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Classic Gefilte Fish
Makes 24 pieces, about 12 servings
Homemade gefilte fish is the pride of many Jewish cooks—particularly those of Eastern European heritage. This version is from food columnist Florence Fabricant, whose authoritative articles and recipes are an essential part of The Times's Dining section.
3 pounds fish fillets, preferably 1 pound each, such as whitefish, pike and carp, cut in 1-inch squares
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1/3 cup matzoh meal
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup dry white wine or water
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 quart Fish Stock
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
Prepared horseradish
1. In a food processor, grind the fish, but not too finely. This should be done in two batches, about 24 pulses each. In a bowl, mix the fish with the onion, garlic, parsley, matzoh meal, lemon juice, wine or water and eggs and egg whites. Season with salt and pepper. Do not underseason. The best way to check the seasonings is to poach a small amount of the mixture in simmering water and taste.
2. In a large pan, bring the stock to a simmer.
3. Keeping your hands wet with cold water, form the fish mixture into oval patties about 3 inches long. Slip as many as will fit comfortably into the pan, and poach for 30 minutes. Remove and drain, and continue poaching the rest. When all the fish is cooked, transfer it to a bowl or serving dish. Add the carrot slices to the stock and simmer 10 minutes. Remove themwith a slotted spoon and scatter them over the fish. Refrigerate.
4.Boil down the cooking liquid until it is reduced to about 3 cups. Strain through a fine strainer. Spoon some over the cooled fish. Refrigerate the rest. It should jell. Skim the fat off the surface.
5. Serve the fish cold with horseradish and jellied broth on the side.
Carol Wolk's Prize-Winning Matzoh Balls
Makes 18 large matzoh balls
This recipe won the grand prize in 1988 at the first Matzoh Bowl, a contest held by the Stage Delicatessen in Manhattan. If you're sensitive to salt, you may want to reduce the quantity to 1 tablespoon or less.
8 cups plus 1 tablespoon chicken broth
1 1/4 cups matzoh meal
5 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon vodka
2 tablespoons club soda
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1. Place the 8 cups chicken broth in a deep pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine the matzoh meal and eggs. Add the salt, vodka, club soda, remaining 1 tablespoon chicken broth and vegetable oil. Mix well. Put in the freezer for 45 minutes.
2. Use 2 tablespoons to form matzoh balls that are about 2 inches in diameter. When the broth is hot but not yet boiling, use a slotted spoon to place each ball into the soup. Cover the pot, cook for 40 minutes and serve.
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Anne Rosenzweig's Haroseth (pareve)
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Anne Rosenzweig, one of New York City's outstanding restaurateurs, created a version of haroseth that says reminds her "not only of slavery and freedom in Egypt, but also of spring in the United States. That's why I added rhubarb."
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup diced rhubarb (see Note)
1 cup Reisling or other off-dry white wine
1 cup toasted pecans (see Note)
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 cup diced jícama
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1. In a saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the rhubarb, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until soft but still crunchy. Drain and cool.
2. In another saucepan, cook the wine over high heat until it is reduced to 1/4 cup. In a food processor, combine the reduced wine, pecans, apple, jícama, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and rhubarb, and pulse 2 or 3 times. Remove tobowl. If desired, add a little more sugar.
NOTE: To toast nuts, preheat oven to 450°F. Place nuts on a cookie sheet on the middle rack and toast for 4 to 5 minutes. Shake pan occasionally and watch nuts to make sure they don't burn. Remove nuts from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
NOTE: When buying rhubarb look for firm, shiny stalks. Take care to trim off any leaves because they contain high concentrations of oxalic acid, which can be toxic. Do not remove the strings from the stalks because they hold most of the color and will dissolve during cooking.
Braised Moroccan-Style Lamb with Almonds, Prunes, and Dried Apricots (meat)
Adapted from Adventures in the Kitchen
Makes 8 servings
In this recipe, Wolfgang Puck combines almonds, dried prunes, and apricots with lamb to create an extremely festive and tasty dish.
1 boned and trimmed lamb shoulder, about 2 pounds
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups lamp or low-sodium chicken broth, plus up to 1/2 cup, if needed
1 medium tomato, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 cup blanched whole almonds, lightly toasted
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup dried apricots
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Lay the lamb out, skin side down, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper and the thyme. Roll and tie well with butcher's string. Sprinkle the outside with 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large ovenproof casserole. Add the lamb and cook over medium-high heat until browned on all sides. Remove the lamb from the casserole.
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the casserole. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining teaspoon cumin, the rosemary and the red wine. Bring to a boil and cook about 3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping browned bits off the bottom of the casserole. Stir in the broth, tomato, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Return the lamb to the casserole, cover, place in the oven and bake until meat is almost tender, about 1 hour.
5. Remove the casserole from the oven and take out the meat. Remove the vegetables from the pot with a slotted spoon and place them in a blender. Blend until smooth. Scrape the mixture back into the pot and stir well. Place over medium heat and cook about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Return the meat to the sauce and surround with the almonds, prunes, and apricots. Cover and bake until the meat is very tender and the fruit is soft, about 15 minutes.
6. Remove the lamb from the casserole, cut and remove the string and cut the lamb into thin slices. If the sauce is too thick, thin with a little additional broth. Divide the lamb among 8 plates and spoon some sauce over the top. Serve immediately, passing any remaining sauce separately.
Maida Heatter's Chocolate Walnut Torte (pareve)
Adapted from Maida Heatter's Great Chocolate Desserts
Makes 6 to 8 servings
A rich chocolate sponge nut cake from an acclaimed baker.
12 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
8 ounces walnuts, finely ground
Pinch of salt
Confectioners sugar for decoration (optional)
Melted semisweet chocolate for decoration (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with 1/2 cup of sugar until well blended, about 2 minutes, at high speed in an electric mixer. Beat in the chocolate and fold in half the nuts. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until very softly peaked, then gradually beat in the remaining sugar and continue beating until the egg whites hold firm peaks but are not dry.
4. Stir a little of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in about half the remaining egg whites. Finally fold in the remaining nuts and the rest of the egg whites.
5. Spoon the mixture into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and turn upside down on a rack or suspend, upside down, over the neck of a bottle until completely cooled. Use a knife with a thin, stiff blade to loosen the cake from the pan by running the knife carefully and closely along the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. It may be dusted with confectioners' sugar or drizzled with a lacework of melted chocolate.
Recipes from The New York Times Passover Cookbook, edited by Linda Amster, copyright © 1999 by The New York Times. All rights reserved.
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