The Jewish holiday of Passover has many dietary restrictions, the most famous being unleavened bread.
But what about (kosher) meat? Unless you’re a vegetarian or vegan, it’s fair game.
The Passover seder (a ritual meal held over two nights starting April 22) includes schmaltz-enriched matzo balls, gefilte fish, golden chicken soup, and often a meat main. Some foods also contain a lot of animal protein. But two new cookbooks offer a wide range of recipes that incorporate different traditions and create new recipes.
Jewish Holiday Tables: A World of Recipes, Traditions, and Stories Celebrated All Year Round, by Naama Shefi and the nonprofit Jewish Culinary Institute, divides the year into seasons and holidays, with menus from contributors around the world. Published. Passover, which heralds spring, gives home cooks a ticket to the Soviet Union, Mexico, Yemen, Turkey, and Morocco through family travel and stories.
For contributor Alexandra Zorn’s family in Mexico City, Passover has always meant the presence of Mina. These flavorful pies start with a layer of matzah (unleavened bread) and are topped with meat, vegetables, or, in the quiche-like Mina de Espinaca, spinach, cheese, and potato fillings.
Gefilte fish is a love-hate appetizer at many Ashkenazi Jewish tables. In “Nosh: Plant-Based Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cooking,” nutritionist Mika Shiva shares plant-based alternatives to the fish patties her great-grandmother used to make.
Her vegan “gefilte” cake is made from a mixture of cauliflower, root vegetables, and cashews, and sushi nori adds a touch of ocean flavor.
For Shiva, making a vegan version of gefilte fish was an essential part of the holiday celebration. “I couldn’t create a Jewish cookbook without paying homage to this family tradition.”
Vegan “gefilte” cake
Make 10 cakes.
“Gefilte fish is a delicacy in my family. My great-grandmother Frida was famous for her recipe, which my mother and grandmother spent years trying to recreate. It has been conveyed orally in small amounts (“a little”). After years of hard work, I couldn’t create a Jewish cookbook without paying homage to this family tradition. I created a vegan recipe that mixes vegetables, seaweed, and spices to mimic that flavor. Frida’s gefilte texture. ” From Nosh: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Juicies by Mika Shiva (Simon & Schuster, 2024). Note: Gefilte cake can be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil in a 400°F oven until heated through. Variations: Instead of nori, you can use 1 tablespoon of dulse flakes, 2 tablespoons of furikake, or 2 tablespoons of kelp granules.
• 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cauliflower, cut into florets.
• 1 medium parsnip, peeled and coarsely chopped.
• 1 medium-sized russet potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 white onion (coarsely chopped)
• 1/4 c.raw cashew nuts
• 1 piece of finely chopped sushi seaweed (see notes)
• 1/4 c.pine meal
• 3 tbsp.flax flour
• 4 1/4 to 6 1/4 c.water, split
• 1/2 tsp.black pepper
•1/2 tsp.sea salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon potato starch
• 1/2 tsp.baking powder
• 1/4 c.extra virgin olive oil
• Flaked sea salt (for serving)
• Horseradish (for serving)
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.
In a food processor, pulse the chopped carrots, cauliflower, parsnips, potatoes, and onions until they are the size of peas. Add cashews to food processor and pulse until well mixed.
Transfer vegetables to a medium bowl. Add the nori, matzo meal, flaxseed meal, 1/4 cup water, pepper, salt, lemon zest, potato starch, and baking powder and mix until evenly combined. Leave for 10 minutes.
Using a 1/4 cup measuring tape, form the mixture into 10 patties.
Pour olive oil into a Teflon-coated frying pan and heat over medium heat. Cook the patties until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the patties to the prepared sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Meanwhile, cut the remaining carrots into 1/4-inch slices. Place carrots and enough water to cover 1 inch in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until the carrots are soft. Drain and set aside.
Place the carrot slices on top of the patty and garnish with the horseradish.
Mina de Espinaca (Mazza and spinach pie)
Serves 6 to 8 people.
“Mina de matzah (sometimes simply called mina), a Sephardic Passover staple, is a type of matzah sheet layered with fillings such as seasoned meats, eggplant, spinach and cheese. It’s a delicious pie, with both mashed potato and spinach layers and Parmesan cheese. [Zohn]family makes a wonderful main dish for a vegetarian seder or Passover lunch. ” Excerpt from “The Jewish Holiday Table” (Artisan, 2024) by Naama Shefi and the Jewish Food Association.
• 2 Russet potatoes or 3 Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut in half if large.
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 c. Shredded Parmesan cheese (about 6 ounces)
• 8 oz.cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 pound baby spinach (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp.extra virgin olive oil
• 4 or 5 (7 inch) sheets
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Make the potatoes: Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with water, add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and let cool until potatoes are cool enough to handle but still warm.
Peel the potatoes and place in a large bowl. Mash with a potato ricer or fork until smooth and free of lumps. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, and eggs and mix well with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until mixture is smooth and homogeneous. Taste and adjust the salt according to your taste. Let’s set it aside.
Make the spinach mixture. Place the chopped spinach in a medium bowl and add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix the cheese and salt until evenly distributed. Let’s set it aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch springform pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil.
Fill a container large enough to hold the matzah sheets with about 1 inch of water, add 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir. Line a plate or tray with paper towels.
Soak the matzah, one sheet at a time, in water until the sheets are flexible but firm enough to hold their shape. This may take him from 30 seconds to 1-2 minutes. Gently place the soaked matzah on a paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
Assemble Mina: Place matzah in the bottom of a springform pan and fill in the gaps around the edges with the torn and combined matzah. Spread half of the spinach and Parmesan mixture over the matzah in an even layer. Add a layer of moistened matzah on top, gently pressing the matzah into the spinach layer to make room for the remaining layers.
Spread remaining spinach mixture over matzah layer. Place another layer of matzah on top of the spinach and gently press the matzah into the spinach to make room for the remaining layer.
Spread the potato mixture evenly over the matzah layer. Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to create swirls on the surface of the potatoes so they get an attractive brown in the oven. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over the potato layer and pour the remaining olive oil on top.
Bake the minna for 40-50 minutes until deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes, then run the tip of a sharp knife along the edges of the minna to remove it from the pan.
Remove sides of springform, transfer mina to a platter and cut into wedges. Please enjoy warm.
