Archive for the ‘ Passover Recipes ’ Category

Moroccan lamb tagine with dates and prunes – طاجين خروف مع تمر وخوخ טאג’ין צלעות טלה

a delicious taste of the middle east

So my husband went meat shopping in Brooklyn at Pic n Pay on Avenue M, which he told me has the best meat.  He even spoke to the butcher personally, and he helped him pick the freshest cuts of meat. He got us lamb, and this was the first time I made lamb for us. To me Lamb is a festive meat. My mom makes it only on holidays so it was a treat to make it for a Shabbat meal. Of course I had to make it Moroccan style in the way of my heritage. The way I remember my mom making it. 😉 So I added dates in mine, she only makes hers with prunes.  It is my dream to one day travel to morocco and explore. And of course buy a couple of authentic tagines to bring back home. Well, this was a very delicious dish and easy to make.  Lamb doesnt need too much attention, so once you get it in the pot with all the ingredients, you can sit back and let it make itself. I hope you will try to make it too. With love, Tal 🙂

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Dates and Prunes (Tajeen kharoof ma3 timer wa khok)
2 lamb chops
4 tbsp margarine or oil
1 big onion, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger (i used finely chopped fresh ginger)
A few small pinches of allspice and of cinnamon
1 tsp chicken soup mix
salt and about 1 tsp black pepper
1-2 tbsp honey (put in 1 tbsp, taste, then add another if needed)
1/4 cups dates, pitted (about 3)
1/2 cup prunes, pitted (about 7)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
To garnish: 1/4 cup blanched almonds and/or tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Trim any excess fat from the lamb. Heat 3 tbsp margarine or oil in a large pan, put in the meat and brown it lightly on both sides. Put in a small pinch of allspice and cinnamon over the meat. Take out the meat, put in the onions and prunes and cook, stirring, until they turn soft and begin to color. Stir in the cinnamon, chicken soup mix and ginger and return the meat to the pan. Season with pepper. Cover with water and simmer in a pot, covered, for 70-90 minutes, or until the meat is very tender, moving the pieces around occasionally. (The more you let it cook the softer the meat will be. At 90 minutes, the meat will be ‘fall off the bone’ goodness.)
2. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, stir in honey, another pinch of cinnamon and pepper.  (The honey is a necessary component of this recipe) Move the meat around so the honey and cinnamon is spread around. Add the dates. Cook uncovered until the sauce is reduced, turning the meat over as you wait.
3. Fry the almonds in a tablespoon of margarine, or toast in a non-stick pan, until lightly golden. Add as a garnish when plating the tagine.
Enjoy 🙂
2011
05/24
CATEGORY
main courses
Moroccan Dishes
Passover Recipes
TAGS










1 comment

tamarind glazed sweet potatoes

golden orange color.. sweet and tangy potatoes

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 tablespoons margarine
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced into 3/4-inch thick rounds
  • Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.In a small pot, melt the margarine with the garlic and the tamarind pulp over low heat.
Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the brown sugar, and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, stir and remove from the heat.

Toss the sweet potatoes in 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt, to taste. Bake the sweet potato slices in a baking dish until soft. When soft, spoon the tamarind mixture over the sweet potatoes. Place the potatoes back into the oven for about 10 more minutes, or until they are tender and cooked through.

They come out soft, sweet and slightlyy tangy.  🙂

very light side dish

2011
05/20
CATEGORY
Passover Recipes
Side Dishes
TAGS









Leave a comment

sweet potato soup

true goodness

This soup is simple, rich and easy to make. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 very large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into small cubes
3 cups chicken broth (Or 3 cups water with 3 tsp chicken soup mix)
1 cup milk
A pinch of allspice
salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

Melt the butter in a 4 qt. saucepan. Add the onions and celery and a pinch of salt and pepper and saute on low heat for 25 minutes. Add the chopped sweet potato, saute for another 20 minutes. Then add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium, cover and cook for 25 minutes until the potatoes are very tender. Puree the potatoes in a blender (in small batches) or with a hand-held immersion blender. Stir in the milk and allspice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reheat and serve.
2011
05/20
CATEGORY
Passover Recipes
Soup
TAGS


Leave a comment

Almond Smashed Potatoes

smashed potato with crunchy almond topping

So I made these smashed potatoes today as a side dish but I completely forgot to take a picture until the very last bite. I really liked them, and they were relatively easy to prepare. They are so flavorful, and the crunchy almond topping really makes them special. Originally, the recipe called for roasted soy nuts. But I didn’t have soy nuts on hand so I substituted with almonds.

The difference between mashed potatoes and smashed potatoes is that mashed potatoes have a more or less smooth texture, but smashed potatoes are only smashed lightly to break up the potatoes. Smashed potatoes still keep their shape. 🙂

Sidenote: This lousy picture really doesn’t do this side dish justice. It is so delicious. 

Ingredients

  • 1 shallot, finely chopped — or substitute 1/4 onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
  • 1 cup crushed almonds, slightly ground in a blender
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon powdered ginger
  • 1 pound baby potatoes (they come in small 1 pound bags- about 25 potatoes in a bag I think)
For the toasted almond nut mix:
In a saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and lightly brown, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and ginger, and lightly brown, ensuring they do not burn.

Add the crushed almonds and lightly toast for 3 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. If you don’t like the flavor of raw parsley, add the parsley now, while the mixture is still hot.

To make Almond Smashed Potatoes:
Hard boil the potatoes in Heavily salted water with 1bsp powdered ginger, and cook until the skins split. If the skins don’t split, poke the potatoes with a knife and let boil some more. Drain the potatoes and place in a small bowl. Lightly smash each potato one time with a fork. Toss the potatoes with the toasted nut mix and chopped parsley.
Serve immediately.
If you are making it ahead of time, put potatoes into a dish and reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes. Heat the topping on the stove, and toss into the potatoes.
2011
05/18
CATEGORY
Passover Recipes
Side Dishes
TAGS







1 comment

Herb Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

chopped herbs

herb paste

chicken and potatoes before getting roasted

An herb paste smeared onto the chicken adds a concentrated taste of summer. This is a very classy chicken dish. If you want to impress someone, make this dish 🙂 My husband said it best, it’s reminiscent of something you would likely see on a restaurant menu.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup chopped basil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
  • 2 fresh bay leaves, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons oil (olive oil if you have it)
  • 2  garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 chicken thighs or 2 small Cornish hens, backbones cut out and birds split in half
  • 1 potato
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  • Blend together herbs, oil, garlic, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a blender until finely chopped.  (You can also finely chop the herbs together instead of blending)
  • Chop up one potato (1 potato is enough for two people)
  • Add 3 tbsp oil to the roasting pan and place potatoes and chicken inside.  Rub all over chicken and potatoes. Put chunks of the herbs under the chicken skin – this is important, it infuses the chicken with the delicious and light flavor of the herbs. Bake in 350 F oven uncovered for 1 1/4 hours. Cover chicken if it browns too fast. Baste once if necessary so chicken doesn’t dry out.
Note

  • Chicken can be rubbed with herb paste 1 day ahead and chilled.
  • To cook chicken on the grill, indoors, brown them on the oiled grill, skin side down first, turning once, in a hot large ridged grill pan over medium-high heat, then put in a pan, cover and bake at 350 F for about 18 minutes.
2011
05/14
CATEGORY
main courses
Passover Recipes
Side Dishes
TAGS








Leave a comment

Baked Sweet Potato with Marshmallows and Brown Sugar

Serves 2 people, one half of the potato per person.

Ingredients

1 Large sweet potato

1/4 cup brown sugar

5 marshmallows

Method

Double wrap the sweet potato in aluminum foil. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour and a half or if you have time, bake for two hours.

Right before eating, unwrap and cut potato in half. Then score the potato into squares.

Sprinkle brown sugar on top

Tear marshmallows in half then in half again and stick on top and in the crevices of the sweet potato.

Bake in the oven for another 5 minutes. Enjoy 🙂

This can be made as a dessert, it’s very sweet and just delicious.

Tip: You can add chopped pecans on top.

(Or cut the sweet potato as shown below. To create the look in the image below, you would need to bake 2 or 3 sweet potatoes, depending on how many people you are serving, and cut them into individual portions, turn them over on their sides, sprinkle marshmallows on top, and bake for 5 minutes)

2011
04/27
CATEGORY
Dessert
Passover Recipes
Side Dishes
TAGS



Leave a comment

Shepherd’s Pie

warm and cozy comfort food

Here’s a quick video that can lend some inspiration to your shepherd pie making 🙂

Continue reading →

2011
04/27
CATEGORY
main courses
Passover Recipes
TAGS





Leave a comment

The Best Passover Brownies

Ingredients

6 eggs
2 2/3 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups potato starch
3/4 cup cocoa
2/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (i used vanilla sugar)

Method

Mix all ingredients until batter is smooth.
Pour into a parchment paper lined 9×13 inch pan.
Bake at 350 F (175 C) for 30 until top is lightly brown and crispy.
Don’t over bake.
I got this recipe from
These Passover brownies are so good I am considering making them during the year too. I just copied and pasted the recipe it’s that good 🙂
2011
04/26
CATEGORY
Dessert
Passover Recipes
TAGS




Leave a comment

Potato Croquettes

Ingredients

4 potatoes, boiled and then peeled

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chicken soup mix (or bullion) (this is Optional, but it adds a nice flavor)

1 big onion, minced

1 box fresh mushrooms, diced small (or 1 can mushrooms)

2 eggs, whisked

1 cup matzah meal crumbs (or breadcrumbs)

Optional filling additions:

ground meat, washed and fried in a few tbsp oil *Or*

a hard boiled egg cut up into small pieces (this is a traditional Moroccan filling) *Or*

1/2 cup chopped parsley & 2 cloves garlic

Continue reading →

2011
04/24
CATEGORY
Passover Recipes
Side Dishes
TAGS




Leave a comment

Strawberry Sorbet & Tamarind Lemon Sorbet

If you want to have this dessert for dinner you have to make it very early in the morning. The preparation is quick and simple, the main process is the time it needs to freeze solid. If you want to eat at 9pm you have to get it into the freezer at 7am. It’s better to make it the night before your meal. I also put my freezer on high blast because I needed them to be frozen for our passover seder (a Jewish holiday dinner). Continue reading →
2011
04/24
CATEGORY
Dessert
Passover Recipes
TAGS






Leave a comment