Passover 2012 Recipes

~ Passover 2012 - Our Menu ~

Salad:

Field greens with chopped walnuts, apples, red grapes, celery, crumbled goat cheese and balsamic dressing

Main Course:

Lamb: Roasted Herb-Stuffed Leg of Lamb

Unleavened Bread: Matzah

Bitter Herbs: Grated Horseradish

Haroset

Roasted Beets

Bulgur Salad with Cucumber & Red Grapes

Dessert:

Honey-Glazed Pears, over vanilla frozen yogurt

~ Recipes ~

Unleavened Bread - Matzah: The Bread of Affliction

Due to the desired lack of leavening time, you must limit the quantity used in this recipe to 1 cup of flour per batch.

Ingredients (per batch)

1 cup wheat flour (do not heap)

1/3 cup cold water (may have to add an additional tablespoon of water)

Kosher Salt (crushed to the size of table salt)

Olive oil (for anointing the wafters)

Directions (read before beginning)

Preheat oven to 475 and place a heavy baking sheet in the oven so it will become preheated.

Dust a clean work surface and a rolling pin with a little flour.

Add 1 cup of flour into a mixing bowl and set timer for 18 minutes.

Start the timer when you begin to mix. Gradually add the 1/3 cup of water, stirring rapidly with a fork. Form the dough into a ball, and knead until the dough is smooth. This mixing should take under 2 minutes.

Divide the dough into 6 equally sized balls. Flatten each ball between your hands, lightly dust with flour and place on the lightly floured surface.

First roll each ball into a 3-inch pancake shape, and then increase the size of each piece one inch at a time until all the pieces are approximately 6-inches in diameter. Note: Rolling each piece in stages gives the gluten in the dough a chance to relax between rollings, thus making it easier to roll out.

Quickly and uniformly prick each piece of dough 25 times with a fork. Turn each piece over and prick another 25 times. Be sure to make holes, not just indentations. This will help to keep the dough from fermenting before it bakes.

Remove the preheated baking sheet.

With 5 minutes left on the timer, quickly but gently place the flattened rounds of dough on the preheated baking sheet, and place on a rack near the top of the oven. Bake until the matzah is lightly brown and crisp.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Anoint (brush) with olive oil and salt generously like a cracker.

Roasted Herb-Stuffed Leg of Lamb

Note: Ask the butcher to bone & butterfly the leg of lamb.

Ingredients

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint

1/2 cup chopped fresh italian parsley

1/3 cup olive oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 six-pound boned & butterflied leg of lamb (about 7 pounds before boning)

coarse kosher salt and pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup beef broth or water

Directions

Stir chopped mint and next 4 ingredients in small bowl. Place lamb, boned side up, on work surface. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread herb mixture; roll up from long side, tie at 2-inch intervals. Rub lamb with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead (cover & chill).

Preheat oven to 450. Place lamb in roasting pan. Roast uncovered until thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 130-135 F for medium-rare, about 50-minutes. Transfer to platter; let rest 15-minutes.

Add wine and broth to pan. Stir up browned bits over high heat. Pour pan juices into small bowl.

Remove strings from lamb; cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Serve with pan juices.

Serves: 8

Haroset

Ingredients

4 large apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped (don't use food processor - the apples get too mushy)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup sweet Passover wine

Directions

Toss the apple with the lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Add the nuts, sugar, honey, cinnamon and wine and toss gently, mixing well.

This can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.

Yield: 4 cups

Roasted Beets

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds beets (1 bunch)

1 tablespoon olive oil

coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven 450.

Place beets, scrubbed, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges, on a large piece of foil on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Fold foil around beets and crimp ends to form a packet.

Roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 25-30 minutes.

Can be easily doubled for more servings.

Bulgur Salad with Cucumbers & Red Grapes

Ingredients

1 cup bulgur wheat

salt and pepper

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 cup halved seedless red grapes

juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

In small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Stir in the bulgar and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover and and let stand until the water is absorbed, about 30-minutes.

Transfer bulgar to a bowl. Stir in the cucumber, grapes, lemon juice, olive oil and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

Honey-Glazed Pears

Ingredients

4 un-peeled pears (any variety)

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 cup honey

juice of 1/4 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut pears into bite-sized chunks and place them into an 8x8-inch baking pan.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over pears.

Cover the pears and bake for 20-minutes.

Remove the cover and baste the pears with the pan juices. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 25 minutes or until the pears are tender.

Serve the pears warm or a room temperature over vanilla frozen yogurt and top with chopped nuts if desired.

4 servings.