By now you have probably done nearly all your planning and preparation for this year’s Pesach seder. If you haven’t, or are still looking for some fabulous recipes — especially for chol hamoed weeknight dinners — these are for you.
By now you have probably done nearly all your planning and preparation for this year’s Pesach seder. If you haven’t, or are still looking for some fabulous recipes — especially for chol hamoed weeknight dinners, these are for you.
All are takes on my family’s favorite recipes, made especially for your Passover meals. If you are a GFE (gluten-free eater) then you’re in luck — these can be made year round as they are all “non-gebrokts” or matzah meal/wheat flour free. Chag kasher v’sameach.
Stuffed Cabbage with Cauliflower Rice
I usually make stuffed cabbage for my family once a year for Sukkot. I make a huge batch and freeze five or six pans for the last days of the holiday and after. There is always a mixed reaction when we bring out the last pan of the batch weeks later. My family is thrilled to be having the cabbage (we find the longer it’s in the freezer the better it is … go figure) but super sad that it’s the last of the year. This year my dear daughter-in-law asked if I thought the cabbage rolls could be made with cauliflower-rice instead of long grain white or brown rice. So, here’s to my dear daughter-in-law for coming up with this great idea for Passover or those watching their carb intake. Make sure to plan ahead … the cabbage rolls incredibly easily if it’s been frozen and defrosted. If you don’t have time to freeze the cabbage you can always microwave or boil it until the leaves are soft, although the freezing method works best.
1 large head cabbage
(4 lbs.), frozen for at least seven days then defrosted
1 large head cauliflower
(2-3 lbs.), cut into large pieces, washed, checked, dried
1 large onion, finely chopped in a food processor — not ground
1 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsps. garlic powder
2 Tbsps. onion powder
3 lbs. ground beef
non-stick vegetable spray
For the sauce:
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 20-oz. can tomato paste
1 cup duck sauce or sweet and sour sauce
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup raisins
2 Tbsps. lemon juice
Spray two 9-by-13-inch pans with nonstick vegetable spray. Set aside.
Separate the leaves of the cabbage under warm running water. Place in a stack and set aside.
Combine the meat, black pepper, and onion in a large bowl or pot. Set aside.
Using a food processor (or grater if necessary), process the cauliflower in small batches. Place some of the cauliflower in the bowl of your processor and pulse until the cauliflower is ground into rice-like pieces. Be careful not to over process. Add each batch of cauliflower rice
into the meat mixture. When all the cauliflower is ground, mix the meat, onion, cauliflower rice, and black pepper until thoroughly combined.
Place a cabbage leaf on a cutting board, then put a large ball of meat on the cabbage leaf. Fold the bottom of the leaf over the meat then fold the sides over the covered portion. Roll the cabbage, then place seam side down in the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves and meat mixture. You should be able to fit approximately 12 rolls in each pan.
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until completely blended. Ladle the sauce over the prepared cabbage rolls. Seal tightly (I usually double wrap the pans to avoid any oven mess). Bake at 350 degrees for three hours. Serve hot.
Note: These can be made several days ahead and stored in a cold refrigerator or frozen way in advance. I always find that cabbage rolls are better after being stored.
Notes:
Some stores carry “cauliflower rice” with a kosher certification. Feel free to substitute it for the grated cauliflower in the recipe.
If you have leftover meat mixture, you can make meatballs! Add one egg and enough matzo meal or Passover panko to have the mixture hold together in balls. You can brown them in a little oil then serve them with your favorite sauce.
If you have extra cabbage left over you can add it to the cabbage pans and cook it with the sauce, or use it for cabbage soup with some of the extra sauce. Add cubed beef and large carrot and celery slices, then simmer for at least an hour for a really satisfying soup.
Passover Gluten-Free (non-gebrokts) Egg Noodles
I was in the store doing my pre-Passover investigation and was looking for wide egg noodles. The ones that were available were either too narrow, unappetizing, the wrong shape or too expensive. Since I do a lot of gluten-free cooking during the year, I figured how hard could it be to make my own? So I did a little research. My first step in developing a recipe like egg noodles is to see how the experts do it. I turned over the packages in the store to see the essential ingredients in all the Passover noodles. After purchasing those ingredients, I went home and investigated both “glutinous” and chametz/ kitniyot year-round gluten-free noodle recipes. After a few tries varying the quantities of ingredients, I came up with this recipe. It’s pretty straightforward, and if you’re a GFE you can make these delicious noodles year round. Enjoy.
Note: As a bonus feature, you can watch my instructional video on how to make these noodles. You can find it on my website.
¾ cup potato starch
½ cup potato flakes (like instant mashed potato flakes)
½ cup tapioca flour (not starch)
½ tsp. salt (or to taste)
3 large eggs
1 ½ Tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil
For the dough:
Extra potato starch for rolling
Combine the potato starch, potato flakes, tapioca flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add the eggs and olive oil. Stir until the ingredients are blended then knead until smooth. Allow the dough to rest for five minutes.
Generously flour a rolling board with potato starch. Divide the dough into three pieces. Roll one piece into a thin rectangle, rolling the dough as thinly as possible. Using a sharp knife or pasta roller, cut the egg noodles into the desired shapes. Set the cut pasta on a cookie sheet, cutting board or cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining two dough pieces.
To cook:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, gently stirring to separate the noodles. Return the water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until pasta is al dente. Drain then serve.
Veal Goulash
When I was a kid, my Mom had a few signature recipes. They always turned out amazingly and were definitely family pleasers. She still keeps the recipes for those dishes on note cards in a little box on her kitchen counter. One of those recipes was veal goulash. The super flavorful veal melted in your mouth. When I called Mom to get the recipe she was very excited to hear that I was going to make one of our favorites. I have to admit, I was kind of nervous to hear her reaction upon tasting my result. Was my execution going to meet her high standards? Whew. She even approved of the Passover noodles I made to go with it – high praise indeed. You can make your own noodles using the above recipe, cutting the noodles into ½-inch by 2-inch pieces, or you can purchase a bag of wide Passover noodles from the store. A word of caution for the store bought noodles: Cook them in salted boiling water. DO NOT OVERCOOK the noodles or they will become mush. Rinse them immediately after cooking to remove the starchiness from the noodles. I’d love to hear how your veal goulash turns out. I’ll pass your comments on to my mom.
4 Tbsps. oil
2 lbs. veal stew
1 cup finely sliced celery
1 large onion
2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 Tbsps. sugar
2 tsps. paprika
½ tsp. black pepper
1 8-oz package wide egg noodles
4 Tbsps. chopped parsley
Brown veal in oil. Add celery and onion and cook until tender. Blend the next five ingredients. Pour over the meat. Cover and simmer two hours serve over hot cooked noodles topped with parsley. Note: If the veal is too liquidy, simmer uncovered for the last 15 to 20 minutes.
