Passover Recipes from Some of the Best in Town

The following recipes are courtesy of Executive Chef George Llorens

Stew Leonard’s Traditional Potato Latkes

Ingredients:

6 Idaho Potatoes, peeled

2 yellow onions, peeled

1½ cups matzo meal

3 eggs, large

3 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon white pepper

Soy oil for frying

Sour cream, apple sauce (optional) for topping

Preparation:

Grate potatoes and onions into a bowl. Squeeze out and throw away about half of the liquid that is formed from grating. Add eggs, matzo meal, salt and pepper. Mix well. Note: this mixture should be wet, so be careful when frying. Heat oil in a frying pan.

Place a heaping tablespoon of potato batter per pancake into the frying pan. Fry two minutes on each side until golden brown. Serve with applesauce or sour cream.

Stew Leonard’s Kugel

Ingredients:

16 oz (1 lb) medium Matzo crushed and soaked in water and drained

4 oz butter

6 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

½ pound raisins

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt butter. Blend together in large bowl melted butter, 6 egg yolks, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and raisins. Add the prepared Matzo into the mixture. Beat egg whites into a medium, stiff peak and fold into noodle mixture. Place into lightly oiled casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes, until just firm to the touch.

The following recipes are courtesy of Jennifer Balin of

Brisket with Chutzpah (Root Beer Braised Brisket)

 Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 three-pound brisket

Coarse salt and pepper

1 four-ounce can of tomato paste

1 six-ounce can tomato sauce

1 onion, medium chop

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoon agave syrup

12 ounces all natural root beer, such as Virgil’s

Preparation:

You will need: a large oven safe skillet with lid or a slow cooker.

Step one: Season the brisket with salt and pepper.  Set aside. 

Step two: In a medium bowl, combine tomato paste, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, chili sauce, worcestshire sauce, mustard, ketchup, sugar, agave and root beer.  Set aside.

Step three: Find yourself a large skillet, and turn the heat to medium-high. Drizzle the pan with olive oil. When the pan is hot, sear the meat on each side until browned, this will take approx. four minutes per side.

Step four: Turn down the heat to medium and add the mixture from the bowl.  Place the pan into a 300*F oven for three to three and a half hours, check for tenderness...it should be very soft and easy to cut into, and very tasty. Remove it, let it rest (it’s had a long day) and slice and serve. In a slow cooker: after step three, transfer brisket to slow cooker pour mixture from bowl over brisket and cover with lid and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Remove it, let it rest (it’s had a long day) and slice and serve.

Amaretti Sandwich Cookies With Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

1 cup almond paste (from a tube)

1 cup sugar

Pinch of Kosher salt

2 large egg whites at room temperature

Ganache

8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 300°F.  Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Combine almond paste, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until evenly broken up, then add egg whites and puree until smooth.  Scoop the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (a half inch round hole) and pipe rows of 3/4-inch rounds. Tip: Dip a fingertip in water and gently smooth out any imperfections. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pan once or twice for even baking. These cookies will spread during baking, so leave a large space between them. Let cookies cool in the pan, so that they are easy to remove. Once cooled, you can spread marshmallow fluff, jam or chocolate ganache between them.

For the ganache: Heat up the heavy cream (to just before it boils) in a small saucepan, turn off the flame and add the chocolate and let the chocolate melt.  Swirl the pan to help it mix.  Using a whisk, stir to incorporate the chocolate, you should end up with a smooth and glossy chocolate pudding like consistency.  Cool the mixture in the fridge until the ganache is thick and set.  Using a small spoon, spread the chocolate between two cookies, and let it set.