Passover Recipes

Passover is the funnest holiday for us. The kids bring dozens of friends, the entire family gets together, and we eat unreasonable amounts of food (our menu each year is posted in the website under BirdDroppings).

It occurred to me that some of you might enjoy making some of the traditional Passover dishes just because they are so yummy. Here are a couple of recipes for your consideration.

Haroset

Haroset is a delicious dish that is supposed to remind us of the mortar the Jews used to build the pyramids. As a result, it looks like mud, but it tastes fabulous. There are countless versions of this dish, reflecting the many places around the world Jews have lived in during the past 2000 years. Mine is a nut-less version of the Russian haroset, in recognition of Dick's allergy to nuts. It's not exactly Kosher, but it is in high demand nonetheless

• 4 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and cored
• 1 cup good sweet port or Sherry
• 1/2 cup sugar

Shred the apples and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Put in a Rubber Maid container and chill. Turn over several times to ensure all apples are immersed in the wine. As my grandmother used to say, "What's not to like?"

Kneidelach

Matzo balls have been a Passover tradition for centuries. There are two schools of thought on these delicious spheres: some people like them feather-light, and others (like my family), like them dense but not doughy. The recipe below will produce such matzo balls.

• 1 1/2 cups matzo meal
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients and let sit for 10 minutes. Wet your hands and form into balls about 2/3 the size of a golf ball. Drop into boiling chicken or beef soup (I'll offer a recipe of my father's beef stock below) and cook until they pop to the surface. Precision is not essential here. If you overcook them by 10 minutes nothing will happen. Guy, my oldest, like 6 (six) matzo balls in his bowl of soup.

Yehuda's beef stock

My dad made the best beef soup ever. This is his recipe, and we think of him every time I make it. He was a good and simple cook, and Saturday lunch was a tradition in our house. He was at the root of my foodie status, and I'll be eternally grateful to him for giving me this great gift.

• 5 lbs. chuck, bone in
• 2-3 lbs. ox tails
• 2-3 veal bones (OK if you can't find them)
• 4 carrots, peeled
• 3 celery stalks
• 1/4 bunch flat parsley
• 2 onions, peeled
• 6 beef bullion cubes
• 1 tbsp salt

Put all the ingredients in a very large pot. Add water to amply cover the ingredients, at least 3 inches above the meat. Bring to a boil. Skim the top of the foam and particles that form as the meat boils (the more you skim the better it'll taste). Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for at least 3 hours or until you're absolutely sure the meat is dead. Cool down and refrigerate overnight. A layer of hard fat will form on top of the broth. Discard it and separate the broth from the remaining ingredients (I put it through a Chinois, but any very fine sieve will do). Bring to a boil before you drop the kneidelach in.