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Health & Fitness

Don't Pass Over The Farmers Market When Planning Your Passover Meals

Farmers Market shopping tips and recipes for a healthy and elegant Passover meal.

For me food is the center of every holiday celebration, so I really wanted to write about Passover, which begins this Friday and give everyone, even those of you who don’t celebrate Passover, something new and interesting to try while highlighting peak of the season fruits and veggies. I have spent the past few days researching Passover foods and haven’t found much on the internet that inspires me. Everything seems to have matzah meal or Manischewitz something or other in it, and don’t get me started on the 101 things you can do with gefilte fish (one recipe has you pour ketchup over it and bake it for an hour an a half).

“Yes,” you say, “I understand, but there are plenty of great Passover cookbooks on the market that have beautiful and elegant recipes in them.” So, yes, I could invest in a Passover cookbook, but being Lutheran, I probably wouldn’t use it much and my bookshelf is already overloaded with cookbooks ranging from Aztec to Zulu.

But, how to fulfill my duty to enhance your farmers market experience with little guidance from beyond? Not one to admit defeat, I opened my expansive file of recipes and started to look at what I had in my arsenal that would make an appropriate and splendid Passover dinner. Not being clear on what can and can’t be mixed or eaten, this seems to vary depending on who you talk to, I gave up and turned back to the internet. I found a kosher website – www.kushrut - that had one or two recipes that sounded good, so I will share those with you, having made some changes to the recipes where I feel improvement is warranted, and adding in a few of my own.

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Unfortunately these recipes don’t include peak of the season asparagus or big heart artichokes, but they do include fruits and vegetables that can be found at our market year round making them perfect for any holiday or celebration. First a beautiful Beet, Spiced Quinoa and Yogurt Salad. Quinoa is one of those grains that is a source of controversy in the Jewish community, but most agree that it is okay for Passover. Next, lamb – I love lamb! Just in case you didn’t catch that, I really love lamb. So here is a Passover approved recipe that will make anyone happy. Next, a beautiful vegetable kugel, again Passover approved. And finally a flourless chocolate cake topped with fresh raspberries (my son’s favorite dessert).

I expect everyone who tries any of these recipes to report back on how they worked and whether they are Passover friendly (at least the lamb and vegetable kugel because I have to confess although I never include a recipe in my blog that I don’t love and haven’t tried, these two I have not). Thank you in advance for the feedback, and if anyone has any Passover recipes that they would like to share, I will post them in my blog next week and on our website – www.studiocityfarmersmarket.com. Looking forward to your comments.

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(For more Farmers Market Recipes go to our website - www.studiocityfarmersmarket.com.)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 allspice berries, ground (about 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground allspice)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom seeds

3 cloves, ground (1/8 teaspoon freshly ground cloves)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds

3 cups cooked quinoa (either red or regular; 3/4 cup uncooked)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

5 to 6 roasted beets, yellow, red or a combination; peeled and sliced

1 cup drained yogurt

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish or gratin. In a medium saucepan or a large, heavy skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and add the spices. When they begin to sizzle, add the cooked quinoa. Stir together for one minute, and remove from the heat. Taste and adjust salt. Transfer to the baking dish, and spread in an even layer.

Arrange the sliced beets over the quinoa. Drizzle on the remaining olive oil, cover and place in the oven for 20 minutes or until hot. Meanwhile, place the garlic in a mortar and pestle with a generous pinch of salt, and mash to a paste. Whisk or stir into the drained yogurt.

Remove the quinoa and beets from the oven, and top with dollops of yogurt. Sprinkle with the walnuts, and serve.

Yield: Serves four to six.

Advance preparation: The cooked quinoa and the roasted beets will keep for three to four days in the refrigerator. You can assemble the casserole without the yogurt up to a day in advance. Cover tightly and refrigerate.

Encrusted Lamb Chops with Apple Pear Chutney

http://www.kashrut.com/Passover/recipes/LambChopsWithApplePearChutney/

Lamb Chop Ingredients:

6 Lamb Chops

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 cup matzah meal

1 tsp herb mix such as Italian or Herbe de Provence, or a mixture of thyme, sage and rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

Chutney Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

2 Fuji apples, cut into small chunks (peeled)

2 large pears, cut into small chunks (peeled)

1/2 cup golden raisins

5 tablespoons sweet red dessert wine, port or Concord grape juice

4 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to grease roasting pan

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Using a brush, spread a thin layer of maple syrup all over the lamb chops. Mix the matozah meal and herbs and them coat each lamb chop with this mixture shaking off any excess. Place the chops in a greased roasting pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

While lamb is cooking, combine all ingredients for chutney and mix well. (Can be made one day in advance). Chill and serve cold, or at room temperature with lamb chops.

Roasted Vegetable Kugel

http://www.kashrut.com/Passover/recipes/Vegetablekugel/

Ingredients:

3 stalks celery, sliced

4 carrots, sliced

3 medium potatoes, sliced

2 onions, sliced

2 red peppers

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

3 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. matzah meal

4 eggs

1 tsp . salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place all vegetables in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Place vegetables on cookie sheet. Roast vegetables for approximately 30 minutes or until they begin to brown ever so slightly and are soft. Check the vegetables after about 20 minutes as some may cook faster than others. Those that do should be removed and set aside while the others finish cooking.

Mix together add eggs, matzah meal,  salt and pepper. Toss vegetables in this mixture and put in a greased 9” by 13” inch or other casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Bon Apetit January 1999

Ingredients For Cake:

12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 large eggs, separated

12 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ingredients For Glaze (which I don’t bother with, we just pile berries on top, and whipped cream if we are feeling really decadent):

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

9 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Fresh raspberries for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper or waxed paper; butter paper. Wrap outside of pan with foil. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, stirring often.

Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 6 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Fold lukewarm chocolate mixture into yolk mixture, then fold in vanilla extract. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, beating until medium-firm peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake cake until top is puffed and cracked and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack (cake will fall).

Gently press down crusty top to make evenly thick cake. Using small knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove pan sides. Place 9-inch-diameter tart pan bottom or cardboard round atop cake. Invert cake onto tart pan bottom. Peel off parchment paper.

While the cake is cooling make the glaze. Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.

Place cake on rack set over baking sheet. Spread 1/2 cup glaze smoothly over top and sides of cake. Freeze until almost set, about 3 minutes. Pour remaining glaze over cake; smooth sides and top. Place cake on platter. Chill until glaze is firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; store at room temperature.) Garnish with chocolate shavings or leaves. Serve at room temperature.

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