Tag: passover

Doda Pnina’s Nut and Raisin Chocolate Bites

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I was at a close friend’s house for Shabbat and her mother, who lovingly tell my kids to call her Doda Pnina, made this absolutely delicious chocolate. I decided to try to duplicate it and it was a big hit! I don’t have an exact recipe (the ~ are rough estimates) but think you can manage to replicate it too. .
Ingredients:
1 bag semisweet chocolate chips ~ 2 cups nuts (I used almonds and pecans), pulsed in a processor into
~ 1 cup raisins or chopped dates .
Directions:
Measure a piece of parchment paper to fit in a small metal baking pan, approximately 7×7 inches. 
Place a small pot of water on a burner and slowly warm. Top with a heat safe dish and put chocolate chips inside. Allow chocolate to melt but don’t let them get wet! 
Mix nuts and raisins or dates into chocolate. 
Pour into prepared pan. 
Place in fridge until it hardens. 
Remove from fridge and from pan. Cut into bite sized pieces. 
Stores well in fridge or freezer.

Simanim Butternut Squash – Stuffed or Hasselback

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1 large butternut squash or 2 small ones
2 tbsp avocado or grape seed oil 
1 leek, white part only, sliced thinly 
1/2 cup grated carrots 
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
4 medjool dates, pitted and chopped 
1 Apple, peeled, cored and chopped 
2 fresh figs, chopped 
1 long spring fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
Pomegranate seeds for garnish .
Preheat oven to 400°F
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For hasselback squash, peel squash. Do not peel for stuffed squash. 
Cut squash in half and remove seeds. 
Brush with 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. 
Roast for 20 minutes, flesh side down. 
In the meantime, sauté leeks in avocado oil on low-medium heat. Once they turn golden and caramelized, add carrots and cook for few more minutes. Add cinnamon and cook until nice and fragrant. 
Mix together apple, dates, honey, remaining olive oil, figs and rosemary. Add leek and carrots to apple mixture. .
Remove squash from oven, keeping oven turned on. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. .
For hasselback squash, place a chopstick or table knife on either side of the squash so you don’t cut all the way through. Make thin slices along squash. Gently try to open separations (you won’t be able to fully open them) and spoon apple mixture on top of squash. .
For stuffed squash, scoop out insides of squash, leaving about 1/2 inch border around. Cube squash insides. Mix with apple mixture and stuff back into squash. .
Place squash back on baking sheet – stuffed side up. Pour 1/4 cup of water into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. 
To make this a full meal, add some sliced sausages to the leek mixture. .
Garnish with pomegranate seeds .

Pomegranate Mint Chicken

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This recipe is inspired by a chicken recipe by @susiefishbein kosher by design and by a recipe I printed a long time ago but I have no idea where it’s from. .
2 whole chickens, spatchcocked
2 cups pomegranate syrup or silan
2 cups red wine
8 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press
1/4 cup mint, chopped
Freshly ground pepper .
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint .
Garnish – mint and pomegranate seeds
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Place chicken in ziplock bag or large baking dish (skin side down). Mix together pomegranate syrup, red wine, garlic, mint and pepper. Pour marinade over chicken. Let marinate overnight. .
Preheat oven to 450°F convection (475° if you don’t have a convection oven). Remove chicken from marinade and place in baking dish (preferably with low edges). Place marinade into a pot and boil at medium heat for at least 30 minutes.
Mix together lemon zest, pomegranate seeds, oil and mint. Stuff under the skin of the chicken.
Bake for 20 minutes, until nicely browned.
Reduce heat to 350°F convection (or 375°F) and bake for another 20 minutes. Always use a meat thermometer to check if chicken is cooked through.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds and mint.
Serve boiled down marinade alongside chicken as a dipping sauce.
This chicken does not freeze well.
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@faigysfood made this recipe but added the boiled down marinade as a glaze to the chicken while cooking – great idea!!!

Mushroom & Wine Beef Brisket

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~3 lb beef brisket, patted dry 
1/2 Tbsp dry mustard (omit for Passover)
zest of 1 lemon
lots of freshly ground pepper
1 tsp salt 
1 Tbsp soy sauce 
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided 
handful of fresh rosemary and thyme
5 cloves garlic, minecd
2 onions, thinly slices 
2 boxes mushrooms ( I used portobello and cremini) 
2 cups chicken broth 
1.5 cups red wine 
a few more rosemary sprigs
1 tbsp tomato paste 
2 bay leaves .
Mix together mustard, lemon zest, pepper, salt, soy sauce, 1 tbsp oil, rosemary, thyme and garlic.
Spread on brisket and let marinate for about an hour. 
Preheat oven to 325F. 
Sear brisket on both sides on high heat for a few minutes per side. 
At the bottom of a large baking dish (that will fit the brisket), place the sliced onions. Top with seared brisket. 
Sauté mushrooms in remaining oil. 
In the meantime, add broth, wine, rosemary, tomato paste and bay leaves to the pan. 
Top with mushrooms. 
Bake covered for about 3 hours.
Allow to cool and slice thinly against the grain.

Pesto roasted rainbow vegetables

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1 sweet potato, cubed very small
1/2 head each of broccoli and cauliflower, cut into small florets
1/4 head of purple cabbage, cut up into small pieces
Handful of cherry tomatoes
Large handful of green beans
1/2 cup pesto (homemade or storebought
Extra virgin oil
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Preheat oven to 400°F
Mix pesto with enough oil so that it spreads easily.
On 1 baking sheet, spread out sweet potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli. Coat these vegetables with 1/2 pesto mixture.
Place in the oven for a total of about 45 minutes (sweet potatoes should be soft). On the other baking sheet, spread green beans, tomatoes and purple cabbage. Coat with remaining pesto. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Serve all vegetables mixed together. You can also serve topped over rice, quinoa or pasta.
Garnish with @shneidersusa french fried onions if desired .

Golden Berry Tomato Confit

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Cherry Tomatoes 
Golden berries 
A few sprigs fresh rosemary
4 cloves garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper and sea salt .
Golden berries, otherwise known as physalis (I grew up calling them paper tomatoes) are delicious, sweet and tart. They add a delicious tang to this traditional confit.
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In an oven safe dish, place a handful each of cherry tomatoes and golden berries in a single layer. Add the garlic and rosemary. Pour on oil until it’s halfway up the tomatoes. Top with salt and pepper. 
Bake uncovered at 250°F for 2 hours.

Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli

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I make roasted cauliflower and/or broccoli at least once a week and I pop them like chips. Accidentally, I added shawarma to this mix, but it was so delicious that I decided to share it. .
Small head each of cauliflower and broccoli, cut into florets, washed and dried well 
1 tbsp each smoked paprika, shawarma seasoning and zaatar
1 tsp sea salt
Pepper
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil .
Mix together spices, salt, pepper and oil. Coat broccoli and cauliflower. Place on baking sheet – do not bake on foil, it doesn’t caramelize the same way. 
Bake at 400°F for 35-40 minutes.

Smoky Zaatar Chicken

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This chicken is so yummy that ALL 3 of my picky kids ate it! That being said, I don’t know if they’ll eat it ever again. But I call it a win! .
2 boneless chicken breast, each cut into 2 or 3 thinner cutlets (depending on thickness of breast)
2 tbsp zaatar
1 tsp sumac 
2 tbsp smoked paprika 
Zest of 1 lemon
Pepper 
2 tbsp olive oil 
2 garlic cloves, minced . 
Mix together marinade ingredients and coat chicken. 
Grill on BBQ or grill pan for a few minutes per side. I usually cut the thickest one to see if it’s cooked through or use a meat thermometer.

Sweet & Smoky Sweet Potatoes

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The cooking method for the potatoes is from this recipe is from “I ❤️ kosher”by @kimkushnercuisine – go checkout the original recipe on her feed, it’s fabulous!
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Ingredients:
1 tbsp smoked paprika 
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder 
1/2 tsp salt 
Pepper 
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
Rosemary
6 sweet potatoes, preferably skinny ones, cut in half lengthwise .

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. 
Mix together everything except sweet potatoes. 
Brush mixture on all sides of sweet potato. 
Place skin side up on parchment-lined baking sheet. 
Bake for 1 hour.

Sundried tomato and olive pesto salmon, potatoes and green beans –

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I whipped this recipe up in 2 minutes and dinner was on the table 20 minutes later. What took the longest was going to the garden to get my basil. If you have time, I would suggest starting off by roasting the potatoes on their own and then adding the rest of the ingredients. .
Ingredients:
Salmon, skin removed for 2 
Handful of baby potatoes, cut into eighths 
Handful of green beans 
Baby tomatoes 
1-2 tbsp French fried onions (optional)


Pesto:
Small handful basil
1-2 sundried tomatoes (in oil)
5 manzanilla olives 
1 clove garlic 
1/4 cup olive oil
Pepper 
1 tbsp pine nuts or pecans


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. 
Blend ingredients for pesto in a food processor. Alternatively, use store bought pesto and blend in sundried tomatoes and olives. 
If you have time, place potatoes on baking sheet, coat with mixture and bake for about 10 minutes. (If not, just place everything on the baking sheet at the same time.)
Next add the salmon, green beans and tomatoes to the baking dish, coat with pesto, sprinkle French fried onions on top. 
Bake for about 20 minutes depending on thickness of salmon. 
Enjoy!