Good gracious, we deserve some goodies! As our second shelter-in-place Passover draws near, I’m finding ways to make the holiday taste familiar even though the circumstances are so different. From cinnamon and almond waft from the kitchen, and parsley and horseradish await in the fridge. I hope you and yours are safe and comfortable, and take good care of each other. This year apart, next year together!
Passover cookies are one of the treats I look forward to each year, the flavors are so fixed in my memories and evoke such strong emotions. Cinnamon balls are the classic I grew up with, and this year I tweaked the preparation to keep as much of the egg white airiness as possible – these are more disk shaped and share a lot of characteristics with rustic macarons! I used a recipe from Evelyn Rose, the doyenne of British Jewish cooking. It’s posted on this blog, though I didn’t do the chocolate topping. I used a super fresh cinnamon from Oaktown Spice Co, my local spice shop.
Next up, I whipped up a batch of Hummingbird High’s Small Batch Almond Flour Gluten Free Brownies. So simple, so easy, no weird matzah meal or potato starch texture for these brownies! Check out the photo on Instagram (and follow us there for more regular updates!).
Toasty golden coconut macaroons are Passover magic – chewy and tender and rich! I used Uri Scheft’s recipe in Breaking Breads – just the simplest ingredients punched up with apricot jam. The instructions have you flatten the macaroons after scooping them onto the baking sheet, I did it with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in water.
For a different coconutty experience, you could try my Decadent Flourless Cookies, a hit every year!
If I have a spare moment, I will whip up some of my Paleo Passover Granola, it’s so crunchy and satisfying with my homemade yogurt and berries for breakfast!
I couldn’t get enough of this piece about how Jewish immigrant women wrote the American activist playbook. So fascinating.
I’ve been listening to podcasts as I walk my sweet dog Neelu, and Schmaltzy’s episode with Jake Cohen about his family’s Ashkenazi-Mizrahi blended seders caught my heart. If you’d prefer to read rather than listen to the episode, you can do that on Jewish Food Society’s site. They also have Jake’s Ghormeh Sabzi Brisket recipe! Jake’s new book, Jew-ish: A Cookbook: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch sounds so wonderful, I can’t wait to dig into it.
That podcast episode has a great segment about gefilte fish, which made me want to make my Elegant Springtime Gefilte Fish recipe again. Maybe I’ll get to it later in the week!
Not to sound like a total Jake Cohen obsessive, but his Passover cheeseboard is genius, I’m definitely going to make my own twist on it!
I’m loving all the inventive and creative ways we can celebrate Passover this year, the Jewish Emergent Network made video clips for each section of the seder, and there’s something for everyone there! Art, learning, inspiration, songs, and drag queens.
Bend the Arc Jewish Action has a virtual haggadah with a liberation theme, it connects the ancient story with the ongoing struggle for freedom around the world.
My family serves lamb for Passover every year, the aroma is a key part of the day of seder. This year I ordered catering from an excellent local caterer, but in the past, I have made this simple recipe with rosemary and garlic.
My Cheater’s Braise Chicken would be a stellar dish for seder or any festive meal! You can go super easy with the braising liquid – sometimes I just do wine or cider.
Wishing you a very happy Passover, happy springtime, happy vaccination season, happy Easter!
