I’ve done a lot of writing about Easter these past few days, but when a friend of mine shared a picture of some Coconut Macaroons that she was making for Passover, I asked if she wouldn’t share the recipe with us. They looked fantastic!
Now, I confess, that I knew that Passover was a big holiday, and I knew that there were “rules” and such, but I didn’t know the details. So I looked them up and wanted to share them with you: Passover, which begins this year at sundown tonight (Friday, April 6th) and lasts through sundown on Saturday April 14th, commemorates the ancient Israelites’ liberation from Egyptian slavery.
At a Passover Seder, a celebratory meal held on the first evening of Passover, the story of the exodus is retold through readings, rituals and symbolic foods. Some foods, such as matzo and bitter herbs, are mandatory foods, others (including bread) are not allowed. Traditional Jews don’t permit storing the forbidden foods in their homes or eat from dishes or cutlery that have touched them.
Many thanks to Karen for sharing her family recipes with us!
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| Karen M. with her son, Benjamin |
Courtesy of Karen M.: Passover for me means time to break out the old family recipes and maybe trying a new one just for fun. Most of the recipes I make are traditional English recipes and call for ground almonds, which used to be hard to find in the US (and grinding them at home usually ends up in a paste). In fact, we use to “import” ground almonds from England every time we went to visit. Thanks to good old Trader Joe’s, we no longer have to do this – they can be found in the nut aisle.
Here are the two standards it just wouldn’t be Passover in my house without. Because they are English recipes the quantities are by weight so you’ll need to break out the scale:
Almond Macaroons:
Ingredients:
2 Large Egg Whites
8 oz Ground Almonds
Split Almonds to go on top
8 oz Sugar
1/2 Lemon (grated rind only)
Directions:
Beat egg whites till stiff, Beat in 1/2 sugar a little at a time. Fold in
lemon, remaining sugar and almonds.
Roll into balls.
Place on greased try with split almond on top.
Bake at 325 for approx 25 mins.
Cinnamon Balls:
Ingredients:
8 oz Ground Almonds
4 oz Sugar
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
2 Egg Whites
Icing Sugar
Directions:
Beat egg whites. Fold in other ingredients. Roll into balls. Bake on
greased tray at 325 for approx 25 mins. Roll in icing sugar.
And, the newest family favorite, Matzo Toffee (aka Matza Crack):
Ingredients:
4-6 sheets of matzo
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
12 ounces good quality chocolate or chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts(optional)
Directions:
Completely line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease/use nonstick spray Line the sheet with matzo, breaking extra pieces to fill in any spaces.
In a heavy saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar together over medium heat. Stir until the butter is completely melted and beginning to boil. Continue to boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat
Working quickly, pour the mixture over the matzo, covering it completely with a heatproof spatula. Place the pan in a 350 degree oven and bake for 5-7 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
Remove the pan from the oven and immediately cover the matzo with good quality chocolate or chocolate chips (can use dark/milk/white). Place back in the oven for 5 minutes or until the chocolate is melted. Remove from the oven and spread the chocolate evenly.
Sprinkle the chocolate immediately with walnuts if using. When the chocolate is completely dry, break into many pieces. Keep in a tightly closed container for up to 5 days.
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