Around the Passover Table (20 page)
Read Around the Passover Table Online
Authors: Jayne Cohen
Potato-Leek Matzoh Balls
yield:
6 to 8 servings
Alongside the golden-fried veal chop my mother made for me for the second seder meal was a tangle of commercial Passover noodles blanketed with tomato sauce. Tangle is definitely the word here: often the noodles were a gummy mess, inalterably linked together like synapses on a circuitous route. Copious amounts of her homemade tomato sauceâso good I could eat it with a spoon, and often didâcamouflaged the noodles and made believe they were Italian.
All this came back to me when I retested these potato-leek matzoh balls. I had first made them as a side dish for
Moroccan-Flavored Brisket
, part of a Passover menu for Bon Appétit magazine, and my family then enjoyed a second batch with a garlicky tomato sauce, sort of Jewish gnocchi, kosher-for-Passover.
But this time, when I pilfered a just-cooked dumpling from the platter, it was “déjà vu all over again”âand worse. Not just gummy texture, but it tasted like a ball of mushy mashed potatoes. All that workâfor bad mashed potatoes? Plain old mashed were quicker and better.
I didn't have time to toss them out but let the drained potato matzoh balls sit on the platter while I finished preparing the rest of the meal.
And then I tried one again. And again. Somehow the dismal had become delicious. Now, I know that meats must rest to redistribute or reabsorb their juices; kugels and many baked goods need to firm up with time. But I never realized that some matzoh balls need a nap too, after their long hot-water bath.
So let them wait a good twenty minutes after you drain them. They will remain incredibly tender, and the well-flavored leek puree gives the dumplings a delightful buttery finish. You can rewarm them with a light coat of hot sauce or gravy or sprinkle them with a little broth, then heat in an oiled baking dish. They are very good the next day as well, especially with a good homemade tomato sauce like my mom's.
2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only, well washed)
1
1
â
2
cups chicken broth, preferably
homemade
, or good-quality, low-sodium
purchased
About 1
1
â
4
pounds russet (baking) potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
Salt
2 cups matzoh meal
1
â
2
to
3
â
4
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 large eggs
1
â
3
cup mild olive oil, plus additional for greasing pan
Accompaniment: gravy from a brisket or flavorful homemade tomato sauce
COMBINE
the leeks and broth in a heavy, medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, over medium heat until the leeks are very tender, about 7 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high, and boil until the liquid is reduced by about half. Puree the mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth. Measure out 1 cup of puree, and place in a large bowl (save any leftover puree for soups or stews).
COOK
the potatoes in a medium pot of salted water until tender. Drain. Peel the potatoes when cool enough to handle, and mash them well, using a ricer or food mill, or by pushing them through a strainer. Measure out 2 cups of the mashed potatoes (save the remainder for another use or discard), add to the leek puree and combine well.
FOLD
in the matzoh meal, salt (about 2 teaspoons or so, depending on saltiness of broth, but taste the batter before you add the eggs) and pepper. Beat the eggs and oil in a medium bowl until thickened and light-colored (about 8 minutes, using an electric mixer), then fold into the potato mixture. Cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours to let the flavors marry and make it easier to shape the batter.
LIGHTLY
grease a large, shallow baking dish with olive oil. Bring a large, wide, lidded pot of generously salted water to a boil. Using wet hands, if necessary, form about 1 tablespoon of the cold potato mixture into a ball, and place on a platter lined with wax paper. Continue making balls with the rest of the batter. Add half the balls to the boiling water, dropping them in one at time. (Refrigerate the rest of the balls until you are ready to cook them.) Cover tightly, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, without removing the lid, for 35 to 40 minutes, until the matzoh balls are tender, fluffy, and cooked through. Remove them with a skimmer or large slotted spoonâthey are too delicate to be poured into a colanderâtransferring them to the prepared baking dish. Add more salted water to the pot, if needed, and prepare the remaining matzoh balls in the same way. (If you are preparing the matzoh balls a few hours ahead, sprinkle them lightly with a little broth or brisket gravy to keep them moist, and set aside, unrefrigerated. They can be made up to 2 days ahead; in that case, cool them first, then cover and refrigerate.)
IF
necessary, rewarm the potato-leek matzoh balls gently in an oiled baking dish, covered, until heated through. Serve as an accompaniment to brisket to catch the gravy.
COOK'S NOTE
: Vary your repertoire by experimenting with other purees such as roasted garlic, porcini, or fresh herbs, using the same method.
What's For Lunch?
A can of tuna and a piece of matzoh. Day two, repeat. Then for a change, hard-boiled eggs and a couple of matzohs with salt.
While opulent seder dinners inspire thoughts of freedom and joy, Passover lunches bring affliction and the bitterness of slavery more to mind. But neither bread nor pizza is necessary for a delicious lunch: the creativity of the low-carb diet gurus has certainly proven that. What is often needed, though, is some advance planning. Here are some ideas.
â¢
My favorite brown bag lunch is last night's dinner, so I try to prepare extra servings of meatloaf, roast or fried chicken, even grilled tuna. To make “sandwiches,” pack iceberg or Boston lettuce leaves, fresh herbs, such as dill or cilantro, if you'd like, maybe some cherry tomatoes, and use to make wraps of cutlets, burgers, or croquettes. Or prepare the
Oven-Fried Smoked Salmon Croquettes
(omitting mustard, if desired) in muffin tins.
â¢
Prepare flavorful salads (egg or salmon with chopped olives or chicken with grapes and pecans). Mound in avocado halves, on celery or fennel stalks, in scooped out red bell peppers or cucumbers (cut cukes in half widthwise, and use an apple corer to scoop out the centers). Or bring lettuce leaves for wraps.
â¢
Peanut butter junkies going through withdrawal because of kitniyot restrictions can try a nut butter. Lightly toast 2 cups of cashews, almonds, or hazelnuts. Let cool, then pulse in a food processor until finely ground. Add 2 tablespoons of oil (if you don't have a nut oil, choose another mild one) and a little salt to taste, and continue processing to a puree, either smooth or chunky, as you prefer. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator (preferably upside down, so the oil will flow to the bottom, making it easier to stir when separation occursâa good idea for peanut butter as well). Spread the nut butter on matzoh, carefullyâbest bet is on matzoh pieces or crackers; it's especially good on egg matzoh. Top with your favorite jam or jelly, honey, or thinly sliced bananas. Or serve on sliced apples or pears. Also delicious stuffed in pitted dates for a quick snack or dessert.
â¢
The eggy fritadas in this book (
Spinach Cheese Squares
and
Zucchini Fritada
) are wonderful eaten at room temperature or even cold. Prepare a batch for several lunches or make it for dinner so you will have the leftovers.
â¢
I began making fruit and cheese lunches for my daughter, who avoided leavened bread not just for Passover but all of nursery school. To avoid monotony, try to have at least three kinds, choosing from mild, soft cheeses, like plain or flavored cream cheese or fresh goat; sliced ones such as mozzarella, Jack, or Muenster; and aged cheeses. Spread on thinly sliced pears and apples. Or serve with matzoh crackers, and include a container of cutup fruits, a bunch of grapes, or clementines.
Spring Compote
yield:
6 to 8 servings
Bracing yet sweet, like the orange on some of the newest seder plates, this fresh compote features not just citrus, but rhubarb, raspberries, and prunes. Accompanied by light, homemade macaroons, it makes a perfect ending to the rich seder meal.
3
â
4
cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, split
1 pound rhubarb, ends trimmed (discard leaves; they can be toxic), tough strings removed with a vegetable peeler, and stalks cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)
1
â
2
cup pitted prunes, halved or quartered if large
3 blood or navel oranges, or a combination, peeled, white pith and seeds removed
1 cup fresh raspberries
Optional garnish: fresh mint leaves
Optional accompaniment:
Toasted AlmondâCoconut Macaroons
and/or
Hazelnut Macaroons
PLACE
2 cups water and the sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla bean in a medium, nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the rhubarb and prunes and simmer over low heat until the rhubarb is just tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Don't allow it to get too softâit will “cook” further while macerating. Using a slotted spoon, remove the rhubarb and prunes and transfer to a large, attractive serving bowl. Slice the oranges into thin rounds (if they break apart into little sections after you slice them, that's perfectly fine), and add them, along with the raspberries, to the bowl.