The widely-celebrated Jewish holiday of Passover starts on the evening of Wednesday, April 5. Often celebrated for eight days, the holiday (also known as Pesach) commemorates the Biblical Exodus story of the Israelites’ escape from slavery in Egypt, but also invokes themes of springtime, renewal, togetherness, social justice, freedom, and recognizing those are still oppressed today.
The first two nights are typically celebrated with a Passover seder, a feast incorporating storytelling, religious rituals, and special foods that are as tasty as they are symbolic. For those who observe, all types of leavened bread, leavened baked goods, and grains that can ferment and become leavened — such as wheat, barley, spelt and rye, legumes, and (for Ashkenazi Jews) rice, corn, oats, and buckwheat — will be forbidden for the next week.
What should you eat instead? Here are a few recipes for your seder (or for any Passover meal) to commemorate the sacrifice without sacrificing flavor.
And if you want a little edification, check out these segments:
Evan Kleiman’s Vegan Matzo Balls
The matzo balls in this soup can be made without eggs and schmaltz. Courtesy of Shutterstock
When Good Food fans wanted to know how to make vegan matzo balls, host Evan Kleiman went looking. They're hard to do well, because most of what makes matzo balls good are the eggs and the schmaltz (chicken fat). But she found a Washington Post recipe that uses potatoes and modified it to make legitimately great plant-based matzo balls.
Pesce in Carpione (instead of Gefilte Fish)
Gefilte fish gets a bad rap, even though it's just a poached fish croquette. So for more than 20 years at Angeli Caffe's annual Passover dinner, Kleiman served Pesce in Carpione instead. This dish of marinated white fish with caramelized onions comes from the Italian culinary tradition of agrodolce — sweet and sour. It harkens back to the times when vinegar was used to preserve food, with caramelized onions balancing the tart vinegar.
Haroset
Haroset, a sweet relish made of nuts and fruits, is one of the six symbolic foods on the Passover seder plate. Courtesy of Shutterstock
Evan learned this recipe decades ago from noted food stylist Victoria Granof, who laid out a Sephardi Passover table. Fresh, sweet, and complex, these harosets (or charosets) can be made spicy thanks to powdered chiles. You might want to prepare a batch without the heat so everyone can enjoy them. Pro tip: Once Passover is over, the leftovers can be used as filling in homemade Fig Newtons.
Matzo Lasagna (a.k.a. Mazzagna or Tortino di Azzime)
Mazzagna, lasagna made with matzo crackers instead of pasta, makes a great Passover dish. Photo by Evan Kleiman
Didn't think you could have pasta during Passover week? Think again. After a quick dip in water, those giant, square-shaped matzo crackers are perfect for layering in a lasagna instead of noodles. You can make this version with either a meat or a vegetable sauce. If you're keeping kosher or doing a traditional meat meal, leave out the parmesan. Best of all, much of this "mazzagna" can be made in advance.
Artichokes Jewish Style (a.k.a. Carciofi alla Giudia)
Make sure to use baby artichokes for when you make Carciofi alla Giudia. Photo by Evan Kleiman
The key to this dish is using large baby artichokes and blanching them so the leaves will more easily bend outward. The resulting is meaty and vegetal, crisp and yielding, subtle and sharp, thanks to the drizzle of lemon juice.
Roasted Carrot and Sweet Potato Tzimmes
Tzimmes are a classic Passover dish. Courtesy of Shutterstock
This recipe comes from Amelia Saltsman, author of “The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook.” Tzimmes is a traditional Ashkenazi root vegetable stew, an easy-to-make vegetarian dish that pairs well with brisket or chicken. It’s sweetened with prunes or dried plums in orange juice, which brightens the tzimmes without adding refined sugar.
Spring Vegetable Sauté (a.k.a. Cianfotta)
Add some green to your Passover table with this dish. Photo by Evan Kleiman
Passover falls at the start of spring, so why not bring some of that fresh green produce to your seder meal? This veggie sauté is delicious and reminds us of the renewal that this season brings. In Italy, this all-purpose dish known as cianfotta changes with the seasons and can be served as a side. For a one course dinner, add a handful of toasted pine nuts or almonds and a bit of soft or aged goat cheese. You can also throw in baby artichokes.
Evan Kleiman's Pot Roast
A classic pot roast is always a crowd-pleaser. Photo by Yvonne Lee Harijanto/Unsplash
How do you transform your pot roast from decent (or barely edible) to exceptional? It's all about the vinegar-sugar combo that yields a sweet-and-sour juxtaposition of flavors.
Matzo Brei, Two Ways
What even is matzo brei? "It's basically deconstructed French Toast, with soft, doughy matzo, gooey eggs, and whatever accompaniments you have on hand,” writes Good Food contributor Sarah Rogozen. “I like to add raisins for sweetness and vegetables for vitamins. Or, matzo brei is fried and crunchy and topped with maple syrup."
She offers us two recipes, one from her mother's side of the family and one from her father's. Don't ask her to choose. She loves both versions.
Flourless Mexican Chocolate Cookies
The prohibition on leavened baked goods doesn't mean you can't have dessert. These intense, flourless Mexican chocolate cookies are a great option, both for Passover and for gluten-free eaters.
"They are deeply chocolatey and take well to experimentation with additional flavors," Kleiman says. She recommends adding almonds, cinnamon, a hint of coffee, or a fruity liqueur.
Passover Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon meringue pie can be made in a way that doesn't violate Passover dietary restrictions and pleases gluten-free eaters. Photo by Alex Lvrs/Unsplash
If you're passionate about pie (and you know how we feel about pie here at Good Food), you don't have to forgo it during Passover. Here's another gluten-free dessert, and it isn't hard to make. The trick is timing the filling and the meringue. The filling must be hot (or at least very warm) before you add the meringue.