The weeklong holiday of Passover begins on Wednesday evening, April 1.
The Passover Seder, the dinner that begins with a ritual tasting of special foods including leafy greens and fresh herbs, varies according to the family’s traditions. Different ingredients are displayed on the household Seder plate, which often has sections labeled with the names of the symbolic foods. My mother’s family was originally from Poland, and on our family’s Seder plate she placed celery or parsley to represent springtime. Horseradish was the bitter herb on that plate, a reminder of the hardships of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt.
My mother-in-law served romaine lettuce leaves as bitter herbs, or picked seasonal bitter herbs such as mustard greens and dandelion greens. Some eat these sharp seasonal greens with haroset, a sweet mixture of fruits and nuts, to balance their bitterness.
We enjoy a variety of greens, herbs and spring vegetables throughout our festive Passover dinner. To add a sweet touch, we add fruits like tangy-sweet kumquats in our potato salad and Asian pears in our Napa cabbage slaw.
French Vegetable Soup with Chervil
A highlight of this soup is the aromatic, flavorful, fresh chervil, which brings to us fond memories of the aromas and flavors of France.
You can use ordinary mushrooms, or to make it more festive, add bunapi mushrooms (white beech mushrooms), which have a lovely, firm texture and a somewhat nutty flavor.
The soup is based on a recipe in “La Grande Cuisine Minceur” by Michel Guérard.
Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 ounces carrots
1 ounce white part of leek
1 ounce celery or celeriac
2 ounces button mushrooms or bunapi (white beech) mushrooms
5 to 5 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
3 ounces (coarsely chopped baby tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped chervil
1 sprig tarragon, leaves removed, chopped
DIRECTIONS
1. Cut the vegetables — carrots, white part of leek, celery and button mushrooms — in thin strips or dice. If using bunapi mushrooms, cut them from the root base, separating stalks into bite-sized pieces.
2. Bring stock to a boil; season with salt and pepper.
3. Add vegetables and cook them, partially covered, for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender but slightly firm. Add tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Serve hot or chilled, sprinkled with freshly chopped parsley, chervil and tarragon.
Carrot Soup with Harissa and Coconut
This easy-to-make vegan soup is a puree of carrots cooked with sauteed onions and garlic that gains heat from harissa and is enriched with creamy coconut milk that tames the spiciness. You might like to add bits of matzo to your soup. The recipe is from Ronnie Fein’s book, “Kosher Cooking for Beginners.”
Yield: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 to 2 tbsp grape seed or other vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced
3 to 4 cups vegetable stock
6 whole cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons harissa, or to taste
1 cup coconut milk (see Note)
Salt to taste
Toasted fresh coconut strips or shredded and toasted dried coconut (optional garnish)
Note: Ronnie Fein prefers canned coconut to the refrigerator case type because it’s thicker and more concentrated.
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and carrots and cook briefly.
2. Add stock and cloves, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook, partially covered, for 25 minutes or until carrots are soft. Remove cloves.
3. Puree soup in a food processor or blender (or use a hand blender). Return soup to pan. Whisk in harissa. Stir in coconut milk. Bring soup to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve garnished with toasted coconut.
Cucumbers with Yogurt and Fresh Dill
This salad is based on the recipe for Cucumber with Sour Cream from “The New Ukrainian Cookbook” by Annette Ogrodnik Corona.
The recipe calls for generously salting slices of large cucumbers and leaving them to drain and soften. Since I use tender mini cucumbers, I skip this step. Instead of sour cream, I use rich, creamy whole milk yogurt, which is so good with super-fresh, fragrant dill.
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
6 mini cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 cup (generous) whole milk yogurt
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Corso Pepper (optional garnish) (see Note)
Sprigs of dill (garnish)
Note: Corso Pepper is hand-cracked flakes of Tellicherry pepper, which gives the creamy dressing a peppery kick.
DIRECTIONS
1. Put the cucumbers in a large salad bowl and add the onion, dill, vinegar and yogurt; toss gently. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour, then toss again and season with salt and pepper.
2. Serve garnished with Corso Pepper and sprigs of fresh dill.
Sesame Potato Salad with Kumquats
Kumquat slices, sesame seeds and a colorful selection of potatoes make this salad festive.The dressing is inspired by the sesame vinaigrette in “The Global Pantry Cookbook” by Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray.
Yield: 4 or 5 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds small potatoes, preferably baby Dutch Yellow and Dutch Blue potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, preferably Korean
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon gochugaru (coarsely ground Korean red pepper), piment d’Espelette, Aleppo pepper or cayenne
About 8 romaine leaves (for lettuce bed)
1/3 cup red onion slivers
2 kumquats, sliced
Sesame seeds (for sprinkling)
DIRECTIONS
1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan. Add water to cover and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Drain; let stand for 2 minutes. Cut potatoes in halves or quarters.
2. In a small jar, combine canola oil, vinegar, sesame oil, salt and gochugaru or other red pepper. Shake vigorously until well combined and emulsified. Drizzle dressing over potatoes; toss gently to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for one or two hours.
3. Spoon potato salad onto bed of romaine. Top with onion slivers and kumquat slices. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Kohlrabi Salad with Kohlrabi Greens Pesto
Kohlrabi is an unusual-looking vegetable that tastes like a cross between broccoli and radish. This recipe, from “The What to Eat When Cookbook” by Michael F. Roizen, Michael Crupain and Jim Perko, Sr., makes use of the whole vegetable — roots to stems, and is the best way to get all its phytonutrients. This salad makes use of kohlrabi both raw and cooked, melding the cooked bulb’s sweetness with the crisp stems. The leaves make tasty pesto; you’ll have extra for another dish.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 bunch medium-size kohlrabi (about 1½ pounds), with fresh-looking greens attached
2 tablespoons plus ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
8 walnuts, toasted
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Red walnuts (optional garnish)
DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt.
2. Cut kohlrabi bulb from stems. Cut bottoms of stems from leaves.
3. Prepare a bowl of cold water. Cook leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds. Using tongs, transfer leaves to cold water. When cool, dry them in a salad spinner. Coarsely chop them.
4. Add stems to boiling water; cook until soft but not mushy, about 15 minutes. Using tongs, transfer stems to a clean work surface. When cool enough to handle, cut stems in 1-inch pieces.
5. Peel tough outer skin of bulbs. Cut half the bulbs into ½-inch dice and rest into thin rounds using a knife or mandoline.
6. In a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add diced kohlrabi and cooked stems. Sauté until slightly softened and golden brown in spots, about 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat; let cool.
7. Pesto: In a food processor, combine walnuts, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt. Process to a thick paste. Add chopped kohlrabi leaves and lemon juice; process until mixture is finely chopped. Gradually add ½ cup olive oil and process pesto (mixture may not be completely smooth).
8. For salad: In a serving bowl, combine raw sliced kohlrabi and cooked diced kohlrabi and stems. Season with salt and pepper, then add 1/2 cup pesto. Toss, garnish with walnuts and serve.
Asian Pear Slaw
This savory-sweet salad, inspired by a recipe from Chef Tom Fraker of Melissa’s Produce, makes a delightful beginning to a Passover menu. It is good when made with crisp yellow-skinned Sand Pears or with Butterscotch (Korean) Pears, which are sweeter and can be cut in advance without discoloring.
Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 Butterscotch (Korean) pears or Sand Pears
3 cups shredded Napa cabbage
1/4 to 1/2 sweet onion, diced small
2 green onions, cut in thin rounds
1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 1 /2 teaspoons white vinegar, or to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
2 or 3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. In a bowl, combine the pears, cabbage and both kinds of onions.
2. In another bowl, combine the yogurt, rice vinegar, white vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well and add to the other bowl.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld. Adjust the seasonings and serve.
Broccoli Salad with Pecans and Dried Cranberries
You can make this savory-sweet salad with briefly cooked or frozen broccoli instead of raw florets, or substitute other vegetables like cauliflower florets, chopped kale, shredded carrots or chopped celery.
It’s inspired by a recipe by Kristyn Merkley, author of “Lil Luna: So Easy & So Yummy!” She loves it for potlucks and family dinners.
Instead of the sweet-sour mayonnaise dressing, I make a lighter dressing of extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice and freshly ground rainbow peppercorns. I substitute Hatch Pepper Pecans for the bacon.
Yield: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
7 cups chopped broccoli florets
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup shelled sunflower kernels, raw or roasted
1/2 cup spiced pecans
DIRECTIONS
1. In a bowl, whisk olive oil with lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Combine broccoli and dried cranberries; add enough dressing to moisten broccoli. Stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
3. Before serving, stir in sunflower kernels. Serve garnished with spiced pecans.
Faye Levy is the author of 1,000 Jewish Recipes.