Fast and Fabulous Sides and Desserts (For Passover or Any Time)

Hi everybody! Last night I taught a cooking class featuring quick, tasty recipes that happen to be kosher for Passover. I encourage you to try them at your own Passover dinner or all year round for easy weeknight dinners or entertaining friends.

Green Olive Tapanade
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1-2 jars green pitted olives
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tbs. Fresh rosemary
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt (or to taste)

Procedure:
In a food processor, blend the garlic and rosemary until finely chopped. Add olives and oil and process until smooth. Add fresh ground pepper at this time if you would like. Serve tapanade on bread or crackers.

Variations:

Mediterranean Black Olive Tapanade
Substitute kalamata olives for green olives. Add fresh basil in addition to the herbs above.

Sun-dried Tomato Tapanade
Add about ¼ cup of sun-dried tomatoes and ¼ - ½ cup soft goat cheese to the black olive tapanade while processing.

All tapanades can also be served over pasta

Yemenite Haroset

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
4-6 apples, peeled and cut into quarters (I like to use Granny Smith, Macintosh, or another type of firm, sweet-tart apple)
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 cup dried dates and/or 1 cup dried prunes
1 cup dried cranberries or cherries
3 tbs. sugar
1/8th tsp. ground ginger
1 tbs. cinnamon
1/8th tsp. ground cloves
pinch of salt
½-1 cup sweet grape wine (Manischewitz )
Juice of one lemon

Procedure:
In a food processor, pulse apple quarters until coarsely chopped.
In a large bowl, combine all dried fruits, nuts, sugar, and spices and mix thoroughly. Add apples, wine, and lemon juice. Add more sugar if needed. Stir to combine. Can be made 1-2 days ahead. 

Sweet Potato Casserole
Serves 10-12

Ingredients:
2 cans cut yams or sweet potatoes (or around 6 medium sized fresh sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed)
2 small cans or 1 large can mandarin oranges, drained
¼ cup orange liqueur (opt.)
¼ cup orange, pineapple, or passion fruit juice concentrate
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ - ½ cup brown sugar or maple syrup
2-3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1-2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp of salt or to taste
2 cups kosher marshmallows for topping (opt.)
1 tbs. butter or margarine to coat casserole dish (I use Earth Balance) or spray Pam

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Drain the yams or sweet potatoes and put in a large bowl. Mash until smooth.
Add sugar, spices, juice concentrate, and liqueur. Add beaten eggs and stir to combine.
Add oranges and carefully mix as to not break up the fruit.
Pour mixture into greased casserole dish and bake 35-40 minutes. Top with marshmallows during last 10 minutes of baking if you are using them.

 


 




Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Garlic
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1-2 bunches of washed asparagus
1-2 large lemons
1 tsp. lemon zest
½ - 1 tsp. kosher salt or to taste
¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 large clove garlic, minced or ½ tsp garlic powder
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

Procedure:
Wash asparagus and pat dry. Trim bottom third of the stalks (this part is very tough). Peel any thick stalks with a vegetable peeler.
On a large baking sheet, drizzle 1 tbs. of olive oil. Place asparagus evenly on the sheet in one layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic.
Set oven to high broil and cook 5-6 minutes, checking after about 4 minutes. Asparagus should be just slightly firm. Be careful not to over-cook. Remove from oven and place in a serving dish. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and a bit more olive oil. Gently toss to coat.

Coconut Macaroons Two Ways
Makes up to 30 cookies

Ingredients:
14 oz. sweetened shredded coconut
10 oz. kosher mini-marshmallows or marshmallow fluff (kosher for Passover)*
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 extra large egg whites
¼ tsp. kosher salt

* substitute 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk instead of marshmallows for a non-strict kosher recipe

For Chocolate Macaroons:
¼ cup cocoa powder (kosher for Passover) or ¼ cup semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate chips (melted in the microwave for 40-50 seconds)

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 325°.
Put marshmallows in microwave-safe bowl. Heat 40-50 seconds or until melted (continuing in 20 second intervals if they need more time). Combine melted marshmallows (or sweetened condensed milk) and vanilla in a large bowl with the shredded coconut. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites and salt with an electric hand mixer until it forms medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold egg whites into coconut mixture.
Using a small ice cream scoop or two teaspoons, drop rounds of the coconut batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Reserve half of the batter for chocolate macaroons if desired.

For chocolate macaroons:
Add either cocoa powder or melted chips to remaining coconut batter and stir to combine.

Bake macaroons for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool completely before serving. These can be made 3-4 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.

Flourless Chocolate Torte
Serves 10

Ingredients:
5 large eggs, room temperature
12oz. good quality semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate (I use Ghirardelli double chocolate chips)
1 1/3 cups sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup or 2 sticks butter (or margarine)
1 tbs. kahlua (opt.)

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly coat a 9 inch spring-form pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave (40-60 seconds). Add 1 cup of the sugar, vanilla, salt, and kahlua and mix together. Let cool slightly. Crack eggs into a separate bowl and beat them with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar until tripled in volume. With a rubber spatula, fold chocolate mixture into eggs. Pour into prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes. Check after 25 minutes. Torte will be a little loose in the center. Let cool. Serve with whipped cream and raspberries if desired.