Passover pleases palate

TAMI BICKLEY
Associate Editor

As a child, I did not look forward to Passover. Although my family's seder meals left little to be desired, the food for the days that followed did not come close. Sure, seder leftovers worked while they lasted. But once those were gone, my brown-bag school lunches contained hard-boiled egg after egg, matzo sandwiches unlimited, those plastic-like jelly fruits, and tasteless store-bought cookies.

It wasn't my mother's fault. She was and still is an outstanding cook. But two to three decades ago Passover day-to-day choices on grocery store shelves were limited. Most pre-packaged foods were barely palatable, leaving us with no choice but to be creative with whatever kosher staples were in our own kitchens.

Now, however, we barely have to cook at all for the holiday. There are ready-made cakes and a wide variety of easy-to-bake ones; canned fish; three-step soup; Passover crackers, bagels, cereal and more.

Additionally, children today have more to look forward to than matzo and eggs for lunch. Many school cafeterias are equipped with refrigerators and microwave ovens, so even the most elaborate of meals can be chilled and reheated. My generation and those before me, however, had no such luxuries. We only hoped that after sitting for hours in a locker, our eggs and mayo matzo sandwiches would not make us sick by math class.

Because of these modern-day conveniences and improved pre-packaged Passover foods, the holiday's post-seder meals are as close to our other year-round edibles as they've ever been.

Following are recipes for our grown-up palate.

Creamy Carrot Soup, a vegetarian alternative to matzo ball soup, can be served at a seder, then chilled and reheated later for a Passover lunch. No-cook, no-fuss Parsley Salad is quick and easy, plus saves well for a couple of days. Meat dishes, such as Lamb Chops in Prunes and Onions, may be chilled and reheated, or re-worked into another recipe altogether. The Cauliflower Broccoli Bouquet takes under 30 minutes to cook and prepare. And desserts, such as Passover Chocolate Sponge Cake, may be refrigerated or frozen and ready-to-serve for next time.

Creamy Carrot Soup (Pareve)

1 1/2 pounds carrots (about 5 cups), peeled and chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
4 Tbsp. oil
12 cups water or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup parsley, finely chopped

Heat oil in a 6-quart soup pot. Add carrots and onions and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes or until onions are soft. Add water or stock and seasonings. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Purée in a blender and reheat. Serve garnished with chopped parsley. Optional: add a dash of ground ginger.

Recipe from "The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook," by Roberta Kalechofsky and Rosa Rasiel (Micah Publications, Inc., $16.95 paperback)

Festive Glazed Chopped Liver (Meat)

6 medium onions, chopped
2 pounds chicken livers
1 cup dry sherry
4 Tbsp. pareve margarine
salt and pepper to taste
5 hard-boiled eggs
1 packet unflavored kosher gelatin
For garnish, slices of red and green peppers, black olives, hard-boiled egg

In a medium saucepan, heat sherry, and add livers and braise for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Fry onions in margarine in separate skillet until golden brown. Add livers to onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Season to taste. For the best consistency, grind mixture with eggs in a meat grinder. Soften gelatin in a half cup of water and add to liver mixture. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with colorful vegetables and slices of egg. Pour liver mixture carefully over the egg and vegetable slices and refrigerate for 12 hours. The glaze will settle at the bottom. Before serving, line a long tray with lettuce leaves and slices of pickled cucumbers. Wrap the pan in a warm towel, insert a pointed knife around the edges of the pan and invert the pan over the serving tray.

Recipe from "The Passover Gourmet," by Nira Rousso (Adama Books, New York, paperback)

Parsley Salad (Pareve)

4 bunches flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 red onion, cut in wafer-thin slices
1 tomato, diced

Rinse, spin-dry and refrigerate parsley. Place salt and pepper in a salad bowl. Add lemon juice. Slowly whisk in olive oil. When vinaigrette is thick and stable, add onion and tomato and toss. Add parsley, toss gently and serve.

Recipe from "The New York Times Passover Cookbook," edited by Linda Amster (William Morrow and Company, Inc., hardcover)

Lamb Chops in Prunes and Onions (Meat)

3 pounds shoulder lamb chops
4 large onions, chopped coarsely
1 cup raisins
1/2 pound prunes
1 cup white cooking wine
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. salt

Arrange the chops in an oven-proof dish. On top of the chops and in between them, place onions, raisins and prunes. Mix wine with honey and salt and pour over the meat, fruits and vegetables. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for another 40 minutes or until the chops are glazed and tender. Baste frequently. Transfer chops to a serving dish, arrange prunes on the sides, heat the sauce briefly and pour over the chops.

Recipe from "The Passover Gourmet"

Cauliflower Broccoli Bouquet (Pareve)

1 bag (16 oz.) frozen broccoli
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen cauliflower
2 packages (10 oz. each) frozen Brussels sprouts
salt and pepper to taste

Put frozen vegetables in a steamer, sprinkle with salt and pepper and steam for 10 minutes. If steamer is not available, put vegetables in a large pressure cooker and add two cups water, plus an empty tuna can with a heat-proof plate placed on top of the can. Pile the vegetables on the plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover and cook for 3 minutes after pressure has built up. Arrange vegetables on a large serving plate in the form of a bouquet, with cauliflower and broccoli florets serving as the flowers and Brussels sprouts as the leaves.

Recipe from "The Passover Gourmet"

Passover Chocolate Sponge Cake (Pareve)

1/4 cup pareve Passover cocoa
1/4 cup Passover cake meal
1/3 cup potato starch
1/8 tsp. salt
10 extra-large eggs, separated
2 cups sugar
1 navel orange, juice and grated rind

Sift dry ingredients and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, beat yolks until thick. Add 1 cup of the sugar, juice and orange rind. Continue beating until thick and fluffy. Fold in dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and a pinch of salt until foamy. Add the other 1 cup of sugar gradually. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg yolk mixture into egg whites. Pour into an ungreased, 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom. Plunge a spatula or fork around the batter several times to equalize it. Bake on the low rack of the oven for 1 hour. Test with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. If ready, invert for several hours to cool and stretch. This cake may be frozen.

Recipe from "Grandma Doralee Patinkin's Jewish Family Cookbook," by Doralee Patinkin Rubin (St. Martin's Griffin, New York, $14.95 paperback)

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