Lots of Passover Recipes

I'm going to let you non-Jews in on a little secret about Passover recipes. When someone says "Oh, I have a great Passover recipe for ________! It's really good!" 9 times out of 10, they really mean "Well, it's good considering the fact that it's for Passover and I wouldn't normally make it this way because it's not really the best way...but for Passover, it's good."

It's really because we experiment for Passover and make things that taste okay, given the fact that we don't really have a choice. My Passover rolls? Great...for Passover. Matzah brei? Good... because we're tired of being really creative and eating leftovers for meals. So the following recipes are good. They taste fine, considering the fact that I can't use regular ingredients. Would I make them during the other 357 days a year? Not a chance.

There are exceptions to this rule, of course. However, before you leave me an angry comment about how your great-grandmother's Passover sponge cake recipe is the greatest ever, ask yourself this: do you make it any other time during the year because it's so good? If so, rock on. You've solved the mystery. If not, it's just another good-tasting Passover recipe that you wouldn't make if you didn't have to. I rest my case. :-)


Passover Rolls

Ingredients

3 TBS sugar (or less if you don't want them sweet)

1 cup Matzah meal

3/4 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs

1/4 cup oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375

Boil water, oil, sugar and salt together in a medium saucepan. Once it boils, add in Matzah meal, stir well. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Place spoonfuls on a greased baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Taste "good" with jam, cheese, or some deli meat.

Meringue Cookies (okay, these I make during the regular year)

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

3 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

Options: chocolate chips or shredded coconut

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300. If you are using shredded coconut, toast it first in a dry saucepan until it's light brown and fragrant.

Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add the sugar in slowly, beating constantly. Fold in vanilla and optional add-ins. Toasting the coconut beforehand will give it a great nutty flavor! Drop TBS-full of batter onto a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes, until dry and slightly browned. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Helene's Apple Cake

Ingredients

3 eggs, separated

1/2 cup oil (I used applesauce)

1/4 cup OJ

1 cup sugar (maybe less next time?)

1/2 tsp salt

3-4 apples, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1.5 tsp cinnamon

1 cup matzah meal

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375.

Beat egg whites until stiff, set aside. In a large bowl, beat the yolks, oil, and OJ until well combined and really frothy (about 5-7 minutes). Add 1 cup of sugar and mix until well-combined. Mix in matzah meal and salt, then fold in the egg whites.

Pour 1/2 the batter into a greased 8x8 baking dish and spread it out evenly. Top with the apple slices and then sprinkle on 1/2 the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Cover with the remaining batter and sprinkle with the rest of the cinn/sugar mix. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until done. Be careful not to lay the apples on too thickly because they can make the middle of the cake very wet!

Chocolate Toffee Matzah (aka Matzah Crack)

Ingredients

4-5 pieces of regular matzah

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 sticks butter

1 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips

Optional toppings (I used coarse kosher salt)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 and cover a baking sheet with foil (makes clean-up much easier!).

Place the matzah in a single layer on the baking sheet, breaking up the pieces to fit if necessary. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the sugar together over medium heat, stirring constantly. Do NOT leave this alone or it will burn! Once the mixture reaches a boil, continue to cook for an additional 3 minutes, until it's thickened and just starting to pull away from the edges of the pan.

Remove from the heat and pour over the matzah. Spread it out evenly with a spatula so that all the pieces are covered.

Put the pan in the oven and bake it for about 10-13 minutes, watching to make sure it doesn't burn. After 13 minutes or so, the toffee with bubble and turn a darker brown. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with the chocolate. Allow it to sit for about 5 minutes until all the chocolate is softened, and then spread it around with a spatula or knife. Sprinkle on your toppings while it's still warm (I loved it with salt!) and place the pan in the fridge. This helps the chocolate set.

To serve, break the matzah into small pieces and allow it to sit at room temperature. Enjoy!