Passover and Easter Hits

Every year around the time I get to Passover I am overwhelmed by mixed feelings. On the one hand, gratitude and joy that I made it through another harsh German/ Belgian/ Serbian winter and can start to feel the sun on my face again. On the other hand, shock that its time to plan another Passover dinner after what feels like approximately 2 weeks. I guess I like this time of year so much that it always seems close.

At any rate, this year I'm in Belgrade (as I may have mentioned) so I'm probably more likely to attend a Seder than to host one. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't! Here are a few hits from Easters and Passover's past that you might find useful in menu planning for your special holiday.

Stuffed Mushrooms- A great appetizer or side, sprinkled with matzoh meal, nooch, or soy cheese.

Roasted Beets with Walnut Garlic Dressing-A toothy, rich dressing which brings simple roasted beets to life. Perfect side for either holiday.

 Brussels Sprouts Hash- Shredded or loosely chopped Brussels sprouts with apples, nuts, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Make a bunch in a giant wok for a tasty side.

Lemongrass Matzoh Ball Soup- I made this broth last year (minus the chicken, obvs) and it was a HUGE hit. Elegant, delicious, and easily made the day before. Plus the video makes it easy to follow. Add some mushrooms for body, and use the vegan matzoh ball recipe of your choice.

Wild Mushroom and Leek Farfel Kugel (sub silken tofu for eggs)

For some reason I can't get this photo to turn around... oh well

Lemon Asparagus Risotto- Perfect Easter main, using the fresh new asparagus of the season. For apps you could do Morrocan spiced carrot dip from V'Con and onion dip (caramlized onions + soy sour cream), then serve this risotto with a side salad topped with diced plums and caramelized fennel (below) and a big carrot cake for dessert. Boom! Done.

For Easter you could also make pierogies from Vegan Brunch! They certainly make any day special, and you can film them with tons of delicious stuffings and serve them with great salads and dips.

Eggplant Potato Moussaka from V'Con is also an excellent choice for either Passover or Easter. I served this last year to general delight.

Egg Free Macaroons are a nice ending to a Passover Seder, with some chocolate dipped strawberries and coffee.

And a fluffy coconut cake is a great ending to a nice Easter! I made Isa's version from Vegan With a Vengeance a few years ago and it was fabulous. (I know, I know, I rely heavily on PPK cookbooks for holidays, but my friends, the high holidays are no time for improvisation in the kitchen.)

For more ideas, mine Epicurious for veganizable gems and instructional videos, check out the Post Punk Kitchen for many priceless recipes, and see my menu page where I have a few examples of complete menus from Holidays past.

Wow, this whole discussion is making me insanely hungry. Think I'm going to go get a falafel wrap and orange carrot juice from the insanely great Schwarma restaurant down the street. Happy holidays!

Song of the Day: Wolf Gang- The King and all his men

Passover: Success!

Well, what can I say? You freak out, go to 15 different grocery stores, jabber indecisively about menus for 2 weeks, and cook for 2 days straight, and then you have a success! That's Passover, baby. Its a pain in the ass, but its worth it.

All my Germans (that's also the title of my new soap opera, btw, "All My Germans") showed up on time and ready to be educated about what, exactly, a Seder is. They were rather shocked that it was pretty straight-forward and undemanding- we had the Haggadahs printed out (I'm not fancy enough to have 12 of my own) and my friend Kat and I did most of the reading, saving the "read-along" portion for the all-important Passover story, ie, the tale of the Jews departure from Egypt. As not everyone speaks English that fantastically, we gave the option that anyone who didn't want to read a paragraph could just say "passover"! But actually, everyone did read and even discussed afterward. It was a dream-Seder, actually, and no one complained about the hour of dipping and reading preceding the meal.

And speaking of the meal, everything shockingly came together on time! It helped that I had made about half of the items before, but still I was thrilled that there wasn't a last minute moussaka induced panic-attack, or similar. For the matzoh ball soup, I made a lemongrass-ginger-kaffir lime broth this year, with plenty of mushrooms for depth. It worked wonderfully with the fluffy matzoh balls, and was arguably the hit of the meal. (Below, a couple of my lovely friends enjoying.)


As for the rest, I wasn't fantastic about getting pics with all of the action, but you can kind of glean what was served from my leftover plate, minus the moussaka.

Clockwise, matzoh, cucumber dip from V'Con, Quinoa-Tzimmes Tagine with carrots, sweet potatoes and apricots, and apple-walnut charoset. Not pictured, mushrooms stuffed with shallots and garlic, Eggplant Potato Moussaka from V'Con, and chocolate mousse provided by a friend for dessert.

All in all, I was very pleased with the turnout, both guest-wise and food-wise. It was a great way to say a temporary good-bye to Berlin and give my friends a little demo of both Judaism and veganism. I hope they had as much fun as I did!

Next year in Budapest?

Pre-Passover Freakout!

Here's a photo of our window herb-garden blooming to represent the fact that: it's Spring! That's nice and all, but I am in a total tizzy! In two weeks I'll be heading back to the USA for an extended visit, and then coming back to Berlin only to head directly to Budapest for a summer internship. In the meantime, there's Passover, Easter, a ton of friend's birthdays, and all the normal stresses associated with being a cleaning lady.

But, I am trying to put off the freakouts just a little bit longer and approach the coming madness with the sort of non-chalance that I am known for. (Not.)

In the meantime I've been having some casual meals like the one pictured above: my take on blini w/ caviar. My friends and I made these little pancakes w/ a bit of onion mixed in, then topped them with a sauteed mince of mushroom and peppers laced with balsamic and soy sauce to make it a bit salty. On top, a dollop of soy yogurt (sour cream would also be nice) and spring onions. Perfect fancy little dinner.

And now onto Pesach! Every year I plan a huge Passover Seder and every year I end up freaking out! This year is no different. I'm having 12-15 Berliners over, only one of whom is Jewish, and trying to not only teach them about Passover but also do the whole thing vegan for a bunch of avowed meat-eaters. Yikes. I am trying to avoid major problems this year in 3 ways:
-testing out a few new recipes beforehand
-making about 1/2 the meal the day before
-doing some experimental combos that take some of the labor out of the traditional meal, and make it exotic enough that people don't even think about meat or dairy.

I hope it works! As you can see, I have a sort of Middle Eastern/ Sephardic theme going on, what with the orange and almond salad, tagine-esque quinoa, and various dips. This is also partially because of the unavailability (or expensiveness) of a lot ingredients I would normally use. However, there's still matzoh balls, so I guess its all ok.

At the end of the day, its one night of these people's lives, so if something goes wrong I am not going to freak out. But since I want people to walk away with a better understanding of both Judaism and Veganism, I am definitely feeling the pressure.

With that said, I present this year's potential Passover Seder Menu:

-Traditional Apple-Walnut Charoset
-V'Con Cucumber Dip
-Baba Ghanoush
-Kosher for passover Matzoh ball soup (recipe here or here) (ie, no tofu!)
-Giant Salad w/ Spinach, Arugula, Almonds and Orange slices and some sort of dressing
-Quinoa Tzimmes Tagine (?)
-This is an idea for a recipe that came to me which combines roasted root veggies and quinoa as a heartier, make-ahead side. It will be roasted chunks of sweet potatoes and carrots, added into a quinoa prepared with onions, garlic, ginger, and some morrocan-ish spices, ie, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon. On top will be some diced apricots.
-Eggplant Potato Moussaka w/ Pinenut Cream (from V'Con)
-Herbacious Leek and Mushroom Kugel (from years past)

And for dessert, coconut macaroons, expresso, and chocolate covered strawberries.

Ok, let me know what you think. Am I missing something? Is quinoa AND moussaka weird? Am I freaking out too much?

Anyways, if you are planning your own seder please feel free to peruse my archives:
-2010 "Dip" Seder
-2009 Seder with recipes that work for Easter and Passover

I'll post pictures afterwards to show you how it went!

Happy Spring!

Song of the Day: Get Down Moses- Joe Strummer

Delicious Leftovers

Just a quickie! With all the amazing food leftover from Passover I made a few delicious things: namely, matzoh brei from Vegan Brunch and a simple chocolate mousse from the leftover Cote'd'Or chocolate and silken tofu. (Melt chocolate+ add to blended tofu + a little coffee or vanilla.) Was great to spend a lazy day after passover messing around the house, leisurely cleaning up, listening to music, and munching on food with my friend Ted. The mousse was pretty decadent, but I must say I was completely knocked out by the Matzoh Brei. Everything Isa touches turns to gold! It's such a perfect breakfast with some coffee and orange juice.. worth keeping matzoh around all year for!

Passover

So I was really starting to freak out about how I was going to serve a full Passover Seder in my tiny apartment, with so few dishes and silverware to go around. Not to mention how was I going to make several hot dishes at once with two burners and a postage-stamp sized oven? But I had a brainstorm! Since Passover is all about dipping anyways (part of the tradition involves dipping vegetables into salt water), I would just make a variety of dips and finger food for everyone to share while relaxing and enjoying the conversation, which naturally revolved around the Haggadah (the story of the Jews flight from Egypt, which is traditionally read at the Seder.) Well, this ended up being a totally brilliant idea, and I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time and enjoyed the more casual atmosphere, more than they would have if I was freaking out.
The Menu:
-Charoset
-Cucumber Dip
-Curried Carrot Dip
-Red Pepper Dip
-Matzoh, fruits and veggies for dipping
-Stuffed Mushrooms
-Eggplant and Potato casserole
- Macaroons and home-made chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert

Having just recovered Veganomicon when my brother brought it from the US, I whipped up the Curried Carrot Dip and the Mediterranean-Style Cashew Cucumber Dip. Both were incredible, both on matzoh and with veggies, but I have to say that the Cucumber dip was a huge hit. Really cooling and garlicky and just delicious- would be a nice alternative to hummus. I also made the Red Pepper Tapenade that I recently made for a pizza topping, and that was also great.

Naturally, I made charoset, a mortar-like mixture of apples, walnuts, dates, honey (or in my case, agave), cinnamon and kosher wine. However, the omnipresent sugary Manischewitz wine was not widely available in Bxl, so I had to go with a Israeli white wine, which might have improved the flavor, but didn't die the mixture the characteristic red I'm used to. (I'm acting like this is no big deal now, but the day of I was like, "No manischevitz? WHAT IS THIS COUNTRY!!!?")

As for the stuffed mushrooms, I've made these a few times now and they are always supremely awesome and open to variations. Just make sure to make plenty, because otherwise you won't get to have any. (Take it from one who knows.)


Stuffed Mushrooms
-15-20 largish mushrooms
-2 tbs. olive oil
-1 yellow onion, diced tiny
-2 shallots, diced tiny
-balsamic vinegar or red or white wine
-matzoh meal or vegan cheese for topping

1. Clean each mushroom by wiping with a damp towel. Cut off the stems of each, then using a small spoon or paring knife, pop out the inside part of the stem so that each mushroom has an indentation that would fit about a teaspoon. (This takes practice, but you'll get the hang of it after a few.) Reserve the stems and the inside portions, and chop into small pieces. Place de-capped mushrooms on a greased cookie sheet.
2. Preheat oven to 350 farenheit, or 200 celcius. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium. Add in onions and shallots and cook until fragrant, then add in mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized and mushrooms are browning.
3. Next, add in a goodly splash of balsamic (or wine or sherry) to deglaze the pan. Cook for 3 more minutes then turn off the heat.
4. Now, using a small spoon, scoop the onion mixture into each mushroom a little bit at a time. (You will probably have leftover filling for snacking on.) When each is full, sprinkle a bit of matzoh meal or cheese on top and stick in the oven. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until mushrooms have browned.

All in all, it was one of my favorite Passover Seder's yet, and a really good confidence builder: if I can do one here, I can do one anywhere!


Song of the Day: Mika- Relax (Take it Easy)

Passover Roundup!

Passover dessert last year, at my dear friend Karen's house.

Passover always officially marks the beginning of Spring in my year. To me, the holiday is about remembering slavery and oppression, as well as trying to recognize it in our daily lives and the lives of those elsewhere on our planet. It is also about hope for future liberation, and in recognizing another year to do the work of making the world a better place. In that respect, I also find it very compatible with my feelings about being a vegetarian and working for equality and social justice. The awesome feast doesn't hurt, either.

Since Passover is so special to me, I think being in another country is no reason not to celebrate it. Sure, I have no idea where to find kosher wine or matzoh flour here in Belgium... but its gotta be available somewhere, and I will find it by Tuesday, when 7 people descend on my tiny cramped apartment demanding matzoh ball soup. Until then, I am scouring the internet for awesome recipes that can be made with my limited funds, space, and ingredients.

Here's some of the great stuff I've found for those of you hosting your own seder, or just wanting to contribute a vegan dish to one you might be going to. (Nicely, since vegan food contains no dairy, you are safe bringing these dishes to a Seder regardless of whether its a meat or dairy one!)
*******

The Times has a Mark Bittman recipe for... wait for it... making your own matzoh! Not quite sure my kitchen can handle it (500 degrees on a glorified toaster oven?) but I'm very tempted to try.

Over at Tofu Mom's site she has a recipe for vegan matzoh balls (just leave out the leavening to make it kosher for Passover.) Damn if she doesn't always post a recipe I need the week before I need it! As for the soup, here is a nice recipe for faux chicken soup if you don't have access to not-chicken broth.

At Not Derby Pie (non-vegan) there are a few nice veganizable recipes, and I am eying this Crisp Potato Eggplant Tart.

Epicurious has a Passover guide, like every year, and there are some great and multi-cultural ideas to be culled from it. I have tried their different versions of charoset every year, but the traditional apple and walnut version always wins. I should also mention that Epicurious has a lot of info on the Passover traditions, as well as videos of how to make a perfect matzoh ball. :)

Even PETA has a Passover guide, with a number of surprisingly appealing recipes, including tsimmes. (I don't mean to be snarky, but I've seen one too many nude models in lettuce leaves to be a huge PETA fan.)

...And naturally you are free to peruse the recipes I posted last year, including Coconut Macaroons, Cauliflower Leek Kugel, and Roasted Beets in Walnut Dressing.

I'll be sure to post what I eventually went with. Wish me luck!

BONUS: Jewschool always has thought-provoking posts this time of year, and here's a touching old Times article about Passover in Berlin.

Next year in Jerusalem!

Hope everyone is in the midst of a good Pesach or a happy Easter, or like me, both! I tried out a couple new recipes this year and was very pleased with the result, so this is a recipe heavy entry, at least where my blog is concerned.

Passover is a very special holiday to me, because its the first Jewish holiday I celebrated when I started to get in touch with my spiritual side (if you will) a few years back. That year, I actually went out and bought the materials for my own seder and had a little solo dinner- with a beet root subbing for the lamb shank and a parsnip for the egg. :) I knew that if I found it meaningful and exciting on my own, that I would really like it once I had some others, be it family or friends, to celebrate with.

Since that year I've hosted my own seder for 13 people, and had other years where, for whatever reason, I found myself pretty much on my own. But luckily this year I had no need to celebrate solo! My friend Karen had a seder at her house along with her fabulous roommates. I offered to make the charoset (an apple-nut mixture which is used on the Seder plate) and to bring a few vegan options. I decided to make the Cauliflower-Leek Kugel from VWAV and also to try to veganize some coconut macaroons, one of my fave desserts from years past. 

                       Vegan Macaroons alongside other goodies

I thought they turned out pretty decently, so here's the recipe.

*******************************************************************************

Passover Macaroons

1 Bag coconut (in the baking aisle)

6 T sugar

1  T arrowroot flour

2-3 egg replacer eggs (Ener-G brand works for me)

1 tsp. almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, mix together coconut and sugar. Toss together w/ arrowroot.

2. Add in wet ingredients and mix well with your hands. 

3. Drop by the tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet and bake until slightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Let them sit for a few minutes before carefully putting them to cool on a cookie sheet. (This is the part where they tend to fall apart, so use caution!)

************

At any rate, Karen's Seder went off, relatively, without a hitch. One of the cool things about Passover is that its a holiday that doesn't merely venerate the past, but rather asks participants to think about the present. In what forms does slavery still exist in the modern world, and what have we done in the past year to eradicate it? For me, in addition to being a sobering reminder about human trafficking and child soldiers, this always brings animals to mind. To look at our actions, it would appear that we consider animals objects who only exist to serve our needs and have no other purpose in life. Vegetarianism is a great way to reverse this treatment, but around Passover I always try to think about other ways to help the fight for animal liberation.  

But aside from philosophical considerations, its always nice to eat a big dinner with friends. And my charoset, a mixture of apples, walnuts, kosher wine, and figs (my secret ingredient!) went over great as well. So what if Karen and I kept the drinking going far past the proscribed 4 glasses with dinner...

I got to have a second holiday supper today, since part of my family celebrates Easter and part celebrates Passover. So tonight we had a sort-of Passover-friendly Easter dinner, and I took the opportunity to jazz up the kugel I served on wednesday and try out another dish I've been gunning for lately (with, you guessed it, beets.)

You see, I felt the cauliflower leek kugel, as is, is a bit bland for my tastes. I think its because I'm not so keen on dill, which is the main flavoring. So I changed it up a bit, and here's my new version, with mad props to both Isa and Bon Appetit (the source of the non vegan recipe.)
***************************

Cauliflower-Leek-Mushroom Kugel with Herb Crust

2 small heads cauliflower, cut into smallish pieces

3 (egg-free) matzohs

2 leeks, white parts only, well-rinsed

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

3/4 C. mushrooms, sliced

1 container silken tofu

1/2 C. almonds

1 tsp. agave nectar

Parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, cook cauliflower about 10 minutes, or until soft. When done, drain and put in a large bowl- mash it up!

2. While cauliflower is cooking, crumble up two of the matzohs into the food processor and grind into bread crumb consistency. Set aside. Then empty the silken tofu into the food processor and liquefy until creamy. Once the cauliflower is mashed, add the tofu and bread crumbs, using your hands to combine.

3. In a large saute pan, heat some olive oil over medium low heat. Add in garlic, sliced leeks, and onions. Cook until onions are transparent. Next, add in mushrooms, and cook 3-5 minutes more. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. 

4. Add leek-mushroom mixture into cauliflower mixture, combining with your hands. (You could put a little more salt and pepper in at this point if you wish.) Pour the whole thing into a lightly oiled casserole dish.

5. Now, for the topping: chop almonds coarsely and put into a bowl. Crumble the third matzoh in there with them. Then, chop a good amount of parsley (maybe a third a cup) and add that in there as well. Drizzle with olive oil and 1 tsp. agave nectar, and mix it up with your hands. Sprinkle this mixture over the casserole until it is covered.

6. Cook for about 40 minutes and let stand a few minutes before serving. :)

*****************************

This last dish has no symbolic meaning for Pesach or Easter, but I saw some delicious looking golden beets at the grocery store the other day and I.... I just couldn't help myself. I was inspired to try a walnut dressing from Mark Bittman's preparation in the Times last month, and this turned out just great. Basically, roasted beets are coated in a simple dressing of walnuts, roasted garlic and olive oil, to which I added a little bit of lemon juice and agave nectar. It turned out fabulous.

*********************************

Roasted Beets with Walnut-Garlic Dressing

1/4 C. Olive Oil

5-6 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 C. walnuts

Juice from one lemon

1 T. Agave nectar, or 1 T brown sugar

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in whole garlic cloves, and let them roast until browned on all sides.

2. Add in walnuts and cook a few minutes longer, until lightly browned.

3. Remove from heat and wait a few minutes before adding to a small food processor. Add in lemon juice, agave or brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Grind until no large pieces remain.

4. Toss with chopped beats and serve at room temp. YUM! (This is also nice over mixed greens for the leftovers.)

*******************

I hope everybody's holiday was as fun and full of leftovers as mine was! 

Song of the Day: Metric- Gimme Sympathy