food & dining
What to Eat After the Seders?
LINDA MOREL | SPECIAL TO THE JE
P assover is the most cele-
brated Jewish holiday, proba-
bly because most of us enjoy
attending seders.

We come for the closeness of fam-
ily and friends, foods we remember
fondly, and to hear the story repeated
of the ancient Hebrews’ historic flight
from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the
Promised Land.

On the first two nights of Passover,
the seder nights, the menu is usually
set, mostly by tradition. Often, we eat
brisket, potato kugels, matzah casse-
roles and cakes calling for eight to 10
eggs. While delicious, these foods are
heavy. But once the seders are over, what
is on the menu for the nearly week of
meals ahead?
I love planning and preparing every-
24 day Passover foods. There are plenty
of tasty dishes that don’t call for for-
bidden foods: legumes and leavened
wheat, barley, rye, spelt and oats.

I find it easier and more reliable to
observe Passover at home, rather than
in restaurants. As we enter the third
Passover during the pandemic, it’s also
safer at my dining room table.

My game plan is to return to my
usual eating style, while adhering to
Passover’s parameters. I think lighter
and brighter, particularly because
Passover is the quintessential spring
holiday. With April in the air, it’s time
to gravitate toward salads, green vege-
tables and airy desserts.

When I consider what to serve
during these special days, I ask:
What would I be eating if it weren’t
Passover this week? Roasted meat
or grilled fish, green vegetables and
salads galore. Why should Passover
be any different?
APRIL 14, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
Warm Spinach Salad | Pareve
Serves 8
10-ounce package baby spinach
¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced thin
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
8-ounce package of white
mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup grape tomatoes
Place the spinach in a large salad
bowl and reserve.

On a medium flame, heat the oil in
a medium-large deep skillet or pot.

Add the onion slices, and sprinkle
them with salt and pepper. Sauté
until the onion slices break into rings.

Add the mushrooms. Continue to
sauté until they turn golden brown.

Add the garlic and tomatoes, stir-
ring until the garlic turns fragrant.

Remove the skillet from the flame.

Cover the skillet for 5 minutes. The
recipe can be made to this point a
couple of hours ahead.

Reheat the dish to warm when you
are ready to serve it. Spoon the mix-
ture onto the spinach, making sure
it’s warm — not hot. If it’s hot, it will
cook the spinach leaves.

Toss the ingredients and serve.

Microwave Asparagus Express |
Pareve Serves 3-4
1 bunch asparagus
Olive oil for drizzling
Kosher salt to taste
Break off the coarse ends of the
asparagus, and discard them. Rinse the
asparagus under cold water, and pat it
dry with paper towels.

Drizzle a small amount of olive oil



on a microwave-safe dinner plate. Place
the asparagus on the plate, and roll
them around in the oil to lightly coat.

Drizzle a little more oil over them.

Sprinkle on kosher salt.

Microwave the asparagus on high
for 3-4 minutes, depending on the
strength of your microwave. The aspar-
agus will be bright green and firm.

Serve immediately.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken | Meat
Serves 6
Equipment: roasting pan and rack
egal / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Nonstick vegetable spray
4-5 pound whole chicken
Kosher salt
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon ground rosemary, plus
an additional ¼ teaspoon
4 whole garlic cloves
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
A dusting of paprika
Place the rack inside the roasting
pan. Coat them lightly with nonstick
vegetable spray. Move the oven rack
a little below the center of the oven.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Rinse the chicken under cold
water, inside and out. Drain the
water from within, and pat the skin
dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the
chicken’s cavity with salt, pepper
and ¼ teaspoon of rosemary. Place
the garlic cloves inside the chicken.

Sprinkle the chicken skin all over
with kosher salt, pepper, ¼ tea-
spoon of rosemary and the garlic
powder. Dust a little paprika over
the breast.

Place the chicken breast side up on
the rack. Roast for 1½ hours, or until a
meat thermometer inserted into the
thigh registers 165 degrees F.

Remove the roasting pan from the
oven. Tent the chicken loosely with
aluminum foil and let it rest for 10 min-
utes. Move the chicken to a cutting
board and slice it. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Passover Pralines |
Pareve Yield: 60-64 pralines
Equipment: 5 cookie sheets and 5
pieces of parchment paper
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups well-chopped pecans
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
F. Line 5 baking sheets with parch-
ment paper.

Set up a double boiler by pouring
2 inches of water into the bottom
portion and covering it with the top
portion. Place the chocolate in the
top portion and cover it with a lid. (If
you don’t have a double boiler, you
can use a pot for the bottom portion
and a heatproof bowl for the top
portion. Use aluminum foil as a lid.)
Heat the double boiler over a
medium flame until the water comes to
a rolling boil. Stir occasionally until the
chocolate melts. Remove the boiler
from the flame and cool to warm.

Place the egg whites in a large
mixing bowl. Using an electric beater,
whip the egg whites on a high speed.

Once the egg whites thicken, stop
and start the beater every minute
until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat
or the egg whites will turn stiff.

Slowly beat in the sugar and cinna-
mon on a medium speed until the egg
whites become shiny. Add the melted
chocolate and mix briefly on a low
speed until combined. Using a rubber
or silicone spatula, fold in the pecans.

Using 2 teaspoons, pick up the
dough with the first one, and push
the pralines onto the baking sheets
with the other.

Bake for 16 minutes. But after the
first 8 minutes, move the upper cookie
sheet to the lower level in the oven and
vice versa. Bake for another 8 minutes.

The pralines will appear soft but
will harden as they cool. JE
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