Whether you’re at home, in the dorms, or at an off-campus apartment, Passover brings a change in menu options. Never fear; a diet of buttered matzah isn’t your only alternative to pricey kosher-for-Passover meal plans! We’ve put together recipes for some of our favorite (and easy) Passover dishes, from Matzah Brei to Chicken Kov-Roghan and Rocky Road Bonbons. Recipes marked with (M) have a microwave option in lieu of an oven, and are especially suited for dorm room cooking.
BROCCOLI SOUFFLÉ
Submitted by Elyssa Schlossberg, Business Manager/Copy Editor
This recipe is so delicious that it always makes an appearance at my family’s Seder table! A delicious way to get your green vegetables in — even my little cousins enjoy this one.
Parve
Yields 7 x 11″ pan
Ingredients:
- 20 oz. frozen broccoli cuts, thawed and drained
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup kosher-for-Passover mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tbsp onion soup mix
- 2 tbsp matzah meal
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 7 x 11 x 1/2″ baking pan with non-stick spray. Add broccoli to the baking pan. Set aside. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, mayonnaise, almond milk, and onion soup mix. Add matzah meal and beat well. Pour egg mixture over the broccoli and bake for 40-50 minutes, until top is golden brown.
MATZAH PIZZA (M)
Submitted by Devorah Friedman, Managing Editor
This thin, crispy pizza is the go-to kosher-for-Passover food for a quick and very easy meal. My family prefers to use leftover handmade matzot from the Seder as they yield a thinner crust.
Dairy
Yields 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1 matzah (the handmade kind holds up best, but regular machine-made matzot are also good)
- 2-3 tbsp tomato or marinara sauce
- Ground basil, oregano, black pepper and garlic (if using unflavored tomato sauce)
- 2 oz. mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Additional pizza toppings
Spread matzah with sauce; sprinkle on small amounts of spices if desired. Top with cheeses and any additions. Microwave on a microwave-safe paper towel on medium for about 2 minutes (check to ensure that the toppings don’t burn) or bake at 375 F for about 10-15 minutes. If baking in an oven, smear the matzah with olive oil and pre-bake for about 5 minutes, or until surface is no longer shiny, before adding sauce in order to prevent a soggy crust.
MATZAH BREI
Submitted by Nicole Rudolph, Copy Editor/App Manager/Layout Editor
My family looks forward to Matzo Brei all year. I love when my mom cooks it for breakfast, and now I know how to make it as well! My favorite topping is cinnamon and sugar.
Parve
Yields one serving
Ingredients:
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 sheet of matzah
- Salt and other seasonings to taste
- Margarine or oil
Break matzah into pieces and place in bowl. Cover matzah with warm water and soak for about 5 minutes. When soft, drain matzah and squeeze out water.
Place in mixing bowl and combine with egg and seasonings. Transfer mixture to an 8″ or 9″ nonstick pan coated with margarine or oil on medium heat. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side and flip when it will stick together and not tear when flipped. Both sides should be nicely browned. You can also scramble the mixture as if scrambling eggs. Top with cinnamon and sugar, jam, or sliced fruit.
CHICKEN KOV-ROGHAN
Submitted by Angelina Ellyason, Staff Writer/Social Media Manager
This traditional Bukharian meal consists of moist chicken and deep-friend potatoes, drenched in a delicious broth. This meal has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. It’s also customary to dip bread or matzo (depending on the time of year!) into the flavorful broth. Enjoy!
Meat
Yields 6 servings
Chicken:
- One cut-up chicken
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 large tomato
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 cloves garlic
Heat oil in cooking pot. Put in chicken and stir; let it fry slightly for about 3 minutes and then add the water. Bring chicken to a boil and reduce the heat so it simmers. Grate or dice the tomato and add to the chicken with the salt, pepper and garlic. Cover partially with a lid and let it continue to simmer for about 35 minutes.
Potatoes:
- 5 large white potatoes
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups vegetable oil
Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into strips slightly larger than french fries. Put them in a strainer so all the water drains; sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Heat the oil in a fryer or a deep non-stick pot. Add potatoes. Fry in two batches to reduce frying time. When the potatoes become golden, remove from fryer/pot and place them on a plate lined with paper towels as to get rid of excess oil. Fry the second batch in the same way.
By the time your potatoes are fried, the chicken should be ready. Place the potatoes in a large serving dish and pour the chicken (along with a juice that it has been cooking in) onto the potatoes. Serve hot.
GARLIC CHICKEN WITH ASPARAGUS
Submitted by Simone Dvoskin, Copy Editor
I came up with this recipe on my own, as in I didn’t find it online and it isn’t passed down. My brother-in-law gave me the idea of the asparagus with garlic, and my mom explained how to cook a chicken with a pan, but I put them together and added my own variation with the lemon and cooked them together to fuse the tastes. This is a good recipe for both Passover and any time in general because it doesn’t break the rules for Passover and tastes great year-round.
Meat
Yields 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped up into thin slices and/or diced
- 1 lemon, sliced in half
- 5-8 stalks of asparagus
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil (for greasing)
To prepare the chicken breast, first wash it in cold water to clean it. Dry it off with a paper towel, then spread it out on a flat surface. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides to taste, and pound with a meat cleaver or mallet to tenderize (optional).
To prepare the asparagus, wash it with cold water and cut off the bottom two inches. This will allow it to fit in the pan for easier cooking. Check for insects as needed.
Pour olive oil into a medium-sized pan, just to cover the bottom, and swirl it around to make sure the sides have been greased too. On medium heat, put the chicken breast in the pan on one side, cooking it for about seven minutes or until it starts darkening. Flip to other side and do so several times, every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes to make sure one side doesn’t get burnt, to ensure even browning. Once both sides have begun to brown, add the asparagus and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, turning when about halfway done. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer. (Don’t forget to monitor your chicken at the same time as you’re working with the asparagus!) Squeeze half the lemon onto the asparagus and chicken, and get both sides of the chicken so the lemon can set in a bit. The asparagus are done when bright green — do not allow them to burn. Chicken is done when golden brown and when juices run clear. Garnish with the second lemon half.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Submitted by Talia Kamdjou, Art Editor
One of my favorite things to do is bake, and when Passover comes around, I am not ready to sacrifice that for simple matzah day in and day out. That’s why I love finding kosher-for-Passover dessert recipes and sharing the treats with friends and family.
Dairy or parve
Yields about 24 cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter or margarine
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups matzah cake meal
- 1/4 cup matzah meal
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and salt together. Add eggs and continue to mix well. Add cake and matzah meal; mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and drop onto ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden.
PECAN APPLE CRISP (M)
Submitted by Devorah Friedman, Managing Editor
These individual fruit crisps can be made very quickly with whatever firm-fleshed fruit and kosher-for-Passover cookies you have on hand.
Recipe adapted from Micro-Ways by Norene Gilletz (1989)
Parve
Yields about 4 individual servings
Topping:
- 1 ½ cups kosher-for-Passover cookies such as mandelbread or egg cookies, crushed
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 2 tbsp oil
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Filling:
- 2-3 large green apples (you can substitute other fruit as desired)
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- 4 tsp matzah cake meal
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Combine topping ingredients and set aside. Core and slice apples; combine with lemon juice, cake meal, sugar and cinnamon. Place in ungreased ceramic mugs or other microwave-safe dishes and sprinkle with topping mixture. Microwave uncovered on high for 10 to 12 minutes, one at a time, rotating mug halfway around after about 6 minutes. Apples should be tender when pierced.
CHOCOLATE FRENCH MACAROONS
Submitted by Elyssa Schlossberg, Business Manager/Copy Editor
Normally, when we think of Passover macaroons we think of those barely appealing mounds that come in tins and always taste just the tiniest bit like coconut no matter what the flavor claims to be. Well, no more! Last year, in an ongoing effort to find ways to make dessert on Passover delicious, my sister found this amazing recipe for the French macaroons that everyone actually loves. Indulge, my friends.
Dairy (with chocolate ganache)
Yields about 25 macaroons
Macaroons:
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or use a silicon pad). Combine the egg whites with the almonds, cocoa and powdered sugar in a bowl; mix until you have a sticky but cohesive mixture. Dip your hands in cold water and roll the mixture in walnut-sized balls (you will probably have to re-wet your hands several times). Bake for about 11 minutes. Cookies should be slightly soft and sticky on the bottom. While they cool, make the chocolate ganache. Place a dollop of ganache on a cookie and top with another to make macaroons.
Chocolate ganache:
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl; set aside. Place cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Pour over chocolate and let stand until chocolate has softened, about 5 minutes. Add butter and stir until smooth. Let cool slightly before using.
ROCKY ROAD BONBONS
Submitted by Tessa Nath, Editor-in-Chief
The Rocky Road Bonbon recipe has been in my family for generations. Ever since I was little, my cousins and I have proudly presented the recipe for prize consideration in multicultural potlucks and classroom picnics. Each time, tasters have marveled at the delicious combination of flavors embodied in four simple ingredients! The best part is, Rocky Road Bonbons are a household favorite, even when it is not Passover!
Parve
Yields about 36 bonbons
Ingredients:
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate cut into pieces (do not use dipping chocolate)
- ½ cup kosher-for-Passover baby marshmallows
- ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts or toasted pecans
- ½ cup matzo farfel (small, crushed matzah pieces)
Place the chocolate pieces in the top of a double boiler over simmering water and melt, mixing until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, combine melted chocolate, marshmallows, nuts, and farfel and mix well. Line baking sheet with wax paper, and spoon mixture in small mounds. Refrigerate until set. Transfer to large platter and serve.
