Each family has its favorite “tried and true” recipes that it absolutely has to include as part of the Seder menu. Tradition, tradition! But preparing family-style meals during Pesach often becomes a challenge, especially when preparing for young children.
I hope these easy Passover dishes, adapted from my cookbooks The Food Processor Bible (Vancouver, Canada, 2000) and Healthy Helpings (Vancouver, Canada, 2008), will evoke new taste memories and become part of future Passover traditions for your family. A food processor will definitely help speed up preparation. Enjoy!
Quick Soup Dumplings
Makes 8 to 10 servings
These dumplings are an easy alternative to matzah balls.
Kids love them!
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup matzah meal
Insert steel blade in food processor bowl. Process all ingredients until smooth, about 10 seconds. Drop mixture from a teaspoon into simmering chicken soup. Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
Quick Matzah Pizza
Makes one pizza
1 matzah (preferably whole wheat)
2 to 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
3 tablespoons grated mozzarella cheese
(preferably reduced-fat)
2 tablespoons chopped red and/or green pepper
2 mushrooms, sliced
4 tomato slices
Salt, pepper and dried basil to taste
Preheat oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with foil; spray with nonstick spray.
Spread sauce on matzah. Sprinkle with cheese, peppers and mushrooms. Top with tomato slices and sprinkle with seasonings. Bake for 10 minutes (or microwave on medium for 2 minutes), until cheese melts.
Passover Lasagna
Makes 8 to 10 servings
This tastes like lasagna made with pasta!
2 medium onions, cut in chunks
1 red bell pepper, cut in chunks
2 cups mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
12-ounce mozzarella cheese (3 cups grated)
3 cups cottage cheese
4 cups Passover tomato sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Dried basil and dried oregano to taste
7 matzot (approximately)
Preheat oven to 375°.
Insert slicer in food processor bowl. Slice onions, pepper and mushrooms, using medium pressure. Combine in microwavable bowl with garlic and oil. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, until softened. (Alternatively, sauté in a skillet for 5 minutes on medium heat.)
Insert grater. Grate mozzarella cheese, using medium pressure. Remove from bowl and reserve.
Insert steel blade. Process cottage cheese until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Season tomato sauce with salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Spread 1/3 of the sauce in sprayed 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Briefly rinse matzot with hot water; drain. Arrange a layer of matzot over sauce, trimming matzot to fit. Spread 1/2 of the cottage cheese over matzot. Top with 1/2 of the vegetables. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat, layering sauce, matzot, cottage cheese, vegetables, and mozzarella cheese. Top with matzot and tomato sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes for easier cutting.
Note: Freezes well.
Variation: Add sautéed or steamed vegetables (e.g., asparagus, broccoli, carrots, zucchini) between lasagna layers.
Passover Wacky Franks
Makes 12 servings
Hot dog and bun, all baked in one!
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
2 cups matzah meal or cake meal
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 eggs
12 hot dogs, frozen
12 wooden skewers
Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine oil and water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Add matzah or cake meal, salt and sugar and mix well, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan. Transfer mixture into processor bowl.
Insert steel blade in food processor bowl. Process mixture for 5 seconds. Add eggs, one at a time, through feed tube while machine is running. Process 30 to 40 seconds longer, until smooth.
Mold mixture around frozen hot dogs, oiling hands slightly for easier handling. Place on sprayed foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and insert wooden skewers.
Note: Freezes well.
Passover Lasagna
Photos: Estee Gestetner
Passover Chicken Muffins
Makes 12 servings
Regular-sized muffins make a great meal for older children while minis are perfect for younger children.
2 cloves garlic
2 medium onions
2 carrots
6 boneless, skinless single chicken breasts
3 eggs
1/3 cup potato starch (or 1/2 cup matzah meal)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Insert steel blade in food processor bowl. Drop garlic through feed tube of processor while machine is running. Process until minced. Cut onions, carrots and chicken in chunks. Process in batches in your processor until finely minced, about 30 seconds. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Spoon into 12 sprayed or greased muffin cups. Smooth the top of each muffin with a spatula. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes, until golden. Miniatures take 15 to 18 minutes to bake.
Note: Freezes well. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Mustachudos
Makes 4 to 5 dozen
This gluten-free cookie is perfect all year. Be prepared to make several batches of this Turkish delight during Passover–they’ll disappear very quickly!
3 cups almonds (or a mixture of walnuts and pecans)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°.
Insert steel blade in processor bowl. Process almonds using on/off pulses until coarsely chopped, about 30 seconds. (Walnuts and pecans take less time.) Don’t grind nuts too fine or you will have nut butter! Empty bowl. Process sugar with eggs and cinnamon until well mixed, 25 to 30 seconds. Add nuts and process 10 to 15 seconds longer to combine. Mixture will be like a thick paste.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between cookies. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. When done, cookies will be oatmeal-colored with lightly browned edges. However, they will be slightly soft and not look fully baked. Do not remove cookies from pan until completely cooled. They will firm up as they cool. If baked until firm, they will be too hard when they cool completely.
Note: Freezes well.
Norene’s Chocolate Matzah Bark
Makes up to 25 to 30 servings, because once you taste this, you can’t stop!
Chocolate Matzah Bark is absolutely addictive and definitely not for those following a low-carb or low-fat diet! The year-round recipe calls for either graham wafers or soda crackers. I know you will love this Passover version–matzah never tasted so good!
6 matzot
1 cup pecans or almonds
12-ounces bittersweet chocolate (or 2 cups chocolate chips)
1 cup unsalted butter or margarine
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 12 x 18-inch jellyroll pan with aluminum foil. Spray foil well with nonstick spray. Arrange matzot in a single layer, breaking pieces to fit. Insert steel blade in food processor bowl and process nuts with several quick on/off pulses, until coarsely chopped. Remove from bowl and set aside. If using bittersweet chocolate, chop with quick on/off pulses, then let processor run until chopped, 25 to 30 seconds. (Omit this step if using chocolate chips.)
Melt butter or margarine in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in brown sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Carefully pour mixture over matzot.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with chocolate. Return pan to oven for 3 to 4 minutes to melt chocolate. Remove from oven and spread chocolate evenly over matzot with a spatula. Sprinkle with nuts.
When cool, place in freezer or refrigerator until chocolate has set. Cut or break into pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
Notes: Freezes well (if you are fast enough).
If you have family members with nut allergies, substitute Passover Cheerios-style cereal for the pecans or almonds.
Norene Gilletz is a cookbook author and culinary consultant in Toronto. She is the author of seven cookbooks. For more information, visit her web site at www.gourmania.com.