Around the Passover Table

More than 75 Holiday Recipes for the Food Lover

Jayne Cohen

Wiley Selects

Copyright © 2012 Jayne Cohen. All rights reserved.

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Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Around the Passover Table

Table of Contents

Passover

Kosher For Passover?

Passover Ingredients

Preparing For Passover

Tips For Planning a Seder Menu

Setting the Seder Table

Passover Recipes

Basics

PASSOVER

14–21 Nissan (March or April)

All people, in every generation, should see themselves as having experienced the Exodus in Egypt.

—PASSOVER HAGGADAH

A generous ransom paid for a much sought-after piece of broken matzoh. Horrific plagues re-created out of wine drops, and bricks from a scrumptious fruit and nut paste. So many raucous cousins, the dining table must be stretched with bridge tables until it snakes around the front door.

At every Passover seder Jews revisit magical childhood memories.

A glorious ceremonial family dinner held on the first and second nights (Israelis and Reform Jews observe one night only) of Passover, the seder brings to life the ancient Hebrews’ liberation from slavery and their flight from Egypt. Nearly 80 percent of North American Jews—and many non-Jews as well—attend a seder every year, making Passover the most celebrated—and best-loved—of all the Jewish holidays.

The story of the Exodus is a universal one, a struggle for political liberation and spiritual freedom relevant to all peoples. Moses, as God’s emissary, pleaded with Pharaoh to free his people—the enslaved Hebrews who, smarting under the taskmasters’ whips, were forced to build Egyptian cities. To convince the nefarious king to heed the request, God visited nine monstrous plagues on the Egyptians, ranging from boils on their skin to frogs in the water to total darkness. Still Pharaoh would not relent. Finally, God sent the worst curse of all: the death of the first-born males, and Pharaoh at last conceded. That night the Hebrews ate a hurried meal of roasted lamb and unleavened bread and fled in haste, lest he change his mind.

And that he did. Now the Hebrews stood before the Red Sea, and behind them, they could feel the hot breath of the Egyptian pursuers mingled with the desert scorch. Moses lifted his arm and miraculously the waters parted so that they could pass through to safety. When the last Hebrew reached the shore, Moses returned the waters to their natural state, drowning the Egyptians and their chargers.

It is a stirring tale, meant to be felt, not merely told, and the injunction above, to relive the Exodus personally, is taken seriously. The symbolic seder foods are used to make the narrating vivid, and because most of these foods are consumed, we actually taste the experience and ensure it will become a part of us.

The matzoh recalls not only the flat, unleavened bread quickly prepared for the flight from Egypt, it also suggests the humility of the Hebrews first as slaves, and later as grateful worshipers before God. They had become acquainted with yeasted bread in Egypt, so leavened bread (and by extension, any form of leavening), puffed and swollen as with vanity and pride, symbolized their Egyptian oppressors. Jews are prohibited not just from eating leavening (hametz in Hebrew) during the eight days of Passover, they must fastidiously remove every crumb of it from their homes. This is a holiday of freedom and every trace of the tyrants must be cleared away.

After the meal, a piece of matzoh stealthily hidden by the leader of the seder becomes the object of a treasure hunt for all the children. Whoever finds this afikomen (the word means “dessert” in Greek) will demand a ransom (contemporary requests run from cash to charitable contributions to video games), for the meal cannot be concluded until it is eaten.

The focus of the table is the special seder plate filled with other ritual foods from the Passover saga. The highly symbolic egg, eaten extensively throughout the holiday, appears on the plate either roasted or haminado, Sephardi-style. It speaks of many things. Primarily, it recalls the festival offerings brought to the Temple in Jerusalem, and, as a symbol of mourning, reinforces our sense of loss at the Temple’s destruction. But paradoxically, it also stands for the eternal and for new life, the hope and optimism that are evoked with every spring. A roasted lamb shank bone (sometimes replaced by a chicken wing or neck or even, for vegetarians, a roasted beet) brings to mind other sacrifices at the Temple.

Salt water or vinegar gives us a taste of the tears and hard sweat of slavery, but it is tempered by the sweet vegetable we dip into it: parsley, celery, or soft lettuce, representing the renewal and growth of spring. Horseradish, arugula, romaine, or other bitter herbs sting our tongues with the harshness of slavery and oppression. And everybody’s favorite is haroset, which mimics the brick and mortar the Hebrews used to build Pharaoh’s cities. Variations on this fruit-and-nut theme reflect all the myriad foodstuffs available in the Diaspora. Classic Ashkenazi haroset calls for simple ingredients easy to obtain in Central and Eastern Europe: chopped apples and walnuts or almonds flavored with cinnamon and wine. Sephardis could choose from the exotic pantries of the Mediterranean. Their luscious “mortar” might blend pureed dates and wine with chopped walnuts. Coconut, pomegranate, lemon juice, pine nuts, and chestnuts are just a few possible additions.

The joy symbolized by the four cups of wine (or grape juice) each celebrant drinks during the seder is not complete: recognizing that our enemies, too, suffered during the Exodus diminishes our gladness. So, with one finger we flick out a drop of wine for each plague visited on the Egyptians. The door is opened during the service so that the Prophet Elijah, harbinger of peace and the Messianic Age, may come in to drink the cup of wine poured for him. Everyone watches this goblet closely to see if he has sipped, a sure sign of God’s blessing.

Today some seders feature a special goblet, the Kos Miryam (Miriam’s Cup), created by a group of women in the 1980s. The cup is filled with water and honors Moses’ sister, who provided the Israelites with water from a well that followed her throughout the wandering and dried up when she died. (For more specific details on preparing these ritual items, please see Setting the Seder Table.)

The ceremonies are spelled out in a special book called the Haggadah. To date, more than 4,000 printed (and countless hand-lettered) versions have been created; as Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi wrote in Haggadah and History, “it has been reprinted more often and in more places than any other Jewish classic.” New editions attempt to connect the ancient struggles of our ancestors to our modern lives in passionate and meaningful ways.

This too is part of the tradition. For while “seder” means order in Hebrew, the rituals have never been set in stone. Ever since Passover became a home-centered holiday with the destruction of the Second Temple, the service has been evolving, new customs and ceremonies added over time and throughout the Diaspora.

During Talmudic times, the ancient Hebrews adopted many elements of the Greek symposium and Roman banquet. The four cups of wine owe as much to the Roman practice of drinking before, during, and after the meal as to the traditional Kiddush ceremony. Food scholar John Cooper even suggests the Greek game kottabos, flicking wine from a cup at a target, may have been the model for flicking wine when reciting the plagues. Greeks and Romans, reclining on couches, dined on sauces similar to haroset; the Romans often began their feasts with egg hors d’oeuvre, still the seder custom among both Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews.

Not until the Middle Ages would the European seder plate resemble the current Ashkenazi one: rabbis then finalized the roasted shankbone and egg as appropriate substitutes for the ancient Temple sacrifices and approved the use of horseradish for bitter herbs, though as a root, it lacked the requisite bitter leaves called for in the Mishnah. And after the Crusades, expulsions, and a continuing litany of other horrors, the Middle Ages introduced the rituals associated with Elijah, because Jews desperately needed a symbol of hope and promise of redemption.

Recently, I came across the purple mimeographed words that had brought the story of the Exodus to life for me as a little girl at the close of the 1950s. My Conservative synagogue, like other Jewish congregations on Long Island, had included the old African-American spiritual, “Go Down Moses,” in our Model Seder, and my Hebrew school teacher conflated the terrifying images of the nascent civil rights struggle I had been seeing on TV with our own slavery in Egypt.

It’s an image that has continued to resonate for American Jews. At her 1961 seder, where the guest list included President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, Dorothy Goldberg, wife of Secretary of Labor and later Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, noted in the margin of the family’s personal Haggadah that she must remember to mention “one of the best descriptions of the Exodus is the great Negro spiritual, ‘Go Down Moses.’ ” Today the song is considered a holiday classic, invariably found on Passover CD collections.

Of course, to some extent every family also customizes the seder to reflect the needs and desires of the participants. When I was a girl, the children all whooped through the house madly searching for the afikomen, while cries of “cold,” “warmer,” and “hot-hot” guided us to find it, finally, crumbled perhaps in the paper sleeve of a 45 rpm record like the “The Witch Doctor.” Then we launched into a little night music, riotously belting out songs from “Had Gadya” (a lovely Hebrew allegory in the “House That Jack Built” tradition) to “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”

As we grew older, my father wove modern parallels of oppression and liberation into the traditional Passover narrative, sparking rousing political exchanges. Particularly poignant was our seder the night Rita, a friend from Papa Doc’s Haiti, joined in.

Throughout the seder, intoxicating aromas emanate from the kitchen, tweaking appetites whetted by brief tastes of the ceremonial foods. At last it is time to eat. Reclining comfortably amid pillows and soft cushions, we set to the grand feast, perhaps the most splendid of the Jewish calendar. Sweet wine, although traditional in many homes, is not mandated, and many Jews prefer to sip the excellent dry kosher-for-Passover wines available to complement the delectable food.

“Let all who are hungry come and eat,” the Haggadah enjoins, and Jews make a point of inviting guests as well as extended family members to share the meal. There are rich, inventive dishes made of matzoh and the lively perfumes of early spring: fresh young fennel, asparagus, mushrooms, artichokes, and rhubarb. Slow-braised lamb and brisket, pot roast cooked with horseradish and beet juice, or gently simmered chicken with preserved lemon and olives remain moist and succulent, even when the predinner service runs late. Sumptuous desserts relying on ground nuts and eggs, instead of flour and leavening, are intensely flavored yet remarkably light.

The holiday places prohibitions on many foodstuffs. Except for specially prepared matzoh, no products made from any grain (including derivatives such as beer or grain-based vinegar) and no leavening, such as yeast, may be consumed. In addition, many Ashkenazi Jews also refrain from eating corn, legumes, and rice during Passover.

Yet, Jewish cooks had to invent a unique cuisine that would provide delicious menus not only for the seders but also throughout the eight days of the joyous holiday. Matzoh, crumbled into pieces, crushed into meal, or finely ground into matzoh cake meal, as well as ground nuts and potato starch, replaced flour and bread crumbs in cooking and baking. Generous amounts of eggs, especially the beaten whites, ensured the Passover foods would be light and fluffy. So successful were the specialties originally created to conform with the stringent demands of the holiday that many have become the most beloved of all Jewish dishes, served up year-round: featherlight matzoh balls, eggy matzoh brie, honey-drenched fritters, and special latkes, to name just a few.

The distinctive Passover foods imbue the holiday with a unique rhythm all its own. Breakfast without the quick fixes of cold cereal and bagels, or lunch with no sandwiches or pizza are more carefully planned and more leisurely eaten. The comfortable, relaxed mood that begins at the seder table with pillows and cushions remains with us through all the meals of the festival.

KOSHER FOR PASSOVER?

It all started simply enough. Following the commandments in Exodus 12:18–20 (“there shall be no leaven found in your houses . . . You shall eat nothing leavened”) meant getting rid of all traces of leavening, or hametz, and dining on matzoh during the holiday instead of leavened bread. And there was bread, and there was unleavened bread—the first Passover.

But soon the ancient Hebrews developed more sophisticated tastes. They made bread not just from barley, wheat, and spelt but also from rye and oats. And not just bread alone: cakes, porridge, crackers, and alcoholic beverages, too.

So to avoid confusion, in the Talmud the rabbis expanded the prohibition against eating leavening to a broader ban on any of the five grains mentioned above in any form except matzoh and matzoh products. They reasoned that those grains, even when mixed with just cool water, would begin to rise naturally through contact with airborne wild yeasts (similar to sourdough starters) after a short period of time (this was later determined to be eighteen minutes). So only matzoh, prepared from start to finish in fewer than eighteen minutes, under rabbinic supervision, can be guaranteed unleavened, and, therefore, kosher for Passover. Everything else derived from those grains is hametz: flatbreads, cereals, cookies, grain-based extracts, vinegar, and alcoholic products such as beer and malt. Of course, yeast, a form of leavening, and yeast products are prohibited also.

And baking soda and baking powder? Surprisingly, that depends. Many Orthodox rabbis declare them kosher for Passover (when made with only kosher-for-Passover ingredients) because their leavening powers derive from chemicals, not from fermentation like yeast. The secret of impossibly fluffy Passover cakes and seder matzoh balls so airy they levitate above the soup is not some kabbalist cooking tip. It’s just lots of kosher-for-Passover baking powder.

But if you think using leaveners—albeit, rabbinically sanctioned chemical ones—well, goes against the grain, so to speak, you’re not alone. Many rabbis believe that with baking powder and baking soda, the holiday no longer tastes unique, and many Jewish cooks, myself included, do not use these ingredients during Passover. As Marcy Goldman, author of the excellent A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking, puts it: “My grandmothers would have had kittens! . . . my personal feeling is that I can appreciate whipped egg whites to aerate my Passover cakes, but somehow once baking soda and baking powder are introduced, the spirit of the holiday is compromised.”

KITNIYOT

While all Jews are prohibited from eating hametz during the holiday, there are other foods that are proscribed, not by commandment (mitzvah) but by custom (minhag), for various communities. The most important of these is the group of foods known as kitniyot (from the Hebrew, katan, meaning “little”), avoided by most traditional Ashkenazi Jews.

Although the Talmud specifically says that rice, millet, and other grains are kosher for Passover, during the Middle Ages, Ashkenazi rabbis worried that since flour ground from these and other grains, legumes, and seeds, or kitniyot, could resemble one of the five hametz grains from which matzoh may be prepared, people might mistakenly eat food prepared with hametz, thinking it had been made with -kitniyot. And since kitniyot looks like hametz, there may be grains of hametz mixed in with kitniyot (for example, bits of barley mixed in with grains of rice). To avoid such mix-ups, these rabbis banned consumption of all kitniyot during Passover.

And that’s when the real confusion began.

For there exists no list that everyone agrees on: There is much disagreement today among and even within the various Ashkenazi denominations as to what should be classified as kitniyot. Some dispute including certain kitniyot derivatives among the prohibited foods: for example, peanut oil has been approved by some Orthodox rabbis because it, unlike peanuts, could never be ground and mistaken for flour. Most Conservative and many Orthodox authorities do not regard fresh string beans as kitniyot. Quinoa, a relative of spinach that looks and acts like a grain, is often not considered kitniyot, while buckwheat, related to sorrel and rhubarb and neither a grain nor a legume, is always considered kitniyot. And foods such as ground almonds or potato starch—both of which really do look like wheat flour and, in fact, are often substituted for it during the holiday—have never been considered kitniyot.

Some foods have been incorrectly labeled kitniyot in the past because of their names (vanilla and coffee beans) or ignorance about their true plant genus. Garlic was treated as kitniyot in several cookbooks I own dating from the 1950s, though later rabbinic authorities could find no justification for doing so. Fresh fennel is still on some kitniyot lists; while fennel seeds might resemble flour when ground (and, therefore, be considered kitniyot), fresh fennel could never be. Nor is it a legume: it is a member of the carrot family.

These ingredients may be considered kitniyot by some communities: alfalfa, bean, and other sprouts; anise seed; buckwheat; canola oil; caraway; chickpeas; coriander seeds; confectioners’ sugar (if it contains cornstarch); corn (and derivatives such as cornstarch); cumin; flaxseed; fresh and dried beans, peas, and lentils; lecithin; millet; mustard; peanuts; poppy seeds; rice; sesame seeds; soy beans and other soy products, including soy sauce and tofu; and sunflower seeds. And the list is by no means exhaustive.

Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews usually do not avoid kitniyot, though some do not eat rice, or may go through special processes with kitniyot, such as sifting through the seeds of their Passover spices to ensure that they have not been contaminated by hametz.

Some of the recipes in this chapter call for ingredients that, while acceptable to most Sephardi and Middle Eastern Jews, may be classified as kitniyot by some Ashkenazi rabbinic authorities. (Often these ingredients are optional.) Readers must decide whether a particular food conforms to the Passover traditions observed not just by them, but equally important, by their guests as well.

HOW CAN I TELL IF SOMETHING IS KITNIYOT? Since rules of kitniyot vary, depending on one’s Jewish affiliation (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist) and level of observance, ask your rabbi or check printed or online kashrut guidelines prepared by an organization approved by your community.

If you are not affiliated, do not have family customs to guide you, but do not consider yourself part of the Sephardi or Mizrachi tradition, the criteria you follow will be an individual decision—but again, one that is mindful of the customs of those with whom you are celebrating Passover.

SO CAN SEPHARDI AND ASHKENAZI JEWS BREAK UNLEAVENED BREAD TOGETHER AT THE SAME SEDER? Kitniyot do not have the same forbidden status as hametz, so even observant Ashkenazi Jews who refrain from eating kitniyot are permitted to eat at a seder at which kitniyot foods are served to others, as long as there is no kitniyot present in the food they themselves consume. Some observant Ashkenazim will eat from plates and utensils used for kitniyot and even eat food cooked in a pot that has been used for kitniyot; others will eat from plates used for kitniyot derivatives (corn or peanut oil) but not for actual kitniyot.

In Israel, where the Ashkenazi community is not the sizable majority it is among American Jewry, the Conservative (Masorti) Movement has recently ruled that all Jews living in Israel may abandon the minhag of refraining from kitniyot. In his responsum, Rabbi David Golinken explained that “in light of the ingathering of Jews of all ethnic groups,” observing kitniyot causes unnecessary schisms among Israel’s people and inflates the importance of the insignificant (kitniyot) at the expense of the significant (hametz). Though the ruling pertains only to Conservative Jews living in Israel, it has led some American rabbis to call for a more liberal interpretation of kitniyot restrictions.

GEBROCHTS

(Yiddish for broken, referring to broken matzoh and farfel)

Some very observant Jews refrain from eating foods made with a combination of matzoh or matzoh meal and a liquid, concerned that if a little insufficiently cooked flour within the matzoh were moistened, leavening or fermentation might take place. So they avoid matzoh balls, matzoh brie, and other matzoh-based foods cooked with liquid until the eighth day of Passover.

RICH MATZOH

Made with eggs and apple juice, egg matzoh is not a “bread of affliction,” but instead a matzoh ashira (rich matzoh). Strictly observant Jews do not eat egg matzoh on Passover, though they do consider it permissible for small children, the elderly, and the infirm.

PACKAGED PRODUCTS

Strictly observant Jews will only buy packaged goods that are certified kosher-for-Passover.

PASSOVER INGREDIENTS

Stocking a Passover pantry no longer requires a visit to communities with a large Jewish population, or schlepping from store to store in search of hard-to-find ingredients. Internet and mail order sources can provide any Passover foods you need. But that will entail advanced planning.

So for those times when you need a substitute for a Passover product, and for Passover equivalents of hametz ingredients, here is a helpful list.

Matzoh Meal: process three matzohs, broken in pieces, in a food processor fitted with the steel blade until finely ground. Yield: 1 cup

Matzoh cake meal: process matzoh meal in a mini-processor or a clean coffee grinder until it is a fine powder.

1 cup all-purpose flour: about 2⁄3 cup matzoh cake meal or 3⁄4 cup potato starch.

Breadcrumb substitute: matzoh meal, homemade matzoh crumbs, ground nuts, or use a combination of ground nuts and matzoh meal.

Cornstarch: 1 tablespoon cornstarch equals about 1 tablespoon potato starch.

Confectioners’ sugar: see Passover Confectioners’ Sugar.

Vanilla extract is almost always prepared with grain alcohol, which is unkosher for Passover. Passover vanilla extract is available; unfortunately, it is often made from artificial vanilla. You can prepare your own kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract, but you’ll need to start well before the holiday. To make homemade vanilla extract: split 3 plump, supple vanilla beans in half lengthwise, exposing all of the scented seeds within. Scrape the seeds gently with the tip of your knife to get their fragrance going. Put the beans into a small, clear glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and pour in 1 cup kosher-for-Passover vodka. Push the beans down into the vodka so they are completely covered with the liquid. Close the jar tightly and let it sit in a cool, dark place to infuse. The vodka will turn dark as the vanilla steeps in it, and after about two months, it will be full of vanilla flavor. Strain into a clean jar, or if you prefer, leave the extract in the original jar and simply strain out the amount you need. To remove the vanilla flecks, pour through a strainer lined with a coffee filter or paper towel.

Or substitute homemade vanilla sugar for the regular sugar called for in a recipe. To prepare it, either bury a split vanilla bean or two in a sugar canister and set aside for several weeks until fragrant or grind a split vanilla bean cut into pieces with 1 cup sugar in a blender until pulverized, then sift through a fine-mesh strainer.

You can also steep a vanilla bean in balsamic vinegar and use the vinegar for sprinkling on lightly sweetened strawberries or mango.

For an unusual, but intriguing alternative to vanilla flavoring in Passover cakes, try a small amount of dried lavender (about 2 teaspoons) or chopped fresh rosemary leaves (about 1 tablespoon), ground with 1 cup sugar.

Or substitute 2 to 3 teaspoons kosher-for-Passover liqueur for 1 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover vanilla.

Kosher-for-Passover almond extract: substitute 2 to 3 teaspoons kosher-for-Passover nut-flavored liqueur for 1 teaspoon extract. If the recipe calls for liquid, you can infuse it with prune pits for a wonderful, complex almondy taste.

PREPARING FOR PASSOVER

Long before the holiday, traditional Jews begin an extensive spring cleaning of every room where food may have been eaten or crumbs forgotten during the year, ridding their homes of hametz, from the stray Cheerio buried under the toddler’s toys to a chocolate-covered wafer hidden in a coat pocket.

Some year-round table- and kitchenware may be made kosher-for-Passover by scalding them in boiling water or heating them until they are red-hot. But anything that cannot be made kosher is stored away, and the special dishes, cutlery, and utensils reserved for Passover use alone are unpacked and arranged in the newly clean cabinets. We would set Great-Aunt Anna’s huge white-and-gold porcelain service on the buffet, and my mother cringed every time my dad slapped a serving of sizzling matzoh brie on the eggshell-thin plates. Now it is my turn to cringe: the beautiful heirloom plates grace my cabinets.

Pasta, bread crumbs, and cereal all figure prominently in the pre-Passover meals, as the family tries to finish up their hametz before the holiday. Unopened containers of prohibited foods can be given away to shelters, churches, and social service agencies for distribution to the needy, or offered to non-Jewish friends. Or they may be sealed and stored for the duration of the holiday.

The evening before the first seder, the family goes from room to room in the final search for leavening (bedikat hametz). Thus, begins The Great Hametz Treasure Hunt: parents hide one or more pieces of bread, then children shine their flashlights into every nook and cranny to find the hametz. For added excitement, the parents might offer a small prize to the child who finds the most hametz. (Just be sure you remember where and how many pieces you have hidden, or you might be unpleasantly surprised during—or worse still, a month after—the holiday.)

The hametz found during the search is set aside until the morning. Then it is combined with any hametz leftover from breakfast and destroyed: usually it is burnt, but it may also be flushed down the toilet or scattered to the winds.

The house is now ready for Passover.

TIPS FOR PLANNING A SEDER MENU

THINK GREEN. Originally an agricultural holiday, Passover celebrates spring, the reawakening of the earth mirrored in the rebirth of the Jews as a free people. Even if your ancestors spent the holiday in frosty northern climes, your seder should not be a monochrome in varying shades of brown. Emphasize the flavors of the season: fresh vegetables and fruits, like asparagus, artichokes, spinach, leeks, rhubarb, and so on. Lighten heavier foods, like matzoh balls, kugels, and meat gravies with fresh herbs, local ingredients, such as ramps and wild garlic shoots, even a squirt of lemon or grated citrus zest. Include a huge salad of tender greens or a few cooked vegetable salads as a welcome antidote to a matzoh-rich meal.

FEAST OF SYMBOLS. To enrich the seder experience, weave the symbolic foods throughout the meal: matzoh in many guises, tastes of karpas greens everywhere—perhaps a salad of bitter herbs.

HORS D’OEUVRE. Guests—and cooks too—are often famished when they sit down at the table; growling bellies can make it difficult for them to enjoy the seder service. If possible, offer a nibble (and perhaps something heartier for children) before the seder begins. My sister-in-law Ellen sets out chopped liver for arriving guests. Other simple options include vegetable dips, like avocado or eggplant puree, canapes of smoked fish or tuna salad on cucumber or radish rounds, or miniature bellahat speared with toothpicks. Or serve a special, generous portion of the ceremonial foods when they are introduced during the service. For example, pass around crudités (batons of carrots, peppers, celery, florets of cauliflower) after you eat the karpas from the seder plate. Offer a few kinds of haroset or serve the more substantial Tangy Haroset Bites at the appropriate time in the service.

PASSOVER AND OTHER RESTRICTIONS. Check the dietary customs of your guests (please read Kosher for Passover?). Even Jews who eat unkosher foods throughout the year may observe special restrictions on Passover. If you are having vegetarian or vegan guests, see For Your Vegetarian Son, Your Vegan Niece, for suggestions.

STARTERS. Most families begin with eggs. Sephardim serve the roasted huevos haminados, while Ashkenazim customarily dip hard-boiled eggs in saltwater. Our family savored untraditional but wonderful chopped hard-boiled eggs and onions. Because this is such a festive meal, both Ashkenazim and Sephardim often serve two or more appetizers, in addition to the eggs (such as a fish and a soup or a separate vegetable course).

MAIN COURSES. Choose a main course that doesn’t call for last-minute work, so you can join the table for the service. It should be able to withstand a good wait in the kitchen without drying out, especially if your predinner service runs long. Brisket and other slow-braised dishes are ideal.

At the seder meals, observant Ashkenazim often refrain from eating roasted meat or poultry—and some, even roasted vegetables—because they resemble the ancient burnt Passover sacrifice, forbidden after the Temple was destroyed.

For large gatherings, serve two main courses, perhaps a meat and a poultry. It’s always nice to provide guests with a choice, and since many main courses can’t be doubled or tripled easily, preparing two different entrees usually requires little more work.

LIGHTEN UP THE SIDE DISHES. Balance matzoh-rich foods with vegetables served in their most natural state: roasted new potatoes dusted with fresh thyme, spinach wilted in olive oil and garlic, asparagus simply roasted or lightly sprinkled with toasted matzoh crumbs and nuts.

THE SECOND NIGHT. As a child, I anticipated the second seder more eagerly than the first. My sleuthing instincts just might be sufficiently sharpened by then to snare the hidden afikomen before my brother. And my mother prepared a seductive veal chop—nearly the size of the dinner plate, crusty with well-seasoned matzoh meal that was golden-fried in olive oil and napped with lemony tomato sauce—just for me, the most finicky of the children, to lure me back to the table.

If you are making the seders both nights, you’ll need to plan a second dinner as well. Some cooks decide to serve the same foods at both, perhaps fashioning some of the leftovers into delicious minas (matzoh pies), while others plan a different menu entirely: one that may be more casual, less traditional (families are often more willing to try new, unfamiliar recipes the second night), or more playful. A lavish dairy feast—replete with cheesy kugels and fritadas, followed by buttery desserts under drifts of whipped cream—makes for a delectable, if unusual, second seder, one sure to please most children.

TIME OUT. Hosting even a simple seder is a lot of work, and no matter how much you love to cook, there may come a time when you need some quick fixes. A few ideas: instead of gefilte fish, serve smoked fish nestled in endive or radicchio leaves (scatter with capers and stipple with horseradish mayonnaise). Or serve Slow-Roasted Salmon or cold poached halibut with Beet-Horseradish Relish, and Green Herb Oil, an herbed mayonnaise, or salsa verde. Prepare Cheater’s Chicken in the Pot and Almost-Homemade Soup or just doctor good-quality, low-sodium purchased chicken broth by simmering it with nubbins of boneless, skinless chicken breast and purchased, precut raw vegetables, then sprinkle with fresh dill. Chicken Matzoh Balls are quickest, or simply serve the soup with seasoned matzoh, broken into croutons, if desired. Make Easy Onion-Braised Brisket the night before the seder, and skim off the fat just before reheating. Accompany with roasted asparagus and roasted potatoes, enlivened with a grating of fresh horseradish. Finish with a crumble of fresh fruit topped with ready-made macaroons and purchased dairy-free kosher-for-Passover sorbet.

Or host a potluck seder, assembling the meal by assigning different dishes to your guests.

SETTING THE SEDER TABLE

After the destruction of the ancient Temple, the table, according to tradition, became our altar. At no time is this truer than Passover. For Hasidim, setting the Passover table and arranging the seder plate are sacred acts.

If at all possible, do try to involve family members—especially children—in preparing the table as well as cooking the meal. They will enjoy the seder service more and participate more actively in it.

In addition to festive linens and tableware and fresh spring flowers, you will want to include most or all of the following:

• Candles: at least one pair. Kindling them signals the festival has begun. Sometimes, the hosts may set aside an area for each guest to light a candle for someone they miss: The seder service glows with their light.

• A Haggadah for each guest.

• Matzohs. Three perfect plain matzohs are separately placed in a special sectioned matzoh cover or a tray with individual compartments. Or arrange the three matzohs in the folds of a cloth napkin. Two matzohs recall the double portion of manna the Israelites gathered before the Sabbath; the third matzoh is broken in half, one piece to be eaten as the “bread of affliction” during the service, and the other used for the afikomen. The matzohs also represent the three communities of the Jewish people: Kohen (priest), Levite (assistant to the priest), and Yisraelite (all other Jews).

• Elijah’s Cup. If you do not have a special ritual Elijah’s Cup, use any attractive goblet, but preferably one that is larger than the wineglasses on the table. Some families begin the service with the cup filled; others ask guests to spill a little of their wine into the cup at the appropriate time in the service, symbolically making certain that everyone contributes to the redemption of the world.

• Miriam’s Cup. A recent addition to many seder tables, honoring Moses’ sister, this is filled with water and placed in the center, next to Elijah’s Cup. You can use any nice wineglass, if you don’t have a special Miriam’s Cup.

• Cup of Remembrance. When my brother-in-law Larry’s brother-in-law passed away suddenly, Larry initiated a ritual in remembrance. Every seder we now fill a cup for Marty, ensuring that the adored man whose presence had graced all our past seders would always remain a part of our celebrations to come.

• A glass for the four cups of wine or grape juice that each participant will drink. (If, for health reasons, a person cannot drink either wine or grape juice, you can substitute another drink.)

• Pillows or cushions. Placed on the chair of each participant (or in some families, on the seder leader’s chair only), these symbols of comfort remind us that we can recline as free people.

PREPARING THE SEDER PLATE

Most of the symbolic foods (some of which are eaten, some not) are arranged on a special seder plate, k’arah in Hebrew. Throughout the ages, beautiful dishes have been fashioned from silver, pewter, brass, painted porcelain, and glass, with designated spaces, indented compartments, or little bowls for the ceremonial foods. If you don’t have a seder plate, you can display the foods on a pretty tray or platter. Decorate the platter with fresh spring blossoms or herbs. Celebrants who are including new ritual foods will probably have to present them on a platter, since there may be no designated place for them on a traditional seder plate.

If you are having a lot of guests, you may want a second seder plate for the other end of a large table.

These are the traditional seder plate items.

KARPAS This is a vegetable to celebrate spring and new growth, rebirth and the beginning of new life: the sweet taste of freedom. It is usually a green vegetable, such as celery, sweet lettuce, or a spring herb like parsley or chervil. Some Sephardim choose celery leaves, if they will not be using the leaves for the maror (the same vegetable cannot be used for both karpas and maror). A few Eastern European Jews may use boiled potato, a reminder of the harsh early spring in that part of the world, making their karpas—the first of the ritual foods eaten during the service—a more substantial “snack.”

If there is no room on the seder plate for enough karpas to serve all your guests, place a representative amount on the seder plate and put the remainder in a separate dish.

The karpas will be dipped in a bowl of tears—symbolic not only of the Israelites’ suffering, but, some say, of God’s pain when slaying the Egyptians. Ashkenazim use salted water, while many Sephardim prefer vinegar, or lemon or lime juice. The bowl may be put on the seder plate or placed alongside it.

MAROR Recalling the misery of the Israelites’ slavery and oppression and the suffering that continues in our day, this bitter herb may vary from community to community, even from one family to another. Asheke-nazim favor freshly ground or sliced fresh horseradish root, prepared grated horseradish, or romaine lettuce. Sephardim prefer bitter greens, choosing among endive, escarole, chicory, sorrel, arugula, dandelion, purslane, watercress, and so on, either singly or in combination. Some Sephardim choose celery leaves, which tastes sweet at first but then turns bitter in the mouth—a metaphor for the Israelites’ sojourn in Egypt. And others have used wasabi, mustard greens, or, in a multicultural family, even the spicy Korean condiment kim chee.

Maror is eaten by all the participants, so if you do not have room on the seder plate for enough maror, put the additional in a separate bowl.

HAROSET This is the fruit and nut dip symbolic of the clay or mortar the Israelites used to construct the pyramids; for fun, if your haroset paste is stiff enough, sculpt it into a pyramid shape on the seder plate.

Today some hosts like to offer two or three harosets from different communities, reflecting the diversity of the Jewish people (see Classic Ashkenazi Haroset, Grandma Dorothy’s Haroset, Date Haroset, and Tangy Haroset Bites for suggestions). You’ll need plenty of haroset for everybody; serve the extra in a separate bowl.

HAZERET Many seder plates call for a second bitter herb in addition to the maror, to be used in the traditional Hillel sandwich: matzoh enclosing a filling of bitter herbs and haroset. This may be any of the bitter foods not used previously for maror. Plan to have enough hazeret for each guest, since it will be eaten during the service.

ZEROA (FOREARM) The roasted shankbone recalls the ancient Paschal lamb sacrifice in the Temple. It also starkly represents the protective arm of God: the Israelites marked their doorposts with blood from the lamb slaughtered on the eve of the Exodus. Seeing this sign, the Angel of Death “passed over” their homes, sparing them from God’s tenth and final plague, the slaying of the firstborn males.

A lamb shank, poultry wing or neck, or, for vegetarians, a beet (mentioned in the Talmud, because beets “bleed”) may be used; the zeroa is not eaten at the seder. It is roasted and scorched to simulate the burnt sacrificial offering. To prepare it, place the bone under the broiler or on a sheet of heavy-duty foil in a very hot oven until it is browned all over. Or spear it with a long-handled fork and char it over an open flame on the stove. Roast the beet, if using, on a sheet of foil, unwrapped, in a hot oven, until browned at the edges.

BEITZAH This roasted egg is symbolic of the festival sacrifice each Jew brought to the ancient Temple, as well as a complex metaphor for spring, life, mourning, and rebirth. The egg, like the shankbone, is not eaten during the regular seder service, though many Sephardim put one of the Huevos Haminados here that all the celebrants will later eat at the beginning of the meal. Ashkenazim use a roasted hard-boiled egg. To prepare it, hard-boil an egg then wrap it, still in its shell, in heavy-duty foil, and place it in a hot oven until lightly charred. Or use tongs to hold the hard-boiled egg (again, unshelled) over an open burner flame, or place under the broiler just until lightly burnt. Whichever method you choose, be sure to hard-boil the egg first—otherwise, you’ll end up with an egg explosion.

Vegans who do not use eggs can substitute spring flowers like potted crocuses and daffodils or violets.

Arrangement of the ritual foods on the seder plate varies not only according to tradition, but also from place to place; in fact, Jews in Holland may use three different plates for the ceremonial foods, while Greek Jews set the foods in a basket and Yemenites place them directly on the table. But most commonly, the seder plate is assembled as follows:

Picture the plate as a clock. The zeroa (shankbone) is placed at 2 o’clock; haroset (fruit and nut paste) is at 4; if the second bitter herb (hazeret) is used, it is set at 6 o’clock; karpas (spring vegetable) is at 8 o’clock; and beitzah (the egg) is put at 10. Maror (the bitter herb) may be placed at either 12 o’clock or set in the middle of the plate.

“Everyone who adds their interpretation to the story is worthy of praise,” the Haggadah tells us, and many Jewish families include new, nontraditional items on the seder plate. Here are two of the most popular.

POTATO PEELS Survivors of the Holocaust and their children, recalling what a blessing it was to have a potato peel—it could mean the difference between life and death in the concentration camps—began including the peels as a symbol of the Holocaust and today’s hunger and famines. For many Jews fleeing the famines of Ethiopia, potatoes—in amounts small enough for their shrunken bodies to accept—were the first food tasted when they immigrated to Israel.

ORANGE Some new seder plates are designed with a special place for an orange. Theologian Susannah Heschel, in “Orange on the Seder Plate,” explains that in the original ritual she created based on a story she had read in a feminist Haggadah, she asked everyone to take a segment of a tangerine, “say the blessing over it, and eat it to symbolize our solidarity with Jewish lesbians and gay men as well as with others who are marginalized within the Jewish community [including widows, like her mother]. Since each tangerine segment has a few seeds, we added the gesture of spitting them out . . . repudiating the sin of homophobia.”

Dr. Heschel’s new ritual, however, was widely misrepresented in the press. I read about it in the Village Voice more than ten years ago, where it was incorrectly reported as an affirmation of the role of Jewish women, rooted in an exchange the theologian purportedly had with a male heckler.

Today the orange has taken on a life of its own. For some, it calls to mind Dr. Heschel’s original intent. For others, it is a more general metaphor for the sweetness and fruitfulness that welcoming all people brings to the community; by spitting out the seeds, we symbolically repudiate cruelty to anyone.

PASSOVER RECIPES

CLASSIC ASHKENAZI HAROSET

GRANDMA DOROTHY’S HAROSET

DATE HAROSET

TANGY HAROSET BITES

HUEVOS HAMINADOS

CHOPPED EGGS AND ONIONS

CHICKEN SOUP WITH ASPARAGUS AND SHIITAKES, SERVED WITH ROASTED FENNEL MATZOH BALLS

SAVORY HERBED MATZOH KLEIS (MATZOH BALLS MADE FROM WHOLE MATZOH)

CELERY AVGOLEMONO (GREEK EGG LEMON SOUP) WITH CHICKEN MATZOH BALLS

ARTICHOKE SOUP WITH LIGHT HERBED MATZOH BALLS

SMOKED WHITEFISH GEFILTE FISH WITH LEMON-HORSERADISH SAUCE

SALMON GEFILTE FISH POACHED IN FENNEL-WINE BROTH WITH GINGER-BEET HORSERADISH

SLOW-ROASTED SALMON WITH GREEN HERB OIL AND BEET-HORSERADISH RELISH

FISH IN TOMATO, RHUBARB, AND BLOOD-ORANGE SAUCE

SNAPPER FILLETS IN PISTACHIO-MATZOH CRUST

VERONESE ROLLED TURKEY LOAF (POLPETTONE)

CHICKEN WITH OLIVES AND PRESERVED LEMON

LEMON FRIED CHICKEN WITH TART SALAD TOPPING

BRAISED BRISKET WITH THIRTY-SIX CLOVES OF GARLIC

SLOW-BRAISED BRISKET WITH ROSEMARY, SHALLOTS, AND RED WINE

MOROCCAN-FLAVORED BRISKET WITH DRIED APRICOTS AND PRUNES

BEET-BRAISED POT ROAST WITH HORSERADISH AND POTATO KNAIDLACH

PROVENÇAL ROASTED GARLIC–BRAISED BREAST OF VEAL WITH SPRINGTIME STUFFING, PLUS AN ASHKENAZI VARIATION

SLOW-BRAISED LEMON VEAL WITH LEEKS

BRAISED LAMB WITH ARTICHOKES, LEMON, AND FRESH HERBS

ETTY RUSSO’S LAMB MINA FROM IZMIR

MOZZARELLA IN MATZOH CARROZZA

SALAD OF BITTER HERBS AND ORANGES

ROASTED ASPARAGUS BUNDLES WITH TOASTED MATZOH CRUMBS

GARLICKY SWISS CHARD AND MUSHROOM MATZOH KUGEL

WILD MUSHROOM–POTATO KUGEL

CRACKLETOP POTATO KUGEL

POTATO-LEEK MATZOH BALLS

SPRING COMPOTE

TOASTED ALMOND–COCONUT MACAROONS

HAZELNUT MACAROONS

COCONUT JAMMIES

HUNGARIAN CHOCOLATE-WALNUT TORTE

RICH FUDGE BROWNIES

ITALIAN CARROT-PECAN TORTA

UPSIDE-DOWN APRICOT HAZELNUT TORTE

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB SHALET (PUDDING)

MANGO- AND SOUR-CHERRY MACAROON CRUMBLE

CLASSIC MATZOH BRIE

SAVORY ARTICHOKE MATZOH BRIE

CINNAMON MATZOH BRIE WITH TOASTED PECANS AND WARM VANILLA-MAPLE SYRUP

MATZOH BRIE WITH PRUNES AND WINE

OVERNIGHT CARAMELIZED-APPLE MATZOH BRIE

MATZOHS

One Passover spent in Paris, I ate thick matzoh, soft and crumbly as a cookie. In shops and restaurants in both the old ghetto area in the Marais and the newer North African–Jewish neighborhood surrounding the rue des Richers in the ninth arrondissement, I came across sweet varieties as well, prepared with wine, orange flower water, and sugar, tasting like exotic tea biscuits. They were, the boxes revealed, made from a secret family recipe from Oran, Algeria.

A sweltering August morning, strolling through Venice’s Gheto Novo (New Ghetto, actually older than the Gheto Vecchio, Old Ghetto, but that’s another story), my husband, daughter, and I snacked on what looked like quilted pillows of intricate ivory Venetian lace. They were pane azimo, pale matzoh, soft like the ones we’d had in Paris, baked at Panificio Giovanni Volpe, which also offers, even in summer, sugar cookies, delicate macaroons, and other pane dolci, sweets made with matzoh meal.

Eating these thick, puffy matzohs, I recalled the many Italian and French Passover recipes that specified thick or thin matzoh, and understood how Italian Jews who could not bear to go without their pasta might attempt to re-create lasagne with Venetian-style matzoh.

For Eastern European Jews, though, the best matzoh is the thinnest. In Abraham Reisen’s story “Matza for the Rich,” the bakery workers expect a generous tip from the town’s wealthy dowager for matzoh that is thin, crackly, and “comes out as if baked in the sun.” Notwithstanding their plainness, when served hot and crisp, these familiar Ashkenazi matzohs can be quite tasty.

Hot is the operative word here, for hot matzoh—like hot bread—is an amalgam of wonderful toasty flavors and aromas. Watching schmura matzoh (the special matzoh handmade from wheat that is carefully watched over from the time it is harvested) being prepared by the Hasidic Lubavitcher community in Brooklyn, I was captivated by the tantalizing smells of the freshly baked matzoh. And straight from the scorching wood-fired ovens, they were a marvel: gloriously toasty and crisp.

But when I brought the box home, the matzoh had dulled to a lackluster taste—they had more flavor than the packaged variety, but not much. I’ve learned to reheat matzohs to recrisp them as well as to recapture that fresh-from-the-oven flavor.

TO HEAT MATZOH

PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Wet the matzoh lightly on both sides with cold water (a few spritzes from a water spray bottle is perfect for this). Toast on a rack until dry and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.

MATZOH, so central to Passover that it is often called Hag ha-Matzot (Festival of Matzohs), is served in place of bread or crackers during the full eight days of the holiday. The plain variety contains just flour and water—no fats, salt, sugars, additives, or preservatives—so you can use them to custom-design your own crackers, seasoning them with whatever you would try on flatbreads or crackers, and enjoy them not only on Passover but also throughout the year.

SEASONED MATZOH

USE these suggestions as a guide. I’m sure you’ll have many ideas of your own.

1. Sprinkle the top of dampened matzoh with coarse salt, and, if desired, freshly ground coarse pepper and/or chopped fresh rosemary or other herbs. Bake until dry and crisp.

2. Gently rub the cut side of a garlic clove or onion over the matzoh until the matzoh is slightly damp. (A couple of vertical slashes in the cut side will make the garlic or onion juices flow more easily so the matzoh won’t break apart in the process.) Sprinkle or spritz with a few drops of water, dust with salt, pepper, and herbs, if desired, such as thyme, rosemary or oregano, and bake until dry and crisp.

3. Sprinkle hot matzoh with grated Parmesan, Cheddar, or other cheese, grated lemon zest, and cracked pepper. Or sprinkle the seasoning on unheated matzoh and run briefly under the broiler.

4. Brush matzoh with melted or softened butter or extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, if desired; grated garlic or onion; and chopped fresh or dried herbs. Or steep minced garlic or onion in oil for a while, then brush the oil on the matzoh, using sprigs of rosemary or other herbs as a brush. Bake at 400°F until hot and just beginning to brown.

5. For a sweet matzoh, brush egg matzoh with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Place under the broiler until the sugar melts.

See matzoh section for more information.

CLASSIC ASHKENAZI HAROSET

YIELD: ABOUT 2^1⁄2 CUPS

You can vary the nuts, using pecans, hazelnuts, or, even better, a combination. Some people sprinkle pinches of ground ginger or cloves for a bit of spice. Straying slightly from the Eastern European roots, I sometimes include a little mashed banana, pureed dates, or even mango to create a more paste-like consistency.

1 pound apples (about 3 large, or 4 or 5 medium; choose a flavorful, eating-out-of-hand variety, such as Gala, Braeburn, or Jonagold; avoid Red Delicious, which all too often is bland and mealy), peeled, cored, and cut into eighths if large, or quarters if medium

3⁄4 cup walnuts or almonds (best if lightly toasted)

About 1^1⁄2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

About 1⁄4 cup kosher sweet Concord grape wine or juice

COMBINE apples, nuts, and ground cinnamon in a food processor, and pulse until coarsely chopped and still chunky. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the wine or grape juice. Cover and refrigerate to let the flavors marry for a few hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature when ready to serve. Adjust the seasoning, adding more cinnamon or wine, if desired.

GRANDMA DOROTHY’S HAROSET

YIELD: 3^1⁄2 TO 4 CUPS

Her haroset was sweet with snipped raisins; her fritters drizzled with honey tasted so soufflé-light, they were called “snow pancakes.”

Lisa Sokoloff always knew her Grandma Dorothy’s food was different. While Lisa’s friends ate fluffy matzoh ball soup at their seders, her family tucked into an elixir rich with celery, carrots, chicken meat and necks, and little oniony dumplings made from whole matzoh.

But when Dorothy died, the family knew little about her heritage. Then an old article from a Brooklyn newspaper turned up, and they learned that Dorothy’s grandfather, David Henry Lazarus, had emigrated from England during the Gold Rush and fought for the Union in the Civil War. When he was wounded in combat, President Lincoln shook his hand on a visit to the hospitalized troops.

The family is still working on Dorothy’s story, tracking down the relatives living near London and Dublin. And part of Dorothy’s story is told every Passover in the matzoh balls Lisa makes and in this simple but exceptionally delicious haroset.

She is still trying to piece together the snow pancakes.

1^1⁄3 cups dark raisins

6 or 7 medium, flavorful apples, such as Gala or Braeburn (do not choose the ubiquitous, ironically named Red Delicious apple)

8 ounces pecans or almonds (1^1⁄3 to 1^1⁄2 cups)

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Sugar or honey (optional)

About 1⁄4 cup sweet kosher wine

PLACE the raisins in a bowl and cover them with hot tap water. Set aside to soak for at least 30 minutes. Peel, core, and quarter the apples.

YOU can do all the chopping and grating in the food processor without rinsing between tasks if you follow the steps in this order. Pulse the nuts until very finely chopped and transfer them to a large bowl. Drain the raisins and pat them dry. Pulse them in the food processor until coarsely chopped (all the raisins should at least be chopped in half), and transfer them to the bowl. Remove the blade and insert the fine shredding disk. Finely shred the apples. Transfer them to the bowl.

ADD the cinnamon and mix all the ingredients well. Taste and add a little sugar or honey, if needed (if apples are sweet, you may not want added sweetening). Stir in the wine, beginning with 1⁄4 cup and adding just enough more, if needed, to bind the ingredients together.

COVER and refrigerate until cold before serving.

DATE HAROSET

YIELD: ABOUT 4 CUPS

This luscious Sephardi haroset is very easy to prepare. But its simple ingredients comprise a complex metaphor of the Exodus: the dark fruit and nut paste brings to mind the mortar formed from the silt of the Nile, used to build the pyramids; the wine evokes the bloodshed by the Hebrew slaves and, later, by the Egyptians during the tenth plague; and the sweetness is the taste of the Israelites’ eventual freedom. In addition to these edible symbols, some Sephardim suggest the bitterness of the struggle with a few tart drops of citrus juice or vinegar, or a dusting of harsh spices, such as black pepper, cayenne, or ginger, to temper the sweetness. I like to play up the sweet-sour flavor with a squeeze of lime juice and yet another symbolic layer: a sprinkle of sea salt to recall the Red Sea crossing.

2 cups packed pitted dates (choose a soft variety such as Medjool), chopped

About 1⁄2 cup kosher sweet Concord grape wine or juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1^1⁄4 cups walnuts (best if lightly toasted)

Fresh lime or lemon juice or vinegar (optional)

Sea salt (optional)

PUT the dates in a large heatproof bowl. Pour 1^1⁄2 cups boiling water over them and cover the bowl with foil. Set the dates aside to soften for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Scrape the mixture into a food processor and add the wine or juice and cinnamon. Working in batches, if necessary, blend to a smooth paste, adding more hot water if needed. Return the mixture to the bowl. Without rinsing the food processor, pulse the walnuts in it until they are chopped: a combination of coarse and fine will provide good texture. Stir the nuts into the date paste. Add the citrus juice or vinegar and/or the sea salt to taste, if using.

SET the haroset aside, covered and refrigerated, to let the flavors mingle until ready to use. If the mixture is too thick, stir in additional wine or juice to thin it. Adjust the seasoning. Serve at room temperature.

TANGY HAROSET BITES

YIELD: ABOUT 8 SERVINGS

When my daughter Alex and “goddaughter” Emily were preparing these seductive Haroset Bites for our seder in Paris, from a recipe I had devised for Food and Wine magazine, they consumed one for every two they managed to place on the Passover platter. Luckily, I always buy way too much food. So we had plenty to assuage our hunger pangs later, when the bites provided a welcome nourishing snack at “haroset time” during the service.

I always toast nuts for harosets. While it might seem excessive, it really does permit the slightly bitter, pure nut essence to shine through, parrying the sweet dried or fresh fruit in the paste.

1 cup walnuts

30 to 35 almonds

1⁄2 cup black raisins

1⁄2 cup dried, pitted dates (choose a soft variety like Medjool), coarsely chopped

1^1⁄2 heaping tablespoons dried tart cherries or cranberries

1⁄4 cup unsweetened purple grape juice or kosher sweet Concord wine

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

30 to 35 tart dried apricots, plumped in very hot water until softened, and patted dry with paper towels

TOAST the nuts: preheat oven to 350°F. Spread the nuts out in a single layer in a baking pan and toast them, shaking the pan occasionally, until the nuts are fragrant and lightly toasted, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

PUT the raisins, dates, and cherries or cranberries in a bowl. Stir in the grape juice or wine, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Let the fruit macerate for at least 15 minutes.

WHEN the nuts are cool, set the almonds aside and place the walnuts in a food processor. Using the steel blade, pulse on and off until the walnuts are coarsely chopped.

ADD the macerated fruit and any liquid remaining in the bowl to the food processor. Pulse on and off, until the mixture is a coarse paste. Transfer to a bowl and chill so that mixture will be easier to roll. (The haroset tastes best if flavors are allowed to mingle for several hours.)

FORM heaping teaspoons of the mixture into balls and place each on a softened apricot half. Press an almond into each ball at a jaunty angle.

EGGS

No less than twelve large brown paper bags spilled out of the kitchen for us to unpack when my father finished the Passover shopping. Every one, it seemed, contained at least one box of matzoh and a dozen eggs.

The matzoh lasted long after the eight-day holiday, when all our inventiveness had evaporated and we had thoroughly tired of eating it. But my father had to buy more eggs after just three or four days.

Eggs are indispensable for Passover cooking. Traditional favorites, like matzoh brie, knaidlach, and bimuelos and bubelach (Sephardi and Ashkenazi fritters), call for heaps of eggs to be mixed with matzoh or matzoh meal. And six to ten at a time, they are beaten into baked goods, replacing the forbidden leavening.

Symbol of life’s mysteries and rebirth, they play a prominent role at the seder. There is the beitzah (roasted egg), on the seder plate. And most Ashkenazi Jews dip hard-boiled eggs into salt water, while the Sephardi seder favorite is huevos haminados.

HUEVOS HAMINADOS

YIELD: 12 EGGS

Huevos haminados, also served at life-cycle events and the Sabbath or holiday midday meal, were originally cooked on top of flavorful meats and legumes in hamins, the slowly braised Sabbath stews. But when hamin is not on the menu, or pareve eggs are desired, they are prepared as in this recipe, cradled in onion skins and gently simmered overnight in the oven or on top of the stove. Spent coffee grinds, or sometimes tea leaves, are added to the roasting materials for additional flavor. My friend Leyla Schick laughingly bemoaned the current paucity of cigarette smokers among her friends because some Turkish Jews claim a smidgin of cigarette ash enhances the roasted taste.

And what is the taste of a roasted egg? Huevos haminados are somewhat similar to the hard-boiled variety, but long hours of gentle cooking give them a softer texture—tender, never rubbery—and a rich, oniony fragrance.

Forget the discarded cigarette ashes. But do remember to save all your onion peels as they accumulate from cooking chores, storing them in a large perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator until needed.

4 to 5 cups packed outer skins of onions, rinsed if dirty

12 large eggs, in the shell (make sure the shells have no cracks)

2 tablespoons coffee grounds

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper

PREHEAT the oven to 200°F. Arrange half the onion skins on the bottom of a large lidded ovenproof pot or casserole. Put the eggs on top. If the eggs are tightly packed, or if you must place the eggs in two layers, use additional onion skins to cradle them. Add the coffee grounds, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cover with the remaining onion skins. Pour in 2 quarts of cold water, adding a little more if necessary to cover the eggs. Cover the pot tightly and bake in the oven overnight or for at least 8 hours or up to 12.

REMOVE the eggs and wipe them clean. Serve plain, hot, warm, or cold. Leftover eggs are easy to reheat (place them, unshelled, in a baking dish and warm in a slow oven until heated through). They are also wonderful sliced in salads (they make a terrific egg salad) or as a garnish for saucy stewed vegetables like ratatouille.

His own mother had spoiled him, her first-born son and the only child of her seven to go to college and then law school. My maternal grandmother Rebecca loved to spoil my father, too—her tall son-in-law whose blue-black hair led strangers to mistake him for her own handsome son.

“Save that piece for your father,” she would admonish us. “Go, put on lipstick,” she’d urge my mother. “Max will be home soon.”

Ignoring her, we would strip the crackling, garlicky skin from just-roasted turkey or chicken, greedily devouring it before he arrived home. And only once can I remember my mother applying lipstick just for my father, in the candy shade of pink she wore to match the soft blush beneath her freckles. We knew when my father dished out the servings at the dinner table, the choicest morsels went first to the children, then to my mother, and he took what was left.

But if we wouldn’t show him proper respect, Grandma Rebecca did. When she learned he loved chopped eggs and onions, she substituted it for the traditional Ashkenazi hard-boiled eggs dipped in salted water eaten at the beginning of the Passover meal.

I first ate eggs in salt water at a boyfriend’s seder when I was seventeen. They tasted like a picnic ruined by high tide. Those who imagine I am impugning one of their favorite Passover foods might try the dish at any other time of year, without the spice of hunger to season it.

But chopped eggs and onions are delicious anytime. Spread on thin pumpernickel or egg matzoh, garnished with strips of roasted red pepper, black olives or skinny slivers of smoked salmon, it is light-years ahead of a traditional egg salad.

CHOPPED EGGS AND ONIONS

YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

My grandmother’s chopped eggs and onions got their flavor boost from griebenes, the cracklings of fat and skin that are a by-product of making schmaltz, poultry fat. I add well-browned onions and their oil for the same effect.

For Passover, serve on soft lettuce leaves, or for a gussied-up presentation, in radicchio or alternating pale green and red Belgian endive leaves. Or pack into small custard cups or cleaned tuna cans and invert onto frilly greens. Grated Black Radish and Endive Salad in Shallot Vinaigrette is a superb complement.

This should be rather coarse and crumbly, not at all paste-like. Using a food processor—even in pulsing motion—usually results in some overly large chunks and some paste. I find it much easier to chop this in an old-fashioned wooden chopping bowl with an inexpensive curved hand-chopper (like the half-moon-shaped Jewish hockmeisser or crescent-shaped Italian mezzaluna). It’s much quicker to clean than the food processor, too.

3 to 5 tablespoons best-quality olive or avocado oil

1⁄2 cup thinly sliced onions plus 1⁄2 cup finely chopped onion

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 hard-boiled large eggs, peeled and cut into eighths

Olive Oil Schmaltz or Poultry Schmaltz (optional)

HEAT 3 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet, and add the sliced onions. (I use sliced onion here because chopped onion can be quite watery, so it doesn’t fry as well and has a tendency to burn when made in small amounts.) Sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until rich golden-brown. Salt and pepper lightly and remove from the heat to cool.

SCRAPE the sautéed onion and all the oil remaining in the skillet into a wooden bowl, and chop coarsely. Add the eggs and raw onion, and continue to chop until the mixture is well blended but not pasty. Mix in salt and lots of pepper as you chop, or blend in the seasonings afterwards with a fork. (Using a spoon will make the mixture too smooth.) The mixture should hold together loosely; you will probably need to add some of the schmaltz or a bit more oil. Chill well, but remove from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before serving.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH ASPARAGUS AND SHIITAKES, SERVED WITH ROASTED FENNEL MATZOH BALLS

YIELD: ABOUT 8 SERVINGS

Set in spring, when the earth is renewing and reassembling herself, Passover is celebrated as a sort of second New Year, reflecting the rebirth of the Jews as a free people after the Exodus from Egypt. Children start the season with new clothes, and houses are thoroughly cleaned and freshened up to make way for the new foods and special sets of dishes reserved just for Passover use.

And just as they delay until Rosh Hashanah their first tastes of the sweet new autumn fruits, so many Jews wait until Passover to savor the tender new vegetables of spring. In this delicious soup, woodsy shiitake mushrooms and early asparagus combine with delicate roasted fennel–flavored matzoh balls in a free-wheeling ode to spring.

FOR THE ROASTED FENNEL MATZOH BALLS

2 small to medium fennel bulbs (about 1 pound, weighed with 2 inches of top stalks)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1⁄2 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade or good-quality, low-sodium purchased

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3⁄4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1⁄4 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle (optional)

2 large eggs

About 1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons matzoh meal

FOR THE SOUP

7 cups homemade chicken broth (see Classic Chicken Soup or Almost Homemade Soup)

1⁄4 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and reserved for another use or discarded, caps wiped clean with a damp paper towel and thinly sliced

12 to 15 thin asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

PREPARE the matzoh balls: preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut off the fennel stalks and reserve for another use (excellent for fish broths and stews). If there are some attractive feathery fronds, set aside about 2 tablespoons of them to garnish the soup. Quarter the bulbs and trim away the stems, the bottom hard core, and any tough parts. Choose a shallow baking pan just large enough to fit the fennel in one layer and put in 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the fennel and toss until well coated. Roast the fennel until pale gold, about 20 minutes, then turn the fennel over and roast for 10 minutes longer. Stir in the broth, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and 1⁄2 teaspoon of the thyme. Cover the pan with foil and cook for 35 to 45 minutes longer, or until the fennel is very soft. Remove the foil, stir, and roast for a few more minutes to evaporate most of the liquid. Transfer the fennel and garlic to a food processor and chop coarsely. Add the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon of thyme, salt (it will need about 1 teaspoon), pepper to taste, and the fennel seeds, if using. With the machine on, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil through the feed tube.

SCRAPE the mixture into a large bowl. You need 1 cup of puree, so nosh on any extra. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Add the matzoh meal and stir well. If you can form a lump into a very soft walnut-size ball (the batter will become firmer when you chill it), don’t add any more matzoh meal. If necessary, add just enough matzoh meal to enable you to do so. Refrigerate for at least 2 or up to 4 hours so the matzoh meal can drink in the liquid and seasoning.

WHEN ready to cook, bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a rapid boil in a large, wide, lidded pot. Dipping your hands into cold water, if needed, roll the batter into walnut-size balls. When all the balls are rolled and the water is boiling furiously, turn the heat down to a gentle boil. Carefully slide in the balls one at a time and cover the pot tightly.

TURN the heat down to a simmer, and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, without removing the cover. (They will cook by direct heat as well as by steam, which makes them puff and swell, and lifting the lid will allow some of that steam to escape.) Take out a dumpling and cut it in half. It should be light, fluffy and completely cooked through. If it isn’t, continue cooking a few more minutes. Remove the balls gently with a skimmer or large slotted spoon—they are too fragile to pour into a colander.

WHEN the matzoh balls are almost ready, start the soup: bring the broth to a simmer in a large pot. Add the matzoh balls, the mushrooms, and asparagus and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

USING a slotted spoon, transfer the matzoh balls to shallow soup bowls and ladle the hot soup and the vegetables over them. Garnish with the reserved chopped fennel fronds.

COOK’S NOTE: You can cook the matzoh balls up to 2 to 3 hours in advance. Drain them and cover with some broth to keep them moist before setting them aside until you are ready to reheat them.

Experiment with making matzoh balls with a puree of other vegetables, like beets, carrots, leeks, mushrooms, or shallots. Roasted vegetables absorb less moisture than boiled or steamed ones (and, therefore, require less matzoh meal, making them lighter). They are also more flavorful.

FOR YOUR VEGETARIAN SON, YOUR VEGAN NIECE

Many families need to accommodate a son returning home from college, a mother-in-law, or other diners who are vegetarian or vegan. Whenever possible, serve them foods your other guests will enjoy too, or make use of ingredients already prepped for other dishes.

Preparing a dairy seder (see suggested seder menus) or even an egg-rich one at a meat meal for a vegetarian guest is not difficult. For a pareve menu, start with Chopped Eggs and Onions or Huevos Haminados; make and serve any of the matzoh ball recipes with vegetable broth, adding extra flavor to the matzoh balls with Olive Oil Schmaltz. Latkes, kugels, and special matzoh bries, such as artichoke, can be made without meat or dairy products and work well as festive vegetarian main courses. And all of the Passover desserts are appropriate for vegetarians.

But creating food in holiday dress that is not just meat-free, but dairy and egg-free as well and conforms to Passover hametz and kitniyot restrictions is a real challenge. Some suggestions:

Start with a pâté: slowly caramelize onions in oil, and set aside. Sauté sliced mushrooms and chopped carrots with garlic until deep gold. Let cool slightly, then combine all the vegetables together with toasted walnuts or almonds in a food processor, and puree until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and more oil or Olive Oil Schmaltz, if needed. Serve in endive, radicchio, or butter lettuce leaves or with matzoh.

A plate of spinach and roasted potatoes will never pass for a main course: add complexity to vegetables with textural contrast, and layer or stuff them to make them taste more substantial. For example, fill zucchini or cabbage with potatoes, walnuts, and mint, or make matzoh-crusty gratins of pureed cauliflower or squash. Top sautéed vegetables with a shepherd’s pie layer of mashed potatoes combined with toasted nuts or sautéed herbed matzoh crumbs. Or make burgers of mushrooms, finely chopped onion, and mashed potatoes.

Other main course suggestions: prepare dairy-free “pizzas”: fashion a crust of broiled sliced eggplant or a thin layer of well-seasoned mashed potatoes, and top with roasted tomatoes and portobellos sprinkled with slivers of garlic and fresh basil. Or make “pappardelle” of very thinly sliced zucchini (use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler to cut wide strips) lightly cooked then tossed with matzoh crumbs fried crunchy in oil and garlic. Or serve pasta-like spaghetti squash with a marinara sauce or top a melange of roasted vegetables—potatoes, red peppers, carrots—with a spicy tomato sauce. Or try quinoa, the ancient Inca stand-in for grain that is not considered kitniyot by many Orthodox authorities. On the side, include either the Rhubarb-Prune Tsimmes or the Caramelized Onion and Carrot Tsimmes with Candied Ginger.

For dessert, serve Spring Compote or dates, pitted and stuffed with toasted walnuts, pecans, or almonds, lightly rolled in walnut oil, then in cocoa or coconut.

SAVORY HERBED MATZOH KLEIS (MATZOH BALLS MADE FROM WHOLE MATZOH)

YIELD: ABOUT 6 SERVINGS

Homey dumplings have been a hallmark of German cuisine ever since the Middle Ages, and the Yiddish words, knaidl (a variant of knoedl) and kleis (which began as klosse) reveal their German ancestry. Jewish cooks in Central and Eastern Europe incorporated dumplings into their repertoire, fashioning them from bread, rolls, flour, and potatoes.

And for Passover, they made fluffy balls out of matzoh. I have found that the Alsatian, German, and Czech matzoh ball recipes, often called kleis, created from soaked pieces of whole matzoh, are frequently more imaginatively and assertively flavored than the familiar variety made of matzoh meal. And I love the way the matzoh pieces seem to inhale the seasonings far more lustily than matzoh meal does.

In my rendition, generous lacings of fresh herbs and lemon zest, along with a delicate, traditional ground-almond thickener, make for kleis that are vibrant yet gossamer-light.

6 whole plain matzohs

2 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade, or good-quality, low-sodium purchased

2 cups finely chopped onions

3 tablespoons mild olive oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons finely snipped fresh chives

1 tablespoon finely snipped fresh dill

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

3 large eggs

About 3 tablespoons ground blanched almonds or matzoh meal plus additional, if desired, for dredging kleis

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 recipe Classic Chicken Soup or Almost Homemade Soup

BREAK the matzohs into small pieces in a large bowl. Heat the broth until it is very hot and pour it over the matzoh. Set aside to allow the matzoh to drink up the broth.

IN a large skillet, sauté the onion in the oil over medium heat, stirring, until soft and translucent, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, chives, dill, and lemon zest. Add the soaked matzoh and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes dry and paste-like. Return it to the bowl and let cool until you can handle it.

YOUR fingers will do the best job mixing this, but if you’re really averse to using them, try a potato masher, ricer, or just a heavy fork. Knead and mash the matzoh pieces until you have a fairly smooth, homogeneous mixture.

BEAT in the eggs, one at a time, and the ground almonds or matzoh meal, and season well with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the mixture to absorb all the seasoning and liquid.

BRING 4 quarts water and 1^1⁄2 tablespoons salt to a boil in a large, wide lidded pot. Place a bowl of cold water and a large platter or tray near you as you work.

NOW try rolling a little batter into a walnut- or olive-size ball. It should be somewhat sticky, but fairly easy to roll into very soft balls, with hands moistened with the cold water as needed. If the batter is too soft to roll, or the balls don’t hold their shape on the platter, add just enough ground almonds or matzoh meal to achieve the right consistency. (Too much will make the kleis heavy, as will packing them too densely into a ball. A light touch is essential. Eventually you’ll know quite easily when they feel just right.)

IF you’d like the kleis to look more finished, without homey, ragged edges (it’s a slight tradeoff—they won’t be quite as light), spread additional ground almonds or matzoh meal on a sheet of wax paper or a plate, and very lightly dredge the rolled balls in it. Put the finished balls on the platter or tray, and continue making the kleis until all the batter is used up.

WHEN all the kleis are rolled and the water is boiling furiously, turn heat down to a gentle boil. Quickly and carefully slide the balls in, one by one, nudging them in with a spoon or your finger, and cover the pot tightly. Don’t crowd the pot—if necessary, prepare the kleis in two batches or use two pots. Temperature is important here: if the water is boiling with too much force, the matzoh balls may break up or disintegrate into thick sludge. If the water is not hot enough, the protein won’t coagulate and the hapless balls will also fall apart. Aim to keep the water, as the French say, “smiling”—perhaps even “laughing softly,” the bubbles breaking slowly and gently on the surface of the water. (You can best check the water temperature if the pot lid is glass; otherwise, listen for sounds of rapid boiling, but don’t lift the lid.)

SIMMER over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, without removing the lid. (They will cook by direct heat as well as by steam, which makes them puff and swell, and peeking will dissipate some of that steam.) Take out a dumpling and cut it in half. It should be tender, fluffy, and completely cooked through. If it isn’t, continue cooking until the kleis tests done.

REMOVE them gently with a skimmer or large slotted spoon—they are too fragile to pour out into a colander. Add them to the soup and simmer slowly until piping hot. Ladle the kleis and steaming soup into warmed shallow bowls and serve immediately. Or cover the drained kleis with some broth and set aside until you are ready to heat them.

CELERY AVGOLEMONO (GREEK EGG LEMON SOUP) WITH CHICKEN MATZOH BALLS

YIELD: ABOUT 8 SERVINGS

Tart and creamy egg-and-lemon is a classic combination in Sephardi repertoires all over the world. It appears as a sprightly sauce, warm or cold, napping vegetables, fish, even poached chicken, and it transforms humble chicken soup with rice into a boldface name—a favorite for pre- and post-Yom Kippur fasts and for Passover seders, when pieces of matzoh may be added.

The secret in this rendition is separating the eggs before they are whisked in: the airy beaten whites make the soup particularly light and fresh tasting. For our Passovers, I’ve replaced the rice with braised celery or spinach.

And since for me, it isn’t a seder without matzoh balls, I’ve created these chicken dumplings with a nod to the Dayenu I learned about in Verona, Italy. Because they are packed with lots of protein-rich chopped raw chicken, these matzoh balls react like meatballs when they hit the heat of the simmering liquid, firming up beautifully. There is virtually no chance of disintegration, yet they are tender and full of flavor: perfect for the formerly matzoh ball-challenged.

FOR THE CHICKEN MATZOH BALLS

2 whole egg or plain matzohs

1 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade or good-quality, low-sodium purchased, plus a few extra tablespoons to moisten the cooked matzoh balls

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped onion

3 tablespoons snipped fresh dill

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons mild olive or avocado oil

FOR THE SOUP

2 tablespoons mild olive or avocado oil

2 cups diced celery

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

9 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade, or good-quality, low-sodium purchased

5 large eggs, separated (at room temperature)

About 2⁄3 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons snipped fresh dill

Thinly sliced lemon, sprigs of dill and mint, for garnish

PREPARE the chicken matzoh balls: break the matzoh into small pieces in a large bowl, and pour the broth over it. Set the bowl aside, stirring now and then, while the matzoh drinks in the broth.

TRIM away all fat and sinews from the chicken and cut it into 1-inch chunks. Put the chicken in a food processor with the onions, and chop fine, using the pulse motion. Squeeze the matzoh with your hands to drain off the excess broth, and add the drained matzoh to the food processor. (Discard any remaining broth, but don’t bother to rinse out the bowl.) Add the herbs, salt (figure about 1 teaspoon, but the exact amount will depend on the saltiness of your broth) and pepper to taste, and pulse until well blended.

BEAT the eggs and the oil together in the large bowl. Transfer the chicken-matzoh mixture to the bowl and combine thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm the batter and marry the flavors.

BRING 4 quarts water and 1^1⁄2 tablespoons salt to a boil in a large, wide lidded pot. Shape the batter into walnut-size balls, and place on a platter. When the water is boiling furiously, turn the heat down to a gentle boil, and slide the balls in one at a time. Alternatively, if the batter is too soft, form the balls using two spoons, pushing the batter off the spoon right into the water. You’ll find that these matzoh balls are much sturdier than the regular kind, and won’t fall apart as easily. And they need less room to expand, so you can fit more into the pot. Avoid overcrowding though—unless your pot is very large, you may still need to prepare them in two batches or use two pots.

WHEN the water returns to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook for about 15 minutes. Test for doneness: remove a matzoh ball and cut it in half. It should be tender, fluffy and completely cooked through. If it isn’t, continue cooking for a few more minutes. Remove the matzoh balls with a skimmer or large slotted spoon to a big platter, and sprinkle them with a little broth to keep them moist as you prepare the soup.

HEAT the oil in a deep 8- to 9-inch skillet. Add the celery, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and sauté for 3 minutes. Spoon over 1 cup of the broth, bring to a boil, then cover the pan tightly and braise over moderately low heat until the celery is tender. Transfer the celery and its cooking liquid to a large pot and add the rest of the broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until heated through. Remove the pot from heat.

IN a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Continue beating at low speed, while slowly adding the yolks, one at a time, and then the lemon juice. Still beating constantly, very slowly ladle 2 cups of the hot broth into the egg mixture. (Take care here: if you don’t temper the eggs slowly, the mixture will curdle, and you’ll wind up with egg drop soup.) Now add the egg-broth mixture back into the pot of soup. Add the chicken matzoh balls and the dill.

SLOWLY reheat, stirring constantly, until everything is piping hot. Don’t let the soup approach a boil or it may curdle. Taste and adjust the seasonings. It should be very lemony and well salted.

USING a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken matzoh balls to shallow soup bowls and ladle the hot soup and celery over them. Garnish, if desired, with lemon slices and fresh herb sprigs. The flavors improve if you let the soup stand a few minutes before serving.

COOK’S NOTE: If you prefer an airy soup that is not quite as frothy, allow the soup to rest a few more minutes or simmer gently for a few extra minutes before serving.

Try flavoring the soup with some of the pale celery leaves, chopped, instead of the dill. Or boost the lemon taste with some grated lemon zest. You can substitute an equal amount of fresh fennel for the celery and proceed as above, garnishing with a few fennel fronds. Or make Spinach Avgolemono: you’ll need only 8 cups broth. Omit the celery, and simply stir 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, shredded, into the broth, and simmer until wilted.

The soup is also excellent reheated, as long as you avoid high heat, and very good cold, too (when served without the matzoh balls).

ARTICHOKE SOUP WITH LIGHT HERBED MATZOH BALLS

YIELD: ABOUT 8 SERVINGS

When visiting food markets, I always go for the artichokes. I cannot munch on them raw, and I rarely have a kitchen on my travels where I could prepare them. Instead, I’ve dried big-hearted, long-stemmed beauties and graceful amethyst babies from produce stalls in California, Brittany, Provence, and Rome (the foreign-born smuggled, well wrapped and hidden beneath a pile of laundry).

At home the bouquets of fat artichokes slowly unfurl, revealing spiky fluff centers colored vivid Crayola orchid; the smaller ones spill out of purple glass bowls, alone or mingled with pomegranates, and line my dressed-up table.

So I was in artichoke heaven one warm spring evening at the height of the season in the Roman ghetto, home of the famed carciofi alla giudia (artichokes Jewish-style: the flattened whole vegetable, fried up crisp and golden-brown, then sprinkled with coarse salt). We had enjoyed a dinner at the kosher La Taverna del Ghetto featuring artichokes (in addition to the fried ones, we ate a salad of raw artichokes and a pasta topped with artichokes, bottarga, and tomatoes) and zucchini flowers (the blossoms stuffed with striped bass and fried, and tagliarini with zucchini flowers, grouper, and tomatoes). Outside the restaurant, on the ancient Via Portico d’Ottavia, the tall white flowerpots that usually sported colorful potted plants now overflowed with massive amounts of decorative artichokes, in every size and spectrum of greens and violets. At some storefronts, fabulous beasts and other dazzling topiary creations fashioned of artichokes stood guard.

Back in my own kitchen, I’ve logged countless hours cleaning and cooking fresh artichokes from local greengrocers and even a farmer at the Union Square Greenmarket, who occasionally coaxes them to grow in the cool clime of Pennsylvania.

But I confess I keep a box or two of frozen artichokes in my freezer. They are wonderful in savory matzoh brie, and pureed, they do very nicely in this creamy-tasting soup crowned with these exceptional featherweight matzoh balls full of herb garden flavor.

FOR THE SOUP

3 tablespoons mild olive oil

4 medium-large leeks (white and tenderest pale green parts only), washed well, patted dry, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

3 tablespoons chopped shallots

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 chopped garlic cloves

Two 9- or 10-ounce packages frozen artichokes, thawed, patted dry between layers of paper towels, and cut into small pieces

7 to 8 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade, or good-quality, low-sodium purchased

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus additional for garnish

3 tablespoons snipped fresh dill, plus additional for garnish

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint, plus additional for garnish

FOR THE MATZOH BALLS

4 large eggs, separated

2 teaspoons finely grated onion

2 tablespoons finely snipped fresh chives

3 tablespoons finely snipped fresh dill

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup matzoh meal

MAKE the soup: in a large nonreactive Dutch oven or lidded casserole, warm the oil. Add the leeks and the shallots, salt and pepper lightly, and sauté, stirring, over medium heat, about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and the artichokes, stir to coat well with the oil, and sauté over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of the broth and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, cover the pan, and sweat the vegetables over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover the pan, raise the heat to high, and boil the pan liquid until it is nearly evaporated. Add 6 cups broth, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer over low heat, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender.

LET the mixture cool slightly. Working in batches, puree about half of the vegetables together with the lemon zest, parsley, dill, and mint in a food processor or blender under fairly smooth.

RETURN the puree to the pan. If desired, thin the soup with the remaining broth.

MAKE the matzoh balls: combine the yolks with the onion, chives, dill, 1^1⁄2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste, and beat very well until thickened. In a separate bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture until well combined. Sprinkle with the matzoh meal and gently mix until completely blended in. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes.

BRING a large, wide lidded saucepan of well-salted water to a boil. Lightly form the mixture into walnut-size balls. (A light touch is essential here—perfectly formed, compact little balls will result in dense, heavier matzoh balls.) Place the balls on a platter.

SLIDE the balls one by one into the water. Avoid crowding the pot—if necessary, cook the matzoh balls in two batches. Cover the pot tightly and reduce the temperature to a slow boil. Cook without removing the cover for 20 minutes. (They need the steam to fluff up properly, and removing the cover will dissipate some of the steam, causing deflation.)

REMOVE the balls with a skimmer or a slotted spoon, draining off excess water. Place the balls in the soup or set aside, covered with a little broth, until you are ready to use them.

TO serve the soup: if the matzoh balls need warming, add them to the soup. Reheat the soup gently and adjust seasonings, adding more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed.

PLACE two matzoh balls in each shallow bowl, and ladle the hot soup over them. Garnish with additional fresh herbs and serve at once.

SMOKED WHITEFISH GEFILTE FISH WITH LEMON-HORSERADISH SAUCE

YIELD: ABOUT 24 FISH DUMPLINGS

This unusual recipe, combining smoked whitefish with a mild fillet like flounder, is from a seder meal I devised for Bon Appétit magazine. It’s much quicker to prepare than traditional gefilte fish because the delicate dumplings are steamed between cabbage leaves to keep them moist, not poached in fish broth. Leftovers can be refrigerated for a few days.

A reader who prepared the recipe wrote: “I made these for Passover for my husband’s family. They were so delicious that I made them for my family for Easter Sunday! The fishcakes are light and tasty and the horseradish sauce is to die for! I very rarely give 4 forks to a recipe but this one really deserves it—it is an excellent dish.”

FOR THE FISH

Kosher salt

3⁄4 cup scraped and thinly sliced carrots

1⁄4 cup matzoh meal

2 tablespoons mild olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup trimmed and chopped scallions, white and light green parts only (about 6 medium scallions)

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1^1⁄2 pounds mild white-fleshed fish fillets (such as sole or flounder), skin and any bones removed and discarded, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups smoked whitefish, carefully removed from the bones of a 2 to 2^1⁄2 pound fish

1 large cabbage, separated into leaves and rinsed (these are discarded before serving, so you can use slightly imperfect or dark green outer leaves)

FOR THE LEMON-HORSERADISH SAUCE

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1⁄4 cup plus 2 teaspoons prepared white horseradish

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1^1⁄2 cups mayonnaise

Soft lettuce, endive, or radicchio leaves, for lining the plates

PREPARE the fish: bring 1 cup lightly salted water to boil in a small saucepan. Add the carrots and simmer until very tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1⁄2 cup cooking water in a small bowl. Stir the matzoh meal into the reserved cooking water; let stand 10 minutes to soften and absorb liquid. Put the carrots in a food processor.

WARM the oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, salt and pepper lightly, and sauté until soft and shiny, about 8 minutes. Add the scallions and stir 1 minute. Transfer the onion mixture to the food processor. Add the matzoh meal mixture and puree until everything is smooth.

USING an electric mixer, beat 3 of the eggs and the lemon juice in a large bowl until foamy and slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mixture from the food processor, but don’t clean the processor yet.

PUT the fish fillets, smoked fish, about 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste), and about 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper in the food processor. Using on-off turns, chop until fine. Add the remaining egg and pulse to a coarse paste. Transfer the fish mixture to the bowl and combine thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.

LINE a large baking sheet with waxed paper. Wetting your hands with cold water, if necessary, form the mixture into ovals, using about 1⁄4 cup for each. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with waxed paper and chill while preparing the cabbage and steamer.

IN a large, wide pot with a tight-fitting lid, place a rack that stands about 2 inches high (if you don’t have a vegetable steamer, a round cake rack works well; if the rack is not high enough, set it over two custard cups or empty tuna cans). Fill the pot with enough water to meet, but not cover, the bottom of the rack. Line the rack with a layer of cabbage leaves. Arrange 8 fish ovals in a single layer on the cabbage leaves; cover the fish with another layer of leaves. Bring the water in the pot to a boil. Cover the pot and steam the fish over medium heat until cooked through at center and firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer top layer of cabbage leaves to a platter. Top with the cooked fish ovals. Cover them with the bottom cabbage leaves. Steam the remaining fish ovals in additional cabbage leaves in 2 more batches, adding more water to the pot if needed. Let the cooked gefilte fish cool to room temperature. Keeping the fish covered with the cooked cabbage leaves so it will remain moist, wrap the whole platter with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 6 hours. (Can be prepared about 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

PREPARE the sauce: put the garlic through a press, or mince it fine, and place in a small bowl. Stir in the horseradish and lemon juice. Whisk in the mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside, refrigerated, at least 30 minutes before serving. (Can be prepared one day ahead; keep refrigerated.)

TO serve: for best flavor, serve the fish chilled, but not icy cold. Remove the fish from the cabbage leaves and arrange attractively on platters or individual plates lined with lettuce, endive, or radicchio. Accompany with lemon-horseradish sauce.

SALMON GEFILTE FISH POACHED IN FENNEL-WINE BROTH WITH GINGER-BEET HORSERADISH

YIELD: ABOUT 8 SERVINGS

Preparing gefilte fish from scratch no longer seems so daunting, with food processors and the wide availability of a variety of gleaming fresh fish fillets besides the noble triad of carp, pike, and whitefish.

Except for the broth. That still requires real commitment.

You’ll need bones, of course, so you will have to befriend a fishmonger who will remember to save the trimmings. If you don’t have a high-tech air filtration system, you can resign yourself to a kitchen (and perhaps living and bedrooms too) smelling for several days like old Marseilles without the charms of Panisse and Marius. Not to mention constantly skimming all that fish foam.

Which is why I sometimes prefer to use a simple but intensely flavored vegetable stock made of wine and aromatic vegetables like fennel that complement the fish beautifully.

Forget the fish jelly though: no bones, no gelatin. I don’t miss it—it always seemed kind of a food oxymoron anyway. But the broth is delicious, and if enough is leftover, use it to slow-braise potatoes for an intriguing accompaniment to simple grilled or poached fish. Oded Schwartz calls the recipe “fish potatoes” in his book, In Search of Plenty: cover quartered peeled potatoes with the broth, add knobs of butter, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer slowly until most of the liquid is evaporated and the potatoes are brown and fragrant. Serve hot with sour cream.

FOR THE FENNEL-WINE BROTH

3 cups coarsely chopped onion

1^1⁄2 cups scraped and coarsely chopped carrots

2 tablespoons mild olive or avocado oil

1 small fennel bulb, coarsely chopped (include stalks and some of the fennel fronds)

1 parsnip, peeled and coarsely chopped (optional)

3 garlic cloves, peeled

Salt

3 cups dry white wine

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (optional)

1 Turkish bay leaf

1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves and stems

FOR THE FISH

1^1⁄2 pounds salmon fillets, skin and any bones removed and discarded, fish cut into 1-inch pieces

1⁄2 pound sole, flounder or any other soft white fish fillets, skin and any bones removed and discarded, fish cut into 1-inch pieces,

2 large garlic cloves, peeled

Sautéed onion and carrot reserved from preparing the broth

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1^1⁄2 teaspoons salt

1⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons finely ground blanched almonds

FOR THE GINGER-BEET HORSERADISH

About 1 tablespoon peeled and finely grated fresh ginger

1 cup prepared beet horseradish

Soft lettuce, endive, or radicchio leaves, for lining the plates

PREPARE the broth: in a large, wide, heavy saucepan or 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, sauté the onions and carrots in the oil over medium heat until the onions are softened and the carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about half the mixture to a food processor and let cool (you’ll be using it later for the fish balls). To the saucepan, add the fennel, parsnips, if using, and the garlic. Mix well and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables begin to wilt and soften. Add salt to taste and 1 cup of the wine, cover the pan, and let sweat gently for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the remaining 2 cups wine, 5 cups water, the peppercorns, fennel seeds, if using, bay leaf, and parsley. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the broth seems weak, raise the heat to high and boil briefly to concentrate the flavors. Cool slightly, then strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer, pushing down on the solids to extract all the flavorful juices. Discard the solids. Rinse out the pan and return the strained broth to it.

MAKE the fish balls: add the salmon, sole, and garlic cloves to the onions and carrots in the food processor. Chop fine, using the pulse motion, but don’t puree. Put the mixture in a chopping bowl or on a chopping board. Using a hand-chopper or cleaver, work in the eggs, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. (Hand-chopping at this point incorporates air into the mixture, making it lighter and fluffier than pulsing in the food processor.) Stir in the ground almonds.

IT’S a good idea to do a test for seasoning. Poach a teaspoon of the fish mixture in lightly salted boiling water for a few minutes. Taste, and if needed, add additional salt and pepper. Refrigerate the fish, covered, for at least 1 and up to 4 hours. (This step makes it easier to mold and results in fluffier fish balls.)

PREPARE the ginger-beet horseradish: stir the ginger into the horseradish, adding more or less according to preference. Cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

BRING the strained broth to a gentle boil. Wetting your hands with cold water, if necessary, form the fish mixture into 16 ovals, using about 1⁄4 cup for each. As you form them, place the ovals on a platter lined with wax paper. Carefully slip the fish ovals into the broth and reduce the heat to a simmer. If the fish is not completely covered by the broth, baste with several spoonfuls of the broth. Cover the pot, and poach the fish ovals for about 20 minutes, until an inserted toothpick tests clean and the ovals are completely cooked through at the center. Remove the pot from the heat and let the fish cool in the broth. For maximum flavor, cover and chill in the broth overnight or preferably for 24 hours.

TO serve, line platters or individual plates with lettuce, endive, or radicchio. Arrange two ovals of the chilled, drained fish attractively on top and accompany with the ginger-beet horseradish.

SLOW-ROASTED SALMON WITH GREEN HERB OIL AND BEET-HORSERADISH RELISH

YIELD: ABOUT 8 APPETIZER SERVINGS

This deconstructed, quick and simple stand-in for traditional gefilte fish with horseradish has all the familiar flavors but none of the heavy lifting of the original. It’s a fabulous splurge with wild salmon, but high-quality farm-raised salmon substitutes nicely.

Fresh salmon is cut into serving slices and very slowly roasted, emerging melt-in-the-mouth silky and perfectly cooked throughout. Keep this in your recipe files for an effortless first course or main dish throughout the year, excellent warm or at room temperature, paired with sauces from aioli to green olive or spicy fresh tomato.

The easy herb oil brings the sweet, buttery fish to life without overwhelming it. More an accompaniment than a sauce, the flavorful relish is meant to be served in copious portions. And unlike the classic jarred beet horseradish, even children can enjoy it.

FOR THE RELISH

6 medium beets (about 1^1⁄2 pounds, trimmed)

2 cups coarsely chopped red onions

About 1⁄4 cup capers, rinsed and drained

About 3 tablespoons jarred white horseradish

3 tablespoons packed fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons packed fresh dill

1⁄4 cup best-quality extra virgin olive oil

About 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE HERB OIL

3⁄4 cup packed snipped fresh chives

1⁄4 cup packed snipped fresh dill

1⁄2 cup grapeseed, avocado, or other flavorless oil

Salt

1 teaspoon jarred white horseradish

FOR THE SALMON

2 pounds fresh salmon fillet, skin on, any pinbones removed with a tweezer

About 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1⁄2 cup dill leaves or a mixture of dill and chives, plus additional dill leaves for garnish

START the relish: preheat the oven to 350°F. Trim any greens (save and cook like spinach or chard) and the root ends from the beets. Scrub the beets well, but don’t peel or dry them off. Tightly wrap each beet in foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake until tender, 1^1⁄2 to 2 hours (if they are very large). Carefully remove the foil and set aside until cool enough to handle. Slip the peels off and cut the beets into large chunks.

COMBINE the beets in a food processor with the red onion, capers, horseradish, parsley, and dill, and pulse until chopped fine, but not pureed. Transfer the relish to a bowl and toss with the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Taste and add more capers, horseradish, vinegar, or seasoning, if you like. The onion may taste somewhat sharp at first but will mellow nicely as all the flavors unfold and mingle. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

MAKE the herb oil. Combine the chives, dill, about 3⁄4 of the oil, and a generous pinch of salt in a blender. Blend on high, stopping to stir down as needed, until roughly pureed. Remove the blender cap and with the machine on, drizzle in the remaining oil. Continue processing until you have a smooth puree. Scrape the puree into a bowl, stir in the horseradish and salt to taste. Cover and set aside to let the flavors mingle.

PREPARE the fish: preheat the oven to 250°F. Cut the salmon crosswise into 8 equal slices and bring the fish to room temperature. Choose a shallow roasting pan large enough to accommodate the salmon slices in a single layer, and smear it with some of the oil.

COAT the fish on both sides with the oil. Stir together the paprika, salt and pepper to taste and massage into the flesh. Place the fish skin side down in the pan and scatter the herbs on top.

SLOW-ROAST the salmon. The exact cooking time will vary according to your taste and the thickness of the fish. For a seder, I prefer to serve it medium, cooked about 25 minutes: just cooked through, showing the slightest bit of translucence at the thickest part, the skin easily peeled off. Even when completely cooked through, the salmon will look rare, since it will still be brightly colored throughout. The buttery flesh will not flake as you are used to, but instead will gently separate into layers when you poke it.

TO serve, pull off and discard the salmon skin and brush away the herbs. Use a spatula to slide each salmon slice onto a plate, sprinkle with a little coarse salt, and drizzle with the herb oil. Scoop a large dollop of the relish alongside and garnish with dill leaves. Pass the remaining herb oil separately.

COOK’S NOTE: You can prepare the relish about 2 days ahead, without loss of flavor.

Leftover herb oil is wonderful stirred into mashed potatoes, soups, mayonnaise, and vinaigrettes, or stippled on fish, chicken, or vegetables.

FISH IN TOMATO, RHUBARB, AND BLOOD-ORANGE SAUCE

YIELD: 6 TO 8 APPETIZER OR MAIN COURSE SERVINGS

Tomato’s unexpected coupling with puckery rhubarb blossoms into a delightful marriage of flavors here. Worlds apart from the flat tomato-based sweet-and-sour foods I loathed growing up, this Sephardi fish classic sparkles with a cool, clean tang. I add just a bit of honey, relying more on caramelized onions, bright blood oranges, and the sweet heat of fresh ginger for the subtle but complex sweetening needed to tease the ingredients together seamlessly.

I steam or poach the fish separately, rather than cooking it directly in the sauce as many recipes suggest, because the liquid it exudes makes the fish too watery.

Flavored with early spring rhubarb, Greek and Turkish Jews often serve this as a fish entree at their seders. But it is equally fine as a refreshing main course, at room temperature or chilled—especially when the weather grows warm, and delicious hot as well.

Because the flavors of the sauce demand time to fully develop, this is an excellent choice for make-ahead schedules. You can prepare the sauce up to three days ahead, and cook the fish just before serving (plan on extra time for cooling/chilling the fish if you are not serving it warm). Or make the fish when you prepare the sauce, and chill it, covered with sauce, until serving.

FOR THE SAUCE

3 medium blood oranges (if not available, substitute 2 large, juicy navel oranges)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups finely chopped onion

1^1⁄2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced

About 1 tablespoon orange blossom or other light floral honey

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound rhubarb, ends trimmed (discard leaves; they can be toxic), tough strings removed with a vegetable peeler, and stalks cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)

1 cup fresh orange juice

Generous pinch of ground cinnamon

2 cups canned, peeled plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), coarsely chopped, and 1⁄2 cup of their liquid

Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

FOR THE FISH

3 pounds fish fillets or steaks (choose salmon or white-fleshed fish such as red snapper, grouper, sea bass, halibut, cod, lemon or grey sole)

If steaming the fish: mild lettuce or cabbage leaves

1⁄3 to 1⁄2 cup finely minced fresh mint leaves, for garnish

START the sauce: with a vegetable peeler, remove a long strip of zest from one of the oranges. Put it in a small saucepan with water to cover, and bring to a boil. Drain, rinse, and pat it dry. Mince the zest fine. Peel two of the blood oranges (or 1^1⁄2 of the navel oranges), removing all of the bitter white pith and any seeds. Slice the oranges into chunks using a serrated knife. Set the blanched orange zest and chunks aside. (You will be using the remaining orange to garnish the finished dish.)

IN a 10-inch heavy skillet, warm the oil over moderate heat. Add the onions, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until they are shiny and lightly softened. Add the minced orange zest, ginger, and 1 teaspoon of the honey. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are pale gold and very soft and sweet, 15 to 20 minutes.

WHILE the onions are cooking, combine the rhubarb, 1⁄2 cup of the orange juice, the remaining 2 teaspoons of honey, the cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is very tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

WHEN the onions are ready, add the remaining 1⁄2 cup orange juice to the skillet and boil the mixture, stirring and scraping it so it does not burn, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the liquid evaporates and the onions are deep golden. Stir in the tomatoes and their liquid, and cook over moderately high heat until they break up, about 10 minutes. Add the rhubarb mixture to the sauce, and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Add the reserved orange chunks and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce is thickened and the flavors well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper and some of the lemon juice. Taste again and, if needed, add additional honey or lemon juice until you reach your perfect sweet-and-sour balance.

LET the sauce cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate it for at least 12 hours or up to three days to blend the flavors.

TO poach the fish: in a deep, lidded skillet or sauté pan large enough to hold the fish in a single layer (if preparing several thin fillets, you will probably need to cook them in batches), bring 3 inches of water and salt and pepper to taste to a boil. Reduce the heat to a bare simmer, lower the fish into the water, and cover the pan. Poach until the fish is just cooked through, 6 to 12 minutes, depending on the variety and thickness of the fish.

TO steam the fish: in a heavy, large, wide pot, such as a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, add water to a depth of 1^1⁄2 to 2 inches. Arrange a rack in the pan that stands at least 1 inch above the water. (If your rack’s legs are not high enough, set it over 2 custard cups or empty tuna cans.) Bring the water to a boil. Line the rack with a layer of mild lettuce (iceberg or Boston, for example) or cabbage leaves, then place the fish on top in a single layer (if cooking thin fillets, you will probably have to steam the fish in batches). The leaf “bed” for the fish gentles the steam and prevents the cooked fish from falling through the rack as you lift it out. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and steam until the fish is just cooked through, 6 to 12 minutes, depending on the variety and thickness of the fish.

TO test the fish for doneness, insert a thin-bladed knife in the thickest part. The fish should be opaque or show a slight bit of translucence, according to your preference.

REMOVE the fish to paper toweling or a clean kitchen towel (unscented by detergent) to drain, then carefully transfer it to a serving platter. Peel off any skin on the fish. You can serve the fish at room temperature, chilled (but not icy cold), or warm. If not serving the fish warm, cool it to room temperature, and, if desired, cover and chill it until cold. Blot up any liquid the fish may have thrown off. Spoon a generous amount of the sauce over the fish, reserving the rest.

OR prepare the fish ahead when you make the sauce. Follow the above directions for cooking, cooling, and saucing the fish. Cover and chill the fish for at least 12 hours and up to 2 days. Serve the fish at room temperature, chilled (but not icy cold), or reheat it gently and serve it warm.

JUST before serving, blot up any additional liquid exuded by the fish. Cut the remaining orange into very thin slices. Tuck the slices around the fish and sprinkle lavishly with the chopped mint. Pass a sauce boat with the remaining sauce (heated through, if serving the fish warm).

COOK’S NOTE: The leftover sauce is also wonderful with poached or grilled chicken.

SNAPPER FILLETS IN PISTACHIO-MATZOH CRUST

YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

Jacob never guessed that his gift for the “man,” Pharaoh’s governor, was in fact destined for none other than his own son Joseph, he of technicolor-coat fame. But he was sure it—and a double measure of money—would please.

Pistachios always taste like a treat. I find them more addictive than potato chips when eaten out of hand, and I keep a supply of the pale green nuts in the freezer to glamorize savory foods and desserts. They give more than mere crunch—pistachios have an exotic, almost flowery-sweet taste, suggesting, as Waverly Root has pointed out, a spice more than a nut. Toasted pistachio nuts give a delightful buttery finish to this matzoh crumb crust and point up the richness of the sour cream topping, so that it only needs to be lightly slathered on the fish.

Simple but delicious, this comes together very quickly.

1⁄4 cup shelled unsalted pistachios

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional butter (or oil) for greasing the pan

1⁄2 cup coarsely ground matzoh crumbs (egg matzohs are excellent for this, if you use them during Passover; see Flavored Matzoh) or matzoh meal

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons grated onion

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest and/or—for a sassy seasoning with just a bit of heat—1^1⁄2 teaspoons prepared white horseradish, drained

1^3⁄4 to 2 pounds red snapper fillets or other nonoily white-fleshed fish fillets

Accompaniment: lemon wedges

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Spread the pistachios on a foil-lined baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time. Toast the matzoh crumbs or matzoh meal at the same time: melt the butter in a small baking dish in the oven; add the matzoh crumbs or meal, season with salt and pepper, and stir well. Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes.

REMOVE the pistachios from the oven and let cool slightly. Chop the nuts coarsely by hand or with a few pulses in food processor. Combine the pistachios with the toasted matzoh crumbs or meal. Raise the oven temperature to 400°F.

IN a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, onion, lemon zest, and/or horseradish. Lightly grease a baking pan large enough to accommodate the fish in one layer. Sprinkle the fish on both sides with salt and pepper and place in the prepared pan. Spread the sour cream mixture evenly over the fish and top with the pistachio-matzoh crumbs. Bake just until the fish is opaque throughout, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve with lemon wedges.

VERONESE ROLLED TURKEY LOAF (POLPETTONE)

YIELD: 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

Like its poor relation, the Ashkenazi helzel (a goose neck filled with fat, flour, and scraps of meat), this refined loaf of boned and rolled turkey (similar to a ballotine) relies on gentle cooking within a pouch sewn of poultry skin to keep the contents moist and succulent.

A favorite for holiday meals, variations of this polpettone are found throughout the Jewish communities of Italy, some calling for additions of ground veal or pistachios, some grinding the turkey instead of cubing it. This version comes from Ester Silvana Israel of Verona, who has gathered the recipes of the city’s elderly Jews. It is often featured on Passover menus, surrounded by the Italian spring trio of purple artichokes, mushrooms, and baby peas.

A wonderful alternative to turkey roasted on the bone (many Orthodox and Conservative Jews refrain from eating roast meats at the seder meals), polpettone, bathed in broth and served at room temperature, remains moist and flavorful even during the longest seder.

To make the loaf, the turkey skin is removed, sewn into a neat pouch, and stuffed with cubes of the meat. Although it looks daunting, it is time-consuming rather than difficult. The trickiest task is taking off the skin as nearly intact as possible. Turkey skin is much stronger and more elastic than chicken skin, but you must work carefully and patiently to avoid tearing it.

1 half turkey, skin intact (7 to 10 pounds)

3 or 4 eggs (use 3 if turkey is around 7 pounds, 4 if it weighs closer to 10), beaten

3 or 4 large garlic cloves, finely minced

1⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 to 10 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade, or good-quality, low-sodium purchased

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

3 large carrots, scraped and quartered

2 celery stalks, including leaves, coarsely chopped

Optional accompaniment: Green Olive Sauce (substitute 2 teaspoons mayonnaise for the mustard), or mayonnaise diluted with some of the cooking broth

REMOVE and discard the clumps of fat around the neck and tail openings. Starting at the neck end, slowly work your hands under the skin, gently easing it away from the flesh. Move your hands all the way down the leg, then, using a small, sharp knife, cut the skin carefully away from the base of the leg. Now slip the skin off the leg, like pulling a sleeve over the turkey’s wrist. It’s very difficult to cut around the wingtip in the same way, so instead, cut a circle around the shoulder area, and slip the skin down and off the wing. You’ll have a big hole there, but you’ll patch it up when sewing the pouch. When you have separated all the skin from the body, gently take off whatever excess fat can be removed easily without damaging the skin. Rinse the skin inside and out and pat it dry.

THREAD a large embroidery needle with strong white cotton thread or dental floss, and using an overcast or loop stitch, sew a few stitches to close up the base of the leg, then sew up the hole left from the wing. Fold the skin in half to make a rectangle. Sew the base and outer edge closed. You should have a neat pocket, open only at the top. (The first time I made this, I was wondering where I would get more skin: surely this would never hold all that turkey flesh. But it stretches quite a bit and is very resilient, so you will be able to fit all the meat into it quite easily.)

SET the skin aside while you cut all the meat—white and dark—from the turkey carcass and cube it. Cut away the tendons and discard. Include a small amount of turkey fat to help keep the loaf moist. Place the cubed meat in a bowl and stir in the eggs, garlic, allspice, and salt and pepper to taste.

STUFF the pouch with the meat mixture. Gently push the meat down into the pouch so you have enough room. Using the embroidery needle in an overcast stitch again, sew the top of the pouch closed. Rinse a clean, thin kitchen towel (that has been washed in unscented laundry detergent) or double layer of cheesecloth in cold water and squeeze it out. (I use inexpensive extra-large men’s cotton handkerchiefs—they don’t shred like cheesecloth and they can be washed and reused.) Place the pouch in the towel or cloth and roll up very tightly. Tie the cloth securely closed in several places: at both ends, in the middle, and between the middle and the ends.

PUT 8 cups of broth in a heavy saucepan large enough to accommodate the filled pouch. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and simmer for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer and add the turkey pouch. If necessary, add more broth so the pouch is covered. Simmer, covered, for 1^1⁄2 hours.

REMOVE the pot from the heat. Leave the turkey loaf in the pot, and weight it down with several heatproof plates or one plate with a large weight placed on top. Let cool under the weights until it reaches room temperature. Remove the weights and the cloth covering, and slice the loaf. (If it crumbles, it will still taste delicious.) Moisten each slice with several spoonfuls of the broth. Reduce some of the remaining broth over high heat and spoon over the turkey as sauce before serving. The turkey will be very flavorful, but it will need the broth to stay moist. It’s a good idea to keep any leftover loaf submerged under lots of broth.

IF you want to serve the loaf warm, let it firm up at room temperature first, then reheat it slowly in the broth.

FOR a more elaborate sauce, serve with Green Olive Sauce or some mayonnaise thinned with a little broth.

COOK’S NOTE: Here is my favorite way to eat this, especially leftovers: simmer lots of chopped Swiss chard, spinach, or even broccoli rabe in some of the broth and spoon the mixture over slices of the turkey loaf arranged in a soup bowl. Then stir a little mayonnaise—or, if you have it on hand, a few spoons of pureed artichoke—into the broth to enrich the sauce. Scrumptious.

Artichoke puree is available jarred in many specialty stores or prepare your own by pureeing jarred artichoke hearts drained of oil (avoid those packed in strong marinade). Or puree cooked, frozen artichoke hearts with a little extra virgin olive oil and season to taste. Artichoke puree, also called artichoke paste, makes a superb substitute for cream or butter when you need to enrich or smooth out a meat or poultry sauce.

PASSOVER IN PARIS

I walked through the open-air market, filling my bags with the new spring garlic, brilliant vegetables, fresh-caught fish, and fragrant herbs. Preparing for Passover seders takes a long time; in our case, it was several years. And the place was Paris.

Our daughter Alex was spending her college junior year there. Since her schedule would not permit her to come home for the holiday, we decided to celebrate our seders in Paris with her.

The location would not be the only first for us: my husband Howard and I had never hosted our own seder before. For years, we have spent the first seder with my sister and her family and the second with my husband’s sister’s family. And while we cook for my sister’s seder and contribute to the service at my sister-in-law’s, we had never led one of our own.

It became a game we played every year: what would we include in our seder? We compiled booklists for creating personal seders and downloaded provocative Haggadahs from the Web. We stuffed folders with names of songs and ideas for rituals we would add.

But in the end, Passovers are made of family memories, and we were too close to our own families to enjoy seders without them. There was no way we could break with tradition and go off on our own.

Until now.

We packed the ceremonial items and rented an apartment with a good kitchen and a large dining room in an area we knew well from past visits.

I once read that a guest at a holiday table is a gift for the family because then the family looks at all the traditions, listens to the songs and the stories as if for the first time. Our service would include not only Alex, but her boyfriend, and Emily, a very close family friend also in Paris for her junior year, perhaps a few students from Alex’s theater classes and relatives of stateside friends too.

We revisited and revised each section of the Hagaddah in the service we created and wove in poems, personal stories, and a profusion of songs, from “Dayenu” to “Go Down Moses” (with all song lyrics printed out), that would make the celebration not just interactive but authentically shared as well.

The day before the seder, we went to buy a brisket in the old Jewish quarter around the rue des Rosiers and came away with a renewed affection for Gallic-Jewish warmth.

As we waited for the meat in the tiny shop, M. Michel Kalifa, the Moroccan butcher, brought out wine in real wineglasses. The couple ahead of us, jewelers from the posh sixteenth arrondissement, were buying kilos of house-made cured meats for pre-seder hors d’oeuvre, and Michel insisted that we taste them, comparing the beef to the goose, and those studded with pistachios and without.

Then he placed little china plates heaped with just-cooked chicken on the tall glass display cases of meat. With surgeon’s skill, he e bones in a few deft strokes. One chicken was prepared with olives, the other with both olives and preserved lemons. “Lequel préférez-vous?” he wanted to know. But we couldn’t choose a favorite—both were perfectly succulent.

Michel explained that only thighs and legs, bone in, stay moist—especially important at seders when food must wait out the predinner service. “Forget the bland and dry boneless chicken breasts that most Americans use,” he winked. His Moroccan chicken was the perfect complement, we decided, to our traditional Braised Brisket with Thirty-Six Cloves of Garlic.

And whether it was Paris or just the late-April date of that year’s holiday, I have never cooked for a seder with such intensely flavored produce. Deeply perfumed raspberries, blood oranges, and rhubarb bursting with taste made my staple spring compote a real standout.

We began the service by blessing the children. But as the seder unfolded, we felt blessed as well.

CHICKEN WITH OLIVES AND PRESERVED LEMON

YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

For us, this moist, beautifully flavored chicken will always be the taste of Passover in Paris. A recipe for preserved lemons follows, if you need to prepare your own kosher-for-Passover version; start it about one week before the holiday.

Generous pinch of saffron threads

5 or 6 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

About 5 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon sweet paprika, smoked or regular

1 teaspoon ground cumin, preferably freshly toasted and ground

About 5 pounds skinless, bone-in chicken thighs and/or legs, all visible fat and gristle removed

2 cups grated onions (to make, peel, and quarter about 4 medium onions and pulse in a food processor)

2 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade, or good quality, low-sodium purchased

1 cup good, brine-cured olives, rinsed, pitted, and coarsely chopped (choose green olives or ripe purple-brown ones, such as Kalamatas, Gaetas, or Alphonsos)

The peel of 2 preserved lemons, finely chopped (recipe follows)

About 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1⁄3 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, plus additional for garnish

PREPARE the marinade: crumble the saffron between your fingers into a small bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons hot water and let soak for 10 minutes.

COMBINE the garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, about 1 teaspoon salt and 3⁄4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste), the paprika, and cumin in a food processor, and pulse to chop well. Add the saffron water and process until pasty.

PLACE the chicken in a large, heavy resealable plastic bag, and spoon the marinade over. Shake the bag until all the pieces are bathing in the marinade. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, occasionally shaking the bag or moving the pieces around to ensure the marinade is evenly distributed over all surfaces of the chicken.

BRING the chicken to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 300°F.

SCRAPE the marinade off the chicken and reserve it. Heat a large, wide Dutch oven or other heavy, ovenproof lidded casserole over medium-high heat. Swirl in 3 tablespoons olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the chicken pieces (in batches, using additional oil, if necessary), and sauté until golden-brown on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a platter.

DISCARD any oil remaining in the pan. Add the onions and broth, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, scraping up all the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Stir in the reserved marinade and reduce the heat to low. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them around in the pan sauce. Fit a piece of foil over the chicken, then cover the pan tightly with the lid.

BRAISE the chicken in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until tender and cooked through, turning the pieces two or three times in the pan sauce as they braise.

REMOVE the chicken to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Boil the pan sauce over high heat, uncovered, until reduced to about 1^1⁄2 cups. Stir in the olives and preserved lemon peel, and simmer the sauce on top of the stove, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, cilantro or parsley, and salt and pepper to taste, and combine well. Return the chicken to the pan and cook briefly until heated through. Taste again and adjust the seasoning or lemon juice as needed.

ARRANGE the chicken on a serving platter surrounded by the olives. Spoon the sauce generously over all and garnish with the herbs. Pass any remaining sauce separately.

PRESERVED LEMONS

YIELD: 6 PRESERVED LEMONS

These lemons will take about one week to cure, so plan ahead accordingly. If at all possible, do try to find organic fruit for this recipe, since it is the peel, not the flesh of the lemon that you will be eating. Most commercially grown lemons are coated with edible-grade wax to preserve the gloss and color of the rind; be sure to scrub well to remove it. And if you even suspect that you have hangnails or tiny cuts on your fingers, it’s a good idea to wear rubber gloves while working with the salt.

You’ll find a slew of uses for preserved lemons, in addition to traditional North African tagines and couscous recipes. Some ideas to get you started: tuck slivers of the peel under the skin of a roasting bird or into stuffings; insert a whole preserved lemon in the cavity of roasting poultry or slip chunks inside a grilling fish; add shredded preserved lemon peel to salads composed of beans (lentils, chickpeas, and others), vegetables (such as potato, roasted eggplant, red pepper, or beet), or grains (like tabouleh); stir finely chopped preserved lemon peel into mayonnaise or sandwich spreads.

And don’t discard the tart, salty juice produced during the preserving. It’s excellent in vinaigrettes and fish sauces—just remember that it is quite salty, so a little goes a long way.

6 medium lemons, preferably organic

About 1⁄2 cup coarse kosher salt

1 to 1^1⁄2 cups fresh lemon juice

REMOVE any stickers from the lemons and wash the fruit well. If the lemons are coated with wax, scrub it off using a vegetable brush or a new plastic abrasive (soapless) sponge.

BLANCHING the lemons will begin softening the peel, jump-starting the process. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the lemons and stir them around. Cover the pot and boil the fruit for 2 minutes. Drain and pat thoroughly dry.

CHOOSE a clean, dry wide-mouth glass jar with a plastic lid (metal will corrode), and sprinkle the bottom with 2 tablespoons salt.

PREPARE the lemons one at a time. Trim off any protruding tips from either end. Cut the lemons into quarters (or sixths if large) lengthwise from top to bottom end, but don’t cut all the way through—the lemon quarters should still be attached on one end.

WORKING over a bowl, spread each lemon open and slather it generously inside and out with salt. Scoop up any salt that falls into the bowl and repack it onto the lemon. Close up the lemons, then pack them tightly into the jar, pushing them down hard with your hands or a wooden spoon to help release their juices.

ADD enough lemon juice to cover the lemons; if they are not completely submerged, mold may form on the top layer of the fruit.

SPRINKLE the top with about 2 tablespoons salt and close the lid tightly. Shake the jar well to dissolve the salt. Store in a cool (but unrefrigerated), dry place. Turn the jar upside down and shake vigorously everyday to redistribute the salted juice.

THE rind of the lemons should be soft and ready to use in about one week. Dribble a thin layer of oil over the lemons and store the jar in the refrigerator. When using, taste, and if very salty, rinse in cold water before adding to recipes.

THE preserved lemons will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 year.

LEMON FRIED CHICKEN WITH TART SALAD TOPPING

YIELD: 4 TO 5 SERVINGS

“Why on this night do we dip twice, and on other nights, we dip only once?” asks the youngest child as part of the Four Questions at the seder, seeking an explanation of the mysteries encoded in the ritual Passover meal.

And the head of the family answers that on this night we dip bitter herbs into haroset to remind us of the mortar the Jews used to build Pharaoh’s cities and the bitterness they suffered. We dip vegetables in salt water or vinegar to commemorate both the joy of spring and the tears of the Jewish slaves.

But when did we dip once? In ancient times, when the diet of the Jews comprised mainly bread—and heavy bread at that, often made from barley or other coarse grains—they dipped the bread in vinegar, onions, or bitter herbs (the maror of the seder plate) to make the leaden starch more palatable and more digestible.

Arugula was then collected wild by the poor. Purslane—a lemony-flavored, small-leafed green currently gracing mesclun salads—and cress were gathered and later cultivated by Jewish farmers. Jews dipped rough bread into the sharp greens or combined them into a sandwich. (In some Haggadahs, Ashkenazi Jews, unfamiliar with this erstwhile Mediterranean custom of dunking, have changed the question to “. . . and on other nights, we dip not at all?”)

“Lo, this is the bread of affliction,” the Haggadah refers to the matzoh. And after a few days of the coarse, unleavened bread in every guise imaginable, we too, like the ancients, need spring’s sharp greens coursing through systems now sluggish and logy.

In this adaptation of a popular Milanese dish, we reenact the dipping one more time: the crisp, matzoh meal-coated chicken is dipped into a salad of tart greens, tomato, and onion.

FOR THE CUTLETS

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1⁄4 cup olive oil, for frying, plus 1 teaspoon

About 1^1⁄2 teaspoons salt

About 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1^3⁄4 to 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken cutlets, trimmed of fat and gristle and pounded lightly to a uniform thickness

2 large eggs

1 cup matzoh meal, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

FOR THE SALAD

1⁄2 pound ripe tomatoes, diced (1 cup)

3⁄4 cup finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons fine-quality extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups sharp salad greens (such as arugula, watercress, endive, radicchio, sorrel, flat-leaf parsley, purslane, or—preferably—a mixture of these), washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces

Accompaniment: lemon wedges

PREPARE the cutlets: in a large bowl, blend together the garlic, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken, toss to coat thoroughly with the mixture, and refrigerate to marinate, covered, for 1 to 2 hours. Or marinate in a resealable plastic bag. Turn the chicken occasionally in the marinade to ensure even flavoring.

BEAT the eggs well in a wide, shallow bowl or pie pan. Stir together the matzoh meal and lemon zest and spread on a large sheet of wax paper or a plate. Taking one cutlet at a time, dip it into the beaten egg, coating well on both sides. Let the excess egg drip back into the bowl. Dredge the cutlets on both sides in the matzoh meal mixture. To prevent loose crumbs from falling off and burning in the hot oil, pat the cutlets firmly on each side so the matzoh meal adheres, then place them on a rack and let stand for about 15 minutes to set the coating.

HEAT the 1⁄4 cup olive oil in a 10- to 12-inch heavy sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the cutlets (in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan), and sauté them for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden and cooked through.

TRANSFER the cutlets as they are done to a paper towel–lined baking sheet to absorb excess oil, keeping them warm, if necessary, in a 200°F oven, until the rest are done.

PREPARE the salad: in a bowl, combine the tomato, onions, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the greens and toss well.

SERVE the cutlets topped with the salad, accompanied by the lemon wedges.

COOK’S NOTE: Divide the seasoned matzoh meal in half. When the first half becomes ragged with little clumps of egg from dredging the cutlets, replace with the reserved fresh half.

BRAISED BRISKET WITH THIRTY-SIX CLOVES OF GARLIC

YIELD: 8 GENEROUS SERVINGS

In my take on the French classic, chicken with forty cloves of garlic becomes brisket with thirty-six cloves. All that feisty garlic turns sweet and mellow with gentle braising; when pureed, it forms a seductive gravy, which is finished with a zing of chopped raw garlic and lemon zest.

Why thirty-six cloves? Beginning with aleph, which equals one, each letter of the Hebrew alphabet stands for a number, and so every word has a numerical value. All multiples of eighteen, the numerical value of the Hebrew word chai, life, are considered especially auspicious, which is why donations to charity and wedding and bar mitzvah gifts are often given in multiples of eighteen.

About 36 fat, unpeeled garlic cloves (1^2⁄3 to 2 cups) or an equivalent amount of smaller cloves, plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

A first- or second-cut beef brisket (about 5 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel, and patted dry

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade, or good-quality, low-sodium purchased

3 or 4 fresh thyme sprigs, or 2 teaspoons dried leaves

2 fresh rosemary sprigs, plus 1 teaspoon chopped leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

PREHEAT the oven to 325°F.

DROP the garlic cloves into a small saucepan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain immediately. Peel as soon as the garlic is cool enough to handle. Set aside on paper towels to dry.

HEAT the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed roasting pan or casserole large enough to accommodate the meat in one layer. Use two burners, if necessary. Add the brisket and brown well on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the brisket to a platter and set aside. (Or brown the meat under the broiler: place the brisket, fat side up, on a foil-lined broiler pan under a preheated broiler. Broil for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until browned. Don’t allow it to develop a hard, dark crust, which might make the meat tough or bitter. Move the meat around as necessary, so it sears evenly.)

POUR off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat remaining in the pan and add the garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic edges are tinged with gold. Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the stock, thyme, and rosemary sprigs, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Salt and pepper the brisket to taste on all sides, and add it to the pan, fat side up. Spoon the garlic cloves over the meat.

PLACE the brisket in the oven, cover (if you have no lid, use heavy-duty foil), and cook, basting every half-hour, until the meat is fork tender, 2^1⁄2 to 3 hours or longer. (As the meat cooks, periodically check that the liquid is bubbling gently. If it is boiling rapidly, turn the oven down to 300°F.)

THE brisket tastes best if it is allowed to rest, reabsorbing the juices lost during braising, and it’s easiest to defat the gravy if you prepare the meat ahead and refrigerate it until the fat solidifies. That is the method I use, given here, but the gravy can be prepared by skimming the fat in the traditional way, if you prefer. If you go that route though, do let the meat rest in the pan sauce for at least an hour.

COOL the brisket in the pan sauce, cover well with foil, and refrigerate until the fat congeals. Scrape off all solid fat. Remove the brisket from the pan and slice thinly across the grain.

PREPARE the gravy: bring the braising mixture to room temperature, then strain it, reserving the garlic and discarding the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Skim and discard as much fat as possible from the liquid. Puree about one half of the cooked garlic with 1 cup of the defatted braising liquid in a food processor or a blender. (If you want a smooth gravy, puree all of the cooked garlic cloves.) Transfer the pureed mixture, the remaining braising liquid, and the rest of the cooked garlic to a skillet. Add the chopped rosemary, minced garlic, and lemon zest. Boil down the gravy over high heat, uncovered, to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Rewarm the brisket in the gravy until heated through.

ARRANGE the sliced brisket on a serving platter. Spoon some of the hot gravy all over the meat and pass the rest in a separate sauce boat.

SLOW-BRAISED BRISKET WITH ROSEMARY, SHALLOTS, AND RED WINE

YIELD: 8 GENEROUS SERVINGS

Whenever I am asked what is the best way to make a brisket, I am stumped. Sure, there are techniques I always rely on. I sear it thoroughly, then slowly oven-braise the burnished meat with aromatics. When it emerges deeply flavored and fork-tender, I let it rest a long while in the pan sauce, reabsorbing the rich juices lost during cooking, to eliminate the dryness endemic to the cut. The sauce, defatted first, is pureed, then cooked down to concentrate the luscious flavors.

But beyond that, this iconic homey Jewish meat lends itself to so many variations. Sometimes I go traditional with a savory bubbe brisket, a straightforward, rustic dish requiring no advance marinating, like Easy Onion-Braised Brisket. Other times—especially for big holiday dinners—I like to tinker the humble to the haute.

This brisket, like the Moroccan-Flavored Brisket recipe that follows it, is the latter: a pull-out-all-the-stops celebration. While it does not require much more work than many, it does entail advance planning.

Begin a day or two before the seder so the garlic-rosemary studding can infuse the meat for at least eight hours. The next day, simmer the brisket extra slowly with plenty of shallots, red wine, and tomato to develop even more profound flavors. If possible, chill it overnight in the gravy so the fat can be easily lifted off. The day of the seder all that’s left to do is reheat the juicy meat in the pan sauce, enlivened with a fresh sparkle of herbs.

No, it’s not bubbe cuisine. But my bubbes would have savored every bite.

FOR THE FLAVOR PASTE

6 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

A first- or second-cut beef brisket, 4 to 5 pounds, trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel, and patted dry

FOR THE BRAISING

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups coarsely chopped shallots

2 cups full-bodied dry red wine

1 or 2 canned whole plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped

8 large garlic cloves, peeled

Three 3-inch fresh rosemary sprigs, plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped leaves

Four 4-inch fresh thyme sprigs, plus 1 teaspoon leaves

3 cups Beef Stock, or good quality, low-sodium purchased

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

PREPARE the flavor paste: process the paste ingredients in a blender or mini food processor to a coarse puree. Make a slit in the fat side of the brisket with the point of a small, sharp knife. Insert a little of the paste into the slit, using your fingers and the knife tip to push it in as far as possible. In the same way, insert some of the paste all over the top, bottom, and sides of the brisket, spacing them out as evenly as you can. Rub the remaining paste into the outside of the meat. Place the brisket in a large, plastic resealable bag or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for a minimum of 8 and up to 24 hours, so the flavorings can penetrate the meat.

REMOVE the meat from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature. Scrape off the paste and pat the meat dry with paper towels.

PREHEAT the oven to 275°F. In a Dutch oven or flameproof roasting pan large enough to hold the brisket snugly, heat the oil over medium-high heat. (If using a roasting pan, you may need to set it over two burners.) Add the brisket, and brown well on both sides (this will take about 10 minutes in all). Sear to caramelize the meat, but don’t let it develop a hard, brown crust, which might make the meat tough or bitter. Transfer the brisket to a platter and set aside. (Or sear under the broiler: place the brisket fat side up, on a foil-lined broiler pan, under a preheated broiler. Broil for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until browned. Don’t allow it to develop a hard, dark crust. Move the meat around as necessary, so it sears evenly.)

POUR off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil remaining in the pan, and add the shallots. Sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 cup of the wine, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Boil the mixture until the pan liquid is reduced to a glaze. Add the tomatoes, garlic, rosemary and thyme sprigs, beef stock, and the remaining wine. Boil for a few minutes, then lower the heat to a simmer.

SALT and pepper the brisket to taste on both sides, and add it to the pan, fat side up. Spoon the vegetables and pan liquid all over the meat. Cover the pan tightly (use heavy-duty foil if you don’t have a lid for the roasting pan) and place in oven.

BRAISE the meat, basting with the pan sauce and vegetables every half-hour, for 3 to 3^1⁄2 hours or more, until the meat is fork-tender.

REMOVE the pan from the oven and cool for 1 hour, then refrigerate, covered, overnight, in the braising liquid.

WHEN ready to serve the meat: scrape off all the solid fat from the surface of the meat and braising liquid. Transfer the brisket to a platter and cut into thin slices across the grain at a slight diagonal.

PREPARE the gravy: warm the braising liquid to room temperature. Remove thyme and rosemary sprigs and discard. In a food processor or a blender in batches, puree the pan solids with some of the braising liquid. Return this mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. If the gravy is too thin, boil it down to desired consistency over high heat. Stir in the rosemary and thyme leaves.

RETURN the sliced brisket to the pan and reheat slowly, either on top of the stove or in a 325°F oven, until heated through.

ARRANGE the meat on a serving platter with some of the gravy spooned over the meat. Pass the rest of the gravy in a sauce boat at the table.

MOROCCAN-FLAVORED BRISKET WITH DRIED APRICOTS AND PRUNES

YIELD: 8 GENEROUS SERVINGS

Each bite of this brisket embraces a concatenation of flavors. It begins with the tangy apricot paste studded directly into the meat, the more mellowed fruit of the pan sauce, then the slow-braised tender shreds of the meat itself. And it ends with a burst from gremolata-like mint, ginger, and garlic or a scatter of fresh cilantro.

But such fabulous fare requires time—though most of it unattended. The studding will more deeply flavor the meat if given several hours to penetrate. And when the brisket has finished braising, it should sit in the pan sauce overnight, so it can drink back the juices it gave up during the cooking process. Preparing the brisket in advance also simplifies defatting the gravy: the congealed fat can just be lifted off.

Of course, starting the brisket a couple of days before the seders affords you that much more time for the rest of your holiday menu.

1 tablespoon chopped garlic, plus 6 large garlic cloves, peeled

1⁄3 cup chopped dried apricots, plus 1⁄3 cup quartered (tart California apricots work best here)

3^1⁄2 teaspoons ground cumin, preferably freshly toasted and ground

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

A first- or second-cut beef brisket, 4 to 5 pounds, trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel, and patted dry

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups chopped onion

2 medium carrots, scraped and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne

1 cup dry red wine

3 cups Beef Stock or good-quality, low-sodium purchased

2⁄3 cup pitted prunes, quartered

FOR THE GREMOLATA (OPTIONAL)

1⁄2 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

1⁄2 cup chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon pressed garlic

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Optional garnish (instead of gremolata): chopped fresh cilantro

Accompaniment: Potato-Leek Matzoh Balls or mashed potatoes

IN a blender or mini processor, pulse the chopped garlic, chopped apricots, 1 teaspoon of the cumin, the cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper to a coarse puree. Make a slit in the fat side of the brisket with the point of a sharp knife. Insert a little of the puree into the slit, using your fingers and the knife tip to push it in as far as possible. Insert some of the puree in the same way in slits all over the top, bottom, and sides of the brisket, spacing the slits out as evenly as you can. Reserve any remaining puree. If you have time, put the brisket in a large, plastic resealable bag or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours, so the flavorings can penetrate the meat.

PREHEAT the oven to 275°F.

SCRAPE any puree that may have seeped out off the surface of the meat. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven, ovenproof casserole, or flameproof roasting pan large enough to accommodate the meat snugly. (If using a roasting pan, you may need to set it over two burners.) Add the brisket and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Sear to caramelize the meat, but don’t let it develop a hard, brown crust, which might make the meat tough or bitter. Transfer to a platter fat side up and set aside. (Or sear under the broiler: place the brisket fat side up, on a foil-lined broiler pan, under a preheated broiler. Broil for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Move the meat around as necessary, so it sears evenly.)

POUR off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the pan. Add the onions, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until softened and gold. Add the whole garlic cloves, carrots, and chopped ginger, and sauté 3 minutes. Add the remaining cumin, the coriander, and cayenne, and stir 30 seconds. Add the wine and boil, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the pan bottom, until the liquid is reduced almost to a glaze. Add the stock and bring to simmer.

SPREAD any reserved apricot mixture over the brisket, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and add the meat to the pan. Cover (use heavy-duty foil if you don’t have a lid) and oven-braise 3 to 4 hours, or until fork-tender, basting with pan juices every half-hour. About 30 minutes before you estimate the meat is done, stir in the quartered apricots and prunes.

COOL the brisket in the pan sauce, cover well with foil, and refrigerate overnight. Scrape off all solid fat and discard. Remove the brisket from the pan and slice thinly across the grain.

IF you are using the gremolata, combine the ingredients in a small bowl.

BRING the gravy to a boil. If it is too thin, boil down to desired consistency. (You can also thicken the gravy by pureeing some of the pan solids with a little pan liquid in a food processor or blender. Return this puree to the pan of gravy and bring to a simmer.) Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the gremolata, if desired.

RETURN the sliced brisket to the gravy in the pan and simmer until heated through. If you are not using the gremolata, sprinkle with the cilantro. Serve with Potato-Leek Matzoh Balls or mashed potatoes.

BEET-BRAISED POT ROAST WITH HORSERADISH AND POTATO KNAIDLACH

YIELD: 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

When the Purim revelries had passed, cooks in the Ukraine and northern Poland turned their attention to the long process of preparing rosl. They placed beets in earthenware crocks, covered them with fresh cold water, and let them slowly ferment, skimming the froth and foam weekly. A month later, a tangy, vegetal beet essence perfumed the shtetls, and the clear scarlet rosl was at last ready to be braised with pot roast and served as the popular Passover main course, roslfleisch.

With my cramped little kitchen and bulging closets, I’ve never had a place to secrete a pot of fermenting beets for more than a day or two. So I substitute a delicious fresh beet soup or even jarred borscht as the braising liquid. To replace the tart, beautifully nuanced flavor of the traditional rosl, I add a bit of sour salt and freshly grated horseradish, which throws off its clean bite when cooked and blooms with complex earthiness.

Tender, homey potato knaidlach, or dumplings, echoing the horseradish flavor, soak up the wonderful sauce the meat provides. To make them, I use prepared horseradish because the texture of freshly grated would be too coarse and woody, and the vinegar in the prepared kind preserves more of the kick, even after cooking.

FOR THE POT ROAST

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A 3 to 4 pound boneless chuck eye roast (I’ve found that this produces the most succulent pot roast, but if unavailable, chuck shoulder or other boneless chuck roast will make a very good dish too), trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel and patted dry

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 very large onion, chopped (2 to 3 cups)

4 or 5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 flavorful, tart-sweet apples (such as McIntosh, Northern Spy, or Cortland), peeled, cored, and cut into large dice

4 cups beet borscht, preferably homemade, or good-quality bottled (if using bottled, strain out any pieces of cooked beet and discard or reserve for another use)

2 Turkish bay leaves

2 to 4 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish, plus additional for garnish (see Cook’s Note)

Sour salt (available in Middle Eastern and European markets and specialty stores; optional)

FOR THE BEETS AND KNAIDLACH

1 pound fresh beets

6 large or 8 medium russet (baking) potatoes, (about 3 pounds) scrubbed but not peeled

2 large eggs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

About 1^1⁄2 cups matzoh meal

About 1⁄3 cup prepared white horseradish, drained

MAKE the pot roast: rub salt and pepper to taste into the meat. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or wide, heavy pot. Add the meat and brown it well on all sides. Transfer it to a platter.

WIPE out the pot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until softened and golden at the edges, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and apples, and sauté, lifting and turning the ingredients for 5 minutes longer. Add the borscht and bay leaves and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling for about 5 minutes to reduce the mixture slightly and concentrate the flavors. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting, add the meat, and spoon the vegetable-fruit mixture all over it. Cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly askew, and simmer the meat until it can be easily pierced with a fork and its juices are clear or palest rose. This could be anywhere from 2 to 3 hours or more, depending on the thickness of the meat. Turn the meat every 20 minutes or so, using spoons to avoid piercing it. Make sure the liquid is gently simmering, the bubbles just barely breaking—if needed, use a flame tamer (blech) or stack two burner grates together to maintain a very low flame.

STIR in the horseradish, season with salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a platter and wrap loosely with foil. Discard the bay leaves. Strain the pan sauce, reserving the solids. Skim as much fat as possible from the liquid. Puree the reserved solids with as much of the defatted braising liquid as necessary in a blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender. Return the puree to the pot, add the rest of the defatted braising liquid, and reduce over high heat until you have reached the consistency you prefer. Taste for seasoning. I love the tangy undertone 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon sour salt imparts to the sauce. If you choose to add it, start with a small amount and keep tasting until you reach a beautifully subtle acid-sweet balance. And you can add a bit more horseradish, if you’d like (freshly grated and heated briefly, it is more robust and earthy than pungent). Just cook a few minutes after adding additional seasoning to marry the flavors.

WHILE the pot roast is braising, prepare the beets and knaidlach. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Trim the greens (save and cook like spinach or chard) and the root ends from the beets. Scrub the beets well, but don’t peel them. Tightly wrap each beet in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, 1^1⁄2 to 2 hours (if they are very large). Carefully remove the foil and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel and cut the beets into quarters and set aside.

MAKE the knaidlach: cover the potatoes with cold salted water, bring to a boil, and cook, partially covered, until fork-tender, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size and age of the potatoes. Drain the potatoes and set aside until they are cool enough to handle. Peel and mash them well (no lumps wanted here), using a ricer or food mill or by pushing through a strainer. Spread them out on a sheet of wax paper to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes with the eggs, about 2^1⁄2 teaspoons salt (or to taste), and several generous grinds of pepper. Add 1^1⁄2 cups matzoh meal and knead with your hands for several minutes to combine the ingredients well. Transfer the dough to a work surface, lightly dusted, if necessary, with matzoh meal. If there is too much dough to handle easily, divide it in half and knead each separately. Add a bit more matzoh meal if the dough is sticky, but avoid adding too much, which would make the knaidlach heavy. Keep kneading until the dough is smooth. Shape the dough into four balls, then divide each into smaller balls about 2 tablespoonfuls each (a standard coffee measure). Flatten the balls slightly. Place a heaping 1⁄4 teaspoon of horseradish in the center, then pinch the edges together to enclose the filling. Reshape into a ball. Gently press the ball over the convex bowl of a teaspoon, flattening and indenting it slightly. (This will ensure that the knaidlach will cook through before the outside begins to disintegrate.) Continue stuffing and shaping the knaidlach until you have used up all the dough. (If you wish, you can refrigerate them at this point on a platter or in a baking dish, in a single layer, not touching, for 2 to 3 hours).

BRING 4 quarts water and about 1^3⁄4 tablespoons salt to a boil in a large wide pot. Cook the knaidlach in batches, so you don’t crowd the pot, dropping them one at time into the boiling water. Reduce the heat to moderate, and cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes until cooked through. The knaidlach will rise to the top, swell up, and become fluffy around the edges. To check for doneness, remove one from the pot and either taste or cut open. If knaidl is dark in the center, ascertain whether this is the horseradish filling or an uncooked part. Don’t overcook the knaidlach or they will fall apart.

REMOVE the cooked knaidlach with a skimmer or large slotted spoon—they are too delicate to be poured into a colander. Place them on a platter and moisten them lightly with a little pot roast sauce or melted margarine, and tent with foil, as you prepare the remaining knaidlach. Or keep them warm in a 250°F oven.

TO serve, slice the pot roast very thin, against the grain. Surround with cooked beets and potato knaidlach. Nap everything generously with sauce. If desired, sprinkle some freshly grated horseradish over all, or offer guests some to season their food with instead of pepper. Pass additional sauce separately.

COOK’S NOTE: To grate horseradish, peel it, cut it into small chunks, and grind in a food processor. You’ll avoid most of the eye-stinging volatile oils. And avert your face when opening the food processor lid for the same reason.

You may have knaidlach left over; it is difficult to decrease the recipe proportionally. They are delicious served as you would gnocchi, with tomato sauce, leftover gravy, or for non-Passover meals, toasted bread crumbs sautéed with garlic in good olive oil. To reheat, sauté the knaidlach lightly and quickly.

It’s more work, but the dumplings are even more flavorful with onions added to the stuffing. Sauté chopped onion or shallots in olive oil until rich gold, season well with salt and pepper, and let cool. When inserting the horseradish, add some of the onions as well.

As with most braised meats, the pot roast benefits from a day’s rest. Preparing the meat ahead not only cuts down on last-minute seder cooking, but also makes it easier to remove any fat from the gravy. Just scrape off the congealed fat while refrigerator cold.

This recipe began with a tattered French novella I read in the library. It led me to medieval towns in the south of France better known for ambrosial melons than Jewish cooking, and took me to bookstores and museums throughout Paris. It tells the story of a vanished cuisine.

I stumbled on “les juifs du Pape” (the Pope’s Jews) while researching early French-Jewish cuisine at the New York Public library. Although the Jews were expelled from France in 1394, they were allowed to remain—with restrictions—in four small areas comprising the Comtat Venaissin under papal jurisdiction: Avignon, Carpentras, Cavaillon, and L’Isle-sur-La-Sorgue (in Hebrew, Arba Kehilloth).

Tantalizing snippets along the paper trail intrigued me. The French poet Frédéric Mistral, for instance, claimed that the vocabulary and enchanting folklore of the Comtat Jews had enriched the lyrical language of his native Provence. These Jews had their own Judeo-Provençal dialect, their liturgy was unique, and, by all accounts, their cuisine distinctive.

But although French Jews have written scores of cookbooks, I could find no recipes at all from this community. I was about to give up, when a fellow researcher, eyeing the books spread-eagled around me, made an offhand remark about Armand Lunel, a Comtat Jew who, he claimed, wrote evocatively about food in his fiction.

In his charming novella, Jérusalem à Carpentras (1937), Lunel limned with gentle humor the hot coudoles from the ancient Passover oven in Carpentras—matzohs so exquisite that Christians, defying the Bishop’s interdiction, came banging on the gates of the Juiverie to purchase them. But it was Lunel’s lavish praise for le prin, which he called “le nec plus ultra de l’art culinaire judéo-carpentrassien,” that convinced me. Served on Passover, this meltingly tender breast of veal, is, as he described it, the essence of spring: stuffed with a mixture of chard and spinach and a scant fistful of rice, intensely refreshing and fortifying at the same time. It sounded so delightfully contemporary, and so delicious, I had to have the recipe—or something equally enchanting from this elusive cuisine.

In Cavaillon, where a Jewish museum dedicated to the Comtat Venaissin is housed in an old matzoh bakery, I inquired about recipes or cookbooks detailing what must have been a scrumptious cuisine. None existed. In the beautiful old synagogues of Cavaillon and Carpentras, now French landmarks, I couldn’t locate any members of the old Comtat community, which had been assimilated and replaced by new waves of French Jewry.

In Paris it was the same story. Even Lunel’s book was out of print.

It was Passover, I was in France, and in my mind’s eye, I could taste Lunel’s prin. Like Proust’s admirers dreaming of madeleines, I had fallen in love with a food from reading a book. But in the end, this love could only be requited through an act of imagination.

This is how I envisioned the recipe.

PROVENÇAL ROASTED GARLIC–BRAISED BREAST OF VEAL WITH SPRINGTIME STUFFING, PLUS AN ASHKENAZI VARIATION

YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Don’t pass by this fabulous veal because your family refrains from eating rice on Passover. When my agent Elise Goodman wanted to prepare it for her seder, we came up with a wonderful alternative mashed potato stuffing (see Cook’s Note).

Veal breast is a delectable but somewhat fatty cut of meat. I have my butcher bone it because it is easier to remove most of the fat that way. But leave the bones in, if you prefer—they will add flavor. Just trim most of the fat carefully. The weight listed in the recipe is before boning. In either case, have your butcher cut a large pocket for stuffing.

Salt

1 large bunch of Swiss chard (about 1^1⁄2 pounds), washed, white stems removed and reserved for another purpose, green leaves coarsely chopped (5 to 6 cups tightly packed)

1 large bunch of spinach (about 1 pound), washed, coarse stems discarded, and leaves coarsely chopped (about 5 cups tightly packed), or one 10-ounce package frozen leaf spinach, thawed

4 large garlic cloves, minced (1^1⁄2 tablespoons), plus 1 whole large head, unpeeled

1⁄2 cup plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

1 very large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)

1⁄2 cup medium- or short-grain rice, preferably arborio (medium- or short-grain is called for because you want a creamy texture, like a risotto; long-grain rice will give you fluffy, separate grains)

1^1⁄2 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade, or good-quality, low-sodium purchased

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves

Juice and grated zest of 1 large lemon

1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves

1 large egg, beaten

One 5- to 6-pound veal breast

1 cup sauvignon blanc or other dry white wine

PREPARE the stuffing: bring a large pot full of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the chard and spinach, bring the water back to a boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until thoroughly wilted. Drain and squeeze out as much moisture as possible, pressing the greens against a colander with a wooden spoon. Or for a more thorough job, use your hands when the greens have cooled somewhat. Finely chop, either by hand or by pulsing in a food processor.

IN a large skillet, sauté the minced garlic in 3 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat until pale gold, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chard and spinach. Cook, stirring, over medium heat, until the liquid is evaporated and the garlic is thoroughly distributed, 5 to 7 minutes. The greens should be very tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

PREHEAT the oven to 375°F.

SAUTÉ the onion in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat in 3 tablespoons of the oil until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with the onions. In another saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Add the broth to the rice a few spoonfuls at a time, as if making risotto. Keep the heat medium-low, and stir, waiting until the broth is nearly absorbed before adding another spoonful. Cook the rice until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes in all. If you finish adding the broth and the rice is not yet tender, add a tablespoon or two of hot water, as needed. Season the rice with salt and pepper (taking into account the saltiness of the broth you are using), add it to the chard and spinach, and set aside to cool.

PREPARE the garlic head: break the head into single cloves and put them, unpeeled, into a small baking dish in which they fit snugly (I use a 5-inch-square porcelain ramekin). Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the oil and 1 teaspoon of the thyme. Cover tightly (use foil if you don’t have a lid), and roast for 30 to 45 minutes, until a soft puree is formed when you squeeze a clove. Avoid overcooking, which turns the garlic bitter. Squeeze the puree out by hand or run the unpeeled cloves through a food mill to trap the peels. Put the roasted garlic puree in a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the rosemary and the lemon juice. Stir well and set aside. Turn off the oven—you will be pan-braising the meat.

WHILE the garlic is roasting, finish the stuffing: in a food processor, pulse the remaining 1 tablespoon each of rosemary and thyme, the parsley, mint, and lemon zest until finely chopped. Add to the rice mixture. Stir in the egg until well combined.

TRIM the veal of gristle and as much fat as possible. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over, including the inside pocket. Fill the pocket with the stuffing, pushing the mixture as far in as possible, but don’t overfill—it will expand somewhat while cooking. Sew the pocket closed. (A large embroidery needle and strong cotton thread or unwaxed dental floss work very well here. Or use a trussing needle and kitchen twine. I find skewering not as successful here—the stuffing is more likely to ooze out into the pan gravy.)

IN a 6-quart Dutch oven or heavy casserole just large enough to accommodate the veal, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil until hot, but not smoking. Add the veal and brown it slowly on all sides, turning carefully with wooden spoons so you don’t pierce the meat. When it is thoroughly browned, arrange the meat so that the fat side is up. Spread the roasted garlic mixture all over the top. Add the wine and bring to a slow bubble. Place the lid slightly askew, and braise at a slow simmer over very low heat for 2^1⁄2 to 3 hours, or longer, if necessary, until the meat is very tender. Use a flame tamer (blech) or stack two stove burner grates, if you must, to keep the flame very low. Every 20 minutes or so, baste with the pan juices. If possible, turn the meat a few times; don’t worry about losing the roasted garlic coating on top—it will add delicious flavor to the cooking juices.

TRANSFER the veal to a platter, and let it stand for 10 minutes, tented with foil to keep warm. Boil up the cooking juices for a few minutes to concentrate the flavors, taste for seasoning, then transfer to a sauce boat.

SLICE the veal about 1⁄2-inch thick, making sure that the slices enclose some of the filling. Nap with some of the juices. Pass remaining sauce separately.

Ashkenazi Mashed Potato Stuffing Prepare the stuffing according to the directions above, omitting rice and broth. Sauté the onion until rich gold and set aside. Simmer 3^1⁄2 cups russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed, in cold, salted water to cover, until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash the potatoes until smooth. Stir in the reserved sautéed onion (along with any oil remaining in the pan), and 1 additional tablespoon olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the potato mixture to the chard and spinach, set aside to cool, and continue with the recipe.

SLOW-BRAISED LEMON VEAL WITH LEEKS

YIELD: ABOUT 6 SERVINGS

“Even if you had supplied our needs in the desert for forty years, but did not send us manna from heaven, dayenu, it would have been enough.”

The rousing seder song “Dayenu” is about gratitude, but this ninth stanza might remind us that sometimes the Israelites, like us, were anything but appreciative. “Nothing but this manna to look at,” they kvetched, recalling with longing the slave food they ate: “The fish that we used to eat in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.”

Throughout the Diaspora, Jews have created rituals to concretize the story of the Exodus; Iranian and Afghani Jews seem to bring home the themes of oppression, freedom, and redemption of this excerpt by beating each other with leeks on their backs and shoulders every time they sing the refrain “dayenu” beginning with that ninth verse. A symbol of the taskmasters’ whips and a potent reminder to appreciate our freedom, this fun custom, now adopted by many Ashkenazi families, too, is a highlight for adults and children alike. If leeks are too costly to provide one for each seder participant, use scallions instead.

Plentiful in the spring, fresh leeks also figure in many seder recipes. Here a hillock of them melt slowly with the braising veal to form a rich gravy. Since veal shoulder is so lean, there is no need to skim the fat: just puree the pan sauce and you’re good to go.

10 fat garlic cloves, peeled

3 tablespoons packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

About 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt

One 3^1⁄2-pound boneless shoulder of veal, rolled and tied

About 4 large or 6 medium leeks

4 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Optional accompaniment: lemon quarters

PREPARE the flavor paste: process four of the garlic cloves, the parsley, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt in a blender or mini food processor to a coarse puree, stopping to stir down as necessary. Make a slit in the veal with the point of a small, sharp knife. Insert a little of the paste into the slit, using your fingers and the knife tip to push it in as far as possible. In the same way, insert some of the paste all over the top, bottom, and sides of the veal, spacing them out as evenly as you can, and slip the paste in between the rolled layers of the tied meat. (If you are tying the veal yourself, spread a little paste on the boned side of the meat before you roll and tie it.) Place the veal in a large, plastic resealable bag or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 1 to 2 hours, so the flavorings can penetrate the meat.

REMOVE the meat from the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature, and pat it dry.

WASH and thinly slice enough white and pale green parts of the leeks to make 5 cups. Dry the leeks well, using a salad spinner or patting well with paper towels.

PREHEAT the oven to 325°F.

IN a heavy flameproof lidded casserole (oval enameled cast iron is ideal) just large enough to hold the meat, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat and brown it well on all sides. Transfer it to a platter and set aside.

WIPE out the pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and heat until hot. Add the leeks, salt generously, and stir to coat well. Cover the pan, turn heat down to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender and wilted, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the remaining 6 garlic cloves and 4 tablespoons lemon juice, and stir well. Sprinkle the veal with salt and pepper to taste on all sides. Place the veal in the pan and spoon some of the leek sauce over it. Cover tightly and oven-braise until fork-tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes, turning every 15 to 20 minutes and basting with the leeks and pan juices. Transfer the veal to a cutting board and tent it loosely with foil.

PREPARE the leek sauce: since the veal is quite lean, there is really no need to defat the gravy. Working in batches, if necessary, puree the braising mixture, including the leeks and garlic cloves, in a blender or food processor. If desired, return the pureed sauce to the pan to rewarm and reduce it slightly over high heat, uncovered. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. I like to add a drop or two of fresh lemon juice to the finished meat and sauce—more lemony than most diners, perhaps—so I serve the veal with lemon quarters.

CUT the veal into thin slices and arrange on a serving platter. Spoon some of the warm gravy all over the meat and pass the rest in a separate sauce boat.

COOK’S NOTE: Great for plan-ahead menus because this is even better the next day. The recipe makes quite a lot of gravy—delicious on mashed potatoes or Potato-Leek Matzoh Balls.

BRAISED LAMB WITH ARTICHOKES, LEMON, AND FRESH HERBS

YIELD: 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

Rubbed first with wild bitter herbs, tender young lamb was roasted, often over fragrant pomegranate wood, to mark each Passover in the Second Temple period. The Jewish historian Josephus estimated that 255,600 animals were sacrificed for the Passover celebratory feasts during the reign of Nero.

With the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, the custom lost favor as it evoked sorrowful memories of the Temple sacrifices that were no more. Eventually, Ashkenazi Orthodox and many Conservative Jews began to refrain from eating any roasted meat at the seder meals.

I have retained the ancient herb perfume in this braised lamb dish. Garlic, lemon, and artichoke build up more layers of flavor and texture—my attempt to compensate for the missing taste of roast pomegranate woodsmoke.

5 to 6 pounds bone-in lean lamb shoulder

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

5 cups thinly sliced onion (about 2 large onions)

10 large garlic cloves, peeled, plus 2 to 3 tablespoons finely minced garlic

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

About 1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Shredded zest of 1 large lemon

1 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade, or good-quality, low-sodium purchased

8 to 10 medium artichokes (see Cook’s Note), or two 9- or 10-ounce packages of frozen artichokes, thawed and patted dry with paper towels

1⁄2 cup chopped fresh mint

TRIM the lamb of as much fat as possible—very tedious, but careful trimming usually eliminates the need to skim the fat from the pan later on. Cut the lamb into 1^1⁄2- to 2-inch pieces, leaving the bones in (they’ll add a lot of flavor). Do, however, cut the meat away from any large, unsightly bones. Pat the meat dry with paper towels.

DO the initial browning in a large heavy skillet (10- to 12-inch cast-iron is ideal). Heat 2 tablespoons oil until hot, but not smoking. Add the lamb in batches and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Fry only a few pieces at a time; crowding the pan will steam the meat, rather than brown it. Add a little more oil to the pan only if necessary because you want to burn off as much fat as you can. Transfer the lamb as it is done to a platter.

IF there is any rendered fat remaining in the pan, wipe it out. Add 1 tablespoon fresh oil and heat until hot. Add the onions and brown over medium-high heat, lifting and turning them as they become deep gold, about 10 minutes, and scraping up any browned bits. Add the whole garlic cloves and cook for 2 minutes longer. Return the meat to the pan, season it with salt and pepper, and turn the meat over a few times to coat it well with the onions. Add 1⁄4 cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon rosemary, the thyme, and lemon zest, and cook for 3 minutes.

TRANSFER the mixture and any scrapings from the bottom of the pan to a 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven or large, deep, flameproof casserole and add the broth. Bring to a slow bubble, cover, and reduce the heat to the barest simmer. Cook for about 1^1⁄2 hours, until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork. Turn the meat frequently, basting it with the onions and pan sauce.

ADD the artichokes, and cook, covered, until they are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. I like to continue cooking until a few of the artichoke pieces break up and melt into the sauce, but follow your preference. If there is a lot of liquid left in the pot, uncover and turn the heat up to high, evaporating enough so that the pan liquid is thick and syrupy. Stir in the mint, minced garlic, remaining 1 tablespoon rosemary, and 1⁄4 cup lemon juice, and cook for 3 minutes to blend the flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning. There should be a pronounced lemon flavor, so add a bit more juice, if necessary. For an easier and more attractive serving, remove some of the large bones that pull away from the meat easily. Serve hot.

COOK’S NOTE: Follow this method to prepare fresh artichokes: to prevent the artichokes from discoloring, rub each surface you cut with fresh lemon. Or dip into a large bowl of cold water acidulated with the juice of a large lemon. Slice off the artichoke stem and reserve. Pull off the tough outer leaves at the bottom of the artichoke and discard. Using a serrated knife or scissors, cut off the pointy top of the leaves just above the artichoke heart or choke and discard it. With a very sharp knife, cut off and discard the remaining leaves, until you reach the palest soft leaves. Now cut the artichoke in half vertically, and pull out and discard the purple-tipped leaves in the center. With a teaspoon, scrape out all of the fuzzy choke and discard. Trim the artichoke stem and peel it. Cut the stem into bite-size chunks. Halve the heart halves again, so you have quarters. The artichoke and the stem are ready to be used in the recipe. Prepare the remaining artichokes in the same way.

This dish tastes even better the next day. To prepare it in advance while retaining an herbal freshness, hold off on the herb and lemon finish. Remove from the heat and cool 1 hour, then refrigerate, covered, overnight. Scrape off any congealed fat from the surface. Reheat gently until heated through, and proceed with the final addition of herbs, garlic, and lemon juice.

ETTY RUSSO’S LAMB MINA FROM IZMIR

YIELD: ABOUT 6 SERVINGS

Borekas, bulemas, and boyos, empanadas, tapadas, and ojaldres—Turkish Jews are extraordinarily fond of their savory pies and turnovers. For Passover, they make special versions using matzoh, called minas. Usually moistened matzoh squares form the top and bottom crust of a pie; in more elaborate minas, the matzoh may be layered through one or more fillings, creating a lasagne-like casserole.

But in Izmir, southwestern Turkey, Etty Russo’s lamb and chicken minas are a delectable jumble of matzoh, meat, and eggs, more akin to matzoh brie. Overlooking the turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea, sheep, poultry, vegetables, and fruit grow intensely flavorful, and the Russo minas rely on no more seasoning than garlic, pepper, and a generous dust of coarse salt. But you can brighten up more pallid foodstuffs with a few additional flavorings, if needed.

At Russo seders, this homey, easy-to-prepare lamb mina shares equal billing with the elegant roast lamb Etty serves with potatoes, fresh green beans, and peas. It makes a tasty Passover weekday supper as well.

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional for greasing the pan

About 2^1⁄2 pounds shoulder lamb chops, well trimmed of fat and gristle

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 whole plain or egg matzohs

About 2 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade, or lightly salted water

5 large eggs

1 to 1^1⁄2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic

Coarse salt, for sprinkling

Optional garnish: chopped parsley or dill leaves

PREHEAT the oven to 350°F.

CHOOSE a heavy, deep, lidded skillet large enough to hold all the lamb snugly in a single layer. Film it with the olive oil and set it over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the lamb, in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan, and sauté until nicely browned on both sides. Transfer the lamb as it is done to a platter and season well with salt and pepper.

DISCARD all the fat in the pan, then pour in 2 cups water to deglaze, scraping up all the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to a simmer and return all the lamb to the pan. Cover tightly and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until the lamb is tender but still juicy. Let the meat cool in the liquid, then cut it into bite-size pieces, discarding any fat and bones. Reserve the cooking liquid.

SPREAD the matzohs out on a platter or rimmed baking sheet. Moisten them with the broth or salted water and let them drink in the liquid for about 5 minutes. Break the matzohs into pieces about the size of a quarter and drain either in a colander, extracting the liquid with your hands or the back of a wooden spoon, or the traditional Turkish way, by pressing the matzoh dry between clean kitchen towels.

MEANWHILE, in another large bowl, beat the eggs until well blended. Add the drained matzohs to the eggs. Mix in the lamb and garlic and season well with salt and pepper.

GREASE the bottom and sides of a large, shallow baking pan (13 by 9-inch, 12-inch oval, or similar size). Spread the lamb-matzoh batter evenly in the pan. Measure out about 1^1⁄2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid and pour it through a strainer over the batter. The lamb pieces should be covered or they may dry out, so if needed, push them down into the batter and add more of the cooking liquid. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes, until the top is firm and golden brown.

REMOVE from the oven, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for at least 20 minutes. Sprinkle well with coarse salt and pepper, garnish with the herbs, if desired, and serve.

COOK’S NOTE: This is very good prepared a day ahead and reheated, uncovered, until hot and crusty.

Simple and flavorful as is, you can elaborate on the basic recipe, adding either fresh herbs (scallions, chives, mint, tarragon, cilantro, or rosemary) or spices like smoked paprika to the batter.

Chicken Mina Place about 1^1⁄2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thigh meat in a heavy saucepan, and add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper, and cold water to cover by about an inch. Simmer slowly (don’t allow the water to boil), until the chicken is barely cooked through: it should be quite juicy. Follow the lamb mina directions, substituting trimmed, bite-size pieces of the chicken for the lamb.

Can you use poached chicken left over from soup? The secret to this homey mina is very juicy, gently cooked meat. Since all of the flavor from your chicken will have gone into your soup, you’d really be left with nothing very tasty for the mina.

MOZZARELLA IN MATZOH CARROZZA

YIELD: 6 TO 7 APPETIZER OR LIGHT LUNCH SERVINGS

This variation on the Neapolitan mozzarella in carrozza—a luscious golden-fried sandwich of molten mozzarella, sauced with a blend of garlic, lemon, and anchovies—may seem unusual, but softened matzoh works remarkably well as a substitute for the fluffy, sliced white bread frequently used. The absorbent matzoh pairs beautifully with the assertive citrusy sauce.

I especially like the subtle way the slightly sweet egg matzohs soften the saline edge of anchovies, but plain matzohs are very good, too.

The anchovies are essential here. They energize the flavors, bringing needed dimension to the dish, and when minced fine, will dissolve into the sauce virtually undetectable.

6 or 7 whole matzohs, egg or plain

Salt

About 1⁄2 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded or thinly sliced and then diced

6 to 12 fresh basil leaves, shredded (optional)

2 large eggs

Olive oil, for frying

Accompaniment: lemon quarters; fresh parsley sprigs, for garnish

FOR THE SAUCE

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

2 teaspoons best-quality extra virgin olive oil

3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon (3 to 4 tablespoons)

Freshly ground black pepper

MAKE the matzoh carrozzas: break each matzoh into 4 equal pieces. Fill a large, shallow dish or pan with well-salted water. Dip 2 matzoh quarters into the water until just softened and pliant. Place some of the cheese, and basil, if using, on one of the matzoh quarters and top with the second piece of matzoh. Pat this mozzarella sandwich into a hamburger patty shape, molding it nicely with your hands and gently squeezing out any excess water. The cheese should be completely covered by the matzoh coating. Place the finished patty on a platter to dry slightly as you continue making more, using the rest of the matzoh.

PREPARE the sauce: in a very small skillet or saucepan, cook the garlic in the oil over gentle heat until it is just tinged with gold, about 2 minutes. The garlic should remain quite soft—don’t let it turn crisp or brown. Immediately add the anchovies, stirring and mashing until they have dissolved completely. Whisk in the lemon juice and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, to blend all the flavors. Keep warm until ready to serve.

BEAT the eggs in a shallow bowl with 1 tablespoon water. Heat 1⁄4 inch of oil in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet until hot, but not smoking. Just before frying, slip each patty into the egg, immersing it completely, then letting the excess egg drip back into the bowl. Slip as many egg-coated patties into the hot oil as possible without crowding the pan and fry them until crisp and golden on both sides. Avoid turning the patties more than once. Fry the remaining patties, in batches, if necessary. Drain lightly on paper towels.

ARRANGE two carrozzas on each plate and spoon some of the sauce over them. Serve with lemon quarters and fresh parsley sprigs, as garnish.

SALAD OF BITTER HERBS AND ORANGES

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS

Gnarled horseradish root in its native state may look positively prehistoric, but it was not the original maror, or bitter herb, of the ancients. Biblical scholars surmise that greens like chicory, dandelion, sorrel, and hyssop, which grow wild in Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula, first symbolized the bitterness of bondage at seders.

Many Jews still use bitter greens, especially romaine, not only for maror, but also for hazeret, the other bitter herb called for on some seder plates. Why eat two different bitter herbs? According to the Mishnah, since the Bible speaks of bitter herbs in the plural, we are required to eat more than one kind.

This salad, combining several of these bitter herbs with chunks of fresh orange, offers a lovely contrast to a lush brisket or braised lamb.

FOR THE DRESSING

1⁄3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons minced shallot

1^1⁄2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE SALAD

12 to 14 cups mixed greens (choose three or more of the following: arugula, sorrel, watercress, Belgian endive, romaine, radicchio)

1⁄2 cup thinly sliced radishes

4 to 6 thinly sliced scallions (use white and pale green parts)

1⁄2 cup snipped fresh dill

2 blood or navel oranges, peeled and white pith removed, quartered lengthwise and sliced widthwise

MAKE the dressing: combine the lemon juice, shallot, thyme, and zest in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper.

PLACE the greens in a large bowl. Top with the radishes, scallions, and dill. Toss with enough of the dressing to coat. Add the oranges and toss again.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS BUNDLES WITH TOASTED MATZOH CRUMBS

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS

When the freshest spring asparagus hits my local markets, I could eat it every day—and often do, roasting the spears to unleash their best flavors. Minutes to prepare, good hot or at room temperature, they’re excellent for the quickest weekday dinner.

But for the seders, I primp them up a bit. Instead of merely snapping off the tough ends, I usually trim the lower stalks with a few shaves of the vegetable peeler and tie them with scallion ribbons into pretty bundles for easy serving. And sometimes I cloak them with savory toasted matzoh crumbs for contrasting crunch. While matzoh meal works well here, coarse crumbs home-prepared from whole matzohs really make this dish shine. If you can steal the time, it is worthwhile making a large batch to have on hand throughout the holiday.

FOR THE TOPPING

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1⁄2 cup matzoh meal or coarse matzoh crumbs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

FOR THE ASPARAGUS

2 or 3 scallions

2 pounds asparagus, tough ends trimmed (and peeled, if desired)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

PREHEAT the oven to 475°F.

MAKE the topping: heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add the matzoh meal or crumbs, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the matzoh meal is light golden brown. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the tarragon and lemon zest, and set aside.

CUT 8 long strips from the green part of scallions (reserve the white parts for another use, such as the Salad of Bitter Herbs). Poach the scallion strips in boiling water for 1 minute to make them pliable, then remove them and pat them dry. Divide the asparagus spears into serving size portions and use the scallion strips to tie each portion with a knot or bow into a flat bundle.

ARRANGE the asparagus bundles on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

TRANSFER the bundles to a serving platter. Drizzle with lemon juice and dust with the toasted matzoh crumbs.

GARLICKY SWISS CHARD AND MUSHROOM MATZOH KUGEL

YIELD: ABOUT 8 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS

A combination of mushrooms, chard leaves’ mellow, earthy edge and its succulent stems beautifully balance this eggy matzoh pudding. But this recipe will take well to other big flavors too. Try sautéed fennel or braised celery root (enhanced with crushed fennel or celery seeds), roasted garlic, or a dose of crispy fried shallots mixed with mushrooms. Prepared with diced artichoke hearts, the kugel would be especially delicious topped with toasted crushed hazelnuts. Serve the kugel cut into squares as a side dish with dinner. It also makes an excellent brunch or lunch main course.

1⁄2 cup dried wild mushrooms, preferably boletus (porcini or cèpes; shiitakes won’t work well here) (about 1 ounce)

6 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for greasing the pan

2 cups chopped onion

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

About 1⁄4 pound fresh shiitakes or other fresh wild, exotic, or cultivated mushrooms, stems removed and reserved for another use or discarded, caps wiped clean with a damp paper towel and thinly sliced (1^1⁄2 to 2 cups)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh garlic

About 1^1⁄2 pounds green Swiss chard, well washed but not dried, leaves separated from stems using a knife or scissors and coarsely sliced, stems trimmed and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces

4 whole plain or egg matzohs

About 1^1⁄2 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade or good-quality, low-sodium purchased, or vegetable stock

6 large eggs, beaten to blend

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1⁄4 cup fresh snipped dill (optional)

Best-quality extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

SOAK the dried mushrooms in 1^1⁄2 cups hot water for 30 minutes or until soft. Drain the mushrooms through a strainer lined with paper towels or a coffee filter, reserving 1⁄2 cup of the soaking liquid. Rinse the mushrooms under cold running water to eliminate any remaining grit and chop them coarsely.

IN a large, heavy, lidded skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and cook, lifting and tossing occasionally, until they are lightly tinged with bronze. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and transfer to a large bowl.

HEAT 2 more tablespoons oil in the pan (don’t bother rinsing it out) over moderately high heat. Add the fresh mushrooms and sauté, turning occasionally, until golden at the edges. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the garlic, the dried mushrooms, and their reserved soaking liquid. Boil the mixture over high heat, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is evaporated. Season well, then transfer to the onions.

HEAT the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the same skillet over a medium flame. Add the remaining garlic, stir just until its heady aroma rises (about 1 minute), then add the chard stems. Cook, stirring regularly, until almost tender (anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes). Add the chard leaves (a few handfuls at a time, if necessary, until the chard shrinks in volume), season with salt and pepper, and cook, lifting and turning, until all the leaves are wilted. Cover the pan and continue cooking until the leaves and stems are very tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool in the pan, then squeeze out and discard as much liquid as possible, and add the chard leaves and stems to the onions and mushrooms.

PREHEAT the oven to 350°F.

BREAK the matzoh into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Cover with the broth and let soak about 2 minutes, stirring the matzoh around once or twice so it is evenly moistened. Drain and press out as much liquid as you can from the matzoh. Mix the matzoh and the eggs together in a large bowl and season liberally with salt and pepper. Stir in the mushroom-chard mixture, thyme, and dill, if using, and combine everything well. Let the ingredients mingle for 5 to 10 minutes.

GREASE the bottom and sides of a 13 by 9-inch heavy, shallow baking pan and put the pan in the oven until it is sizzling. Turn the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden.

LET the kugel rest for about 20 minutes. If necessary, reheat before serving.

WILD MUSHROOM–POTATO KUGEL

YIELD: 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

The Irish potato. For most of us, the starchy tuber, like leprechauns and shamrocks, is inextricably linked to the Emerald Isle. But the potato had a profound effect as well on the Jews of Poland and Russia, where it became a staple from the mid-nineteenth century on. Without the potato, in fact, the phenomenal Jewish population explosion in Eastern Europe would never have occurred, according to the noted Jewish food historian, John Cooper.

As they decreased their reliance on bread, these Jews began eating the cheap, nutritious potato two and three times a day, breakfasting on potatoes in their jackets, eating spuds with onions or cabbage for dinner.

Potato kugel was always a treat. Although I have not found old kugel recipes calling for wild mushrooms mixed with the potatoes, the pairing makes perfect geographic, as well as gustatory, sense: boletus mushrooms (also known as porcini or cèpes) grow wild all over Poland and Russia—and Israel, too.

Here I sandwich woodsy, dried mushrooms between layers of grated raw potatoes that have been combined with savory fried onions and seasoned liberally with pepper. Baked in a hot oven, the elegant kugel emerges gloriously crusty, and full of deep, earthy perfumes.

Rinsing then squeezing the grated potatoes dry before adding them to the other ingredients concentrates the potato flavor and eliminates that watery, muddy taste that mars some kugels.

1 ounce dried wild mushrooms, preferably boletus—that is, porcini or cèpes; shiitake don’t work well here (1⁄2 to 3⁄4 cup)

1⁄4 cup olive oil, plus additional for greasing the pan

3 cups thinly sliced onion

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

6 large or 8 medium russet (baking) potatoes, peeled

4 large eggs, beaten

Best-quality extra virgin olive oil for drizzling (optional)

SOAK the mushrooms in 2 cups hot water for 30 minutes, or until soft. Drain the mushrooms through a strainer lined with paper towels or a coffee filter, reserving the soaking liquid. Wash the mushrooms under cold running water to remove any remaining grit and chop them coarsely.

HEAT the oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until crisp and light brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Combine the chopped mushrooms, garlic, and reserved mushroom soaking liquid in the same skillet (no need to wash it out). Boil the mixture over high heat, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste and remove the skillet from the heat.

PREHEAT oven to 400°F.

GRATE the potatoes, using a medium disk in a food processor (if you don’t have a grating disk, use the coarse shredding disk, then replace the disk with the metal blade and pulse until the shreds are chopped). Or grate using the large holes of a hand grater. Transfer them to a colander, rinse well, then drain, using your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, fried onion, and plenty of salt and pepper.

GREASE the bottom and sides of a large (13 by 9-inch, or similar), shallow, heavy baking pan (preferably enameled cast-iron or metal, not glass), and place the pan in the oven until the oil is sizzling hot (this will produce a deliciously crisp crust).

TURN half the potato mixture into the pan, spread the mushrooms over it, cover with the remaining potato mixture, and smooth the top. If desired, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the top. Bake uncovered for about 50 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp. Let the kugel cool until set. If necessary, reheat before serving.

CRACKLETOP POTATO KUGEL

YIELD: 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

It practically defines crackle, tastes deeply of earthy spuds, is richly flavored with salt and oil: what could make a better crust for a kugel than the potato chip? Simply crush the chips with your hands and sprinkle lavishly over the oniony potato batter before baking.

The best-quality kosher-for-Passover chips I’ve found are plain, so I like to stir in some smoked paprika to mimic the barbeque-flavored ones I adore. For variety, try other seasonings or prepare toppings during the rest of the year from your favorite purchased flavored chips.

6 to 7 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups thinly sliced onion (about 3⁄4 pound)

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 large or 8 medium russet (baking) potatoes, peeled

3 tablespoons matzoh meal

4 large eggs, beaten

Smoked sweet or hot paprika (optional)

4 to 5 ounces high-quality, kosher-for-Passover potato chips (enough to make 1^1⁄2 to 2 cups when coarsely crushed by hand)

HEAT 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté, lifting and turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until tinged pale gold, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.

PREHEAT the oven to 400°F.

GRATE the potatoes, using a medium grating disk in a food processor (if you don’t have a grating disk, use the coarse shredding disk, then replace the disk with the metal blade and pulse until the shreds are chopped). Or grate using the large holes of a hand grater. Place the potatoes in a colander, rinse well to remove most of the starch, then drain, using your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Add the potatoes to the fried onion. Stir in the matzoh meal and 1 or 2 tablespoons oil. Season generously to taste with plenty of salt and pepper. Add the eggs and combine well.

POUR the remaining 3 tablespoons oil into a large, shallow, heavy baking pan (13 by 9-inch or similar size, preferably enameled cast-iron or metal, not glass). Thoroughly rub the oil around the bottom and sides of the pan and place in the oven until sizzling hot (this will create a crispy crust).

TRANSFER the potato mixture to the pan and smooth the top. If you are using the smoked paprika, mix it well with the crushed potato chips in a bowl. Sprinkle the potato chips evenly over the kugel.

BAKE uncovered for about 50 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp and the kugel is firm. Let the kugel rest until set, about 20 minutes.

COOK’S NOTE: Use fewer crushed chips if you prefer a thinner crust. Avoid reheating leftovers: the crust may become soggy.

Variations: For a splurge, substitute rendered Poultry Schmaltz for some or all of the olive oil.

Add raw onion to the batter: finely chop 1 medium or large onion or grate and drain the onion along with the potatoes.

Make Potato Kugel Muffins: preheat well-greased muffin pans in a 375° oven. Spoon in kugel batter and bake 35 to 40 minutes for regular muffins, about 25 minutes for mini-muffins.

The variations are delicious with or without the potato chip topping. If not using the topping, drizzle with olive oil or brush generously with Poultry Schmaltz.

POTATO-LEEK MATZOH BALLS

YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Alongside the golden-fried veal chop my mother made for me for the second seder meal was a tangle of commercial Passover noodles blanketed with tomato sauce. Tangle is definitely the word here: often the noodles were a gummy mess, inalterably linked together like synapses on a circuitous route. Copious amounts of her homemade tomato sauce—so good I could eat it with a spoon, and often did—camouflaged the noodles and made believe they were Italian.

All this came back to me when I retested these potato-leek matzoh balls. I had first made them as a side dish for Moroccan-Flavored Brisket, part of a Passover menu for Bon Appétit magazine, and my family then enjoyed a second batch with a garlicky tomato sauce, sort of Jewish gnocchi, kosher-for-Passover.

But this time, when I pilfered a just-cooked dumpling from the platter, it was “déjà vu all over again”—and worse. Not just gummy texture, but it tasted like a ball of mushy mashed potatoes. All that work—for bad mashed potatoes? Plain old mashed were quicker and better.

I didn’t have time to toss them out but let the drained potato matzoh balls sit on the platter while I finished preparing the rest of the meal.

And then I tried one again. And again. Somehow the dismal had become delicious. Now, I know that meats must rest to redistribute or reabsorb their juices; kugels and many baked goods need to firm up with time. But I never realized that some matzoh balls need a nap too, after their long hot-water bath.

So let them wait a good twenty minutes after you drain them. They will remain incredibly tender, and the well-flavored leek puree gives the dumplings a delightful buttery finish. You can rewarm them with a light coat of hot sauce or gravy or sprinkle them with a little broth, then heat in an oiled baking dish. They are very good the next day as well, especially with a good homemade tomato sauce like my mom’s.

2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only, well washed)

1^1⁄2 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade, or good-quality, low-sodium purchased

About 1^1⁄4 pounds russet (baking) potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled

Salt

2 cups matzoh meal

1⁄2 to 3⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 large eggs

1⁄3 cup mild olive oil, plus additional for greasing pan

Accompaniment: gravy from a brisket or flavorful homemade tomato sauce

COMBINE the leeks and broth in a heavy, medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, over medium heat until the leeks are very tender, about 7 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high, and boil until the liquid is reduced by about half. Puree the mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth. Measure out 1 cup of puree, and place in a large bowl (save any leftover puree for soups or stews).

COOK the potatoes in a medium pot of salted water until tender. Drain. Peel the potatoes when cool enough to handle, and mash them well, using a ricer or food mill, or by pushing them through a strainer. Measure out 2 cups of the mashed potatoes (save the remainder for another use or discard), add to the leek puree and combine well.

FOLD in the matzoh meal, salt (about 2 teaspoons or so, depending on saltiness of broth, but taste the batter before you add the eggs) and pepper. Beat the eggs and oil in a medium bowl until thickened and light-colored (about 8 minutes, using an electric mixer), then fold into the potato mixture. Cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours to let the flavors marry and make it easier to shape the batter.

LIGHTLY grease a large, shallow baking dish with olive oil. Bring a large, wide, lidded pot of generously salted water to a boil. Using wet hands, if necessary, form about 1 tablespoon of the cold potato mixture into a ball, and place on a platter lined with wax paper. Continue making balls with the rest of the batter. Add half the balls to the boiling water, dropping them in one at time. (Refrigerate the rest of the balls until you are ready to cook them.) Cover tightly, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, without removing the lid, for 35 to 40 minutes, until the matzoh balls are tender, fluffy, and cooked through. Remove them with a skimmer or large slotted spoon—they are too delicate to be poured into a colander—transferring them to the prepared baking dish. Add more salted water to the pot, if needed, and prepare the remaining matzoh balls in the same way. (If you are preparing the matzoh balls a few hours ahead, sprinkle them lightly with a little broth or brisket gravy to keep them moist, and set aside, unrefrigerated. They can be made up to 2 days ahead; in that case, cool them first, then cover and refrigerate.)

IF necessary, rewarm the potato-leek matzoh balls gently in an oiled baking dish, covered, until heated through. Serve as an accompaniment to brisket to catch the gravy.

COOK’S NOTE: Vary your repertoire by experimenting with other purees such as roasted garlic, porcini, or fresh herbs, using the same method.

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH?

A can of tuna and a piece of matzoh. Day two, repeat. Then for a change, hard-boiled eggs and a couple of matzohs with salt.

While opulent seder dinners inspire thoughts of freedom and joy, Passover lunches bring affliction and the bitterness of slavery more to mind. But neither bread nor pizza is necessary for a delicious lunch: the creativity of the low-carb diet gurus has certainly proven that. What is often needed, though, is some advance planning. Here are some ideas.

• My favorite brown bag lunch is last night’s dinner, so I try to prepare extra servings of meatloaf, roast or fried chicken, even grilled tuna. To make “sandwiches,” pack iceberg or Boston lettuce leaves, fresh herbs, such as dill or cilantro, if you’d like, maybe some cherry tomatoes, and use to make wraps of cutlets, burgers, or croquettes. Or prepare the Oven-Fried Smoked Salmon Croquettes (omitting mustard, if desired) in muffin tins.

• Prepare flavorful salads (egg or salmon with chopped olives or chicken with grapes and pecans). Mound in avocado halves, on celery or fennel stalks, in scooped out red bell peppers or cucumbers (cut cukes in half widthwise, and use an apple corer to scoop out the centers). Or bring lettuce leaves for wraps.

• Peanut butter junkies going through withdrawal because of kitniyot restrictions can try a nut butter. Lightly toast 2 cups of cashews, almonds, or hazelnuts. Let cool, then pulse in a food processor until finely ground. Add 2 tablespoons of oil (if you don’t have a nut oil, choose another mild one) and a little salt to taste, and continue processing to a puree, either smooth or chunky, as you prefer. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator (preferably upside down, so the oil will flow to the bottom, making it easier to stir when separation occurs—a good idea for peanut butter as well). Spread the nut butter on matzoh, carefully—best bet is on matzoh pieces or crackers; it’s especially good on egg matzoh. Top with your favorite jam or jelly, honey, or thinly sliced bananas. Or serve on sliced apples or pears. Also delicious stuffed in pitted dates for a quick snack or dessert.

• The eggy fritadas in this book (Spinach Cheese Squares and Zucchini Fritada) are wonderful eaten at room temperature or even cold. Prepare a batch for several lunches or make it for dinner so you will have the leftovers.

• I began making fruit and cheese lunches for my daughter, who avoided leavened bread not just for Passover but all of nursery school. To avoid monotony, try to have at least three kinds, choosing from mild, soft cheeses, like plain or flavored cream cheese or fresh goat; sliced ones such as mozzarella, Jack, or Muenster; and aged cheeses. Spread on thinly sliced pears and apples. Or serve with matzoh crackers, and include a container of cutup fruits, a bunch of grapes, or clementines.

SPRING COMPOTE

YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Bracing yet sweet, like the orange on some of the newest seder plates, this fresh compote features not just citrus, but rhubarb, raspberries, and prunes. Accompanied by light, homemade macaroons, it makes a perfect ending to the rich seder meal.

3⁄4 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 vanilla bean, split

1 pound rhubarb, ends trimmed (discard leaves; they can be toxic), tough strings removed with a vegetable peeler, and stalks cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)

1⁄2 cup pitted prunes, halved or quartered if large

3 blood or navel oranges, or a combination, peeled, white pith and seeds removed

1 cup fresh raspberries

Optional garnish: fresh mint leaves

Optional accompaniment: Toasted Almond–Coconut Macaroons and/or Hazelnut Macaroons

PLACE 2 cups water and the sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla bean in a medium, nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the rhubarb and prunes and simmer over low heat until the rhubarb is just tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Don’t allow it to get too soft—it will “cook” further while macerating. Using a slotted spoon, remove the rhubarb and prunes and transfer to a large, attractive serving bowl. Slice the oranges into thin rounds (if they break apart into little sections after you slice them, that’s perfectly fine), and add them, along with the raspberries, to the bowl.

BOIL the syrup remaining in the saucepan over moderately high heat until it is reduced by about half. Remove the cinnamon and vanilla bean (you can dry the vanilla and save it for another use, like burying it in a bowl of sugar to prepare vanilla sugar), and pour the hot syrup over the fruit. Stir well. Let the fruit cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours.

GARNISH the compote with fresh mint leaves, and serve with the macaroons, if you’d like.

TOASTED ALMOND–COCONUT MACAROONS

YIELD: 30 TO 35 MACAROONS

Made of ground nuts so they are flour-free, easy-to-prepare macaroons are a Passover favorite of both Ashkenazim and Sephardim. The simple becomes seductive when the almonds are briefly toasted first, their skins left on, and drizzled with maple syrup or brown sugar.

To avoid disappointment, taste the almonds before you start the recipe to make sure they are fresh.

1^3⁄4 cups whole natural almonds (about 9 ounces)

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or packed brown sugar, preferably dark

2⁄3 cup plus 1 tablespoon white or granulated light brown sugar

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover amaretto or 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover almond extract (optional)

4 large egg whites

Pinch of salt

PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Toss the almonds with the maple syrup or brown sugar and spread them out in a single layer on the baking sheet. Toast until very fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

IN a food processor, grind the cooled almonds with half of the sugar, using the pulse motion, until finely ground. Combine the ground nuts, coconut, and amaretto or almond extract, if you are using it, in a large bowl.

BEAT the egg whites in another bowl with the salt until they form soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff but not dry. Gently fold the whites into the almond-coconut mixture.

LINE a cookie sheet with parchment paper. (You will probably need to use either 2 cookie sheets or work in batches.) Drop heaping tablespoons of batter on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten the tops slightly. Bake for about 15 minutes, until just dry to the touch and light golden with pale brown edges. Remove the sheet from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool or slide the parchment paper off.

DON'T remove the macaroons until they have cooled completely, then carefully separate them. They store well in airtight containers for at least 5 days.

Toasted Pecan–Coconut Macaroons Substitute pecans for the almonds. Be sure to use granulated light brown sugar.

Toasted Cashew–Cranberry Macaroons Lightly toast cashews without maple syrup or brown sugar (cashews are naturally quite sweet). Follow the directions for Toasted Almond–Coconut Macaroons, adding 1 cup dried cranberries (plumped first in hot water if very dry or hard, then patted dry with paper towels) before folding the egg whites into the cashew-coconut mixture.

HAZELNUT MACAROONS

YIELD: 25 TO 30 MACAROONS

These simply made macaroons are imbued with the vivid taste of hazelnuts—the toasty flavor of that transcendent Italian gelato, nocciola.

Nuts can turn rancid easily if not properly stored, so make sure yours are fresh and sweet-tasting.

2^1⁄3 cups shelled hazelnuts (also called filberts; about 12 ounces)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white or granulated light brown sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover pure almond extract, or 1 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover hazelnut-flavored liqueur, such as Frangelico, or another nut-flavored liqueur like amaretto (optional)

3 large egg whites

PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Toast the nuts: spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven, shaking occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until they are fragrant and most of the skins have popped. Wrap the nuts in a dish towel and let them cool slightly. Rub them vigorously against each other in the towel to remove most of the loose skins. Don’t bother about the remaining skins—they’ll just add to the flavor. You can turn the oven off for now.

WHEN the nuts are completely cool, grind them with the sugar in the food processor, using the pulse motion, until chopped fine. They won’t be perfectly ground, and they shouldn’t be. With the machine on, add the extract or liqueur, if you are using it, and the egg whites, a little at a time. Process just enough to combine the ingredients into a smooth paste. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes.

PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. (You will probably need to use either two cookie sheets or work in batches.) Drop heaping tablespoons of batter on the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Smooth and flatten the tops slightly with the back of a spoon or your fingertips (the batter will be quite sticky, so you may have to dip your finger in cold water occasionally). Bake for about 15 minutes, until just dry to the touch, puffed, and beginning to color. Remove from the oven and transfer the sheet to a rack to cool or slide the parchment paper off. The macaroons will be very soft but will harden as they cool.

DON'T remove the macaroons until they have cooled completely, then carefully separate them from the parchment. They store well in airtight containers for at least 5 days.

Pistachio-Ginger Macaroons Lightly toast 3 cups of shelled, blanched pistachios at 350°F for about 8 minutes, just until fragrant. Let them cool, then combine them in a food processor with 3 tablespoons (1^1⁄2 ounces) candied ginger and 1^1⁄4 cups sugar, following the directions for Hazelnut Macaroons. Add 3 large egg whites (omit the extract) and continue with the directions. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes at 325°F. The flavor of these macaroons becomes bolder and more pronounced after a day or two.

COCONUT JAMMIES

YIELD: 18 TO 20 COOKIES

Jewel-toned fillings made of jam dress up the familiar coconut macaroon. For finest results, choose a variety of tart-sweet jams—apricot, plum, sour cherry—to lend color and contrast.

2 large egg whites

3⁄4 cup sugar

2^1⁄2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

One or more jams of your choice

PREHEAT the oven to 325°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

BEAT the egg whites in a large bowl until frothy. Add the sugar, coconut, cinnamon, and salt. Using your hands, mix the ingredients together until they are well combined and form a moist, sticky batter.

SHAPE heaping tablespoonfuls of the batter into balls, flatten them slightly, and place on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. (If necessary, dampen your hands in cold water when handling the batter.) With your fingertip, make a small indentation in the center of each jammie, and fill with a dab of jam. I use the tip of a demitasse spoon or a 1⁄4 teaspoon measure for the jam.

BAKE for about 15 minutes, until dry to the touch and golden brown around the edges. Remove the sheet from the oven, slide the parchment paper off and transfer it to a rack to cool.

AFTER the jammies have cooled completely, carefully remove them from the parchment. Store in airtight containers for up to 3 days.

COOK’S NOTE: Substitute chocolate chips for the jam fillings, for an old-fashioned Mounds Bar memory.

HUNGARIAN CHOCOLATE-WALNUT TORTE

YIELD: ABOUT 10 SERVINGS

This is a taste of prewar Hungary, from the family repertoire of my dear friend, Judy Abrams, gifted teacher and poet. Based on ground walnuts and leavened only with eggs, this light, fudge-luscious cake has not a jot of butter or flour, making it Passover-perfect for meat or dairy meals.

To conclude a meat meal, it is delectable plain or dusted fancifully with confectioners’ sugar (a Passover recipe without cornstarch follows) or glazed with a simple chocolate icing.

For a dairy dish, cover the torte in swirls of lightly sweetened whipped cream or serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream on the side, accompanied by a steaming cup of strong cappuccino.

Enjoy this beautifully moist and virtually no-fail torte not just on Passover, but year round. When well wrapped (without icing), it keeps very well, tasting even better a day or two after it is made.

As with all nut pastries, be sure the walnuts you are using are very fresh-tasting.

3⁄4 cup sugar (if using half semisweet and half sweet chocolate) or 3⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (if using all semisweet chocolate)

6 ounces fine-quality chocolate, preferably half dark sweet (sometimes labeled German’s Sweet Chocolate) and half semisweet, but all semisweet is also delicious; cut into small pieces

6 large eggs, separated

6 ounces shelled walnuts (1^3⁄4 to 2 cups)

3 tablespoons matzoh meal

Optional accompaniments: Passover Confectioners’ Sugar (recipe follows) or Chocolate Icing (recipe follows); heavy cream, freshly whipped to soft drifts and barely or very lightly sweetened; or vanilla ice cream

Optional garnish: walnut halves

HAVE all ingredients at room temperature.

LINE the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan with parchment or wax paper.

PREHEAT the oven to 350°F.

IN a heavy-bottomed 2- or 3-quart saucepan, combine 1⁄2 cup of the sugar and 1⁄2 cup water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly over medium heat. Continue boiling and stirring until all the grains of sugar have completely dissolved and the mixture forms a simple syrup. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.

IN a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer until light and thickened, about 4 minutes. Grind the walnuts with the remaining sugar and the matzoh meal in a food processor using the pulse motion and stir into the egg yolks. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and combine thoroughly.

USING clean beaters, beat the egg whites in another bowl until they hold stiff peaks. Gradually fold the whites into the chocolate-walnut mixture, incorporating them gently but thoroughly so that no whites are visible. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until puffed and almost set but still a little gooey in the center. A wooden toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edge should come out clean.

REMOVE the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack. When completely cool, unmold the cake by running a thin-bladed knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan (or release the springform); invert onto a platter. Peel off the parchment paper. Serve the torte at room temperature.

IF desired, lightly dust with Passover confectioners’ sugar. For a lovely, simple presentation, place a doily or a stencil—handmade by you or, even better, your children—over the torte, then sprinkle with the sugar. Carefully remove the doily or stencil.

OR glaze with the chocolate icing. Lay long strips of wax paper or foil on a cake plate or serving platter and place the cake on top. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Using a spatula, evenly spread the glaze over the top and sides. Now, pull out and discard the paper or foil strips—the plate will be clean and ready for serving. If you’d like, garnish with a few walnut halves attractively placed in the center of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for about an hour to set the glaze, but bring it to room temperature before serving.

THE plain or frosted torte is heavenly with generous dollops of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

PASSOVER CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR

IN a blender, mini-food processor, or clean coffee grinder, whirl 1 cup minus 1⁄2 tablespoon regular granulated sugar until it is powdery. Place in a small bowl and stir in 1⁄2 teaspoon potato starch. Sift before using. (Recently commercial Passover confectioners’ sugar, made without cornstarch, has appeared in some stores with large kosher-for-Passover sections. If available, by all means use it here.)

CHOCOLATE ICING

YIELD: SCANT 1 CUP

6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter or margarine

6 ounces fine-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

MELT the butter or margarine slowly in a heavy saucepan over very low heat. When half is melted, gradually whisk in the chocolate, stirring well as it melts. After all the chocolate has been added, stir in 2 tablespoons water and beat well until the glaze is completely smooth. Let the mixture cool about 5 minutes to thicken slightly.

RICH FUDGE BROWNIES

YIELD: 16 TO 20 SQUARES

“Is it done?”

“No, it’s not done.”

“Don’t overcook it. You overcook it, it’s no good. It defeats its own purpose.”

Robert DeNiro, as the boxer Jake LaMotta, and his soon-to-be-ex-wife, in the film Raging Bull, may have uttered those words about a steak. But when I’m baking chocolate—either brownies or my Passover Hungarian torte—that’s pretty much the subtext when my daughter Alex begins her “I think it’s ready” monologue.

The purpose of chocolate, she has explained, is its moist fudginess. When baked to the cakey stage, it tastes not only dry but also less chocolatey.

So whether you snatch these brownies from the oven so underdone they require wet napkins for fingertips and lips, or make them just a little “rare,” don’t overbake them. The brownies are wonderful anytime of the year.

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 cup granulated light brown sugar

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, 3⁄4 cup oil (choose avocado, walnut, or other mild, unflavored variety), or 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted kosher-for-Passover margarine, melted and cooled

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract or 2 teaspoons kosher-for-Passover coffee-flavored liqueur

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (do not use Dutch-process cocoa)

1⁄2 cup matzoh cake meal

1^1⁄2 teaspoons finely ground expresso coffee or instant expresso powder

1⁄4 teaspoon salt (omit if using margarine)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

LINE an 11 by 7-inch rectangular or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment or grease it lightly.

IN a large bowl, combine the white and brown sugars with the butter, oil, or margarine. Add the eggs and vanilla extract or liqueur and beat until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, stir together the cocoa, cake meal, coffee, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and blend until smooth.

SPOON the batter into the prepared pan. Bake about 25 minutes. Brownies should be moist. They are done when the batter is just set, the top dry to the touch, but no crust has yet formed around the edges. A toothpick inserted halfway between the center and the edges of the pan should come out just about clean; a toothpick inserted in the center will still emerge with some moist batter clinging to it. The size and material of the pan will affect cooking time, so begin checking after 20 minutes.

TRANSFER the pan to a rack and let stand until cool. Cut into squares.

ITALIAN CARROT-PECAN TORTA

YIELD: 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

Only distantly related to the American-style dense, spicy loaf capped with a cream cheese frosting, this light, airy cake traces its roots to the delicate carrot-almond torta that Italian Jews enjoy on Passover. I’ve lightly caramelized the carrots with a little brown sugar to get their sweet juices going before adding them to the batter, and I’ve replaced the blanched, slightly drier almonds with buttery-tasting toasted pecans to produce a moister cake with richer flavor. In fact, this torte does not taste like Passover at all and is a welcome addition to fall holiday menus, too.

Perfect unadorned, the cake dresses up with a mantle of powdered sugar, accompanied, perhaps, by a scoop of mango, pineapple, or citrus sorbet. Well-wrapped and unrefrigerated, it stays delicious for several days.

To avoid disappointment, taste the pecans first to make sure they are fresh.

1^1⁄4 cups packed scraped and finely grated carrots, preferably organic (about 1⁄2 pound)

1⁄2 cup granulated light brown sugar

1^1⁄3 cups shelled pecans

4 large eggs, separated

Salt

1⁄2 cup granulated white sugar

3 tablespoons matzoh meal

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover almond extract

Confectioners’ sugar, purchased or prepared (optional)

HAVE all ingredients at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

LINE the bottom of a 10-inch round cake pan with 2-inch sides with parchment paper.

TO prepare the carrots, gently dry-fry them with some of the brown sugar: warm a large, nonstick skillet over moderate heat. Add the carrots, spreading them out evenly in the pan. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, and cook, turning the carrots, until the sugar has melted and the carrots are glistening. Raise the heat to medium-high, and continue cooking for about 4 minutes, as the carrots begin to caramelize. Transfer the carrots to a bowl and set aside to cool.

TOAST the nuts: spread them out in a single layer in a baking dish or on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven, shaking occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until they are very fragrant. Remove from the oven and let cool. Leave the oven on.

IN a large bowl, use electric beaters to whip the egg yolks with 1⁄4 cup brown sugar until thickened, about 5 minutes. In another large bowl, using clean beaters, whip the egg whites with a generous pinch of salt on low speed until they are foamy. Increase the speed and slowly tip in the white sugar while continuing to whip the whites until they hold stiff, glossy peaks.

GRIND the pecans in a food processor together with the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, the matzoh meal, cinnamon, and nutmeg, using the pulse motion. Stir the mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the carrots and combine well.

GRADUALLY fold the whites into the carrot-pecan mixture, incorporating them gently but thoroughly so that no whites are visible. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

REMOVE the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack. Unmold by running a thin-bladed knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan; invert onto a platter. Peel off the parchment paper. Serve the torta at room temperature, lightly dusted with Passover confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

COOK’S NOTE: 1⁄2 cup golden raisins are a nice addition.

UPSIDE-DOWN APRICOT HAZELNUT TORTE

YIELD: 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

Flavorful fruit makes a winning, moist crown for nut-based Passover cakes prepared without butter or other dairy ingredients. But my upside-down tortes sometimes ended up with soggy crusts. Stumped, I turned to my dear friend, Maria Springer, owner of Maja’s Viennese Kitchen, a cooking school just outside of Baltimore.

A chemist by training, Maria began by analyzing the ingredients, recommending skinned nuts less oil-rich than pecans or walnuts and adding a little potato starch to the macaroon batter. She also suggested room temperature egg whites (if necessary, warm the eggs in their shells in tepid water) for the most volume. And another secret: don’t spread the batter all the way to the pan edges so some of the moisture in the crust will evaporate during the baking. The result is a crust with great texture and delicious old-country flavor.

The first cake is covered with sweet-tart dried apricots. Maria’s easy fresh apple topping on an almond crust follows.

FOR THE CRUST

1^1⁄2 cups hazelnuts, skinned

2⁄3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2⁄3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

1⁄3 cup potato starch

4 large egg whites

Salt

1 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING

5 to 6 ounces dried apricots (about 1 heaping cup)

1^1⁄2 cups pure, unsweetened apple juice

1 tablespoon plus 1⁄3 cup packed brown sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover almond extract or 2 teaspoons kosher-for-Passover amaretto or Frangelico

Salt

Almond, walnut, or other kosher-for-Passover oil for greasing the skillet

Confectioners’ sugar, purchased or prepared from Hungarian Chocolate–Walnut Torte recipe (optional)

HAVE all the crust ingredients at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

ARRANGE the apricots in a single layer in a pie pan or baking dish just large enough to accommodate them. In a small bowl, stir together the apple juice, 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar, the almond extract or liqueur, and a pinch of salt, and pour over the apricots. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the fruit is plump and juicy. Remove the foil and let cool slightly.

RAISE the oven temperature to 375°F.

GENEROUSLY grease the bottom and sides of a deep, ovenproof 9-inch enameled or regular cast-iron skillet. Sprinkle the remaining 1⁄3 cup brown sugar evenly over the bottom.

PREPARE the crust: in a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts with the coconut and 1⁄3 cup of the white sugar until finely ground. Add the potato starch and process briefly to combine. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

IN another large bowl, use an electric mixer on slow speed to beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until frothy. Increase the speed and whip until they hold soft peaks. Still beating, slowly tip in the remaining white sugar. Add the vanilla extract and continue beating until the whites are glossy and stiff, but not dry. Gently fold the whites into the hazelnut-coconut mixture.

ARRANGE the apricots over the brown sugar in the skillet in concentric circles or other decorative fashion. Spoon the crust batter evenly over the apricots, but don’t spread it all the way to the pan edges. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the crust is light golden and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the skillet cool on a rack for about 20 minutes.

RUN a thin-bladed knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Holding a serving plate over the skillet, turn the skillet upside-down, inverting the cake onto the plate. If any apricots remain stuck to the skillet, remove them and arrange in place on the cake.

LET the cake cool completely, then dust with confectioners’ sugar, if you’d like. Serve the cake at room temperature or warm (reheat gently).

COOK’S NOTE: A little freshly grated ginger added to the apricots in place of, or along with, the almond extract is a delicious addition.

If you are preparing the cake more than a day or two ahead, hold off inverting it until a couple of hours before serving to ensure the crust remains firm.

CARAMELIZED APPLE-ALMOND TORTE

FOR THE TOPPING

2 cups pure, unsweetened apple juice (do not use unfiltered juice)

1⁄3 cup packed brown sugar

1⁄4 cup granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

Almond, walnut, or other kosher-for-Passover oil for greasing the pan

5 medium-large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges each

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

PREPARE the same crust as above, substituting 1^1⁄2 cups blanched almonds for the hazelnuts.

PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Generously grease the bottom and sides of a deep, ovenproof 9-inch enameled or regular cast-iron skillet.

IN a very wide, heavy saucepan, cook the apple juice, uncovered, over medium-high heat until reduced to about 1⁄3 cup. Adjust the heat to moderate, and stir in the brown and white sugars, using a wooden spoon (a metal spoon may lower the temperature too much, causing the mixture to seize and harden). Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until all the sugar is melted and the syrup is a deep amber color. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, then stir in the lemon juice and salt.

ARRANGE the apples in the skillet and sprinkle them with the cinnamon. Spoon the syrup over the apples (it will not matter whether you coat them perfectly evenly: the syrup will bubble up in the hot oven, generously covering all the apple pieces). Bake the apples uncovered for 20 minutes.

SPREAD the crust batter over the hot apples, avoiding the pan edges, and continue with the recipe above.

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB SHALET (PUDDING)

YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

I try to orchestrate my holiday menus to the rhythm of the seasons, and where I live, rhubarb is the first and only fruit (yes, technically a vegetable, but used as a fruit) to arrive in early spring from almost-local farms. I use it often at Passover, when its brassy flavor sounds all the right notes in the rich, multicourse dinner.

Here the tingly-tart fruit partners with strawberries in a flour-free soufflé-pudding. The simple recipe, a riff on Claudia Roden’s Apple Shalet from her seminal work, The World of Jewish Food, makes a perfect airy-light conclusion to the seder. At nonmeat meals, serve the shalet with freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

4 cups rhubarb, ends trimmed (discard leaves; they can be toxic), tough strings removed with a vegetable peeler, and stalks cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 pound)

1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract

Salt

2 cups fresh ripe strawberries, washed, hulled, and quartered, or cut into sixths or eighths if large

Avocado, walnut, or other kosher-for-Passover oil for greasing the pan

6 large eggs, separated (at room temperature)

1⁄4 cup granulated white sugar

PLACE the rhubarb in a bowl, sprinkle it with 1⁄2 cup of the brown sugar, and toss well. Let the rhubarb stand for 20 to 30 minutes, giving it a stir now and then to encourage release of its juices.

PUT the rhubarb and all its exuded juices in a nonreactive lidded saucepan, add the vanilla extract and 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the rhubarb is very tender, taking care not to let it soften to mush. Remove the pan from the heat. The rhubarb will thicken as it cools.

MEANWHILE, place the strawberries in a separate bowl, sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and mix well. Let the strawberries macerate as the rhubarb simmers and cools.

PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Oil the bottom and sides of a glass or ceramic baking dish, 13 by 9 inches or the equivalent.

IN a large bowl, using electric beaters, beat the yolks until light and thickened, about 5 minutes. In a separate large bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until frothy. Gradually tip in the white sugar, while continuing to whip until the whites hold peaks stiff, but not dry. Mix the rhubarb and strawberries into the beaten yolks, then gently fold in the whites.

SPOON the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for about 50 minutes, until the top of the pudding is uniformly puffed and golden brown. (The top may turn light brown after only 30 minutes of baking, but you’ll probably see areas of slight depression where the pudding contains more liquid. Wait until these areas puff and rise before removing the pudding from the oven.)

TRANSFER the pudding to a rack, and let it cool to room temperature. It will deflate somewhat as it cools.

REFRIGERATE until chilled, and serve either chilled or at room temperature.

MANGO- AND SOUR-CHERRY MACAROON CRUMBLE

YIELD: ABOUT 6 SERVINGS

Around Passover at our house macaroons tend to proliferate like wire coat hangers from the dry cleaners. In addition to the ones I make, there are the cakey commercial variety I purchase from my nephews, who peddle Passover sweets as a fund-raiser for their school. A lively fruit crumble is a fresh way to make use of the leftovers, and other suggestions follow this recipe (see Cook’s Note).

1^1⁄2 cups macaroons (homemade or commercial), crumbled

1 cup kosher-for-Passover amaretto

1 large, ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into small chunks (1^1⁄2 to 1^3⁄4 cups)

1 cup canned pitted sour cherries packed in water, drained

2 tablespoons dried cherries or dried cranberries

1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄2 cup almonds, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped

Pinch of salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, cut into bits, plus additional for greasing the pan

Optional accompaniment: vanilla ice cream or dairy-free coconut sorbet

IF the macaroons are very moist, toast them lightly on a baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, then let cool. Or leave them out overnight to dry until they are crumbly.

PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. In a small saucepan, reduce the amaretto to 1⁄2 cup over medium-high heat. Combine the mango, sour cherries, dried cherries or cranbzerries, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a bowl. Pour the hot amaretto over the fruit and stir with a wooden spoon to coat evenly. Set aside for about 30 minutes to macerate.

CHOP the macaroons coarsely by hand or in a food processor using the pulse motion. Transfer to a bowl and mix with the almonds and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

BUTTER an 8- to 10-inch glass or ceramic pie pan or similar ovenproof dish. Spoon the fruit and accumulated juices into the prepared pan. Scatter the macaroon mixture evenly on top. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm or cold, topped with vanilla ice cream or coconut sorbet, if desired.

COOK’S NOTE: Here are some other ways to use macaroons:

Old-Fashioned Biscuit Tortoni: pack softened ice cream (some suggestions: vanilla, coffee, cherry vanilla) into paper cups. Sprinkle the tops generously with crushed macaoon crumbs and press in firmly. Or fold some crushed macaroons into the softened ice cream, then top with additional crushed macaroons. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until solid.

Italian-Style Baked Fruit: lightly sweeten pear or peach halves. (If peaches are not flavorful—they are out of season in spring—slice them with equal amounts of mango.) Combine crumbled macaroons with some butter and stuff the fruit halves with the mixture (or flatten the mixture into disks and place over the sliced fruit). Place the fruit in a baking dish, and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Add a few tablespoons of white grape juice or other sweet fruit juice or wine to the pan to keep the fruit moist and prevent it from sticking, and bake until the fruit is tender and juicy, basting occasionally with the pan liquid.

Stir crushed macaroons in fruit compotes.

Bake finely crushed macaroons until dry and use for cookie crumb crusts—especially good for cheese cake or ice cream pies.

MAKING MATZOH BRIE

You can prepare matzoh brie in several different ways, from fluffy matzoh omelets to crisp French toast–style to batter fried like pancakes. Like most breakfast food mavens, matzoh brie lovers tend to claim there is only one correct way to make it (theirs, of course). But I have found that personal preferences aside, different flavorings are often better-suited to one method of preparation than another: tender, delicate artichoke hearts, for example, are best savored in a matzoh brie that is light and fluffy, not thin and crisp. And I think it is easier to transform a homey, savory matzoh brie into a refined side dish or light entree when it is presented whole, like a giant frittata, at more formal meals.

All else being equal, my favorite is the combination matzoh brie, known as scrambled egg-style: a jumble of buttery crisp, well-flavored, chewy, and creamy egg-rich pieces—all in one mouthful.

When I merely want to soften the matzoh, I use cold water. Hot water leaches out the matzoh flavor. When I want a liquid like apple juice to impart flavor as well as soften, I often warm it first so it is better absorbed.

1. For Either Fluffy or Combination (Scrambled Egg–Style) Matzoh Brie: Soak the matzoh in cold water until soft but not mushy, and gently press out moisture with your hands, or place in a colander and press with the back of a spoon. The less liquid it holds, the more egg it will absorb and the fluffier it will be. Let the matzoh drink in the beaten eggs for about 10 minutes or longer to produce the fluffiest matzoh brie. (The egg may or may not be completely absorbed by the matzoh; it will not matter.) Use either a large, heavy, well-seasoned skillet or a nonstick one (nonstick would be preferable if the matzoh brie contains dried fruit, such as raisins or prunes). Add the matzoh mixture all at once to the hot, greased pan. Spread it out evenly, and let it cook over medium heat until it is set and golden on the bottom and around the edges. Now you have a choice.

• For attractive matzoh brie resembling a frittata: Turn the matzoh in one piece. Slip a spatula around the edges and underneath the matzoh brie to loosen it. Use the spatula to help you slide the matzoh brie out onto a platter larger than the skillet, uncooked side up. If needed, add more butter or oil to the skillet. Then, gently holding onto the edges of the matzoh brie with your fingertips, invert the platter over the skillet so that the matzoh brie drops into the skillet, uncooked side down. Another method for flipping the matzoh brie in one piece, if your skillet is not too heavy: After you’ve loosened the matzoh brie, remove the skillet from the heat. Place the platter face down over the skillet. With one hand holding onto the skillet handle and the other hand placed on the center of the platter, quickly flip them over so that the matzoh brie lands on the platter, cooked side up. Return the skillet to the heat, adding more butter or oil, if needed. Wait until it’s sizzling again before sliding the matzoh brie back into the skillet, still cooked side up. Cook the second side until it is lightly browned. Or, for a less-refined look, simply cut the matzoh brie into halves or quarters and then turn to brown each section. Cook until still fluffy inside or more well-done, as you prefer.

• Known as scrambled egg–style, your alternative is matzoh brie that is homelier, but more varied in texture and taste. After the bottom is set, break the matzoh brie into sections with the spatula. Keep lifting and turning the sections as they brown until you have a superb melange of lightly crisp, chewy, moist, and fluffy pieces. Don’t overcook the matzoh brie or it will be dry and hard.

2. For Crisp, French Toast–Style Matzoh Brie: Soak the matzoh just long enough to soften it, then gently but thoroughly press out the liquid with your hands, or place in a colander and press with the back of a spoon. For the crispest matzoh brie, moisten both sides of matzoh under the cold water tap, then dry between paper towels. Dip the matzoh into beaten eggs just until thoroughly coated: Don’t let it soak. Heat a generously greased, heavy, well-seasoned, preferably cast-iron skillet, rather than a nonstick one. Add the matzoh all at once to the hot, sizzling pan, and spread it out in a thin layer. (If necessary, fry in batches: if you fry too much at once, it won’t be crisp.) Fry over medium to medium-high heat until browned on the bottom. Now decide whether you want to keep the matzoh brie in one piece—it will be more attractive, certainly, but rather tricky to do, perhaps more trouble than this homey dish calls for. To keep the matzoh in one piece, try using two spatulas to carefully flip it. Or turn it like a frittata, that is, slide it out onto a platter, and then invert the platter over the skillet (see “For attractive matzoh brie resembling a frittata”). Or cook it in batches in a smaller skillet, so it will be easier to flip. If looks don’t count, simply cut it in half or in quarters and turn each piece, using two spatulas.

3. For Fried Pancake-Like Matzoh Brie: Soak the matzoh in cold water until it is quite soft, almost falling apart. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can with your hands, or place in a colander and press with the back of a spoon. Beat the matzoh with the eggs in a large bowl until well combined. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into the hot, greased skillet, flatten slightly with a spatula, and fry over medium to medium-high heat, flipping once, until browned on both sides.

CLASSIC MATZOH BRIE

YIELD: 2 TO 4 SERVINGS

Not just for Passover. Like matzoh balls and potato latkes, matzoh brie now makes regular appearances at the table year-round.

And not just for breakfast. Tony Manhattan restaurants feature entrees of fluffy matzoh brie, chockablock with smoked salmon and sautéed sweet onions, fragrant with dill, or layered with exotic wild mushrooms.

Like the best soul-satisfying starchy foods, matzoh brie is a chef’s canvas, reflecting the image and nuances you choose: served like French toast, flavored with vanilla, cinnamon or almond extract and doused with maple syrup; or frittata-style, sautéed with onions, mushrooms, and sapid tender vegetables like artichokes or asparagus. In fact, I often add some soaked and drained matzoh to frittata recipes—it stretches the number of eggs used, reducing that insistent egginess that spells breakfast to so many of us.

No sweet/savory matzoh brie fault line runs through our house: though I grew up on the sweet, we thoroughly enjoy all versions. Instructions for both follow, and see the Cook’s Note for a buttery caramelized onion matzoh brie, with or without smoked salmon.

4 whole plain or egg matzohs

4 or 5 large eggs (use 5 for a softer, eggier matzoh brie)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Optional accompaniments: Cinnamon-Vanilla Sugar (recipe follows), apple or other fruit sauces or compotes (see Spring Compote), maple syrup, jam, honey, sour cream, yogurt cream, fresh (unaged) goat or sheep’s milk cheeses, farmer cheese, or cottage cheese

PLEASE read “Making Matzoh Brie” and choose the preparation and cooking style you prefer. Break the matzohs, wet them with cold water, and squeeze them dry, according to the instructions, and place them in a large bowl.

BEAT the eggs until light and foamy. For sweet matzoh brie, season the eggs with 1⁄4 teaspoon salt; for savory matzoh brie, season generously with lots of salt and pepper to taste (keep in mind how bland plain matzoh tastes). Stir the eggs into the matzoh mixture and combine well. If preparing either fluffy or pancake-like matzoh brie, allow the matzohs to soak in the eggs for a while.

IN a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet (nonstick works well here), heat the butter over medium heat until it sizzles. Add the matzoh batter, either adding it in all at once, like an omelet or frittata, or dropping by heaping tablespoonfuls, like pancakes. Fry until golden brown on the bottom, then turn and fry until done to taste on the other side: either golden and fluffy or more well-done and crisp, according to preferred method. While hot, sprinkle with Cinnamon Vanilla Sugar, or serve with one or more of the other suggested accompaniments.

COOK’S NOTE: For those who crave whole grains during the holiday, try matzoh brie, savory or sweet, made from whole-wheat matzoh (available kosher-for-Passover). No, it won’t summon up taste memories of McCann’s old-fashioned Irish oatmeal, but it can be a wonderful comfort food when needed.

Caramelized Onion Matzoh Brie In a large, heavy skillet, sauté 1 pound very thinly sliced onions (4 cups) in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon mild oil until softened and golden, about 15 minutes. Salt and pepper generously, and if you want to include some smoked salmon, stir in 4 ounces, cut in slivers (you’ll probably want to reduce or eliminate the salt if the salmon is salty). Raise heat, and cook, lifting and turning the onions until they are a rich gold, speckled lightly with bronze. If you’d like, add 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley or chives; include some fresh snipped dill if you’ve added smoked salmon), and let cool slightly. Stir the onion into the prepared matzoh brie mixture from the recipe for Classic Matzoh Brie and let stand 5 minutes, then proceed with the directions for frying. If desired, serve with yogurt cream, sour cream, or any of the suggested cheeses.

CINNAMON-VANILLA SUGAR

YIELD: 1⁄2 CUP

1⁄2 cup granulated light brown or white sugar or a combination

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄2 vanilla bean

COMBINE the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and, using the tip of a small paring knife, scrape the seeds into the sugar. (Reserve the pod for another use or discard.) Stir well, and set aside at least 20 minutes to mingle the flavors. Store in an airtight container and shake well before using.

SAVORY ARTICHOKE MATZOH BRIE

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

I usually prepare this delicious, well-seasoned version in the homey, scrambled egg–style for brunch or a casual meatless main course at lunch or dinner. But I’ve also brought it to the table whole like a poufy frittata, to be served in wedges as a dressy side dish. For a lovely starter, prepare this matzoh brie as individual “pancakes” (see Fried Pancake-Like Matzoh Brie, topped with smoked salmon or caviar (kosher fish roe), with or without sour cream or yogurt cream.

3 cups very thinly sliced onion

5 tablespoons olive oil, or 4 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1^1⁄2 cups lightly precooked fresh or thawed frozen artichoke hearts, sliced (if using frozen, pat them dry between layers of paper towels)

1⁄2 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or fine-quality red wine vinegar

4 whole plain or egg matzohs

5 large eggs

3 tablespoons finely snipped fresh dill, plus additional for garnish (also delightful and fresh-tasting with finely chopped mint leaves, added to or in place of the dill)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Optional accompaniments: yogurt cream or yogurt, plain or mixed with finely chopped scallions

IN a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet (preferably well-seasoned cast-iron or nonstick), sauté the onions in 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat, lifting and turning them occasionally, until soft and golden at the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the artichokes and garlic, if using, and continue lifting and scraping for 5 to 7 minutes, until the artichokes are cooked through and the onions are dotted with dark gold. Generously season with salt and pepper and add the vinegar. Cook for a few minutes over high heat, stirring, until the vinegar is completely evaporated and just a soft, acidic sparkle remains. Taste again for seasoning, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

BREAK the matzohs into 2- or 3-inch pieces and place in a bowl. Cover with cold water and soak for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a large bowl until light and foamy. Drain the matzoh in a colander, pressing out all the water with your hands or the back of a spoon, and add to the eggs. Add the dill and oregano, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the artichokes and onions and combine thoroughly.

PLEASE read “Making Matzoh Brie” and choose the cooking style you prefer. Wipe out the skillet thoroughly, add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil or 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon butter and heat until sizzling. Add the matzoh batter all at once, and cook either frittata-style (in one piece, waiting until the the entire piece is golden brown before turning, or break it into sections with the spatula to turn it) or scrambled egg–style (lifting and turning pieces as different egg-soaked matzohs begin to set). Or drop it in by heaping tablespoonfuls, like pancakes, and fry over medium heat, until golden brown on the bottom, then turn and fry until done to taste on the other side (either golden and fluffy or more well-done and crisp).

SERVE matzoh brie as soon as it is done, accompanied, if desired, by the yogurt cream or yogurt and sprinkled with additional fresh dill or mint.

CINNAMON MATZOH BRIE WITH TOASTED PECANS AND WARM VANILLA-MAPLE SYRUP

YIELD: 2 SERVINGS

Homey matzoh brie takes so well to flavorful additions it’s easy to turn this simple breakfast treat into something special. Here I bathe the matzoh in apple juice and sweet spices before frying, then serve it with warm, vanilla-scented maple syrup to accent the crunchy pecan studding. Other suggestions for improvisations follow.

3 whole plain or egg matzohs

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

About 1⁄8 teaspoon salt

1 cup pure, unsweetened apple juice

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons chopped toasted pecans

2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Vanilla-Maple Syrup

1⁄3 cup pure maple syrup

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract

BREAK the matzohs into small pieces in a bowl. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and salt.

COMBINE the apple juice and vanilla in a wide saucepan, and boil over high heat until reduced to about 1⁄2 cup. Pour it over the matzohs and toss until all the liquid is absorbed. Beat the eggs until light and foamy and add to the matzoh mixture. Stir well and set aside for a few minutes to soak the matzohs. Stir in the pecans.

MAKE the syrup: warm the maple syrup and vanilla in a small saucepan until heated through. Keep warm until ready to serve.

PLEASE read “Making Matzoh Brie” and choose the cooking style you prefer. In a 9- or 10-inch heavy skillet (nonstick works well here), heat the butter over medium heat until it sizzles. Add the matzoh batter, either dropping it in by heaping tablespoonfuls, like pancakes, or all at once, like an omelet or frittata. Fry until golden brown on the bottom, then turn and fry until done to taste on the other side: either golden and fluffy or more well-done and crisp.

SERVE at once, accompanied by the warm syrup.

COOK’S NOTE: This simple, sweet matzoh brie should inspire some flavor variations of your own. For soaking, use warm milk or cream flavored with 1⁄4 teaspoon almond extract, generous pinches of nutmeg and cloves, and honey or molasses to taste. Or dampen the matzohs instead with undiluted, thawed orange juice concentrate, then serve the matzoh brie drizzled with orange blossom honey and a sprinkle of sliced toasted almonds. And sweet matzoh brie is delicious accompanied by lightly stewed fruits such as the Fresh Raspberry Applesauce or any of the following fruit sauces: Fresh Applesauce, Intense Apricot Applesauce, or Ginger-Pear Sauce.

At the Terezin concentration camp, a vibrant but surreal cultural life was played out against the horrific backdrop of starvation, disease, and death. There, children teeming with lice watched performances of the opera Brundibar, and elderly Jews, bodies wracked with enteritis, scavenged for potato peels before attending lectures on theology.

A holding pen where Jews—largely from Moravia and Bohemia, as well as prominent Jews from Germany, Austria, and Western Europe—were kept before being sent to death camps, Terezin, or Theresienstadt, as the Germans renamed it, was held up to the world as a Ghetto Paradise, evidence of the Fuhrer’s decency to the Jews.

The cultural activity, extraordinarily prodigious because of the sheer density of talented artists and scholars imprisoned there, and feverishly intensified by the pervasive sense of mortality, was exploited by the Nazis, who trotted out the artists for a propaganda film before shipping them out to Auschwitz.

But, as Cara De Silva points out in her remarkable book, In Memory’s Kitchen, such fierce cultural pursuits were also a form of revolt. As the Nazis tried to dehumanize them, the children produced poetry and art (later collected in a book, I Never Saw Another Butterfly). While the Nazis systematically blotted out their culture, the Jews of Terezin taught philosophy and circulated tens of thousands of books in a camp lending library. And they transcended their hunger by “cooking with the mouth”—talking constantly about food—and writing cookbooks. In Memory’s Kitchen, “a memoir of life in Terezin, written in recipes,” is not the only cookbook to come out of the concentration camps. According to Cara De Silva, there are five more that she knows of, and certainly others exist.

Cocooned in a warm Amtrak berth coming home from the Holocaust Museum in Washington, I read De Silva’s description of one of these manuscripts, authored by Malka Zimmet, an inmate in a work subcamp of Mauthausen. She mentioned a matzoh brie with wine and prunes, and I conjured up the dish and the vanished life that had savored it. I haven’t seen the recipe yet—the manuscript is in Yad Vashem, Israel’s repository of Holocaust research—so I made up my own version, cooked scrambled egg–style.

MATZOH BRIE WITH PRUNES AND WINE

YIELD: 3 TO 4 SERVINGS

The interplay of tastes and textures—crisp, tender, and eggy matzoh pieces sandwiching tart-sweet juicy prunes—made this matzoh brie an instant hit. When my daughter was homesick during her junior year in Paris, she whipped this up with lacy French matzohs, substituting plumped, winy raisins for the prunes.

It is even better with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, which underscores the richness of the dried fruit.

2 cups pure, unsweetened apple juice, or 1^1⁄4 cups unsweetened Concord grape juice

1^1⁄2 cups pitted prunes, halved or quartered if large

1 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract

4 whole plain matzohs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

About 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

3⁄4 cup traditional sweet Jewish wine or Concord grape juice

4 large eggs

1^1⁄2 teaspoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Accompaniments: plain yogurt, yogurt cream, or sour cream; if additional sweetening is desired, use maple syrup, preserves, or honey

PREPARE the prunes: in a wide, medium saucepan, boil the apple juice over high heat until reduced to about 1^1⁄4 cups. (If using grape juice, warm it without reducing.) Add the prunes and vanilla, and cook over medium heat until very tender, 10 to 15 minutes. You should have no more than about 1⁄4 cup of liquid left in the pan; if needed, reduce the liquid for a few minutes over high heat.

MEANWHILE, break the matzohs into small pieces in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt. Pour the wine or grape juice over the matzohs and stir until all the liquid is absorbed. Beat the eggs until light and foamy and add to the matzoh mixture. Stir well and set aside for a few minutes to soak the matzohs (the eggs will not be totally absorbed). In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon and the brown sugar and set aside.

PLEASE read “Making Matzoh Brie” and choose the cooking style you prefer. In a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet (preferably nonstick—the sugar from the prunes will make this matzoh brie somewhat sticky) heat the butter until it sizzles. Add the matzoh and egg mixture all at once. As it begins to set and brown, break it up into largish pieces with a spatula, turning and browning them on both sides. Spoon the stewed prunes and their liquid over the cooked matzoh brie, as a topping. Or you can incorporate the prunes into the matzoh brie: when the matzoh brie is nearly browned, add the prunes and their liquid. Continue lifting and turning until all the matzoh pieces are golden brown and well combined with the prunes. If you prefer a fluffier matzoh brie, lightly fry the matzoh sections until just cooked through on all sides, adding the prunes about halfway through the cooking process.

SPRINKLE with the cinnamon sugar. Top with plain yogurt, or if you prefer something richer, yogurt cream or sour cream. It really needs no additional sweetening, but if you wish, serve it with maple syrup, preserves, or honey.

OVERNIGHT CARAMELIZED-APPLE MATZOH BRIE

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

An evil apple may have done the trick for Snow White’s wicked stepmother, but no apple caused Adam’s downfall. Though mentioned several times in ancient Hebrew literature, the apple plays no part in Genesis. Adam and Eve sin simply by eating “fruit”—the generic kind—from the Tree of Knowledge.

Was the actual culprit the sensuous, many-seeded pomegranate? Perhaps the luscious golden apricot or the flesh-soft fig? Scholars continue to debate. While the apple was first specified as the evil fruit in Eden by Aquila Ponticus in his second century translation of the Song of Solomon from Hebrew to Greek, and later used by early translators of the Bible, it was Renaissance painters who popularized it, burnished an enticing red, to concretize our fall from grace.

The caramelized apples here certainly reek of temptation, but there’s no need to lose any sleep over this matzoh brie. Prepare it the night before, then pop it in the oven the next morning while you shower and dress. It’s ready when you are, for breakfast or brunch. And it’s splendid too for a teatime treat.

FOR THE CARAMELIZED APPLES

4 medium-large flavorful apples (about 2 pounds; an assortment of tart and sweet, such as Winesap, Northern Spy, or Mutsu combined with Fuji, Gala, or Braeburn, works particularly well; avoid Rome apples, which will turn to mush)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1⁄3 cup pure maple syrup

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄3 cup evaporated milk, half-and-half, or cream

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

FOR THE MATZOH BRIE

Unsalted butter for greasing the pan, plus 2 tablespoons, melted and cooled

4 whole plain matzohs

1⁄2 cup evaporated milk, half-and-half, or cream

4 large eggs

3⁄4 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract

1⁄8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon granulated light brown or white sugar

Optional accompaniments: sour cream or yogurt cream

MAKE the caramelized apples: peel, core, and cut each apple into small chunks. In a large heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook, lifting and turning occasionally, for about 3 minutes. Add the maple syrup and cinnamon, and continue cooking until the apples are just tender, 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the variety of apples. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to a bowl and set aside.

BOIL the syrup remaining in the skillet until it becomes a thick, luscious, golden caramel. Stir it frequently while it cooks, taking care that it does not burn. (Although its aroma will be tantalizing, do not taste it; the syrup is scorching hot and will badly burn your tongue.) Off the heat, very carefully add the milk, half-and-half, or cream, the lemon juice, and the salt and stir well. Return the skillet to the heat and simmer the sauce, stirring, until smooth and somewhat thickened. Return the apples to the skillet and stir until thoroughly coated with caramel sauce. Set aside to cool slightly.

GENEROUSLY butter the bottom and sides of a large, shallow metal baking pan (approximately 13 by 9 inches, or its equivalent).

MAKE the matzoh brie: break the matzohs into small pieces and spread them evenly in the prepared pan. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, half-and-half, or cream, eggs, vanilla, salt, and sugar. Beat in the cooled, melted butter. Pour this mixture over the matzohs and let the matzohs soak up the liquid for about 15 minutes. Then smooth out the matzoh mixture, evening the top as best you can. Spread the caramelized apples—with all of their delicious sauce—evenly over the matzoh mixture. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate overnight.

REMOVE the pan from the refrigerator and bring the dish to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until thoroughly cooked and top is light golden brown. To finish off the matzoh brie, turn the broiler on and briefly brown the apple topping, rotating the pan as necessary so all sides are a rich, even brown all over.

THIS is excellent served as is, but if you’d like, accompany the matzoh brie with fresh sour cream or yogurt cream.

BASICS

TOASTED SESAME-CUMIN MATZOHS

OLIVE OIL SCHMALTZ

POULTRY SCHMALTZ

BEEF STOCK

GRATED BLACK RADISH AND ENDIVE SALAD IN SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE

RHUBARB-PRUNE TSIMMES

CARAMELIZED ONION AND CARROT TSIMMES WITH CANDIED GINGER

CLASSIC CHICKEN SOUP

CHEATER’S CHICKEN IN THE POT AND ALMOST-HOMEMADE SOUP

FRESH BORSCHT WITH DILLED ONION-BUTTER MATZOH BALLS

SPINACH CHEESE SQUARES

ZUCCHINI FRITADA

CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER FROM THE RUE DES ROSIERS

CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

GEFILTE FISH QUICKLY STEAMED BETWEEN CABBAGE LEAVES

OVEN-FRIED SMOKED SALMON CROQUETTES

EASY ONION-BRAISED BRISKET

FLANKEN WITH TART GREENS

FRESH RASPBERRY APPLESAUCE

FRESH APPLESAUCE

INTENSE APRICOT APPLESAUCE

GINGER-PEAR SAUCE

MATZOH

The regular matzoh that Jews are commanded to eat on Passover instead of bread is a thin, crisp cracker made simply of wheat flour (there are special ritually prepared oat and spelt varieties for those who are wheat intolerant) and water—no yeast or other leavening and no salt. To prevent fermentation, the entire preparation, from mixing flour and water to baking the matzoh, should take no more than eighteen minutes. According to Eve Jochnowitz, a culinary historian who has done extensive research on the subject, matzoh is currently sold in many supermarkets in Poland—despite the fact that few Jews have remained there since the Holocaust. The Jewish cracker is marketed there as a pure and wholesome health and diet food for everyone.

Plain matzoh is pure and elemental, wheaty-tasting without the spongy, yeasty quality of bread or the flavorings or additives of crackers, and is an ideal substitute for these starches in recipes. I use matzoh not only in Passover recipes, but also year-round, for matzoh brie, in some stuffings and kugels, and to make home-ground matzoh crumbs for crunchy coatings.

Why grind your own matzoh when perfectly acceptable matzoh meal is available in most supermarkets? Packaged matzoh meal is very finely ground, perfect for fluffy matzoh balls, meat loaf, latkes, and most kugels. But if you want a coarse, crumbly topping, particularly one combined with butter or oil and toasted until golden and crunchy, you need to grind your own. And for crumb coatings, I find the texture and flavor are superior when the crumbs are not ground uniformly. Also, there are times when fresh matzoh meal is not available, when you know that matzoh meal has been sitting on the grocer’s shelf—or yours—for far too long.

Then there are the flavored matzoh, especially egg matzoh: terrific, but unavailable ground unless you do it yourself.

To make matzoh crumbs and homemade matzoh meal: Whirl small pieces of matzoh in a blender or food processor using the pulse motion until the desired texture is achieved. Or place in a resealable plastic bag and use a rolling pin or your hands to crush the matzoh. A medium grind with a slightly uneven texture is best for crumb coatings. Blend to the texture of sand for matzoh meal with a powdery consistency (and, if necessary, rub the fine crumbs through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any remaining coarse pieces).

To toast matzoh crumbs or matzoh meal: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a baking pan, melt some butter, warm a little olive oil, or use a combination of both. Add matzoh crumbs or meal, season to taste with salt and pepper, toss to combine, and spread out in an even layer. Toast in the oven until fragrant and golden, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every once in a while to redistribute the oil and prevent burning. Stir in other seasonings, if you’d like: spices and herbs (such as paprika, cumin, rosemary, or thyme), minced garlic, and grated cheese (2 to 3 tablespoons of Parmesan, hard Cheddar, or other well-flavored variety for every cup of matzoh crumbs or meal).

Flavored matzoh (including egg, whole-wheat, and egg and onion, etc.): Check the ingredients on the package. Some contain zesty seasonings like onion or garlic and are excellent served as crackers or used in cooking as flavorful crumbs or savory stuffing. Whole-wheat matzoh is wonderful in Toasted Sesame-Cumin Matzohs (recipe follows). Egg matzoh, made simply of flour, egg yolks, and apple cider, is superb as a cracker (divine with cream cheese) or in matzoh brie. And it makes delicious crumbs—the slight sweetness from the cider provides an almost caramelized edge to the crumbs when they are toasted or fried.

But other flavored matzohs contain positively bizarre or inappropriate ingredients, like malt, rye, white and brown sugar, as well as additives and preservatives. So read the labels carefully.

Availability and storage: Plain and several flavored kinds are available year-round in most supermarkets. (Although during Passover many Jews enjoy flavored matzoh, like the egg and whole-wheat varieties, which have been produced under stringent rabbinic supervision; strictly Orthodox Ashkenazi Jews eat only plain matzoh on Passover, reserving the flavored kinds for the rest of the year.)

Egg matzoh can usually be found for only a couple of months close to Passover. It sells out quickly and manufacturers often don’t make more until the next season. I buy several extra boxes when I find them and store them for later use.

Matzoh meal can usually be purchased year-round. In January or February, freshly produced matzoh meal for Passover makes its appearance in supermarkets. But if you find a box in December stamped for Passover use, it’s probably almost a year old and you might consider grinding your own from fresh matzoh.

Although matzoh and matzoh meal are generally not made with added oil (some flavored varieties might be), there is, of course, oil in the flour itself, which can turn rancid and musty after prolonged exposure to air. And moisture can make matzoh soggy. As with preservative-free crackers and bread crumbs, both matzoh and matzoh meal must be well wrapped to keep them from going stale. Unless you will be using up an opened box of matzoh within three or four days (fewer in very humid areas), it’s a good idea to store the matzoh in an airtight plastic container or resealable plastic bag instead of the cardboard box it comes in. Don’t leave a box of matzoh meal in the pantry, its perforation seal pushed open and left yawning. Keep it tightly closed in an airtight glass jar or plastic container, or purchase matzoh meal in the recently available special cylinders with a resealable plastic top. Store in the refrigerator, especially if it is not used on a regular basis. And if you trot out that same box of meal for two or three short appearances a year, consider keeping it in the freezer.

Let your nose be your guide in determining freshness: like crackers, matzoh and matzoh meal should smell fresh and wheaty. Discard any that smell musty or stale. If matzohs have become soggy, you can recrisp them in the oven at 350°F for a few minutes. And read the Passover section about toasting matzoh for superb, fresh-from-the-oven flavor.

TOASTED SESAME-CUMIN MATZOHS

YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

Coarse salt

1⁄4 cup best-quality extra virgin olive oil

About 6 whole-wheat or plain matzohs

PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Prepare the sesame seeds: in a small (about 7-inch) ungreased heavy skillet, toast them over moderately high heat, stirring or shaking the pan constantly, just until they release their nutty fragrance and turn light gold. Don’t allow them to brown or they’ll be bitter. Immediately remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the seeds to a mortar. In the same skillet, toast the cumin seeds in the same way, just until they are very fragrant. Add them to the mortar. Let cool slightly, then add a few pinches of salt, and crush coarsely with the pestle. Or pulse a few times in an electric spice grinder, or put the seasonings in a heavy plastic bag and pound well with a mallet.

TRANSFER the spice mixture to a small bowl and stir in the olive oil. Brush the tops of the matzohs very generously with the mixture, then sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until hot and crisp. The matzohs should be very fragrant, puffed slightly, and just beginning to curl at the deep brown edges. Best served hot.

COOK’S NOTE: Stirring the sesame and cumin mix into the oil helps to prevent the seeds from scattering every which way, though you will probably use a bit more oil with this method. But it will make the matzoh taste wonderfully rich—no bread of affliction here. For easier serving—and shatterproof eating—you may prefer to break the matzoh into large, cracker-like pieces before seasoning and heating them.

Sesame seeds naturally contain a lot of oil so they turn rancid rather quickly; store them well wrapped in the freezer.

OLIVE OIL SCHMALTZ

YIELD: ABOUT 2⁄3 CUP

2 cups finely chopped onions

3⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 cup olive oil

IN a strainer, toss the onions with the salt. Cover them with a paper towel and weight down with a bowl or plate topped with a heavy object like a large can of tomatoes. Let the onions drain for at least 30 minutes, tossing them occasionally. Place the onions in fresh paper toweling or a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

WARM the oil in a 8- or 9-inch heavy skillet. Add the onions and cook, uncovered, over the very lowest heat. As their moisture evaporates, the onions will shrink considerably and the ever-deepening gold oil will appear to increase. Stir occasionally, spreading the onions out in the skillet and making sure that they do not stick or color past gold. After cooking for 60 to 75 minutes, they should be very soft and have exuded most of their liquid. Let the mixture cool slightly, then scrape all the onions and oil into a blender (a food processor won’t work well here).

BLEND to emulsify the ingredients, stopping to scrape down the contents when necessary. Continue blending until you have a smooth, rich puree.

STORE tightly covered in the refrigerator. It will thicken and become more schmaltz-like when chilled. It will keep for at least 3 to 5 days.

POULTRY SCHMALTZ

YIELD: ABOUT 1 CUP

SAVE bits of fat and skin from chickens, ducks, and geese in the freezer until you have about 2 cups fat and a little skin. Trim away any poultry meat clinging to the fat or skin. Cut into small pieces and place in a heavy saucepan. Add about 1⁄2 cup water, turn heat to the lowest simmer, and cook slowly, uncovered, until the fat melts and the water is evaporated, 30 to 40 minutes. Add about 1⁄2 cup finely chopped yellow onion and continue cooking, stirring every once in a while, until the onion and poultry skin (griebenes) have become crisp and golden brown (do not let them get too dark or they will taste burnt and bitter). This can take up to 2 hours or more of unattended time, so you might want to double the recipe when you prepare it. (I usually do it when I am performing other slow-moving kitchen chores like making soup or baking.) Strain the fat through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass jar, tamping down on the griebenes to extract all the flavorful fat. Store the schmaltz and griebenes separately, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.

SOUR CREAM, YOGURT CREAM, AND LABNEH

Slathered on onion-laced herring, spooned over strawberries, whisked into fruit soup, Jewish food can be extravagant with thick, luscious sour cream.

Delicious? Yes. Fattening? Absolutely. But real sour cream is a sensational splurge.

And there are alternatives.

You can substitute reduced-fat sour cream. But personally, I tend to stay away from most such products—either the taste itself is strange or the ingredients list contains too many weird, unwholesome additives. I’d rather eat the real stuff, just less frequently. And between times, I use the Sephardi counterpart made of drained yogurt, sometimes referred to as yogurt cheese, here called yogurt cream.

Many cookbooks claim plain yogurt is a good alternative to sour cream. It is not: it’s watery and flat-tasting. But when most of the liquid whey is removed, the sweet, tangy flavors become more concentrated and the yogurt develops more body. Then even plain low-fat and nonfat yogurts can taste rather creamy and make a perfectly acceptable substitute for sour cream where fat is not essential to the dish.

Labneh, Middle Eastern drained yogurt, usually made from whole milk or cream, is a sensuous treat. The most delicious labneh I ever tasted was made by a Palestinian New Yorker, who used equal parts of half-and-half (or light cream) and whole milk. Eating it was bliss. Prepared labneh can be bought in Middle Eastern markets, many specialty stores and supermarkets. Substitute it for either sour cream or yogurt cream in any recipe.

For a rich-tasting yogurt cream, use whole-milk yogurt. Or for the best of the Ashkenazi and Sephardi worlds, stir a spoonful or two of sour cream into thick yogurt cream made from whole or low-fat milk.

To prepare yogurt cream: Line a strainer or colander with uncolored paper towels or a double thickness of cheesecloth. Or place a coffee filter in the drip funnel of a coffeemaker like Melitta or Chemex. Spoon in whole-milk, low-fat, or nonfat yogurt. Set strainer, colander, or funnel over a bowl or cup to catch the liquid whey, and let drain in a cool place until the yogurt is as thick and creamy as desired, from 30 minutes to 2 hours or more. (One quart, 4 cups yogurt, will yield about 2 cups yogurt cream.)

Tangy yogurt cream lends itself to many seasonings: honey or maple syrup and finely chopped dates, vanilla, or fragrant spices for a sweet taste; garlic mashed to a paste with salt, dried mint, fresh dill, etc., for a fresh, savory flavor.

If you allow the yogurt to continue to drain for about 24 hours, it becomes a wonderful soft yogurt cheese. Season the cheese with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil, salt, and either garlic or fresh herbs or both.

Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

BEEF STOCK

YIELD: 2^1⁄2 TO 3 QUARTS

By setting aside a cup or two of clear chicken soup for the freezer every time i make it, i usually have enough available for most cooking needs. And when i don’t, i doctor purchased broth for an excellent almost homemade. Using good homemade chicken broth does beef recipes no injustice, in most cases. But there are times when only a full-bodied beef stock will do—for simmering flanken, for instance.

This dish call for deep, rich flavors, so first I caramelize the meat, bones, and aromatics. Because I have a very wide, heavy pot (an 8-quart Dutch oven), I can do everything—browning and simmering—in one pot, on top of the stove. A regular stockpot is neither wide nor heavy enough to brown the ingredients well. If you don’t have a large enough saucepan or Dutch oven, use a 5- to 6-quart pot for browning, then transfer everything to a stockpot. Either way is simpler and less messy than caramelizing the ingredients by oven-roasting them.

About the bones: while marrow bones are often suggested, I find they can give the stock a slightly greasy quality that can be quite unpleasant in many dishes. Many butchers will not charge for soup bones—knuckle, shank, shoulder, and neck are good choices—if you request them when placing a large meat order. If you buy meat infrequently, request bones whenever you do and store them in the freezer until you are ready to prepare the stock.

1 to 2 tablespoons mild olive or vegetable oil

3 pounds lean stewing beef, such as chuck or neck meat, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces

2 pounds knuckle, shank, shoulder, or neck bones (if bones are very meaty, you can reduce the amount of beef to 2 pounds), trimmed of as much fat as possible

1⁄2 pound onions, cut into coarse chunks (2 cups)

1⁄2 pound carrots, scraped and cut into coarse chunks (1^1⁄2 cups)

1 parsnip, peeled and cut into coarse chunks

3 large garlic cloves, peeled

1⁄2 cup dry red or white wine

4 quarts cold water (quality is important here, so if you use bottled water for coffee or tea, use it here)

20 peppercorns, crushed

1 teaspoon salt

1 small rutabaga or white turnip, peeled and cut into chunks

3 celery stalks, including leaves if available, coarsely chopped

1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs

IN an 8- to 10-quart Dutch oven or heavy saucepan with a lid, heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan, lightly brown the meat (don’t let it get too crusty), and transfer it to a platter. In the same pan, brown the bones on all sides, then transfer them to the platter. Add another tablespoon of oil, if necessary, and the onions, carrots, parsnip, and garlic. Brown them in the dark meat residue, stirring and scraping them with a wooden spoon as they begin to bronze around the edges, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and stir constantly to scrape up the browned bits. Add 1 quart of the water and boil for 3 minutes, stirring, to pick up any remaining meat and vegetable bits. (If using a smaller pan, transfer everything now to a stockpot.)

ADD the meat, bones, remaining 3 quarts water, peppercorns, and salt. Turn the heat to medium and bring to a slow bubble, skimming any froth and scum that rise to the surface. When the soup begins to “smile” (tiny bubbles break along the edge of the pot), turn the heat down to very low. Let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes, skimming frequently. Add the rutabaga or turnip, celery, and parsley, and raise the heat slightly to bring it back to a simmer. Let it bubble for a few minutes, then turn the heat down as low as possible, put the lid on, leaving it slightly askew, and continue skimming occasionally. Simmer the soup for at least 2 or 2^1⁄2 hours longer—3 to 5 is even better. Do not let the soup boil. If necessary, use a flame tamer or blech, or put it on top of two burner grates stacked together. (Make sure the soup is bubbling, though ever so gently. If there is no movement at all on the surface, the soup will spoil.) Add more salt if you want, but remember this is a stock: the other dishes in which you will use it may be salty enough, and besides, the stock’s flavors will become more concentrated when you boil it down.

LET the soup cool to room temperature in the pot, uncovered. (Hot soup in a covered pot may turn sour.)

STRAIN the cooled soup through a wire-mesh sieve pressing down on all the meat, bones, and vegetables to extract as much of their flavorful juices as you can, then discard the solids. (If desired, you can save the meat and the carrots and dice them finely to serve in the stock. However, most of the flavor will have been extracted from them already.)

REFRIGERATE the soup, covered, overnight, or until all the fat has congealed on top. Carefully scrape off the fat and discard it. If the soup still seems fatty, line a wire-mesh sieve with a layer of paper towels and pour the soup through into a clean bowl or pot. (If the soup has jelled from chilling, bring it to room temperature first.) If the paper towels become thickly coated with fat, change them once or twice during the process.

STORE the stock in the refrigerator up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

GRATED BLACK RADISH AND ENDIVE SALAD IN SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE

YIELD: ABOUT 6 SERVINGS

1⁄2 pound black radish (available at many greengrocers, specialty and ethnic markets, and some well-stocked supermarkets)

Coarse kosher salt

1⁄3 cup finely chopped shallots

About 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1⁄4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

About 4 tablespoons best-quality extra virgin olive oil, Olive Oil Schmaltz, or Poultry Schmaltz

Freshly ground black pepper

2 small Belgian endives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, preferably flat-leaf

PEEL the radish and grate it coarsely in a food processor or use the large holes of a hand grater. Place in a colander or strainer, sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon salt, and mix well. Weight the radish down with a plate and heavy object like a can of tomatoes, and allow to drain for about 1 hour, stirring it around every 15 to 20 minutes. Squeeze all moisture from the radish, rinse with fresh water, and squeeze thoroughly dry again. (It’s easiest to do this using your hands.)

MEANWHILE, in a small bowl, combine the shallots, lemon juice, zest, and olive oil or schmaltz; season well with salt and pepper. Stir in the grated radish and allow the flavors to unfold and mingle for at least 20 minutes.

CUT the endives into fine shreds, then toss with the grated radish and shallot mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings (it takes quite a bit of salt), adding more oil or schmaltz and lemon juice as needed. Sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with Chopped Chicken Liver from the Rue des Rosiers, Chopped Chicken Liver with Caramelized Onions, or Chopped Eggs and Onions.

RHUBARB-PRUNE TSIMMES

YIELD: ABOUT 4 SERVINGS

When it comes to combining foods, I’m not one for hard and fast rules. I’ve been seduced by cheese cake made supernal with a zap of ground chiles, and I adore savory meats, poultry, and even fish perfumed and mellowed by fruits. But unmitigated sugariness makes my mouth say dessert; fruits must have a spicy or tart accompaniment to segue gracefully into a main course. To me, a tsimmes (sweetened, festive fruit and vegetable stew, with or without meat) of sweet fruits is one-dimensional without some tang or heat.

To provide well-nuanced character here, I add the sprightly bloom of fresh rhubarb to sweet-and-sour prunes and fragrant honey for a meatless tsimmes irresistible as a side dish or condiment for poultry or meat. Make this tsimmes in spring or early summer with big-flavored field rhubarb or year-round with the milder lipstick-pink hothouse variety.

2 cups chopped onion

2 tablespoons mild olive or canola oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (2 teaspoons)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1⁄4 cup fragrant honey (floral like lime or orange blossom, or herbal like lavender or thyme, would be perfect)

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1^1⁄2 cups carrots, scrubbed (and scraped if desired), cut into 1-inch chunks

1 cup prune juice

1 pound rhubarb, ends trimmed (discard leaves—they can be toxic), tough strings removed with a vegetable peeler, and stalks cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)

1^1⁄2 cups pitted prunes, halved, or quartered if large

IN a 10-inch, heavy skillet, sauté the onion in the oil over medium heat until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute or two. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper to taste, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and sweat the mixture slowly, stirring occasionally, until the onions are quite soft but still pale-colored, 10 to 15 minutes.

ADD the honey and cinnamon, and mix until well distributed. Add the carrots and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.

ADD the prune juice and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the rhubarb and the prunes and simmer over moderate heat, stirring every once in a while, until the rhubarb is soft and the carrots are tender but not falling apart, 12 to 18 minutes.

TURN the heat up to high and boil the mixture, uncovered, until the liquid in the pan is thick and syrupy. Taste and adjust seasoning.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND CARROT TSIMMES WITH CANDIED GINGER

YIELD: ABOUT 6 SERVINGS

Spicy, sweet, and tangy-sour notes harmonize beautifully in this meatless vegetable-fruit melange. Serve it as a side dish or offer it as a condiment with chicken, turkey, or brisket.

3 tablespoons mild olive or canola oil

1^1⁄2 pounds onions (preferably red), thinly sliced (6 cups)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 or 5 medium carrots, scraped and sliced (2 cups)

1 tablespoon minced candied ginger

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1 tablespoon fragrant honey

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup pitted prunes, quartered

IN a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet, heat the oil and add the onions. Salt and pepper lightly and stir well. Cook, covered, over very low heat, stirring occasionally so the onions do not burn, for 30 to 40 minutes, until they are meltingly tender and almost transparent.

ADD the carrots, ginger, orange juice and zest, honey, cinnamon, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it bubble for a few minutes, then reduce the heat and continue cooking, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender and the onions are golden and syrupy, about 15 minutes.

ADD the prunes and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until the prunes are quite soft. If necessary, boil for a few minutes over high heat to evaporate any liquid remaining in the pan. Adjust the seasoning. Keep the mixture warm, covered, until ready to serve.

THE tsimmes tastes best if allowed to stand for at least 10 minutes to blend the flavors (or prepare in advance and just reheat before serving.)

CLASSIC CHICKEN SOUP

YIELD: 2^1⁄2 TO 3 QUARTS

One 5- to 6-pound fowl or stewing hen (not a roaster) and its giblets (reserve the liver for another use)

2 chicken feet or 1 pound chicken wings

4 quarts cold water (quality is important here so if you use bottled water to make coffee or tea, use it here)

Salt

2 large onions, 1 peeled and quartered, 1 washed and roots trimmed but left unpeeled, and quartered

2 parsnips, scraped and cut into chunks

3 celery stalks, cut into large chunks

1⁄2 cup celery leaves

5 large carrots, scraped and halved

2 or 3 garlic cloves, peeled

6 fresh parsley sprigs, preferably flat-leaf

1 parsley root (petrouchka), peeled and cut into chunks, optional (often found in greenmarkets and specialty stores, as well as supermarkets with well-stocked produce departments)

2 large leeks, trimmed (reserve long green leaves), washed of all traces of sand and cut into large pieces, or

1 sweet red onion, peeled and quartered

10 to 12 peppercorns, lightly crushed

1 Turkish bay leaf

Several leaves of mild-flavored lettuce such as Boston or iceberg, if no leek greens are available

About 1⁄2 cup snipped fresh dill

Accompaniments: kreplach, matzoh balls, cooked fine egg noodles, rice, or kasha

PREPARE the chicken: I find it easier to work with the chicken when it is cut up, so I divide it roughly into quarters. Remove all visible fat from the chicken and giblets. Remove the skin from the neck and the neck and tail openings. Wash all the pieces thoroughly, including feet or wings, and place in your largest stockpot, which should be tall and straight-sided. Add the water and about 1^1⁄2 teaspoons of salt to begin with.

TURN the heat to medium and bring to a simmer. As the soup cooks, keep skimming off any scum and fat that rise to the surface. When the soup begins to “smile,” that is, tiny bubbles open and close along the edge of the pot, turn the heat down to very low. Skim the soup constantly; at this point, you really need to fret over it. When the soup is just about clear, add the onions, parsnips, celery stalks and leaves, carrots, garlic, parsley sprigs, parsley root, leeks, peppercorns, and bay leaf, and raise the heat slightly to bring it back to a simmer. Continue skimming any froth or scum.

WHEN the soup is again clear, turn the heat down as low as possible. Cover the surface of the soup with the leek greens or lettuce leaves, and put the pot lid on, leaving it slightly askew. Simmer the soup for at least 2^1⁄2 to 4 hours longer—overnight is better still. (Some cooks simmer their soup in a 200°F oven overnight.) Never let the soup boil; if necessary, use a blech (flame tamer), or put it on top of two burner grates stacked together. (But do make sure the bubbles are breaking very gently on the surface. If there is no surface movement at all, the soup might spoil.)

ADJUST the seasonings. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and carrots and set aside. Let the soup cool to room temperature in the pot, uncovered. (Hot soup in a covered pot may turn sour.)

WHILE the soup is cooling, pick over the reserved chicken and discard the bones, skin, and other inedible parts. Reserve the chicken for another use or refrigerate along with the carrots to serve in the soup.

STRAIN the cooled soup through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing down on all the vegetables to extract as much of their juices as you can, then discard the vegetables.

REFRIGERATE the soup covered overnight, or until all the remaining fat has congealed on the top. Carefully scrape off the fat and discard it. If the soup still seems fatty, line the sieve with a layer of paper towels and pour the soup through it into a clean bowl or pot (if the soup has jelled from chilling, bring it to room temperature first). If the paper towels become thickly coated with fat, you might want to change them once or twice during the process.

BEFORE serving, reheat the soup. Taste for salt and pepper and add lots of fresh snipped dill. If you feel the soup is not strong enough, reduce it over high heat to concentrate the flavors. Serve the soup very hot, with additional fresh dill, the reserved carrots, and, if desired, shreds of the soup chicken. It is delicious with kreplach, matzoh balls, egg noodles, rice, kasha, or just plain.

CHEATER’S CHICKEN IN THE POT AND ALMOST-HOMEMADE SOUP

YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

When I want chicken broth that tastes homemade, but haven’t time enough to prepare it, I turn to this recipe. It produces a broth fine enough for a festive dinner or soothing elixir and excellent, silky poached chicken.

Serve the soup and chicken together plain, or for a substantial chicken-in-the-pot, embellish with matzoh balls, cooked rice, or other starches.

You can also present the tender chicken as a separate course, moistened with a little broth and accompanied by coarse salt, horseradish, and pickles. Or reserve it for chicken salad or other dishes that call for poached chicken.

8 cups good-quality, low-sodium purchased chicken broth

6 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley and/or a few celery leaves

1 small onion, peeled and sliced

1 medium carrot, scraped and coarsely chopped, plus 1^1⁄2 cups scraped carrots cut into bite-size chunks or 2-inch lengths

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, well trimmed of fat and sinews

1 cup peeled young turnips and/or 1 cup peeled parsnips, diced or cut into bite-size chunks

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus additional for garnish

Optional accompaniments: for the soup, matzoh balls; cooked egg noodles, rice, kasha, kreplach; or red new potatoes, boiled until tender; for the chicken, coarse salt, horseradish, sour pickles

CHOOSE a lidded, deep skillet large enough to accommodate all the chicken in one layer. Add about 5 cups of the broth, the parsley and/or celery leaves, onion, and chopped carrot and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

ARRANGE the chicken in a single layer in the broth; if necessary, add more broth so that the chicken is completely immersed. Simmer gently, covered, for about 5 minutes. Turn off the flame, but don’t remove the lid or move the pot. Let the chicken rest for about 15 minutes, then check to see that it is just cooked through. If not, leave the chicken in the pot for a few more minutes, covered, without the heat on.

TRANSFER the chicken breasts to a deep dish, spoon some of the broth over to keep them moist, and tent with foil.

STRAIN the poaching liquid into a large saucepan and add the remaining broth. Bring to a boil, then stir in the remaining carrots, turnips, and parsnips, if using. Reduce the heat and cook until the vegetables are tender.

CUT the chicken into bite-size pieces and add to the soup, together with the dill and any starchy accompaniments you choose to serve, and warm until everything is heated through. Serve the soup in warmed bowls, sprinkled with more dill.

OR present the chicken separately, either as another course, along with coarse salt, horseradish, and pickles, if using, or at another meal.

FRESH BORSCHT WITH DILLED ONION-BUTTER MATZOH BALLS

YIELD: ABOUT 6 SERVINGS

The lovely caterer Arlette Lustyk shared the recipe for this simple, delicious soup with me in her Paris office while my husband and daughter entertained themselves poring over photographs of the giant challahs that lined the tables at her fabulous weddings and bar mitzvahs.

Madame Lustyk and her husband, Claude, recommend serving the borscht hot in winter, accompanied by klops, Polish-Jewish meatballs bursting with onions; for the summer, they combine it with crème fraîche and offer it chilled, ladled over a hot boiled potato. But it was spring when I was playing around in my kitchen and I decided to compromise. I enriched the broth with sour cream and served it warm, a supernal hot pink complement to my buttery matzoh balls.

To draw out all the fresh beet essence for the soup, the raw beets are soaked first in cold water overnight, then slow-simmered in the liquid. The resulting borscht (the catchall Yiddish name for soups containing the ubiquitous beet) is more deeply flavorful than most meatless beet broths. I find that the plain borscht, without eggs or cream, also doubles quite successfully as an easily-prepared rosl, a fermented beet juice, to be used for braising (see Beet-Braised Pot Roast).

FOR THE BORSCHT

About 2^1⁄2 pounds fresh beets (weight without leaves)

7 cups cold water (quality is important here, so if you use bottled water for coffee or tea, use it here)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

About 1 teaspoon sour salt (available in specialty stores and those that cater to European and Middle Eastern clientele)

About 2 tablespoons brown or white sugar

2 large egg yolks

FOR THE MATZOH BALLS

1 cup finely chopped onion

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 large eggs

1⁄2 cup matzoh meal

1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons finely snipped fresh dill

Optional accompaniments: sour cream, yogurt cream, or crème fraîche; snipped fresh dill, for garnish

A day before you plan to serve the borscht, peel the beets and slice them thinly (wear rubber gloves to avoid staining your fingers). Place them in a nonreactive stockpot and add the water. Cover the pot tightly and let it sit at room temperature overnight or up to 24 hours. Don’t peek.

START the matzoh balls: in a medium skillet, sauté the onion in the butter over moderate heat until soft and golden, about 7 minutes. Salt and pepper lightly and let cool. Beat the eggs in a bowl until foamy. Add the sautéed onions (and any butter from the pan) and beat again. Whisk in the matzoh meal, baking powder, salt (about 3⁄4 teaspoon, or to taste), and some pepper. Stir in the dill. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the mixture to absorb the seasonings and liquids.

WHEN ready to cook the borscht, remove the pot lid and carefully skim away all foam that has risen to the top. Add 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste, and cook over moderate heat for 1^1⁄2 hours, vigilantly skimming off any foam and scum as it accumulates.

ABOUT 10 minutes before the borscht has finished cooking, stir in the sour salt and sugar. Season generously with salt and pepper. Adjust sour salt and sugar to a happy balance between tart and sweet.

MEANWHILE, poach the matzoh balls. In a large, wide, lidded pot, bring 3 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a furious boil. Form the batter into balls the size of large walnuts. (You can also make them smaller, as you prefer.) Slip them in one at a time, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover the pot tightly, and don’t lift the lid at all until you are ready to test them. Begin testing after 35 to 40 minutes of cooking. To test, remove a matzoh ball and cut it in half: the interior should have no raw or dark spots. They should be light, fluffy, and completely cooked through. If necessary, continue cooking until the matzoh balls test done. Remove them gently with a large slotted spoon or skimmer.

STRAIN the borscht, reserving the liquid and returning it to the pot. (If the beet slices still retain their shape and flavor, toss them with a walnut oil vinaigrette and top with goat cheese—and serve at another meal. If all the flavor has cooked out, discard the beets.)

IN a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until light and foamy. Ladle in about a cup of hot soup, stirring to prevent curdling. (This is “tempering” the egg yolks—adding them all at once to the hot soup would result in curdling.) Gradually stir this mixture into the soup pot, and cook, stirring over low heat, just until the ingredients are well incorporated and soup is hot and slightly thickened.

WHEN ready to serve, if the matzoh balls are no longer hot, place them in the hot soup to reheat. If needed, warm the soup gently, but do not allow it to boil or it will curdle. Put a few matzoh balls in each soup bowl and ladle the hot soup over them. If desired, add a dollop of sour cream, yogurt cream, or crème fraîche to each bowl and garnish with dill. Or pass these accompaniments separately so that guests can add their own.

SPINACH CHEESE SQUARES

YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Mediterranean Jews so adore fresh spinach that little mountains of the leftover emerald “tails” are a hallmark of their holiday cooking. Called ravikos by Sephardim and testine di spinaci by Italian Jews, these stems are slow-braised until they turn almost red. They are usually served Thursday nights, when it is customary to eat lightly in preparation for the next day’s feasting, and a large stockpile of them has accumulated from the Sabbath preparations.

The leaves often end up in light, eggy vegetable gratins, a Sephardi specialty, especially popular at the desayuno, a festive brunch served after morning services on Sabbath and holidays.

Notwithstanding spinach’s bad rap, even kids seem to love these crustless, cheesy squares, here freshened up with plenty of green herbs. Good hot, warm, or at room temperature, they make a fine lunch, brunch, or light supper. Or cut them into bite-size pieces for a marvelous hors d’oeuvre. They freeze beautifully.

2 pounds fresh spinach or two 10-ounce packages frozen leaf spinach, thawed

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional butter (or oil) for greasing the pan

1⁄2 cup chopped shallots or 1 cup chopped onion

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces cream cheese (1⁄2 cup), softened

4 ounces of crumbled feta (1 cup; break it up well using your fingers)

1⁄2 pound farmer cheese (7.5 ounce package is fine)

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons dried oregano or mint

3⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh dill

1⁄2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons matzoh meal

3 tablespoons shredded Cheddar or grated Parmesan cheese

3 to 4 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted (optional)

IF using fresh spinach, wash it thoroughly to remove all traces of sand. Cut off any tough stems and discard them. Place the spinach with just the water that clings to its leaves in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 8 minutes.

PLACE the cooked fresh or the thawed frozen spinach in a colander and, with your hands or the back of a spoon, press out as much liquid as possible. It should be rather dry. Chop the spinach fine.

MELT the butter in a large skillet. Add the shallots or onion and sauté until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until the spinach is tender and the butter is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt (just a bit—remember that the cheeses can be rather salty) and pepper. Set aside to cool.

PREHEAT the oven to 350°F.

COMBINE the cream cheese, feta, and farmer cheese in a food processor and blend well. Break the eggs into a glass measuring cup with a pouring spout. With the machine running, add the eggs, one at a time, through the feed tube, and process until smooth. Crumble in the oregano or mint. Add the spinach mixture, dill, and parsley, and pulse about 15 seconds to combine well; do not puree.

GREASE a 13 by 9-inch baking pan and sprinkle the bottom and sides with the matzoh meal. Pour the spinach batter into the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the Cheddar or Parmesan, scatter the pine nuts over evenly, if using, and bake for about 40 minutes, until lightly golden and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan. It should feel slightly firm, but it will not set until it has cooled for at least 20 minutes. Serve warm (reheat if necessary) or at room temperature, cut into squares.

COOK’S NOTE: Beautifully fresh Swiss chard is increasingly available in markets these days. It is much easier to clean than spinach, and I find its sweet yet distinctively earthy green leaves make an excellent substitute in this recipe.

I also vary the cheeses; experiment with some of your favorites, using a mixture of mild (Jarlsberg, Gruyère, Muenster, cottage cheese) and sharp (Kasseri, kashkaval, Cheddar, Parmesan).

ZUCCHINI FRITADA

YIELD: ABOUT 8 SERVINGS

Its Ladino name reveals the fritada’s origin in Sepharad (Old Spain). In fact, the dish—containing vegetables, eggs, and usually cheese—was so identified with Jewish life there that a continued taste for it was a telltale sign that a professed converso was still a Jew in his heart. As David Gitlitz and Linda Davidson point out in A Drizzle of Honey: The Lives and Recipes of Spain’s Secret Jews, servants’ testimony to the Inquisition about fritadas eaten cold on Saturdays betrayed their employers as secret Jews or Judaizers, as surely as did the hot Sabbath stews that were made without pork.

Also known as almodrote as well as several other names in the Diaspora, these crustless casseroles, enriched with roasted eggplant, sautéed spinach, or zucchini, and oven-baked now, are extremely popular, especially among Jews from Greece, Turkey, and the Balkans. Warm or at room temperature, fritadas are ubiquitous at the desayuno brunch served with a host of salads after morning services on Shabbat and holidays, or as a first course at meatless Sabbath dinners.

This well-flavored zucchini version has plenty of pizzazz. A family favorite, it is especially nice for Shavuot, Break-the-Fast, and simple light suppers whenever our greenmarket overflows with either juicy emerald zucchini or the pale green Middle Eastern varieties and fragrant herbs.

If you can find the delicious zucchini blossoms—or better yet, grow them yourself—they make a stunning presentation, a bright orange starburst folded into the center of the cheesy casserole.

2 pounds zucchini, trimmed and scraped

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for greasing the pan

2 cups chopped onion

Freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces feta (about 2 cups), crumbled

4 large eggs

1 cup packed shredded kashkaval or kasseri cheese, or a mixture of shredded Muenster and grated Parmesan

3 tablespoons matzoh meal

1⁄4 cup fresh snipped dill

1⁄4 cup thinly sliced scallions (white and light green parts)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

6 to 8 fresh zucchini flowers, if available

SHRED the zucchini in a food processor or over the large holes of a hand grater. Transfer the zucchini to a colander, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt, and weight it down (I use a small plate or bowl topped with a heavy can) so that it can drain for at least 30 minutes. Rinse off the salt, and using your hands, squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

WHILE the zucchini is draining, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium heat. Add the onions, salt and pepper lightly, and sauté about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft and translucent. Add the drained zucchini, and cook, lifting and turning, about 5 minutes, until the zucchini loses its raw look. Let cool slightly.

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

MASH the feta in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, then stir in 3⁄4 cup of the kashkaval or kasseri (reserve about 1⁄4 cup for the topping), the matzoh meal, dill, scallions, and mint. Add the cooked zucchini and onions. Season, if desired, with additional pepper (it will probably be well salted from the cheese), and mix well.

GENEROUSLY grease the bottom and sides of a deep 10- to 12-inch cast-iron skillet or similar size ovenproof pan, pour in the zucchini batter, and smooth the top. If you are using the zucchini flowers, arrange them decoratively. A starburst pattern (form a wide X, then make a vertical line of blossoms through its center) is especially pretty in a round pan. Sprinkle the top with the reserved cheese.

BAKE for about 50 minutes, or until the fritada is firm and golden-topped, and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

LET the fritada rest until set before cutting.

COOK’S NOTE: This is even better the next day or when made ahead and reheated.

If your pan is broiler-proof, you can place it under the broiler briefly until the cheese is bubbly, if desired.

CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER FROM THE RUE DES ROSIERS

YIELD: 6 TO 9 GENEROUS APPETIZER SERVINGS

This luscious chopped liver relies on perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs: tender and moist, without chalky greenish yolks or tough, rubbery whites. For a foolproof method for preparing them: place the eggs in a heavy saucepan large enough to accommodate them in a single layer. Add 1⁄2 teaspoon salt (to prevent cracking) and enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Partially cover the pan and bring the water to a full boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat. Then cover the pan, remove it from the heat, and allow the eggs to stand for 15 minutes. Pour off the water and cover the eggs with fresh, cold water, to prevent further cooking, until they are cool. To remove the shells easily, peel the eggs under cold running water or submerge in a bowl of very cold water.

7 large eggs

Approximately 6 tablespoons olive oil or 3 tablespoons olive oil plus approximately 3 tablespoons Olive Oil Schmaltz or Poultry Schmaltz

1 pound onions, diced (about 4 cups)

Coarse salt

1 pound fresh (not previously frozen) chicken livers, rinsed, fat and any green spots removed

Freshly ground black pepper

Accompaniments: soft lettuce, Belgian endive, or radicchio leaves; radishes, scallions, ripe tomatoes, black olives; matzoh; Grated Black Radish and Endive Salad in Shallot Vinaigrette

PREHEAT the broiler.

HARD-BOIL the eggs, cool, and peel them. Cut the eggs into eighths.

IN a 10-inch heavy skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add 2^2⁄3 cups of the onions, sprinkle lightly with salt, and cook, stirring from time to time, until soft and rich gold, about 15 minutes. Do not let the onions brown or they will make the texture chewy.

MEANWHILE, prepare the liver: line the broiler rack with either heavy brown paper sprinkled with water or foil. Pat the livers dry with paper towels, and spread them out on the broiler rack. Sprinkle them lightly with salt and broil about 4 inches from the flame until lightly browned on top, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn, sprinkle the other side with salt, and broil for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the broiled livers to the onions in the skillet, season generously with salt and pepper to taste, and sauté for about 1 minute, tossing and turning the ingredients. Let cool slightly.

TRANSFER the contents of the skillet to a food processor and pulse on and off to chop coarsely. Add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of oil or schmaltz. Pulse. Add the remaining 1^1⁄3 cups raw onion and pulse on and off a few more times until the desired texture is achieved. I prefer it slightly coarse—a rustic rather than a fine-textured pâté, but some like a smooth spread. (Alternatively, you can chop all the ingredients by hand in a wooden bowl with a hand chopper. Chop the liver and sautéed onions first, then add eggs and additional oil or schmaltz. Finally, add the raw onions and chop again.)

SCRAPE the mixture into a large bowl. Adjust the seasoning and add 1 to 2 tablespoons (or to taste) more oil or schmaltz as needed to make it moist and rich. Mix again so the ingredients are well combined. Refrigerate covered until thoroughly chilled.

SERVE cold, on lettuce, radicchio, or alternating green and red Belgian endive leaves for an elegant presentation. Or pack the chopped liver into small custard cups or cleaned tuna cans and invert onto frilly greens. Accompany the liver with the suggested vegetables and breads. It is terrific served with a condiment of grated black radish. Or stir crunchy chopped red radish into the liver just before serving.

CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

YIELD: 6 TO 9 GENEROUS APPETIZER PORTIONS

I often prepare a variation on the voluptuous Parisian chicken liver recipe using fewer eggs. It derives its exceptional lightness—and slightly sweet taste—from a puree of caramelized onions.

4 large eggs

6 to 8 tablespoons best-quality olive oil, or 5 tablespoons olive oil plus approximately 1 to 3 tablespoons Olive Oil Schmaltz or Poultry Schmaltz

5 cups very thinly sliced onions, plus 1 cup coarsely chopped (about 1^1⁄2 pounds total)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or 1 tablespoon mild red wine vinegar

1⁄4 teaspoon brown sugar (optional; use if the balsamic vinegar is rough, or with the wine vinegar)

1 pound fresh (not previously frozen) chicken livers, rinsed, fat and any green spots removed

Accompaniments: soft lettuce, Belgian endive or radicchio leaves; radishes, scallions, ripe tomatoes, black olives; matzoh; Grated Black Radish and Endive Salad in Shallot Vinaigrette

PREHEAT the broiler.

HARD-BOIL the eggs, cool, and peel. Cut the eggs into eighths and set aside.

IN a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet, warm 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, salt and pepper them lightly, and sauté, lifting and turning them occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 10 minutes. Cover tightly and cook the onions over the lowest heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, for 40 to 45 minutes, or until meltingly tender. Uncover, add the vinegar (if the balsamic vinegar is rough or strong, use 1 tablespoon; if it is soft and mild, use 2 tablespoons) and additional salt and pepper to taste, and cook over high heat, lifting and tossing, until the moisture has evaporated and the onions are colored a rich brown, about 15 minutes. Taste to adjust seasoning: the mixture should be just slightly sweet, but well salted and peppered, and the vinegar scent should be almost gone. If necessary, add the brown sugar and additional seasoning, and continue sautéing until thoroughly incorporated. Transfer about 3⁄4 of the mixture to a food processor, add 2 tablespoons oil, and puree.

MEANWHILE, prepare the liver: line the broiler rack with either heavy brown paper sprinkled with water, or foil. Pat the livers dry with paper towels and spread them out on the broiler rack. Sprinkle them lightly with salt, and broil about 4 inches from the flame until lightly browned on top, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn, sprinkle the other side with salt and continue broiling for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the broiled livers to the cooked onions remaining in the skillet and sauté for a minute or two. Let cool slightly, then add to the onion puree in the food processor. Pulse on and off to chop coarsely. Add the eggs. Pulse. Add the chopped raw onions, and pulse on and off until desired texture is achieved. Transfer to a large bowl, taste for seasoning, and add enough oil or schmaltz (1 to 3 tablespoons or more, if needed) to make it moist and rich. Mix well and refrigerate, covered, until thoroughly chilled.

SERVE cold on lettuce or radicchio or alternating green and red Belgian endive leaves. Or pack into small custard cups or cleaned tuna cans and invert onto frilly greens for a sophisticated presentation.

ACCOMPANY the liver with the suggested vegetables and breads. It is particularly good with grated black radish and endive salad served alongside, topped with chopped red radishes, or sprinkled with griebenes reserved from preparing Poultry Schmaltz.

GEFILTE FISH QUICKLY STEAMED BETWEEN CABBAGE LEAVES

YIELD: ABOUT 8 SERVINGS

Inspired by the Chinese method for preparing tender, soft dumplings, I cushion these wonderfully delicate fish balls between cabbage leaves for a gentle twenty-minute steam bath. The wet vapor helps preserve all the subtle flavors of the fish while the nutty-sweet cabbage wrapper keeps it moist as it steams, and later as it chills without broth in the refrigerator.

The fish mixture here is particularly delicious. Extra egg yolks and a little pureed carrot and parsnip bring added flavor and a lush softness. No fish broth, but a bit of the liquid from cooking the sweet vegetables moistens the matzoh meal filler.

The result is gefilte fish brimful of flavor yet light and fresh tasting. To complement it, mellow the horseradish’s fire with some mayonnaise seasoned with fresh dill.

FOR THE FISH BALLS

1⁄3 cup diced, scraped carrots

1⁄3 cup diced, peeled parsnips

3 tablespoons matzoh meal

2 tablespoons mild olive or canola oil

1^1⁄2 cups coarsely chopped onion

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus 16 additional sprigs

2 pounds fish fillets, skin and any bones removed and discarded, rinsed to remove any scales, patted dry, and cut into 1-inch pieces; or 2 pounds fish ground by your fishmonger (see Cook’s Note)

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

FOR THE DILL-HORSERADISH MAYONNAISE

1 cup mayonnaise

1⁄3 cup finely minced dill

1⁄3 cup plus 1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish, drained

About 12 large cabbage leaves, washed (you can use slightly imperfect or dark green outer leaves)

Soft lettuce leaves, endive, or radicchio, for lining plates

PREPARE the fish balls: in a small saucepan, bring 1 cup lightly salted water to a boil. Add the carrots and parsnips, and simmer until the vegetables are very tender. Drain, reserving the cooking water, and transfer the vegetables to a food processor. Put the matzoh meal in a small bowl and stir in 1⁄3 cup of the reserved cooking water. Let this mixture sit so that the matzoh meal can soften as it soaks in the liquid.

WARM the oil in an 8-inch skillet. Add the onions, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and sauté, stirring, over medium heat until soft, shiny, and just beginning to color palest gold, 8 to 9 minutes. Don’t let them brown. Transfer the onions and any oil remaining in the skillet to the food processor. Add the shallots and the chopped dill to the food processor and puree until fairly smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large wooden chopping bowl or a wooden chopping board. (Don’t wash out the food processor if you are grinding your own fish.) If your fish is not ground, put it, about 2 teaspoons salt, and 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper in the food processor and pulse just until the mixture is chopped fine, but not pasty. Add the fish to the wooden bowl or board. (If you are using preground fish, add it now, seasoned with salt and pepper.) Add the matzoh meal mixture. Beat the eggs and yolks in a bowl until thick and lemon-colored. Using a hand chopper or cleaver, work the eggs and lemon juice into the fish mixture, a little at a time. (Hand-chopping at this point incorporates air into the mixture, making it lighter and fluffier than pulsing in the food processor.)

TEST for seasoning. Poach a teaspoon of the fish mixture in lightly salted boiling water for a few minutes. Taste and, if needed, add additional salt and pepper. Chill the fish mixture, covered, for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. It will be easier to mold and the fish balls will be fluffier.

WHILE the fish is chilling, combine the ingredients for the dill-horseradish mayonnaise. Cover and refrigerate.

STEAM the fish balls: you’ll need a large, wide pot such as a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or heavy casserole with a tight-fitting lid, and a rack that stands at least 2 inches high. (A simple round cake rack works well. If it is not high enough, set it over 2 custard cups or empty tuna cans in the pot.) Fill the pot with water to a depth of 1 inch.

LINE the rack with a layer of cabbage leaves. Form the fish mixture into 16 ovals, using a scant 1⁄4 cup for each, wetting your hands with cold water, if needed to work the sticky mixture. Depending on the variety of fish used, the mixture may be very soft but will firm up as it cooks and, later, as it chills. Bring the water in the pot to a boil. Gently put as many ovals on top of the cabbage leaves as will fit comfortably in a single layer without touching. Place a sprig of dill on each fish oval. Top the fish with another layer of cabbage leaves and cover the pot tightly. Turn the heat down to medium and steam for 20 to 25 minutes, until the ovals are completely cooked through at the center. (When steamed in raw cabbage leaves, the fish will probably take closer to 25 minutes; when steaming the second batch in the now-cooked cabbage leaves, it will probably take about 20 minutes.) Line a platter with some of the cooked cabbage leaves and carefully put the cooked fish on top of them. Using additional cabbage leaves as needed, cook any remaining fish ovals in the same way, transferring the fish as it is done to the cabbage-lined platter. Remove and discard the dill sprigs from all the ovals, and cover with a layer of cooked cabbage leaves to keep them moist. Let everything cool to room temperature. Wrap the platter with plastic wrap and chill the fish until cold.

FOR best flavor, serve the fish chilled but not icy cold. Remove the fish from the cabbage leaves and arrange attractively on platters or individual plates lined with lettuce, endive, or radicchio, and accompany with the dill-horseradish mayonnaise.

COOK’S NOTE: I like a combination of half salmon and half red snapper or lemon or grey sole. And I’ve made a terrific, plush-tasting gefilte fish with half Chilean sea bass and half flounder. Or use your own or your fishmonger’s favorite mixture. Avoid very strong-flavored fish like bluefish or mackerel. Be sure to use a combination of fat and lean fish.

OVEN-FRIED SMOKED SALMON CROQUETTES

YIELD: 3 TO 4 SERVINGS

My mother had her own way of doing things. On New Year’s Eve, the former Miss Greenwich Village of 1928 (she was disqualified when it was learned that she was only fourteen) would dust golden glitter over her red hair and Vaseline-glossed brows. No Donna Reed at home either, there she potchkehed the mundane into the marvelous. She painstakingly sewed green and bronze sequins all over our Davy Crockett T-shirts; she painted our names in Revlon’s Coral Vanilla nail polish on tin lunch boxes. And when sore throats stole our appetites at breakfast, she served us steaming oatmeal with a scoop of coffee ice cream.

Her salmon croquettes too were special: humble canned salmon fishcakes given luxury treatment with slivers of buttery smoked salmon and lemon zest. I have gently reworked her recipe, replacing the matzoh meal coating with crumbs crushed from egg matzoh, which, made with apple cider, provides a slightly caramelized crunch to the crust. But other matzoh crumbs or matzoh meal will work well, too.

FOR THE CROQUETTES

One 14.75-ounce can salmon, drained, bones and skin removed, or even better, 1 pound poached fresh salmon

2 large eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or 1⁄4 cup finely minced onion

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (for a wonderful contrast to the rich smoked salmon; optional)

5 to 6 ounces smoked salmon or lox, cut into fine shreds (1⁄2 to 2⁄3 cup)—by all means, use the less expensive “ends” if available

1⁄4 cup matzoh meal or unbleached all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE COATING

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

About 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 cup toasted matzoh crumbs, preferably made from egg matzoh, or use toasted matzoh meal (crumbs will give you a crunchier texture)

Olive or canola oil, for oven-frying

Accompaniment: lemon wedges; Green Olive Sauce (recipe follows; optional)

PREHEAT the oven to 450°F.

MAKE the croquettes: in a large bowl, flake the salmon well. Add the eggs; dill; shallots or onions; lemon zest, if using; smoked salmon or lox; and matzoh meal or flour, and combine thoroughly. Season to taste with salt (none may be needed, especially if the lox is salty) and pepper. Form the mixture into four to six hamburger-shaped patties.

PREPARE the coating: in a shallow bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, and lemon juice together. Put the crumbs or meal on a large sheet of wax paper or a plate. Using your fingers, spread each croquette on all sides with the mayonnaise. Roll each in the crumbs to coat well. To make the coating adhere better, pat it firmly on both sides of the croquettes. Refrigerate the croquettes for 15 to 20 minutes, if you have the time.

WITH the oil, generously grease a baking sheet large enough to accommodate the croquettes without touching. Heat it in the oven until the oil is sizzling. Gently shake off any excess crumbs or meal from the -croquettes, then arrange them on the hot baking sheet at least 1⁄2 inch apart (so they will cook crisply around the edges too). Bake until the bottoms are crisp and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn and bake until golden on the other side, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Serve with lemon wedges.

COOK’S NOTE: Lush with smoked salmon, these croquettes need only a squirt of lemon, but if you really want to serve a sauce, try 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise whisked with 4 teaspoons fresh grapefruit or orange juice, 1 to 2 teaspoons capers, drained and chopped, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, and 2 teaspoons minced shallots. For a lighter sauce, thin with 2 to 4 tablespoons plain yogurt. Or prepare this delicious Green Olive Sauce.

GREEN OLIVE SAUCE

YIELD: ABOUT 2⁄3 CUP

1⁄2 cup meaty, brine-cured green olives (look for olives with a deep, fruity olive oil flavor, such as Sicilian green), pitted and sliced

2 tablespoons chopped shallots

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

4 tablespoons best-quality extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

IN a food processor or a blender, process the olives, shallots, lemon juice, mustard, and zest to a coarse puree. With the machine on, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube or blender top. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the flavors blend together for at least 1⁄2 hour before serving.

THE sauce will keep for about 5 days, refrigerated.

COOK’S NOTE: This sauce is wonderful with other fish dishes as well, such as poached fillets or Slow-Roasted Salmon. It is also delicious diluted with a few spoonfuls of broth or mayonnaise and paired with the Veronese Rolled Turkey Loaf (Polpettone).

EASY ONION-BRAISED BRISKET

YIELD: ABOUT 8 SERVINGS

A featured player in countless holiday productions throughout the Diaspora, sautéed onion takes on multiple roles here, providing not only the wonderfully savory flavor but also all the aromatic moisture in which the brisket gently braises, and even the body for the simple, flour-free gravy.

5 tablespoons mild olive oil

A first- or second-cut beef brisket (about 5 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel, and patted dry

6 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds onions, thinly sliced (about 8 cups)

1⁄4 cup mild vinegar (moderately priced sherry or balsamic are good choices)

HEAT 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or heavy flameproof casserole large enough to accommodate the meat in one layer (see Cook’s Note). Add the brisket, and brown it well to caramelize the meat on all sides, about 10 minutes in all. Don’t allow it to develop a hard, dark crust, which would make the meat tough or bitter. Transfer the brisket to a platter, fat-side down.

SPRINKLE the garlic cloves with enough salt and pepper to season the brisket, then mash the seasoned garlic to a paste. Spread half of the garlic paste over the top (nonfat side) of the brisket, and set the meat aside.

PREHEAT the oven to 300°F.

POUR off all the remaining fat in the pan, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons fresh oil. Add about half the onions, salt and pepper them generously, and sauté over medium-high heat, lifting and tossing them occasionally, until they have greatly reduced in volume and turned light golden. Stir in the remaining onions. After all the onions have softened, stir less frequently so they can build up the lovely dark fond that helps them brown more quickly. When all the onions are burnished a rich gold, add 3^1⁄2 tablespoons vinegar. Increase the heat to high, and cook, scraping up all the caramelized brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, for 3 to 4 minutes, until all the liquid is evaporated.

PLACE the brisket on the bed of onions, fat side up. Spread the remaining garlic paste over the top (fat side) of the brisket.

SPOON about half of the onions all over the top and sides of the brisket, so that the meat is sandwiched between layers of onion. Cover tightly first with foil, then with the lid.

BRAISE the brisket in the oven, basting with the pan juices and turning the meat every 30 minutes or so (be sure to recover the pan tightly), until the meat is fork tender, 3^1⁄2 to 4 hours. Let the meat rest in the pan sauce for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.

WHEN you are ready to serve the brisket, scrape off any congealed fat from the surface, if you have refrigerated the dish. Transfer the cold meat to a cutting board, and slice the meat thinly across the grain at a slight diagonal.

PREPARE the gravy: strain the braising mixture, reserving the onion-garlic mixture. Skim and discard as much fat as possible from the liquid. Puree the defatted liquid, together with about half the reserved onion-garlic mixture and the remaining 1⁄2 tablespoon vinegar, in a food processor or blender. Transfer the pureed mixture to the cleaned pan. Add the remaining onion-garlic mixture and boil over high heat for about 5 minutes to concentrate the gravy and marry the flavors. Reduce the heat, add the meat, and reheat it slowly in the gravy until piping hot. Taste and adjust seasoning.

ARRANGE the sliced brisket on a serving platter. Spoon some of the hot sauce all over the meat and pass the rest in a separate sauce boat.

COOK’S NOTE: If you don’t have a pan large enough, you can cut the brisket in two and sauté it in batches. (The meat will shrink as it cooks, so that you will be able to fit it in one layer later.) Or sear the meat under the broiler: cover the broiler pan with foil to minimize cleanup. Place brisket, fat-side up, under a preheated broiler, and broil for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned. Move the meat around as needed, so that it sears evenly.

FLANKEN WITH TART GREENS

YIELD: 4 TO 5 SERVINGS

This dish is commonly translated as “boiled beef,” but it is actually beef long-simmered in water with aromatic vegetables. My grandmother’s method uses a full-bodied beef or chicken broth instead as the cooking medium, along with plenty of earthy vegetables, producing succulent meat as well as a lusty-flavored soup. Though eight cups of broth may seem extravagant, in effect you are borrowing it and returning it deepened by the vibrant flavors of the meat and vegetables, as a husky soup that really sings, ready to be served at another meal. To garnish it, ladle the soup over egg noodles and sprinkle with lots of chopped fresh dill. Offered solo, the broth is wonderfully restorative on frosty days, and it makes a refined opener to a rich meat dinner.

Flanken is a bony Jewish cut of beef made by cutting short ribs across the bone. It is available in kosher butcher shops and from many nonkosher butchers in areas with large Jewish populations. If unavailable, you can substitute chuck short ribs.

Horseradish, the traditional accompaniment to flanken, can overpower the almost-sweet meat. I prefer broccoli rabe, whose gentle bitterness plays well against the richness of the beef. But I have both horseradish and mustard available for guests who insist.

4 pounds lean beef flanken

8 cups Beef Stock; chicken broth, preferably homemade, or good-quality, low-sodium purchased

1 large onion, thickly sliced

3 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 carrots, scraped and quartered

1 parsnip, peeled and quartered

1 parsley root, peeled (optional)

2 celery stalks, including leaves if available, quartered

1 bay leaf, preferably Turkish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE GREENS

1 pound broccoli rabe, cleaned, stems trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces, leaves and florets coarsely chopped, or an equal amount of trimmed, roughly chopped kale, mustard or turnip greens

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1⁄8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt

About 3 tablespoons broth from the flanken

Accompaniments: kosher sour dill pickles, coarse salt, grated horseradish, and sharp mustard (for traditional tastes, if desired)

PUT the beef and stock in a 6-quart Dutch oven or wide heavy saucepan, partially cover, and bring to a bare simmer: the liquid shivering, occasional bubbles breaking gently and noiselessly on the surface. Don’t allow the liquid to come to a boil; that will make the broth cloudy and the meat tough. Regulate the heat as necessary. Use a skimmer to remove as much foam and scum as possible as they rise to the surface.

AFTER the flanken has simmered for about 30 minutes, add the onion, garlic, carrots, parsnip, parsley root, if using, celery, and bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper, bearing in mind that if you started with a salted broth, it will get saltier as it cooks down. Place the lid slightly askew and continue cooking over very low heat for 2^1⁄2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender. Let the flanken rest in the broth for about 15 minutes, then take it out and arrange it on a serving platter. Spoon a little of the broth over the meat to keep it moist. (If you need to reheat the flanken, simmer it in enough broth to cover.)

STRAIN the soup, discarding or reserving the cooked vegetables according to preference (they will be quite soft; I usually discard all but the carrot and sometimes the parsnip and parsley root). Remove as much fat as possible from the broth by refrigerating it thoroughly until the fat solidifies, then just lifting it off. (You can deal with the soup at your leisure, of course, if you are in a hurry to get the flanken on the table.) Reserve 3 tablespoons of the broth for the greens.

ABOUT 30 minutes before you are ready to serve the flanken, prepare the greens: bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe or other greens, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not mushy, about 4 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

IN a large heavy skillet, sauté the garlic in the oil over medium-low heat, stirring, for 1 minute, until pale golden (do not let it brown). Add cooked greens, raise the heat to medium, and sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the reserved flanken broth, the pepper flakes, if using, and salt to taste, and continue cooking for another 3 minutes, lifting and tossing the greens, to meld the flavors.

SLICE the flanken across the grain. Serve each guest a portion of broccoli rabe topped with slices of flanken. If desired, ladle a little hot broth over the meat to moisten it. Pass the pickles and coarse salt, and for the tradition-bound, horseradish and mustard.

FRESH RASPBERRY APPLESAUCE

YIELD: ABOUT 3 CUPS

“Is there a blessing for a sewing machine?” Tzeitel, Tevye’s daughter, asks the rabbi in Fiddler on the Roof. “There is a blessing for everything,” she is assured.

In addition to the well-known prayers Jews recite when eating bread or drinking wine, there are many blessings to be uttered when relishing the beauty of the universe: seeing a rainbow, inhaling aromatic spices, and a charming one reserved for enjoying especially fragrant fruits.

That is the one for this raspberry applesauce, perfumed with the scent of fresh berries and vanilla—with a splash, perhaps, of rose water. Like exotic Indian desserts, the fragrant taste of rose water is not to everyone’s liking, but my daughter and I are very fond of it, in gentle doses. Potchkehing with this sauce on a warm September day, we found that a small amount of rose water enhances the raspberry flavor and aroma. Not surprising. With shared attributes like a protective armor of thorns and sensuous perfume, the raspberry and the rose, after all, are cousins.

About 2 cups raspberry- or other berry-flavored fruit juice such as raspberry-cranberry, apple-raspberry, or apple-strawberry (use pure, unsweetened juice, not juice cocktail, if possible)

1 vanilla bean, split

Salt

About 2 pounds flavorful apples, unpeeled, cored, and cut into chunks (6 cups; sweet varieties with lots of character, such as Gravenstein, Gala, Braeburn, and Jonathan)

1 cup fresh raspberries (about 6 ounces)

Light floral honey (orange blossom would be perfect) or sugar (optional)

A few drops of rose water (optional)

YOU'LL be reducing the juice quite a bit, so choose a large Dutch oven or a very wide, heavy saucepan large enough to accommodate all of the fruit. Put in 2 cups juice, the vanilla bean, and a pinch of salt. Cook, uncovered, over high heat, until reduced to about 1⁄2 cup of thick, syrupy liquid.

ADD the apples and mix well to coat them with the juice. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Stir from time to time, and add a little more juice, if needed, to prevent sticking.

STIR in the raspberries and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until all of the fruit is very soft. When ready, the mixture should be thick and pulpy, with almost no liquid visible. If necessary, boil it a few minutes, uncovered, to evaporate any remaining liquid.

REMOVE the vanilla bean (if desired, rinse and dry it, so it can be reused or added to granulated sugar to flavor it). Put the sauce through the fine disk of a food mill or push the solids through a fine-mesh strainer to trap the apple skins and at least some of the raspberry seeds.

VIBRANT with raspberries, this sauce may be a bit tart for some palates, especially if the apples are somewhat tangy. If so, add a little honey or sugar to taste while the sauce is still warm. And, if desired, stir in the rose water.

COVER and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

FRESH APPLESAUCE

YIELD: ABOUT 2 CUPS

At my Hanukkah cooking demonstrations, I’ve always been amazed at how humble homemade applesauce elicits the same oohs and aahs as holiday superstars like braised briskets and sizzling latkes. Made with a few varieties of good, local fruit, the simple sauce’s deep apple flavor and ease of preparation are a culinary revelation to those who have never made it before. In the heat of the applesauce moment, they vow never again to buy the jarred kind.

Taste the different apples available in your markets to find your local favorites; I have noticed that some varieties are not quite the same when sampled in other parts of the country or in Europe. Using unpeeled apples is not only quicker but also adds flavor, nutrients, and a soft rosy cast to the sauce. But you’ll need to peel the apples if they have been sprayed or waxed, or if you’re not passing them through a food mill to mash them and trap the peels, but instead, pureeing in a food processor or mashing by hand.

About 1^1⁄2 cups pure, unsweetened apple juice

1 cinnamon stick

Salt

About 2 pounds apples, unpeeled, cored, and cut into chunks (6 cups); if you want to puree the sauce in a food processor or by hand, instead of using a food mill, peel the apples (choose a mixture of at least two kinds of flavorful sweet and tangy apples to lend dimension to the sauce; avoid the bland and often mealy Red Delicious; look for fresh, local apples whenever possible)

White, brown, or maple sugar, maple syrup, or light honey (optional)

YOU'LL be reducing the juice quite a bit, so choose a 6-quart Dutch oven or wide, heavy straight-sided saucepan large enough to accommodate all of the apples generously. Pour in the juice and add the cinnamon and a generous pinch of salt. Boil uncovered, over high heat, until the liquid is reduced by about half. I’ve found the easiest way to determine whether the sauce (or other liquids) has reduced enough is the “story stick” method: insert a clean, heat-safe ruler or wooden chopstick into the pot before you start reducing, noting where the liquid measures on the ruler. When the liquid measures half as high, it has reduced enough.

ADD the apples, stir well to coat them with juice, and simmer, covered, until they are very tender, about 25 minutes, depending on the variety of apples. Stir them from time to time, and, if necessary, add a bit more juice to prevent them from sticking.

THE sauce should be thick and pulpy with little liquid visible. If necessary, boil it down a few minutes, uncovered. Pick out and discard the cinnamon. Put the sauce through a food mill or force it through a colander or strainer to remove the skins. Or, if you used peeled apples, process in a food processor or mash by hand until smooth or leave somewhat chunky, according to preference.

TRANSFER the sauce to a bowl. Taste and if you feel it needs sweetening, add a little sugar, maple syrup, or honey while the sauce is still very warm.

APPLESAUCE is superb at room temperature or warm from the pot with latkes, briskets, pot roasts, pancakes, or blintzes. Or serve it chilled, especially with yogurt, cottage cheese, or desserts.

COOK’S NOTE: Use this recipe as a template, varying the unsweetened juice (try cranberry- or cherry-apple), supplementing the cinnamon with a split vanilla bean, star anise, or other spices, or adding other fruits, such as quince or cranberries. A single, peeled Bosc pear added to the apples will lend a velvety finish to the sauce. Other suggestions follow.

INTENSE APRICOT APPLESAUCE

YIELD: ABOUT 2^1⁄2 CUPS

When my father came home from his Saturday night gin game on Sunday morning, he would often bring lox, bagels, and bialys from The Delicacy Shop, the Jewish appetizing store in our Long Island community. When the triple “schnides” (from “schneiders”—gin rummy shutouts) were in his favor, we’d awaken to a breakfast of salmon in its many other guises—baked, pickled, and smoked Nova Scotia–style—as well as sable, whitefish, herring in sour cream sauce, scallion cream cheese, and beefsteak tomatoes.

But there would always be the Middle Eastern confection we knew as shoe leather—a sheet of dried apricot, rolled thin as onion skin, as mouth-puckering as lemonade.

Is it me or the shoe leather? Today’s leather, or its many unflattering imitations, is too sweet, too thick, or too bland. I’d never make it, though—it is the kind of craving, like pistachio nuts, that demands instant gratification. When I hunger for the taste, I tuck into the tartest dried apricots I can find (in Middle Eastern or Jewish appetizing stores, these are usually the ones from California, not Turkey). If I have enough left over, I make this sauce, which is wonderful with latkes or pot roast—or just a spoon.

About 1⁄2 cup tart dried apricots (approximately 15; 2^1⁄2 to 3 ounces), cut into quarters

1^1⁄3 to 1^1⁄2 cups pure, unsweetened apple juice

1 vanilla bean, split

1⁄2 teaspoon minced, peeled fresh ginger

Salt

About 2 pounds apples, unpeeled, cored, and cut into chunks (6 cups); if you want to puree the sauce in a food processor, instead of a food mill, peel the apples (choose the freshest local apples available: a mixture of sweet, spicy varieties, such as Gala and Braeburn—rather than tart Granny Smith or Rhode Island Greening—will work best in this tangy sauce)

SIMMER the apricots, 1^1⁄3 cups apple juice, the vanilla bean, ginger, and a pinch of salt in a 6-quart Dutch oven or very wide, heavy saucepan, covered, until the apricots are very tender, about 25 minutes (it may take longer if the fruit is particularly dry). Add the apples, and continue cooking, covered, until very soft, another 25 minutes or so. Stir occasionally, and add additional juice, if required to prevent sticking. When ready, the mixture should be thick and pulpy, with no liquid visible. If necessary, boil it a few minutes, uncovered, to evaporate remaining liquid.

REMOVE the vanilla bean (if desired, rinse and dry it, so it can be reused or added to granulated sugar to flavor it). Put the fruit through a food mill. Or if you used peeled apples, puree it in a food processor to a smooth or slightly chunky consistency, as you prefer.

COVER and refrigerate until chilled. It is also lovely—and more assertive—served warm or at room temperature.

GINGER-PEAR SAUCE

YIELD: ABOUT 3 CUPS

The secret ingredient in this intense fresh pear sauce is a few pureed prunes, which round out the sweet and tangy notes, adding body and a buttery finish.

It’s fabulous on sweet latkes, matzoh brie and blintzes, pancakes and French toast. Or try it swirled into plain yogurt. Sweeter tooths than mine might enjoy it served alongside brisket and pot roast, or topping savory latkes.

About 1^1⁄2 cups pure, unsweetened pineapple juice

1 vanilla bean, split

1 tablespoon minced candied ginger

Salt

About 3 pounds ripe, juicy pears such as Bartlett or Comice, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks (6 cups)

3 pitted prunes, quartered

Light floral honey or sugar (optional)

WE start again with a reduced fruit juice, so use a very wide, large, heavy nonreactive saucepan, such as a 5- or 6-quart Dutch oven. Put the pineapple juice, vanilla bean, ginger, and a pinch of salt in the saucepan and boil, uncovered, over high heat, until reduced to about 1⁄2 cup, about 15 minutes.

STIR in the pears and prunes, cover the pan, and simmer over low heat for 25 to 35 minutes, until the pears are very tender. Time will vary depending on the variety of pears you use. Stir from time to time, and add a little more pineapple juice, if needed, to prevent sticking.

WHEN ready, the mixture should be thick and pulpy, with very little liquid visible. Most pears are juicier than apples, so to avoid a watery sauce, evaporate almost all of the remaining liquid by boiling for a few minutes over high heat, uncovered.

REMOVE the vanilla bean (if desired, rinse and dry it, so it can be reused or added to granulated sugar to flavor it). Put the fruit through a food mill or puree in a food processor until smooth. It should not need any sweetening, but add a bit of honey or sugar if your pears are not as sweet and ripe as they might be.

THIS sauce is delicious served still warm, or cover and refrigerate until chilled. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.

COOK’S NOTE: This combination also makes a first-rate blintz filling. Reduce the juice, vanilla, ginger, and salt to about 1⁄3 cup of syrupy liquid. Sauté the pears in butter over medium-high heat. Chop the prunes fine and add to the pears along with the reduced juice. Cook until the pears are tender. Boil down any remaining liquid. Chill before filling the blintzes.

WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES FROM JAYNE COHEN?

CHECK OUT JEWISH HOLIDAY COOKING!

Jewish Holiday Cooking: In Jewish Holiday Cooking, Jayne Cohen shares a wide-ranging collection of traditional Jewish recipes, as well as inventive new creations and contemporary variations on the classic dishes. This definitive guide to Jewish holiday cooking is perfect for home cooks who need a how-to guide for celebrating the Jewish holidays, or who are looking for creative new ways to make the Jewish traditions in their lives more meaningful. Jewish Holiday Cooking includes recipes and menus for each of the eight major holidays—Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukkah, Purim, Passover, and Shavuot—along with captivating reminiscences and tales from Jewish lore as well as nostalgic black and white photography from Cohen’s own family history.

About the Author:  Jayne Cohen is the author of one previous book on Jewish cooking and celebrations—The Gefilte Variations—and is the co-author of The Ultimate Bar/Bat Mitzvah Celebration Book.  She writes frequently about food for publications such as Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food and Wine, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, and Newsday. Cohen lives in Greenwich Village with her husband, and their daughter Alexandra returns home to cook at every holiday. Visit her Web site at JewishHolidayCooking.com.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Table of Contents

Passover

Kosher For Passover?

Passover Ingredients

Preparing For Passover

Tips For Planning a Seder Menu

Setting the Seder Table

Passover Recipes

Basics

Table of Contents

Title Page

Table of Contents

Passover

Kosher For Passover?

Passover Ingredients

Preparing For Passover

Tips For Planning a Seder Menu

Setting the Seder Table

Passover Recipes

Basics