Seder dinner

Spicy fish, chicken soup with more than just matza balls, lemony chicken and fresh salad - the new Pessah menu

With extended families gathering together around the Seder night table, everyone brings their preferences, favorite dishes and memories from home. Here are a few classic Pessah recipes from different cuisines with added twist, courtesy of a few of the country’s top chefs.

FISH IN RED SAUCE

Makes 6

Chef Israel Buke-Polombo, of the Marina Hotel in Tel Aviv, would like to steer you away from your usual sweet gefilte fish and try fish fillet in piquant red sauce, a combination of Asian and North African Jewish cuisines.

Marinade:

• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1⁄2 tsp. chopped ginger
• 1 onion, grated
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1⁄2 cup matza meal spiced with salt, white pepper and cumin and/or curry powder
• 6 fillets of white fish
• Oil for frying For the sauce:
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 tomatoes, sliced thinly
• 1 red pepper, cut into stripes
• 1 yellow pepper, cut into stripes
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• Bunch cilantro, chopped
• Bunch mint, chopped
• 2 hot green peppers, sliced, grains removed
• 3 pickled lemons, sliced thinly
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. paprika (sweet or hot)
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Mix marinade ingredients and place fish in the marinade. Make sure all the fish is coated. Leave the fish in the marinade for at least an hour.

Remove, pat dry and coat lightly with the flavored matza meal.

Fry shortly in very hot oil on both sides., remove from heat.

In the same skillet fry onions, add garlic, then tomatoes and red and yellow peppers.

Continue cooking a few more minutes and add the tomato paste. Add 1⁄2-1 cup water while mixing if sauce seems too thick.

Bring to boil and add dry seasoning, hot peppers, cilantro, mint and pickled lemons. Correct seasoning and remove from heat. Arrange fish in a baking dish. Pour sauce over and put in the preheated 180º oven for half an hour.

 

CLASSIC CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZA BALLS AND ASIAN CHICKEN MOUSSE DUMPLINGS

For 4 people (multiply according to number of guests)

No Seder is complete without chicken soup and matza balls. Top chef Meir Adoni wants you to surprise your guests. He takes the traditional soup and adds an Asian- French twist. (Courtesy of Teva Of).

• 1 tray packed chicken thighs for soup. For the soup:
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 leek, washed and chopped coarsely
• 2 white onion, quartered
• 1⁄2 celery root, cut coarsely
• 1⁄2 parsley root, cut coarsely
• 1⁄2 ginger root, sliced
• 1⁄4 bunch thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 allspice
• 3 stalks lemongrass (optional) Chicken mousse
• 200 gr. chicken breast
• 100 ml. coconut cream
• 1 Tbsp. chopped ginger
• 1 Tbsp. thyme
• Salt and pepper Matza balls
• 200 gr. matza meal
• 250 mk. Boiling water
• Salt
• 20 gr. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 40 gr. fat
• 3 eggs, separated
• Fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish

Make soup: Place chicken thighs in a pot filled with cold water and bring to boil. cook for 2 minutes, strain, fill the pot again with cold water, add vegetables and herbs, and simmer about an hour and a half. Remove from heat, leave for an hour and then pour through fine strainer.

Cool.

Prepare mousse dumplings: Grind chicken in a food processor with salt until smooth. Add coconut cream and ginger, add 1⁄4 tsp. sugar and process again until smooth.

Boil water with a little salt un a pot, create dumplings using two spoons and slide into the boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes, remove from water and set aside.

Prepare matza balls: Boil water with oil, sugar and salt and pour into a bowl with the matza meal.

Mix well and add egg yolk. Beat egg whites to a soft whip and fold into the mixture. Leave to cool for 2 hours at least. Make small dumplings and cook for 15 minutes in boiling salty water and set aside.

To serve: Heat the soup, place matza balls in the soup for one minute. Place chicken mousse dumplings in each plate, pour soup over them giving each guest a few matza balls and garnish with chopped cilantro.

LEMON CHICKEN STEW

Makes 6

Chef Meir Adoni suggests serving spring lemony chickens with green and root vegetables, a recipe adapted from the Moroccan cuisine, that brings the spring into the Seder dinner. (Courtesy of Tevaof)

• 1 tray packed Tevaof pargiot (3 steaks halved lengthwise)
• 100 gr. pickled lemons
• 1 bunch sage
• 8 artichoke bottoms (peel leaves until you get to the white-purple heart, remove stem and cut the leaves, removing hairs with spoon) (optional)
• 150 ml. olive oil
• 1 head of garlic, halved
• 1⁄2 bottle white wine
• 1 cup green fava beans or peas, frozen, cooked for 2 minutes
• 1 celery root, peeled and sliced
• 2 parsley roots, peeled and cut
• 1 leek, white part only, sliced
• 1⁄2 cup natural almonds, soaked in water and peeled
• Salt and pepper

For the crust:

• 1⁄2 cup ground almonds
• 1 bunch parsley
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. coarse salt
• Black pepper

Heat oven to 180º. Using a heavy skillet, brown the meat in a little oil, remove and place in a baking dish.

Continue sautéing the artichoke, roots and almonds. Discard excess oil and use the same skillet to boil the wine about a minute. Remove from heat and put the sage and the lemons in the hot wine. Pour into the baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare crust mixture until it forms large moist crumbs. After 50 minutes sprinkle the crust over the chicken and continue cooking for 10 more minutes.

Place on a serving dish, garnish with green beans, drizzle with a little olive oil and serve.

GREEN SALAD WITH ENDIVE, CITRUS AND PECAN

Makes 6

Whether you choose to serve chicken, beef or lamb for main dish, the salad needs to complement it and refresh the palette.

Chef Charlie Fadida of the Tel Aviv Sheraton Olive Leaf restaurant, offers his exclusive and refreshing version.

• 1 heart of lettuce
• 1 heart of red
• Bunch arugula
• 10 leaves endive
• 1-2 oranges
• 1-2 red grapefruit
• 6 asparagus stalks
• 20 Chinese pecans (roasted and sugar coated)

Pecan vinaigrette

• 150 gr. Chinese pecans, ground
• 1 clove garlic
• Cup orange juice
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 3 Tbsp. date paste
• Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
• 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup nut oil
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil

Put all the ingredients of the dressing in a jar with a matching lid. Close and shake well.

Wash lettuce and dry the leaves. Peel the orange and grapefruit, skin each segment.

You should have about 12 segments of each. Peel asparagus and cook very shortly, transferring the asparagus into ice water as soon as they begin to soften to stop the cooking and keep fresh green color. Coat lettuce with dressing, mix gently with hands and place on a serving plate, arrange fruit, asparagus and pecans on the lettuce.

Serve immediately.

You may prepare all the ingredients beforehand, omitting the dressing. Dress lettuce and arrange on the plate when ready to serve.

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