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Israeli Charoset Recipe

Israeli Charoset for the Jewish holiday of Passover seder meal

This recipe is an adaptation of the California-influenced Israeli charoset of the well-known kosher cooking instructor and cookbook author Judy Zeidler. This recipe truly tells a story since the ingredients are an amalgam of both Ashkenazic and Sephardic culinary traditions. Flavorful, intriguing, and a big hit at the seder.

2/3 cup pistachio nuts
2 apples (Gala or Empire), peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
15 pitted dates
2 bananas, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1–2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (depending on sweetness of fruits used)
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
Zest of 1/2 orange
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sweet Concord grape Passover wine
4 tablespoons matzah meal

Jaroset (Panamanian Halek)

Round balls of Panamanian Jalek

This recipe comes from Rita Sasso, a Panamanian whose roots go back to Spain via Amsterdam and Curaçao, which had a significant Jewish population in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Rita and I became pen pals when I published a recipe in my Reform Judaism magazine column that was given to me by a friend in Mexico. She recognized the recipe as her own. We have shared recipes ever since, and here is one she gave me with her permission to publish.

4 ounces dried figs
4 ounces raisins
4 ounces prunes
4 ounces pitted dates
1 1/2 cups peanut butter or almond butter
2–3 cups brown sugar, according to taste
1/2 cup sweet Passover wine, as needed
Cinnamon, enough to cover the balls of charoset (approximately 1 1/2 ounces)

Vegan Borscht

Vegan Borscht
The base of the soup is the humble beet, which will be sure to let your cutting board, and your hands, know that it was used in the dish. For the full effect, serve with a dollop of vegan sour cream. 
BORSCHT
1 Tablespoon oil
1 yellow onion, diced (1 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup sliced celery
3 garlic cloves
1 cup small-diced potato
1 cup diced carrot or parsnip (or 1/2 cup of each)
3 beets, chopped into 1/4" chunks (about 3 cups)
5 1/2 cups heated vegetable stock or water
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon wheat-free tamari or soy sauce (optional)
1 3/4 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds (optional)
1 Tablespoon finely chopped dill
1 Tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup vegan sour cream (see recipe below)
Black sesame seeds
Dill sprigs
....................................
VEGAN SOUR CREAM
3/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh dill, or pinch of dried dill (optional)

Chocolate-Drizzled Coconut Macaroons

Chocolate-Drizzled Coconut Macaroons

Here's an easy, straightforward recipe for these beauties. 

(2) 14-oz (40-g) packages sweetened coconut flakes (about 10 cups)
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
1⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1⁄4 cup (2 oz/60 g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 oz (185 g) of your favorite chocolate, melted

Matzah Toffee Squares

Matzah Toffee Squares for the Jewish holiday of Passover or Pesach
1 hour

Try this chocolate-toffee matzah recipe adapted from Marci Goldman.

4-5 lightly salted matzah
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter or Passover margarine
1 cup dark brown sugar (firmly packed)
12-ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

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