Three Pesach recipes your family will love!

Passover-Friendly Chicken Schnitzel

From Shannon Sarna (thenosher.com)

Chicken schnitzel is satisfying and easy to make, and will be the perfect dinner served with some roasted potatoes and a simple green salad. Here’s a Passover-friendly version that tastes as good as its non-Passover counterpart.

Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken cutlets
Salt and pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons kosher-for-Passover mustard or hot sauce
1 teaspoon water
1 1/2 cups matzah meal
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Vegetable or canola oil for frying

Directions:

Combine eggs, mustard or hot sauce and water in a large bowl. Combine matzah meal, almond meal, sesame seeds (if using), parsley, paprika, salt and pepper in another large bowl. Dredge each chicken cutlet into egg mixture, then into matzah meal mixture, pressing down to ensure the entire piece is covered. Lay flat on a plate or baking sheet. Pour oil into large sauté pan to about 1 1/2 inches high over medium-high heat. Fry chicken cutlets in batches, 2-3 at a time, until golden on each side – depending on thickness of chicken, around 3 minutes each side. Take care not to overcrowd the pan or chicken will not cook properly. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. While chicken is still hot from pan, sprinkle each cutlet with additional pinch of salt.

Israeli-inspired matzah brei

Matzah brei is a staple for many families on Passover – a classic dish made of nothing much more than matzah and eggs. It’s a hearty, quick, and easy breakfast. And you can enjoy it for lunch, dinner, or just snack time, too.

This matzah brei recipe is inspired by the fresh flavors of Israel. While many people finish their matzah brei with maple syrup and sugar, this fried matzah gets a healthy dose of creamy, tart labne, a bright, chopped Israeli salad, a sprinkle of sumac, and lots of fresh herbs for a unique take on the classic dish.

Ingredients:
2 sheets of matzah
Warm water (approximately 3 cups)
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp olive oil
Chopped Israeli salad
Fresh parsley and mint
Sumac

Directions:

Break matzah into large pieces and soak in warm water. Drain well. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Beat eggs well in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix the eggs with the matzah. Add matzah-egg mixture to pan and fry until crisp. Top matzah brei with labne, chopped salad, fresh herbs and sumac.

No-Bake Strawberry Coconut Pie
for Passover

By Sonya Sanford

(The Nosher via JTA) – This recipe is easy to modify with your own favorite flavorings or ingredients. You could swap strawberries for another berry or a mix of berries. You could add a few tablespoons of cocoa powder to the filling and chocolate shavings to the garnish. Or you could add caramel and chopped nuts to the mix. Coconut is an easy base to enhance. This is a creamy, smooth, coconut-rich treat without grains, refined sugars, dairy or any baking required.

Ingredients:
For the crust:

Coconut oil spray (or other cooking spray)
1 cup raw unsalted pecans
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup good quality dates, such as Medjool of Khadrawy (pitted and soaked in water for 10
minutes and drained)
Big pinch of salt

For the filling:
1 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked in water for 6-12 hours
3/4 cup sliced strawberries, fresh or thawed if frozen
1/2 cup coconut cream, refrigerated overnight (or use a can of refrigerated whole fat coconut milk and skim off the top layer of cream that solidifies)
1/4 cup coconut milk (or the remaining liquid from the can)
3 tablespoons light agave nectar, or your preferred sweetener
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Juice of 1/2 a lemon, about 2 tablespoons
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

For the coconut whipped cream:

1 cup coconut cream, refrigerated overnight (or use a can of refrigerated whole fat coconut milk and skim off the top layer of cream that solidifies)
1 tablespoon agave syrup, or your favorite sweetener (sugar or maple syrup work fine)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the garnish:

Sliced fresh strawberries
Shredded coconut

Directions:

To make the crust: Spray a 9-inch springform pan or a pie pan with oil. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper. In a food processor, pulse the pecans, coconut, soaked dates and a pinch of salt together until the nuts are finely ground and the mixture forms a paste-like consistency and sticks together when pressed between your fingers. Press the raw crust into the pan in an even layer. Place the crust in the freezer to set while you make the filling.

To make the filling:

Soak 1 cup of raw cashews for 6 hours or overnight. If you forget to soak your cashews ahead of time, you can cover them with boiling water and let them sit for 1 hour before using. Combine the soaked cashews, fresh sliced strawberries, coconut cream, coconut milk, agave, vanilla extract, lemon juice and salt in a high-powered blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add the melted coconut oil and blend until incorporated. Add in the shredded coconut and pulse a few times until just mixed in; you still want that coconut texture. Pour the filling into the crust. Place the pie back in the freezer and let it set for 2 hours or until very firm. Transfer to the refrigerator. Can be made up to one day prior to serving.

Before serving:

Make the coconut whipped cream. Make sure the coconut cream is very cold, then combine all of the ingredients together and whip using an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until thick and whipped topping-like. If coconut cream is too stiff, add a few tablespoons of liquid from the can to the cream. If it’s not whipping up and is too loose, place the mixture in the freezer in the mixing bowl for 15-30 minutes and try again. There are many dairy-free whipped creams and toppings available if you prefer to skip this step. Top the pie with the coconut whipped cream. Garnish with strawberries and shredded coconut and serve. Makes 6-8 servings.

Sonya Sanford is a chef, food stylist, and writer based out of Los Angeles.

The Nosher food blog offers a new and classic Jewish recipes and food new, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. www.TheNosher.com.

Tequila Lovers, Rejoice!

While we love our families, any long and drawn out holiday dinner with them often requires a lot of alcohol kept close at all times. Of course, when it’s Passover, the booze options are fairly limited.

Good news, though: We can now add tequila shots and margaritas to our Passover plans. Patrón Silver and Roca Patrón Silver are both now certified Kosher for Passover. Patrón has always been certified Kosher, and that certification has now been extended to include Kosher for Passover (for Patrón Silver and Roca Patrón Silver, specifically).

So, if you were planning on serving Mushroom Jalapeño Matzah Ball Soup this holiday, go with the Mexican theme altogether by mixing up a margarita or some sangria. It is a holiday, after all, and I think we can take some liberties with those four cups of wine.

While all Patrón Silver and Roca Patrón Silver tequila is certified Kosher for Passover, some bottles currently on store shelves and online may not yet display the Kosher for Passover symbol. The certification was done by the Supervisores en Calidad Kosher and are available nationally and online at ReserveBar.com.

So, what to do with this information? Well, guacamole would be a great addition to the seder, as well as a fun anytime snack during Passover on top of matzah. You may also want to consider tequila as a marinade or glaze for your holiday fish and chicken. Heck, spread some Patrón on matzah when you need a snack – consider it a healthy fat alternative for the much-beloved matzah and butter! (Yes, I am kidding.)

But really, we’re all about using whatever means we can to survive that endlessly long seder when everyone asks us what we’re going to do with our lives, and why we’re still single. Keep those shots coming.

Remember to drink responsibly, though. There’s another seder the next night. And if needed, here’s some hangover cures straight from bubbe.