By Bryna Kohn for COLlive.com
When I thumbed through the new cookbook “Passover Made Easy” the first time, I asked myself, “do I really have to wait until Passover to use this book?”
The cookbook, I noticed, is chock full of recipes that would be a welcome addition to my table throughout the year: lime infused pear salad, chips and dip, jalapeno lime and ginger salmon, potato and flanken kugel, espresso macaroons with chocolate hazelnut cream, strawberry fudge cake and more.
It seems that every year, my family dreads the food limitations placed on them during the holiday. After all, how many potatoes can one family eat? When they are mashed with zucchini and stuffed with flanken, the answer is lots!
Bite into a luscious potato kugel and be surprised when you bite into a soft piece of flanken. There are other “surprises” to bite into – a grape-stuffed truffle, chicken stuffed with a ground meat mixture and wrapped in eggplant plus brisket eggrolls (no veggies here in these!)
Authors Leah Shapira and Victoria Dwek have added some fabulous tips for their readers. They have kept them practical and possible, using the knowledge and experience acquired by authoring “Fresh & Easy Kosher Cooking” (Shapira) and Victoria Dwek, managing editor of Whisk, the food section of Ami Magazine.
One of the best is found at the back of the book; a Replacement Index for those who avoid using processed ingredients or only use produce that can be peeled, an option most suitable for Chabad families who are extra careful during Pesach.
The Plate It sections have easy-to-follow directions and photos that take the guess work out of how to make your finished product look just like the photos in the book.
There’s a section on Food and Wine Pairing Guide as well as Wine Pairing suggestions for individual recipes, interesting tips and historical tidbits in the margins, Building Blocks take two basic recipes (one for Passover bread crumbs and the other for crepes) and explains how to use each in 4 different ways to keep from getting bored eating the same thing for 8 days.
In general, the recipes are easy to follow, include easy-to-find ingredients and some interesting combinations (like the sweet potato and beet terrine with balsamic glaze, meatballs in blueberry sauce.)
Even if you are overwhelmed by the array, or are wondering how to get around the ingredients that your family does not use, you would still need more than just 8 days to try all of the great recipes in this gem.
“Passover Made Easy: Favorite Triple-Tested Recipes” is available in bookstores or on Amazon.
I agree with #1. Forget all the pitchke-potchke stuff and fancy presentations. Just cook TASTY EASILY PREPARED food, pass bowls and platers with plain undecorated food and enjoy your company and stay alert and awake for the whole Seder. Also don’t waste time and enegy making desserts, fresh fruit is delicious!!
I got this book a week ago , and this is one of the best cookbook that i ever had for Pasach , I made already a few things from this cookbook and came out amazing !!!!
the one thing I love about leah schapira’s first cookbook, (which is why i even bought this) is seriously how easy she makes things. all these beautiful fancy dishes, take no time… this book looks similar in style and I look forward..
Nice cookbook if you want to spend all of yom tov in the kitchen. I didnt even make it to the replacement index. Maybe I’ll keep it out to use during the year.