A feast to make your Passover truly ‘different from all other nights’

(Editor’s note: Passover, marking the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, will be celebrated this year from sundown Monday, April 22, to after nightfall Tuesday, April 30. Here tea expert and Westfair contributor Ellen Easton presents a complete Passover meal that includes recipes from her mother, confectioner Reva Paul: )

Passover Dinner Menu 2014 ~ 2024 ©Ellen Easton

Red Wine

SEDER PLATE ~ Lamb Bone, Parsley, Salt-Water, Hard-Boiled Egg, Horseradish, Charoset, Matzo

Tarragon-Matzo Ball Soup
With Diced Poached Chicken, Carrots, Onions and Celery

Gefilte Fish

First-Cut Brisket With Baked Prunes

Garden Baby Peas

Savory Kugel Pudding
Roasted Garlic-Onion-Shallot Paste, Golden Raisins, Parmesan

Homemade Baked Cinnamon Applesauce and Potato Pancakes

Dark Chocolate Mousse With Chantilly Crème

Ellen Easton’s Organic Green Mint Chai Tea

Seder Plate ©Ellen Easton

The Seder Plate Representations

Lamb Bone ~ the Pesach sacrifice
Parsley ~ the rebirth of Spring
Salt-Water ~ the tears of the slaves
Hard-Boiled Egg ~the circle of life
Horseradish ~ the bitter herb for the bitterness of slavery
Charoset ~ the mortar used by the Jews in Egypt to build the pyramids
Three Pieces of Matzo ~ unleavened bread Israelites took when fleeing Egypt

Ellen Easton’s Matzo Ball Soup ©Ellen Easton

Ingredients:

4-quart pot
6 cups (1-1/2 quarts) cold water
1⁄2 cup chopped celery
1⁄2 cup sliced carrots
One small to medium sliced onion
5 or 6 chicken tenders or one skinless chicken breast
1 teaspoon Reva Paul’s seasoning mix*
1 tablespoon of curly parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

Place all ingredients in the pot. On a medium flame, bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer for 30 minutes. When the chicken turns white, remove from the pot, dice or shred into small bite-size pieces and place back into the pot. Keep on a low heat.

Ingredients for matzo balls:

A small bowl
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup Manischewitz Matzo Meal
2 tablespoons Manischewitz broth, soup broth from above or water
2 tablespoons curly Parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Reva Paul’s seasoning mix

(*For Reva Paul’s seasoning mix — 2 and 1⁄2 tablespoons onion powder, 2 and 1⁄2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Store in a container, preferably with a dual shaker/open, easy to spoon out top. Store in a cool, dry place until ready to use.)

Directions for matzo balls:

In a small bowl, beat egg. Add oil, Manischewitz Matzo Meal, Reva Paul’s seasoning mix and chopped parsley. Gently blend together. Add broth or water and mix until uniform. Cover and chill in refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Remove chilled matzo ball mixture from refrigerator. Moisten hands with olive oil. On wax paper form batter into matzo balls, approximately 1 inch in diameter. Reheat soup mixture until boiling. Drop matzo balls into pot of boiling soup. Cover tightly. Once again, reduce heat and simmer until thoroughly cooked, about 30 to 40 minutes. Serve while warm.

(For an interpretation of Manischewtiz recipe, see video.)

Reva Paul’s Savory Kugel Pudding ©Ellen Easton

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 small shallot, minced
1 package (12 ounces) of extra wide egg noodles (or no yoke noodles)
1 tablespoon of unsalted, sweet butter
1 cup large curd, 2% milk or nonfat Lactaid cottage cheese
1⁄4 cup Ricotta cheese (optional)
1 cup sour cream or nonfat plain Greek Yogurt
2 tablespoons Lea & Perrins sauce
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a food processor, mince the onion, garlic and shallot together. Set aside. In a large pan filled with water, boil the noodles until soft. Drain. Add half of the minced onion, garlic and shallot mixture and all other ingredients, except the grated cheese. Blend all until well mixed together. Taste. If needed, add in the other half of the onion, garlic and shallot mixture. The texture should be creamy but not wet. Place all in a casserole dish. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven until hot. Remove and serve.

Recipe may be made a day in advance and baked the next day. Individual servings may be baked in ramekins. Seasonings may be adjusted up or down for personal taste.

Brisket ©Ellen Easton

Ingredients:

5-pound first center cut brisket
1 lemon
1 to 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Reva Paul’s seasoning mix
1 small can tomato paste
1 cup ketchup
1 cup Heinz Chili Sauce
1 sweet onion
3 garlic gloves
1 medium shallot, minced for paste
2 tablespoons Domino’s granulated light brown sugar or dark brown sugar
Pitted prunes, sliced or baby carrots, herbs of rosemary and sage

Directions:

In order, place on top of the brisket squeezed lemon juice, sprinkled ground cinnamon and Reva’s seasoning mix of ground garlic powder, ground onion powder, salt and pepper. Next, layer with a paste of minced onion, garlic and shallot spread across the top meat and then generously layer with a small can of tomato paste, ketchup and Heinz chili sauce. Add a few sliced onions, sliced or baby carrots and prunes on the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the top with Domino’s granulated Light Brown Sugar or Dark Brown Sugar. Place herbs on top.

Place a small amount of water in the bottom of the pan, cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. After one hour poke holes in the foil and continue cooking for four more hours until very tender.   Remove from the oven and allow the brisket to rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour before slicing. Slice against the grain.  Save the extra juices and fixings from the pan in a jar to reheat.  Best if made the day before. Place the whole or sliced brisket with the natural juices/ fixings in a glass pan or roasting pan, cover with aluminum foil and poke holes with a fork to allow for ventilation. Reheat in a slow 250-degree oven until hot. Serves 6. Accompaniments – baked applesauce, potato pancakes, Savory Kugel Noodle Pudding, roasted asparagus or peas.

Baked Apple Sauce ©Ellen Easton

Ingredients:

3 or 4 Macintosh or baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced into quarters
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 large or 2 small lemons, juiced
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup roasted natural raw walnuts, shelled; 1/4 cup golden raisins (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, mix together the cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and honey. Set aside. In a large resealable plastic bag, place the apple quarters. Add the spice/honey mixture, reseal the bag and shake to coat the apples thoroughly. (Note: To enhance the flavor, you may marinate the apples for several hours in the refrigerator or you may proceed “as is.” Place the coated apple quarters on a baking pan or cookie sheet.

Bake for approximately 30 to 40 minutes or until tender. The tip of a knife should easily pierce the apple slice. When done, remove the apples from the oven and place in a bowl. Using a potato masher or pronged fork, gently mash the apples to desired texture of either a chunky or a smooth sauce (your choice). If desired, add the optional roasted walnuts and raisins. Makes approximately 2 cups.

Toasting walnuts: Place whole or half natural raw walnuts on a cookie sheet and roast for approximately 5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
When the walnuts are cool enough to handle, place on a sheet of wax paper. Use a mallet or the side of a can to roll over walnuts, crushing them into small pieces. Set aside.

Ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes, peeled
1 sweet onion, skin removed
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon Reva Paul’s Seasoning Mix or 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 to 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour; ¼ cup parsley, finely diced
¼ cup chives, finely diced; 2 cups olive oil or vegetable oil for frying (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl lined with paper towel or a large strainer, finely grate the potatoes and onions, draining off the excess liquid. Remove from the paper towel or strainer and place into a mixing bowl. Add in the egg, seasoning, 2 tablespoons of flour, parsley and chives. Mix together into a thick paste. Add in additional flour if needed.

Coat your hands in oil to avoid the potato mixture from sticking to your fingers. On wax paper, use ¼ cup of the mixture to form each of the ½ inch-thick pancakes or the size of your choice.

In a large skillet, place ¼ inch of the cooking oil. Heat over a medium to high flame. Place as many of the potato pancakes into the hot oil that your skillet allows. Fry, turning over one time only and cook until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and place on a paper towel to drain off the excess oil. Place cooked potato pancakes in a pie or glass dish in a low oven to keep warm while cooking the remaining batter. Repeat frying additional potato pancakes until all are cooked. Serves 6. Accompaniments — baked applesauce, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, sour cream.

Ingredients:

16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
6 large eggs, separated to 6 egg yolks and 6 egg whites
1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract, plus 1 tablespoon for whipped crème (use Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract if available)
1 tablespoon of chocolate liqueur or coffee/ expresso, or ½ teaspoon oil of bergamot (optional)

Directions:

Place the chopped chocolate, the unsalted butter and granulated sugar in a double boiler or set in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Do not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. To avoid the chocolate from seizing, do not stir the mixture. It should take about 10 minutes for the chocolate to melt. When the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the pot of hot water. Add the egg yolks to the chocolate mixture. Add the vanilla extract and optional chocolate liqueur, coffee/ expresso or oil of bergamot. Stir all ingredients together until well blended. The texture of the mixture will be dense and paste-like. Set aside.

Place the egg whites in a dry mixing bowl and whip on high speed until stiff, soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until completely blended. Carefully add the remaining egg whites by folding them into the chocolate mixture without breaking the air of the egg whites. Be certain to blend all of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until a pudding consistency.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the serving bowl of your choice. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 12 hours until firm and chilled. (This recipe is even better when prepared a day in advance.) One hour before serving, prepare whipped crème. Place on top of chocolate mixture. Add shaved chocolate to decorate the top.

Ellen Easton’s Whipped Crème – 1 cup heavy cream;1 tablespoon sugar; 1 tablespoon Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla. Beat whipping cream, sugar and vanilla in a chilled small bowl on high speed until soft peaks form. Additions to this recipe may include flavored extracts or liquors, cocoa or any other flavors to taste. For spiced citrus crème, add 1 teaspoon of orange extract, 1 teaspoon grated orange peel and1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.