Passover Recipe Series

ETA: in case you haven't noticed the VAST improvement in picture quality...I GOT MY CAMERA FIXED!

I'm going to post the recipes that I use for Pesach (Passover) over the next few days. I hope you're able to try them out and enjoy them with family and friends!

Eggplant Camponata


This is my mom's recipe. She used to make it when there was company over, and I would sneak into the living room to grab crackerfuls of it. It's flavorful, healthy and a great appetizer for any party. It really tastes best, in my opinion, on a buttery Ritz cracker, but matzah will have to do for the week.

Ingredients:
3 cup peeled and cubed eggplant (1 medium)
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
8 oz sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/3 cup of oil (canola or olive oil)
1 small (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1/4 cup water2 tablespoons wine vinegar (or cider vinegar)
1/2 cup chopped black olives
1.5 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Instructions:
Put first 6 ingredients in a skillet and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring. Add remaining ingredients; mix well.
Simmer, covered, until eggplant is tender, about 30-60 minutes. Refrigerate when cool.
Serve with pocket bread cut into quarters or crackers. This definitely tastes better a few days after making, since it gives the flavors a chance to meld.

Rosemary Spiced Nuts
adapted from Dragon's Kitchen

I had a whole container of fresh rosemary and a huge bag of mixed nuts. What's a girl to do? Scour the internet for spiced nut recipes, of course! I planned to have plenty of snacks on the seder table because it can be at least an hour from when you sit down to when you eat. I always enjoyed having something to nibble while reading the Haggadah.

These nuts were a great combination of flavors - spicy, sweet, tangy and salty, with the rosemary adding just another layer of yum. I found the recipe on a new food blog, which I know will become another addition to my blogroll. These are super easy to make, and guaranteed to be a hit!

Ingredients:
2 cups mixed whole almonds, raw cashews, pecans and/or raw peanuts
2 TBS vegetable oil
1 TBS fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp salt

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300°F. (this was too low for mine, so I upped it to 370)
Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the rosemary, chilli powder and cayenne pepper. Stir for about 20 seconds.
Reduce the heat to low and add the nuts, stir to combine. Add sugars and salt. Stir to blend.
Transfer the nuts to a baking pan. Bake until the nuts are toasted, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes. (Mine took about 40 minutes to get golden brown.)
Serve warm or at room temperature. Store them in an air tight container for up to 5 days...if they last that long!