in the parsley and dill. If the vegetables seem crowded, adjust the consistency with more water, then adjust the seasonings and lemon juice. Top each serving with a sprinkling of matzah farfel if desired. Serves 8-10.
Turkish Eggplant Stew
2 medium eggplants (2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
14- to 16-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon, or to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cooked rice (optional)
Preheat the oven to 450°F Prick the eggplants in several places with fork; place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until softened and collapsed, about 45 to 55 minutes. Cool, slice open and scoop the pulp from the skin. Discard the skin and chop the pulp.
In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion; sauté until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggplant, tomatoes, lemon juice and sugar. Simmer gently, covered, 20 minutes. Add the parsley, then season with salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes more. Serve alone or over rice. Serves 8 to 10.
Honey Nut Cake in Soaking Syrup
Cake:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon finely minced orange zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or 1/2 teaspoon for a more pronounced cinnamon flavor)
1/2 cup matzah cake meal
1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts or almonds
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Soaking Syrup:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 7-inch round layer cake pan.
For the cake: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, using a wire whisk, beat the granulated and brown sugars with the oil and eggs until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Stir in the remaining batter ingredients. Turn the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is light brown and set. Cool for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the soaking syrup.
For the soaking syrup: In a medium saucepan, combine the ingredients. Heat to dissolve the sugar and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes syrupy. Cool well.
Pour the cooled syrup over the cooled cake, poking holes in the cake with a fork, to permit the syrup to penetrate. Allow it to stand for 2 to 4 hours to absorb the syrup. Chilling the cake offsets its sweetness and makes it easier to cut.
Almond-Lemon Torte with Fresh Strawberries
Cake:
Mild olive oil (not extra-virgin) for brushing pan plus 6 tablespoons
4 tablespoons unsalted matzah meal, divided
2 cups almond flour or almond meal
1 cup sugar, divided
6 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Sauce and berries:
5 cups sliced stemmed
strawberries (about 2 pounds), divided
1 tablespoon (or more) sugar
For the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush 10-inch-diameter springform pan with oil. Line bottom with parchment paper round. Brush paper with oil. Place 2 tablespoons matzah meal in pan and shake to coat; tap out excess.
Combine remaining 2 tablespoons matzah meal, almond flour and 1/3 cup sugar in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Place egg yolks in a large bowl; place egg whites in another large bowl. Add 1/3 cup sugar to yolks. Using electric mixer, beat yolk mixture until thick and fluffy. Beat in 6 tablespoons olive oil, then lemon juice, orange juice and lemon peel. Mix in dry ingredients. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to whites; using clean dry beaters, beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into yolk mixture in 3 additions. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Sprinkle almonds over.
Bake cake until golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Place pan on rack; cool cake completely in pan.
The cake can be made 2 days ahead. Cover cake pan with foil and let stand at room temperature.
Note: Almond flour or almond meal is sometimes labeled “ground almonds.” It’s available at specialty foods stores and natural foods stores. If you can’t find it, you can make your own by grinding almonds to a fine powder in a food processor.
For sauce and berries: Combine 2 cups sliced strawberries and 1 tablespoon sugar in processor; blend until smooth. Sweeten sauce with more sugar, if desired; transfer to small bowl. The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Cut around cake; release pan sides. Cut cake into wedges. Serve with sauce and remaining sliced strawberries.
