The Jewish Passover festival Passover begins on Friday, April 3 in 2015. Angela Day has some recipe suggestions....
On the menu
Lemongrass matzo ball soup
Brisket with pomegranate
Herbed lemon quinoa
Spiced roasted tzimmes. Picture: Chris Collingridge, Independent Media
Passover apple cake
Toffee chocolate matzos
LEMONGRASS MATZO BALL SOUP
Serves 6-8
MATZO BALLS
4 eggs
60ml sunflower oil
125ml water
375ml matzo meal
5ml salt
black pepper, to taste
5ml grated ginger
5ml grated garlic
60ml chopped fresh coriander
LEMONGRASS SOUP
2.5 litres of chicken stock
1 lemongrass stalk, finely chopped
30ml chopped ginger
10ml chopped garlic
1 bunch of spring onions, finely sliced
30ml soya sauce*
200g bok choy, sliced
Matzo Balls: Whisk the eggs, oil and water together. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.
LEMONGRASS SOUP: Combine all the ingredients for the soup, except the bok choy, and bring to the boil.
With wet hands, form small balls of the dough and drop into the boiling soup. Reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for 20-30 minutes.
Add the bok choy and simmer for 2 minutes, until wilted. Serve.
Note: Mikees is a brand of soy sauce suitable for Passover.
BRISKET WITH POMEGRANATE
Serves 4-6
2kg brisket, off the bone
5ml sea salt
5ml pepper
15ml dried oregano
45ml olive oil
2 red onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
250ml red grape juice
250ml red wine
500ml chicken stock
45ml honey
2 bay leaves
1 small bunch of thyme
POMEGRANATE GREMOLATA
80ml pomegranate rubies
125ml chopped fresh parsley
zest of 2 lemons
2 garlic cloves, minced
a pinch of sea salt
Preheat oven to 160°C. Season the brisket with salt, pepper and oregano.
Heat 15ml olive oil in a large ovenproof pot and sear the brisket until browned on all sides.
Remove and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil and sauté the onions and garlic for 5 minutes over low heat until softened.
Return the brisket to the pot and add grape juice, wine, stock, honey, bay leaves and thyme.
Cover with the lid, bring to a boil and then transfer to the oven. Roast for three to four hours, or until tender, turning the brisket occasionally.
When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.
Strain the cooking liquid and allow to thicken on the stove.
Pour over the sliced meat and serve with gremolata.
GREMOLATA: Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together well.
HERBED LEMON QUINOA
Serves 6
750ml water
375ml quinoa
5ml salt
2ml pepper
125ml olive oil
6 shallots, halved and sliced
zest and juice of 2 lemons
125ml chopped fresh parsley
60ml fresh thyme leaves
Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan.
Stir in the quinoa, salt and pepper, reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and keep warm.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the lemon zest and juice and cook for a minute.
Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and stir in the shallot-lemon mixture, parsley and thyme.
Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
SPICED ROASTED TZIMMES
Serves 6
4 large parsnips
4 carrots
1-2 orange sweet potatoes
125ml olive oil
15ml sea salt
pepper to taste
5ml ground ginger
10ml ground cinnnamon
15ml ground cumin
250ml raisins or cranberries
125ml apricots
250ml dates, pitted and halved
45ml honey
250ml chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 180°C. Peel and cut the vegetables into equal-size chunks.
Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and spices.
Place onto a baking tray. Do not let the vegetables pile on each other.
If necessary, use a second baking tray.
Roast for 20-30 minutes, until fork-tender.
Add the raisins, apricots, dates and honey, toss well and roast for a further 15 minutes.
Remove, and stir through the parsleyjust before serving.
PASSOVER APPLE CAKE
125ml chopped pecans or walnuts
180ml sugar
5ml ground cinnamon
5ml ground ginger
a pinch of nutmeg
a pinch of cloves
3 eggs
180ml sugar
80ml vegetable oil
250ml matzo cake meal
4 green apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
80ml dried cranberries or raisins
60ml smooth apricot jam, melted
Grease a 20cm-square ovenproof baking dish.
Combine the nuts, sugar and spices and mix well.
Beat the eggs and sugar until thick and pale. With the machine running, mix in the oil.
Fold in the matzo meal.
Spread half the batter into the prepared dish.
Cover with slices of apple and sprinkle over half the sugar and spice mixture.
Scatter over half the cranberries.
Top with the remaining batter and apples.
Sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture and scatter over remaining cranberries.
Bake at 180°C for about 50-60 minutes.
Remove from the oven and brush over the apricot jam.
TOFFEE CHOCOLATE MATZOS
Serves 6
30g Parev margarine, melted
6 pieces of matzo
250g Parev margarine
250ml sugar
500ml Parev chocolate chips
125ml chopped dried cranberries
125ml chopped dried apricots
100g pistachios, toasted
125ml slivered almonds, toasted
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line a baking tray with tinfoil and brush with the margarine.
Arrange a layer of matzo in the pan, overlapping and making sure there are no gaps.
In a saucepan, melt the margarine with the brown sugar.
Bring to a boil and cook, whisking the toffee constantly, for 5 minutes.
Pour the toffee evenly over the matzo and spread it in a thin layer.
Bake for 5-8 minutes, or until bubbling.
Remove the toffee matzo from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
Let the chocolate melt for 5 minutes and then, with a spatula, spread it evenly in a thin layer.
Sprinkle with the dried fruits and toasted nuts. Refrigerate to cool completely. Break into pieces and serve.
Angela Day, The Star