Rabbis share recipes for holiday

Three Toronto rabbis shared some of their favourite Passover recipes with The CJN. All the dishes are vegetarian, from Sephardi eggs  that are noteworthy for their visual appeal, to a vegan main dish and a decadent chocolate mousse cake.

Sephardi Marbled Eggs

Rabbi Cory Weiss of Temple Har Zion uses this recipe for his family’s seder. He has adapted it from a number of different methods he has tried. “I put them in a glass bowl, because they’re beautiful,” he says, referring to the marblized surface of the boiled eggs. “Everybody in my family loves them.” He usually makes two dozen; any leftovers are used for egg salad.

18-24 eggs
2-3 sliced onions
onion skins
water
salt and pepper

When you go to the supermarket for onions, collect as many onion skins as you can from the bins of yellow and red onions at the store.

In a large pot, place a layer of onion slices and skins, then a layer of eggs. Add another layer of onion, skins and eggs, and top with more onion skins. Cover with cold water, add some salt and pepper, and turn on the heat to medium-high. Cover the pot.

Boil for 2 to 3 hours. (You can’t overcook these, no matter how hard you try!)

After 2 to 3 hours, remove the eggs and gently crack the shells with the back of a spoon. Put them back in the pot and boil another 2 to 3 hours. Add more water as necessary to cover.

Cool the eggs, shell and serve with lemon wedges, salt and pepper.

‘Exodus Memories’ -Ratatouille served over quinoa

Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, director of Kolel: The Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning, and her family are all vegetarians. They suggest this vegan main dish to make vegetarians  feel included at the seder. At a dairy seder, they recommend sprinkling it generously with Parmesan cheese just as you bring it to the table. Rabbi Goldstein and her family like to joke that the recipe has many of the foods the Israelites grumbled about, when they remembered “getting it for free” in Egypt!
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large leek, chopped
5 tbsp. olive oil
1 large eggplant, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup tomato sauce, soup stock or water with bouillon
1 large green or yellow zucchini, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium yellow or orange bell pepper, stem, seeds and ribs removed, cut in cubes
1/2 lb. fresh cremini or button mushrooms, halved
3 ripe Roma tomatoes, cubed
salt and pepper to taste
the “secret:” 1/2 tsp. of harissa (Sephardi hot sauce), OR 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper,  OR 1/2 small chopped jalepeño pepper for added zip!
2 tbsp. minced fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley leaves
1 cup toasted pine nuts or other nut pieces

Quinoa: Rinse quinoa by running fresh water over the quinoa in a pot. Drain. Put quinoa and 2 cups water in 1-1/2 qt. saucepan; bring to boil.  Reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook until all water is absorbed (10 to 15 minutes).

Ratatouille: Heat olive oil until sizzling. Fry the leek. When it has begun to soften and brown, add the minced garlic. Stir until the garlic is cooked but not burned! Add eggplant and sauce or stock and saute for 5 minutes until softened. Add zucchini, pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes until cooked. Add the “secret” and salt and pepper to taste. Place cooked quinoa in a bowl and pile the ratatouille over it. Garnish with minced basil, parsley and nuts. If serving with dairy, sprinkle grated parmesan generously over the top.
Serves four hungry vegetarians as a main meal, or 6 to 8 as a side dish.

Apple-Matzah Kugel

Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl, senior rabbi of Beth Tzedec Congregation, shared two recipes. The kugel is a favourite side dish at his family seder. It serves 6 to 8 and is easy to double.
 
4 matzot
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup pareve margarine, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup ground or chopped nuts (they like almonds)
2 to 3 apples, peeled, and chopped
1/2 cup raisins, if desired
 

Soak matzot in water to soften. Drain.

Beat eggs, salt, sugar, margarine and cinnamon, add to matzot and beat. Add chopped nuts, apples and raisins, if using.

Place in 8×8-inch square or 8-inch round pan. Drizzle margarine on surface. Bake at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes or until surface is lightly browned.

Chocolate mousse cake

Rabbi Frydman-Kohl adapted a Craig Claiborne recipe for this Pesach dessert. He says it is VERY rich.
 

10 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/8 cup melted margarine
2 cups ground nuts

 

Preheat oven to 350. Beat yolks and sugar until lemon coloured. Fold in melted chocolate, margarine and nuts.

Retain one-quarter of this mixture on side.

Beat egg whites until they form peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture. Place in a 10-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 for 45 to 60 minutes, until surface bounces back.

After cooling, place remaining chocolate mixture on top. Cool in refrigerator.