Inside Out Strawberries Romanoff

I can’t remember when my mother first discovered Temp Tee Whipped Cream Cheese but I do remember that it was a wondrous discovery. Wondrous because now, when we wanted to spread cream cheese on a slice of bread it didn’t split apart and, if on a piece of matzo, it didn’t crumble into a zillion pieces under the weight of our usual cream cheese, which was quite delicious but also thick and not readily spreadable.

Temp Tee was soft, creamy, light. SPREADABLE. And just as delicious.

So it became the family go-to whenever we wanted to spread cream cheese on something or add it to a dish. Like Baked Stuffed Potatoes with Spinach and Cream Cheese, which are perfect all year round or for Passover.

Temp Tee was also especially fine and fitting for those occasions when we wanted to whip it with cream or some other ingredient to make a dip or spread or dessert sauce. Like Inside Out Strawberries Romanoff.

The baked potato recipe is a terrific dairy side dish. Also, if you top one or two of these with a fried egg it’s a wonderful brunch or lunch dish or part of a vegetarian meal.

The photos show the easy steps:

1) gather the ingredients and bake the potatoes.

2) Fry the scallions, garlic and spinach, which takes about 3 minutes.

3) The trickiest part is making sure you squeeze out as much liquid from the cooked vegetables as you can — spinach contains quite a bit of water.

4) After you chop the spinach,

5) mash the potato flesh and mix the cooked ingredients,

6) stuff the mixture inside the potato skin. You can keep them in the fridge for a day or so and then pop them into the oven to heat up.

7) Just before serving I place them under the broiler to crisp up a bit on top.

You can find the recipe for the Baked Stuffed Potato here.

The Inside Out Strawberries Romanoff may also look like a challenge but is really easy:

1) The ingredients take about 5 minutes to mix together. You can cut the strawberries in advance and make both the cheese mixture and marmalade sauce ahead (fill the strawberries and the reheat the sauce just before serving). The strawberries get two cuts; be careful not to cut through the hull, but gently pull the 4 pieces of strawberry apart so you can fill the centers more easily.

2) If you don’t have a pastry bag or are not confident using one, use a small spoon to fill the strawberry centers.

3) Here’s what they look like when done; a lovely ending to any meal. I love the sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg.

You can find the recipe for Inside Out Strawberries Romanoff here.

Imam Bayildi

Need a good side dish? Imam Bayildi is one of my favorite go-to recipes whenever I am at a loss. It’s a good family dish and also works for company. 

I learned to make Imam Bayildi years ago when I was working on an article for eggplant. I found a recipe and the name of the dish, translated, was so intriguing — “the Imam fainted” — I had to try it. If only because, as the story goes, the Imam (an Islamic clergyman or spiritual leader) who first ate this dish was so delighted that he passed out from joy.

Well, whether the tale is apocryphal or not, this dish is very very good. And what’s more, you can serve it hot, warm or at room temp, so you can either get it together in advance and cook it for dinner, or make the whole thing in advance and serve it for dinner.

It’s also a good item for a vegetarian meal (I like it accompanied by scrambled eggs or mushroom ragout).

This year during Passover I made this dish for dinner and used leeks instead of the usual onions. My family liked it even better this way, so here’s the recipe.

Btw, a tumblr reader once told me she added olives to the dish when she made it. I’ve tried that and it is delicious! So, add some olives if you like — black, pitted olives make the dish even more colorful.

Imam Bayildi

• 1 medium eggplant

• salt

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 3 medium leeks, cleaned and sliced

• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped

• 3 large tomatoes, deseeded and chopped

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1/3 cup water

Cut the eggplant into slices about 3/8-inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and let rest for 30 minutes. Wipe the eggplant slices dry with paper towels. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Cook the eggplant slices a few at a time for 2-3 minutes per side or until slightly wilted. Add more olive oil to the pan as needed to prevent scorching (use 4-5 tablespoons more if needed). Place the cooked eggplant into a baking dish (cut it into smaller pieces if you wish). Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan. Add the leeks and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes, parsley, sugar, salt and lemon juice. Cook for one minute, stirring frequently. Spoon the vegetables on top of the eggplant. Drizzle with any remaining olive oil and the water. Cover the pan and bake for 45 minutes. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Makes 6-8 servings

Sautéed Quinoa with Scallions and Mint

Passover, with all its dietary prohibitions, can create cooking issues.

Add another factor, like having to cook for someone who’s a vegan or is lactose-intolerant or who is allergic to nuts or other ingredients, and you really have to be creative about dinner.

My cousin Leslie had several guests at her Seder who had special dietary needs. One is her daughter-in-law who is vegan, gluten-intolerant, allergic to mushrooms and nuts and goodness knows what else. She couldn’t eat the matzo-ball soup, turkey, matzo stuffing with mushrooms, onions and celery or the honey-hazelnut macaroon tart. 

It meant lots of extra cooking. 

But sometimes preparing a dish for someone whose diet requires extra effort not only reaps rewards in the form of gratitude from the person you’re cooking for, but also because you might discover a dish that will appeal to everyone, so you can make more of it the next time, and cut out one that only a few can eat.

Consider this dish made with quinoa, which is fine for Passover and for nut-free, gluten-free, lactose-free vegan diets.

Sautéed Quinoa with Scallions and Mint

(photo from JoyofKosher.com)

1 cup quinoa

2 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 large scallions, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Rinse the quinoa several times in a strainer. Place the quinoa and 1-1/2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Set aside. Heat the olive oil in a wok, stir-fry pan, or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook for 2–3 minutes or until they have softened. Return the quinoa to the pan and cook, stirring to distribute ingredients evenly. Sprinkle with the mint, lemon peel and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about one minute or until the ingredients are hot. Makes 4 servings.

Salmon Latkes with Lemon-Scented Mayo on Matzo

Half a lifetime went by before I understood the unique wonderfulness of sandwiches on matzo. As a kid I felt awkward and embarrassed bringing cream cheese and jelly or egg salad sandwiches on matzo in my school lunch.

No matter that several other kids did the same thing. I thought it was weird and I hated it.

Nevertheless, even then I had to confess, if only to myself, that those sandwiches were really really good. The crunch and crispiness of matzo was perfection against anything soft inside. So if it was anything creamy or tender, like tuna or chicken salad, well, that was good. If weird.

Roast beef? Not so much. Too hard to chew a piece while at the same time trying to keep the matzo from crumbling into a million pieces.

My Mom sometimes made salmon latkes to eat on matzo. I would never bring this to school. Much too weird I thought. Too fishy. It might smell.

Kids are embarrassed by those sorts of things.

But at home? Well, salmon latkes on matzo (with a dollop of lemon-scented mayo) is a real treat.

Try it for yourself!

SALMON LATKES WITH LEMON-SCENTED MAYO ON MATZO

• · 2 cups mashed cooked salmon

• · 2 large eggs

• · 1/2 cup matzo meal

• · 1 small grated onion, optional

• · 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, optional

• · salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• · vegetable oil

• · mayonnaise

• · lemon juice

• · grated fresh lemon peel

• · matzos

In a bowl, mix the salmon, eggs, matzo meal, onion, if used, dill and salt and pepper to taste until well combined. Heat about 1/8-inch vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Shape the salmon mixture into 8-10 cakes. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side or until crispy. Drain on paper towels. Eat plain or with Lemon-Mayo on Matzo.

Makes 8-10

For each portion Lemon-Mayo, mix mayonnaise (2 tablespoons) with 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel per portion. Spread on a half piece of matzo, top with one salmon latke.

Pearl Fein’s Crunchy Matzo Brei

Sour cream or applesauce?

It’s the same question two times a year.

On Hanukkah it’s the question of what you put on top of potato pancake. On Passover, it’s what you serve with matzo brei.

Of course you might be one of those people who eat matzo brei with maple syrup. 

But really! It’s only authentic with sour cream or applesauce.

And please, no lemon-coriander-pomegranate dip.

For me, it’s definitely sour cream. For Ed, it’s applesauce.

Well, first it’s the matzo brei right?

I like it soft. He likes it crunchy. Here’s his mother’s recipe.

Pearl Fein’s Crunchy Matzo Brei

1-1/2 matzos

warm water

1 large egg

salt to taste

butter

Break the matzos into small pieces into a bowl. Cover with warm water and let it soak for 20 seconds. Drain any non-absorbed water, then squeeze the pieces to extract as much excess water as possible. Add the egg and mix the ingredients. Sprinkle to taste with salt. Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the egg-matzo mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy. Makes one serving (but you can double, triple or even quadruple the recipe and use a bigger pan)

Passover Potato Pancakes with Leeks, Feta Cheese and Mashed Potatoes

Glen Scott Photography

When is matzo brei actually a potato pancake?

When you mix them together. Like in this matzo-potato pancake which is a terrific lunch or brunch dish during Passover.

This has been one of my go-to dishes for years, after that time I wanted to use up all the matzo farfel instead of having to throw it away knowing I wouldn’t use it again when Passover was done. So I experimented using it like the soaked matzo of matzo brei and added different ingredients to see what we all liked. 

I’ve made a version of this with sauteed mushrooms. And some with plain old yellow onion. But this is the best.

Passover Potato Pancakes with Leeks, Feta Cheese and Mashed Potatoes

• 1 bunch leeks

• 2 cups matzo farfel

• 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese

• 2 cups mashed potatoes

• 1 large egg

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

• vegetable oil for frying

• dairy sour cream or plain, Greek style yogurt, optional

Discard the dark green portions of the leeks, then wash the leaves carefully; rinse and chop into small pieces. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, add the leek pieces, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the leeks have softened. Drain and place the leeks in a mixing bowl. Place the farfel in another bowl, cover with hot water and let soak for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Drain the farfel, squeeze it as dry as possible and add to the leeks. Add the feta cheese, mashed potatoes and egg. Mix the ingredients thoroughly to distribute them evenly. Season with salt and pepper (about 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Heat about 1/8-inch vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Drop the farfel mixture by the heaping tablespoon into the hot fat. Flatten and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve plain or with sour cream or yogurt. Makes 4-6 servings

Passover, A Time to Remember

On Passover, as we taste the maror and chazeret to remember the bitter tears of slavery I also remember the people who are no longer with us at our Seder.

My parents and Ed’s parents. My grandma, at whose house I spent all the Seders of my childhood, my cousin Leslie and I scampering under the table to tickle peoples’ feet as Uncle Irving led the reading.

It’s always at the good times that you remember the people who are no longer around to share it, right?

I also remember that my brother Mickey has moved far away to Buenos Aires and my brother Jeff celebrates Passover with his own kids, grandkids and my sister-in-law’s family. And Ed’s sister Barbara celebrates with her kids, grandkids and in-law family. And so too with Leslie. She has her own extended family. 

None of us shares Passover anymore. I miss everyone.

Passover is such a happy time and so you want to be with all the people you love and care about and it’s a good thing that families are grow and have active lives and celebrations. Still, the bitter tears of remembrance of what used to be gets to me every Passover. 

Is everyone like this or am I just a sentimental old fool?

Peppered Strawberries with Orange-Scented Zabaglione

Years ago, you couldn’t get strawberries any old time of year. You’d have to wait for the right season, starting around April, when you’d go to your local market and get a basketful of small red fruit that gave off a mesmerizing perfume as sweet as cotton candy. The berries were soft and juicy and half the time I’d eat half a boxful before we even got home, so it was usually the case that my Mom would have to buy much more if she wanted to use them for dessert.

Fresh, new season strawberries were a big thing for Passover. Served with macaroons or spongecake. Nothing else was needed. No ice cream, whipped cream, sauce. Nothing.

But strawberries aren’t like they used to be. I hate those enormous things you see in the stores today. They look as if they came from some giant planet in outer space and taste like they were shipped to earth after several light years. Dry and tasteless.

And why they have to grow them so gigantic I know not why.

If you can find yourself some local, small berries, do yourself a favor and buy some. Let the aroma draw you near. That’s the way you can tell a good strawberry.

But if you can’t, look for smaller berries that are all red, dark red, and have a sweet, floral fragrance. Maybe they aren’t as perfect for eating out of hand.

But — if you add a hint of freshly ground black pepper, a bit of refreshing grated orange rind and a lush, thick, rich zabaglione, you’ll have a really swell dessert for your Seder dinner.

Or anytime really.

Peppered Strawberries with Orange-Scented Zabaglione

4-6 cups fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh orange rind
1/2 cup sweet white Passover wine
Fresh mint leaves as garnish

Rinse the berries, remove the hull and cut into chunks into a bowl. Add the 2 tablespoons sugar, orange juice and pepper. Toss gently and let macerate while you prepare the zabaglione. Place the egg yolks, 2/3 cup sugar and the orange rind in the top part of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Beat with a handheld mixer at medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture has thickened slightly and is pale in color. While continuing to beat constantly, gradually going from medium to high speed, gradually add the wine. Beat for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture is thick and fluffy. Place the berries in individual serving dishes. Pour equal amounts of the zabaglione over the berries. Mix gently. Garnish each with a mint leaf. Makes 8 servings.

NOTE: You can use the zabaglione warm from the pan, let it cool to room temperature or serve it chilled. To chill, place the bowl of zabaglione in a larger bowl filled with ice and stir until the sauce is cold. It will hold for up to one hour.

Abu Simbel

There came a Pharaoh who knew not Joseph.

That is the transformative historical point that we read about every year in the Haggadah at the Passover Seder.

The point at which the Pharaoh enslaved the Hebrews. Before Moses, generations later, asked a different Pharaoh to set the Hebrews free.

This story of the Exodus is more ingrained in my being than I had ever realized. Such that, on a recent trip to Egypt, I was overwhelmed at the Egyptian Museum when I saw the mummy of Ramses, the Pharaoh who said no to Moses. Who would not let the slaves go.

Here he was thousands of years later, shriveled and little. And I thought, “this is what has become of the great Pharaoh.”

It was a profound moment for me.

And then we visited the site (in the photo) of Abu Simbel, the monument to this Ramses, where four large statues (3-1/2 anyway) of this Pharaoh sit triumphantly before the entrance. 

I was surprised at the turmoil of emotions I was feeling. Looking at this massive structure dedicated to a man’s need to glorify himself. And remembering this is the one who wouldn’t let the slaves go. Who needed 10 terrible plagues as a convincer. 

The story behind the site at Abu Simbel is astonishing, especially since the entire structure had to be moved prior to the building of the Aswan High Dam so as to prevent possible flooding to the site. And because of the engineering genius of some of the interior points.

That’s all fine as far as being a tourist goes. It was fascinating to be sure.

Still, what captured my attention was how after years and years of reading the Haggadah every Passover, I could not be objective. I couldn’t simply contemplate the historical site. I couldn’t let go of who this man was. 

I am adding the photo of the site at Abu Simbel to our family Hagaddah.

Chremslach

Chremslach

Passover wouldn’t be right without Chremslich. My grandma’s soft, honey-drenched matzo fritters.

I can’t remember ever having a Seder without these. 

Some people eat chremslich for dessert but grandma always served them with the turkey, right alongside whatever vegetables there were. Like the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving.

There are hundreds of recipes for chremslich and I’ve tried many. But none measure up to the ones I’ve known since before I can even remember.

Except that my grandmother added broken walnuts to hers and my daughter Gillian is allergic to walnuts so I make mine with pignolis, to which my brother Jeff always says “it’s better with walnuts,” but it actually isn’t.

I have also included raisins, on occasion, just to see what it’s like. And once in a while, grated fresh orange peel. Although methinks that the orange peel, though delicious, might be a bit too nouvelle for some people.

Maybe.

Anyway, here’s grandma’s recipe. I hope this is one of those recipes that my kids make in years to come. I can’t imagine Passover without these.

Btw, you can make these days in advance and keep them in the honey — and add more honey because by then the fritters are soaked through. And they are just as good. Some would say even better.

Or you can keep the fritters and honey separate and cook them together just before you serve them.

Chremslach

• 3 large eggs

• pinch of salt

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon or orange peel, OPTIONAL

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 3/4 cup matzo meal

• vegetable oil for frying

• 1 pound honey, approximately

• 1/2 cup raisins, OPTIONAL

• 1/3 cup pignoli nuts (or use 1/2 cup chopped walnuts)

Separate the eggs. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks, salt and one tablespoon vegetable oil together until well blended. Stir in the citrus peel, if used, and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the 1/4 cup sugar and continue to beat until the whites stand up in peaks. Fold the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture. Fold in the matzo meal. Let the mixture rest for about 30 minutes (I refrigerate). With cool, wet hands, shape portions of the mixture into disks about 1-1/2-inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick (sometimes I drop the batter by the tablespoonful into the pan). Heat about 1/4-inch vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Fry the disks for 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown on both sides (you may have to flatten them slightly with a rigid spatula). Drain on paper towels and place the fried disks in a large saucepan. Pour the honey over the disks. Add the raisins, if used, and the nuts. Cook over low-medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until heated through and all the disks are coated with honey. Serve immediately or make ahead and reheat. Add more honey as tastes dictate.

Makes 10-12 servings