Leek and mushroom matzo brei
(Pictured above)
At Pesach time, when many of us are desperately missing bread, we need to create dishes to fill the void. The simplest thing to make is a quick matzo brei – this version is a more substantial dish with leek, mushrooms and feta.
Serves 2–4
4 pieces matzo
2 eggs
60ml milk, ¼ cup
½ tsp salt
1 small leek, white only, finely sliced
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter
4 large button mushrooms, sliced
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp ground black pepper
1 large handful baby spinach leaves
100g feta, roughly chopped
1 shallot (spring onion), to serve
Break the matzo into two-centimetre pieces and place in a bowl. Cover with tap water and soak for five minutes. Drain in a colander and squeeze out the excess water. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and salt. Add the matzo and stir to combine. Set aside.
In a medium frying pan over medium heat, saute the leek in the oil and half the butter until starting to soften. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, tossing from time to time, until softened. Add the spinach, toss quickly, remove from the pan and set aside.
Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining butter. Heat until melted and sizzling, then add the matzo mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for a few minutes. Once the bottom sets, toss the mixture around in the pan. Let it set again for a minute and repeat until it is cooked through. Just before it is cooked through, stir through the feta.
Top with the leek mixture and sprinkle with shallots to serve.
Fish with roasted cherry tomatoes
Here’s a quick dinner for two that is so good, so light and a welcome relief from all the serious fressing you’ve been doing during Pesach. A one-step Italian-style roasted tomato sauce with a piece of lovely fresh white fish to soak up all that flavour. It’s a definite new favourite.
Serves 2–3
650g multi-coloured cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, sliced
50g pitted kalamata olives, ⅓ cup
4 anchovies, roughly chopped
1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed and drained
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
60ml extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup, plus extra
400g white fish fillets (such as snapper), skinned and deboned
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan.
Halve any larger cherry tomatoes (the smaller ones can stay whole). Put the tomatoes, onion, olives, anchovies, capers and garlic in a large, deep oven-proof frying pan or small roasting pan. Drizzle the oil over the top. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes, tossing from time to time, or until soft and a little caramelised, but not so much that all the liquid evaporates.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
While the tomatoes are roasting, season the fish with salt and pepper.
When the tomatoes are done, remove the tray from the oven and place the fish fillets on top of the tomatoes, burying them a little in the sauce. Drizzle with a little extra oil and roast for another 10 minutes for thinner fillets or up to 15 minutes for thicker fillets, or until just cooked through.
Charoset ice-cream parfait
Some of us think charoset is the best thing on the seder table, so when we first tested this ice-cream, we couldn’t believe no one had thought of it sooner. Use the leftover egg whites in a future meringue, or freeze for another time.
Start this recipe the day before. You will need a 1.5 litre (6 cup) lined loaf pan or freeze-proof container. The recipe can also be prepared using an ice-cream machine, if you have one.
Serves 8
Makes about 6 cups
1 tbsp unsalted butter
60g brown sugar, ¼ cup
1 granny smith apple, peeled and chopped
3 medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped
2 dried figs, finely chopped
2 tbsp sultanas
½ tsp ground cinnamon
60ml sweet Passover wine or port, ¼ cup
750ml thickened cream, 3 cups
115g caster sugar, ½ cup
3 egg yolks
⅛ tsp salt
50g roasted almonds, chopped, ⅓ cup, plus extra
Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the brown sugar and mix it in. Add the apple and toss for a minute. Add the dates, figs and sultanas and cook, stirring, for about a minute, until the fruit is well coated. Add the cinnamon and wine or port. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove from the heat and mash the fruit slightly. Set aside.
While the fruit is cooking, heat 500ml (two cups) of the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat until bubbles appear around the edges. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the caster sugar, egg yolks and salt for a few minutes until pale and thick. Gradually add the heated cream and beat together thoroughly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for eight minutes or until it forms a thin custard and the mixture coats the back of a spoon (you should be able to lift the spoon from the saucepan and run your finger along the back, leaving a clear trail). Add the fruit mixture and allow to cool.
In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining cream until soft peaks form. Fold the cream into the cooled mixture along with the roasted almonds. Pour into your lined pan or container, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least two hours or until cold, then place in the freezer and freeze overnight. Every few hours, if possible (while you are awake!), take the container out of the freezer and give the mixture a good stir. Alternatively, the mixture can also be churned in an ice-cream machine.
Slice or scoop the parfait and top with extra roasted almonds, to serve.
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This is an edited extract of A Year of Jewish Cooking by Lisa Goldberg, Merelyn Chalmers and Natanya Eskin, published by Simon & Schuster Australia, $59.99