Passover is around the corner, which means millions of Jews from all over the world will be ridding their pantries of all leavened breads and gearing up for the Passover Seder. The oldest and most widely observed holiday of the Jewish calendar, Passover is also the most celebrated of all Jewish holidays world wide – with many different traditions rooted in cultures from all over the globe.
What I love most about this holiday is that every family has its own rituals and traditions. From what the Seder Plate will look like, how long or short the seder should be, and what will be served at the Seder meal. There are many foods we must eat on the Seder nights, and even then, there are several variations. There are also many non seder “traditional” foods that are eaten during the week of Passover that for some, Passover would not be the same without. Food memories can take us back to childhood. They can be simple or more involved, but no matter the importance, memories involving food are vivid and emotional as they encompass all of our senses.
As we settle into a second Pandemic Passover, our team at Ketubah.com has gathered some of our favorite family recipes to share with you. We hope that you will continue with your own traditions and perhaps add in some of these new ones along the way.
Michael – Founder and CEO of Ketubah.com
Michael has fond memories of Seders in Montreal as a child at the home of close family friends. Their great aunt would prepare passover “noodles” by hand and served them up in steaming fine china bowls of matzoh ball soup at the Seder table. Excited to make the noodles for the first time, Michael did a practice run and can’t wait to share this delicious taste of his childhood with his children this year.
Traditional Passover Egg Lokshen “Noodles” for Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
6 eggs
½ cup water
kosher salt
2-3 tablespoons oil
Directions:
Beat the eggs and salt. Slowly add the water and keep beating until fluffy. Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan. Swirl to coat the pan. Pour in just enough of the mixture to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook 1-2 minutes, then gently flip and cook 1 minute more. (Amount of batter and cook time will vary depending on the size of your pan.)
Tip egg “pancake” out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into thin strips. Repeat until egg mixture has all been used.
Serve in soup.
Tani – Operations Manager
Tani is responsible for overseeing the day to day operations of all aspects of the company.
Tani is pleased to share a recipe that goes over very well with her family! These Lemon Crinkle Cookies became an immediate family favorite when Tani’s kids could not believe that she had baked them without the use of any flour. Tani is always amazed how an entire batch of cookies disappear within minutes.
Passover Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups Almond Flour
1 and 1/2 cups Potato Starch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) margarine
1 egg
zest (optional) and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract or 1 tablespoon Vanilla sugar
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
Directions:
Prepare the Cookies
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream the sugar and margarine together. Add the egg, lemon zest (if using), lemon juice, and vanilla, and whisk until creamy.
- Lower the mixer speed, and slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixer in three stages, mixing slowly just until a dough is formed.
- Refrigerate the dough for two hours.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a small scoop, form one-inch balls of dough.
- Roll the balls in confectioner’s sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheet, spaced apart.
- Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 to 20 minutes, until the sides of the cookies start to look dry. Allow to cool on the baking sheet.
Nava – Production Coordinator
As Production Coordinator, Nava handles the artwork from start to finish: communicating and developing new artwork with the artists and attending to any of their production concerns. As Ketubahs are made-to-order with personalized text and design of choice, Nava creates every Ketubah ordered through the website from scratch, and makes any revisions that the couple or officiant require until everyone is pleased with the final product. Nava also is responsible for creating any images that appear on our website as well as helping in customer service and social media when she can.
Nava’s family favorite recipe was given to her mom by her “Auntie Ida” – a very close friend of the family in Ottawa where Nava grew up.
“When I was younger, we would always host seders at our house and my grandparents would come to us. We could always depend on there being a million different kinds of yummy kugel: potato…. carrot…. and apple were staples. My bubby (grandmother) would prepare the potato and the carrot and my ima (mother) would prepare the apple. It doesn’t taste “like pesach” if you know what I mean, but it’s definitely one of the tastes that reminds me of pesach.”
Auntie Ida’s z”l Apple Kugel
Ingredients:
10 matzos
4 eggs
2.5 apples (or 3 if small)
4 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup sugar
Dash salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Long pyrex dish…or 1/2 the recipe for 8×8 pan (which is what i do…tho i don’t half the apples)
350 degrees for about 45 min.
Directions:
Break matzos into small pieces…Pour boiling water over them in a bowl – let soak for a few minutes, then drain…Add oil. Cut apples into small pieces. Add apples, eggs, salt, sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Grease pan and spread mixture evenly into pan. Sprinkle some more cinnamon on top.
Nb..If using matzo farfel, 1 cup matzo = about 2 matzos.
Romina – Post Production Expert
Romina prints all the artwork once it has been approved. She also does the color correction of any new artwork and operates the laser cutting machine that creates every papercut ketubah made to order. Romina can be seen adding all the hand-applied accents once the artwork is printed such as the gold and silver leaf, Swarovski crystals, and combining the multiple layers for our layered prints, stretching our canvas prints, and framing our home blessings, anniversary and parent gifts.
Romina, who grew up in Argentina, is sharing a special recipe that is enjoyed for all important celebrations including Easter. This easy and delicious recipe can also be used for Passover since it is gluten free .
ENSALADA RUSA – A South American Potato Salad (Kitniyot)
Ingredients:
4 large potatoes russet
2-3 large carrots
1/2 cup peas fresh or frozen
1 clove garlic minced, about 1/2 tsp.
3/4 cup mayo a little more if using beets
3/4 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp ground black pepper or to taste
1/2 can beets cubed (optional)
Directions:
Peel the potatoes and carrots. Dice them so each cube is about 1/2 inch. Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water. Put on the stove over medium high heat. Add the carrots to a regular-sized pot and cover with cold water. Put on the stove over medium high heat. Once the potatoes and carrots begin to boil, give them a stir and place the lids on the pots. You might also want to turn down the heat to just above medium. Let boil for 8-13 minutes. Test with a fork to check if they are done before you turn off the heat.
Drain the potatoes and carrots in a colander, combined, and let them cool for 10-15 minutes. Put in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and put them in the fridge until they are chilled, at least 2 hours.
About 3 hours before serving, get the dressing for the salad ready. In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, mayo, salt, and pepper.
Take the large bowl out of the fridge. Pour in the peas and combine. Now put the dressing on top and stir well, making sure everything has dressing on it. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Put the large bowl back in the fridge for 3 hours (but if you’re pressed for time, 1 hour should suffice). Get the bowl out of the fridge right before you need it, and taste and adjust seasonings if necessary, once again.
Serve and enjoy.
Ari – Customer Service representatives and X-Functional Growth Expert
Ari is here to help answer any questions you might have about your Ketubah, while making sure that things run smoothly behind the scenes.
Pesach is always a pretty hectic time, but one thing that Ari and his siblings could always look forward to was their mom’s Pesach chicken. It’s sweet, soft, chewy, and delicious. Many Pesach recipes feel like you’re losing something – like you could have had an awesome meal if only you didn’t have Kosher-for-Passover ingredients substituting for the year-round kind.
“This recipe doesn’t have that problem. We used to beg her to bring that recipe out all the time, but it was a Pesach tradition, so it always stayed tucked away for the occasion. There’s nothing stopping you from making it any time of year… but then, I guess it wouldn’t be Pesach Chicken, and perhaps there’s something special about that.”
Pesach Chicken
This recipe comes from Brynie Greisman via Mishpacha magazine. They called it “Chicken Strips with Sweet Red Sauce,” but Ari’s family prefers to call it Pesach Chicken. This recipe yields at least 15 appetizer portions
Ingredients:
2.2 lbs (1 k) chicken cutlets cut into small pieces or strips
¾ cup potato starch
oil for frying
Marinade
1 tsp oil
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
¼ cup water
paprika and cayenne pepper to taste
Sweet Red Sauce
2 Tbsp oil
2 onions diced
2 cloves garlic diced
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup ketchup
¼ cup water
pinch of salt
Directions:
Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Add chicken cutlet pieces and mix well to coat evenly. Cover and place in fridge for at least half hour.
Meanwhile prepare sauce: Heat oil in a saucepan and sauté onions and garlic until golden, about 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes and remove from heat.
Remove marinated chicken pieces from fridge. Heat a generous amount of oil in a large frying pan. Dip chicken pieces into potato starch and fry a few minutes on each side until golden. Drain in a pan lined with paper towels. Repeat until all the chicken is used up.
Halfway through preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place all the chicken pieces in a 9×13-inch aluminum pan. Pour sauce over chicken until pieces are evenly coated. Bake for half hour uncovered. You can cover it part of the time if you see that the sauce is getting completely absorbed .
To serve: Put a small amount of mashed potatoes in a ring form on a plate. Remove ring. Spoon chicken pieces over mashed potatoes. Drizzle with sauce. Garnish with greens of your choice. To achieve look in photo stick a chive.
Tip: If you like a lot of sauce with your chicken pieces double the amount of sauce. You can also freeze it on its own and use with any chicken meat or even hamburgers.
Nancy – Production Artist and Shipping Expert
Nancy adds the handmade embellishments to your Ketubahs such as applying gold, silver leaf and Swarovski crystals. She assembles the layered prints, operates our laser cutting machine, and stretched canvas prints. Nancy also takes care of all aspects of the shipping department such as packing all ongoing shipments on time, maintaining shipping supplies, updating our records with tracking numbers for clients, and tracking the print numbers of our limited runs.
Nancy, who is originally from Chile, wanted to share a favorite recipe that her family enjoys throughout the year. This delicious corn pie can also be eaten on Passover as it is Gluten free.
Gluten Free Chilean Corn Pie with Pebre Sauce (kitniyot)
Ingredients:
For the Meat Mixture:
1 pound ground beef
1-1/2 chopped yellow onions
1/4 cup diced green chiles mild or hot (optional)
1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder or smoked or traditional paprika for kid-friendly version
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup gluten free beef broth Better Than “Organic” Reduced-Sodium Bouillon Base + 1/2 cup water
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon brown rice flour
For the Corn Topping:
1 tablespoon unsalted or salted butter or dairy-free spread
5 cups fresh or frozen corn or combination of corn and other vegetables like mushrooms
1/4 cup whole milk or dairy-free substitute (e.g., half almond and half full-fat coconut)
1-1/2 tablespoons gluten free yellow cornmeal or polenta
5 large leaves sweet basil chiffonade* and then chopped (or equivalent cilantro, depending upon your taste buds)
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
Raisins optional
For the Pebre Sauce:
1 cup yellow onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups blanched peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh green peppers of choice jalapeno or mild etc.
2 cloves garlic grated or minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lime juice only
Directions:
To Make the Meat Mixture:
Brown the beef over medium-high heat, stirring often.
Add the onion, and chiles if using, and sprinkle everything with chili powder pepper, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Saute the mixture until the onion is tender, about 8 minutes.
Pour in the broth bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat and stir in the brown rice flour. Return to the heat and simmer for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and set aside. This can also be made the day before and refrigerate, covered.
To Make the Corn Topping:
Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter, allow to melt, and swirl around the pan.
Add the corn and other vegetables, if using. Stir
occasionally allowing the corn to defrost if frozen and tenderize if fresh,
about 8 minutes.
Pour in the milk and season with basil, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally for about 10 more minutes.
Using a handheld blender (or countertop blender), process the corn mixture to create a roughly pureed mixture, not totally creamy. Return back to the skillet if using a countertop blender. Add the cornmeal, stir, and continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper to your liking.
Distribute the beef mixture to ovenproof bowls, casserole dish, or Dutch oven. Add raisins if desired.
Spread the corn mixture over the top.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400⁰F.
To aid in browning, you may sprinkle the top with granulated sugar. Bake 25 minutes and until bubbly and the top is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.
In a medium-sized bowl, add the onion and sprinkle with salt. Toss to combine; set aside for 15 minutes or more.
Rinse onion with cold water and drain.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside until you can handle them. Remove the peel and slice in half. Remove the seeds and dice. Transfer to the bowl.
Add the garlic, olive oil, and juice of 1 lime. Toss, cover, and allow the pebre to marinate for 2 or more hours in the refrigerator.
Puree some or all of the sauce using a hand-blender or countertop blender, if you desire.
Serve the corn pie warm with a bowl of pebre sauce for topping and a salad.
Carmit – Customer Experience Expert
Carmit assists couples and their officiants in the pre-ordering and ordering stages, during the processing and production of their Ketubahs and even long after their Ketubah has been shipped. Carmit is also involved with ‘behind the scenes’ tasks like website development, product research and is in charge of our social/birthday club.
Carmit’s elevated charoset recipe…
“Growing up in Israel my best memories of Pesach always started when my saba brought each family 2 huge packets of Matzot.. and soon thereafter the cleaning started, painting the apartment and of course buying a new set of dishes (every year!). This recipe is something I started a few years ago and it is a family favourite (for those that are allergic to nuts AVOID IT like the plague!!). It is sweet and tangy and very thick like the mud that the Hebrews had to make long ago in Egypt.
Start with one jar of haroset (I prefer the Kinneret brand).
One granny smith apple – grated
chop handful of each – pistachios, walnuts and pecans
mix all together
My name is Janet and I am the Social Media Coordinator at Ketubah.com.
With a number of family favorite recipes we enjoy only on Passover, it was hard to choose just one, but Matzah Crack (as my family now likes to call it) definitely ranks at the top of the list. I remember trying this yumminess on Passover for the first time when I was a teen and how happy I was that someone figured out that simply swapping matzah for graham crackers was a genius idea. I also remember making it with my daughters for the first time and seeing the smiles on their faces was priceless. This recipe is from the amazing Bonnie Stern.
“Of all the ways to make matzo taste good for everyone, this is the best. Montreal cookbook author, Marcy Goldman, takes credit for inventing it in 1985, but it has taken on a life of its own now, with many variations and different names. It is addictive. And you don’t have to be Jewish to love it.”
CARAMEL MATZO CRUNCH
Note: If you make this with gluten-free matzo, which breaks up easily, don’t worry — just overlap the pieces slightly and do your best. It will be delicious.
Ingredients:
6 pieces regular matzo (about 7×6-inches)
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups chopped semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large, about 12×18-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange matzos in a single layer on foil — don’t worry if it overlaps.
Place butter and brown sugar in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook a few minutes or until mixture comes together and does not look oily. Pour mixture over the matzos as evenly as possible. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until mixture is bubbling.
When matzo comes out of the oven sprinkle with chocolate. Allow to rest 4 to 5 minutes. With a knife, spread chocolate as evenly
as possible.
Chill until the chocolate and the caramel are set. Break or cut into pieces. Don’t worry if they aren’t perfect.
Makes about 40 pieces but there’s never enough!
From our Ketubah.com family to yours, we hope you enjoy our recipes and wish you a safe and Happy Passover.
Note: During Passover many dietary restrictions apply depending on family traditions and levels of observance. If you have questions please contact your local Rabbinic authority.
