And this is what the flesh of the fruit looks like when it is removed from its thick, green, dragon-egg-like shell:

Jackfruit was originally cultivated in India, but is grown throughout tropical regions including Southeast Asia, South America, Australia and the Caribbean. But you don’t have to travel to the topics to find it — you can buy it in cans from Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. You can even find it fresh at many specialty fruit shops. And when it is cooked, it has an incredibly meaty, hearty taste and texture. It’s also low in calories, high in fiber and is considered an environmentally friendly food, since it is drought resistant.

After reading and researching about this wonder fruit, I thought jackfruit would make a great vegetarian (or vegan, if you omit the honey) brisket option.You can serve this entree for summer picnics and BBQs alongside buns and coleslaw, or save it for Shabbat dinners and holidays. It’s easy, satisfying meat-free deliciousness.

Note: This can be prepared 2-3 days ahead of time and heated through when ready to serve. 

Vegetarian Brisket Recipe

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4.5 from 2 reviews

Print Recipe

The plant-based don’t need to miss out this Passover!

• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp honey (can also use maple syrup or agave if making dish vegan)
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup red wine (can also use grape juice or sweet kosher wine like Manischewitz)
• 1 chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced, grated or pressed
• 2 (20-oz) cans jackfruit, drained

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Instructions

1. Combine crushed tomatoes, brown sugar, honey, apple cider vinegar, water, wine, onion and garlic in a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then add jackfruit.
2. Reduce heat to low-medium and cover pot.
3. Cook for 30 minutes over low-medium heat.
4. Remove cover and test whether you can break up the jackfruit using the back of a wooden spoon. If the jackfruit isn’t tender enough to pull yet, cook it for another 15-20 minutes, or until tender.
5. Serve warm.

Notes

This can be prepared 2-3 days ahead of time and heated through when ready to serve. 

• Author: Shannon Sarna
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Holiday
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Vegan

The post This Vegetarian Brisket Recipe Actually Tastes Like Meat appeared first on My Jewish Learning.

Trying to eat seasonally? One of the earliest spring crops is asparagus, a perennial plant that yields for up to 20 years after the plants are established! Asparagus can be picked when they reach a height of 6­-8 inches, which syncs with the soil temperature reaching 50 degrees (F). This is why asparagus so often find their way onto early spring menus.

This velvety, bright green asparagus soup is a perfect starter. It comes together in one pot, making it easy to assemble, puree and re­heat without adding extra dishes to your load. It owes its creamy texture to cauliflower, but don’t tell anyone. The only flavor it lends is a sweet nuttiness to the distinctive, slightly grassy flavor of these early spring stalks. The soup is dairy-free, gluten ­free and vegan so you won’t get any pushback from the crowd gathering to celebrate the start of the new season.

Notes: This soup may be made in advance and refrigerated for 2-­3 days. It may also be frozen for up to 2­-3 weeks. You may use a food processor to puree, but an immersion blender is infinitely less messy and well worth the purchase. Place the pot in the sink to puree so any splatters are contained. Adding herbs at the very end maintains their bright and distinctive flavors.

The post Creamy Non-Dairy Asparagus Soup Recipe appeared first on My Jewish Learning.

When I became pregnant with my daughter four years ago, and then again when we started serving our daughter solid food, my husband and I really began to think critically about the kind of food we were putting into our bodies and wanted to know where our meat was coming from. In the kosher world, the answer can be pretty depressing at times.

Grow and Behold is one of the few kosher companies providing pasture-raised meat. It’s not just kosher; it’s a higher quality of meat and the taste really shows. But more than that, it’s Glatt kosher meat you can feel good about feeding your family. Grow and Behold meats are produced from animals that spend the majority of their time living on pasture. No meat grown in a factory, but part of a healthy ecosystem.

While they are not available in stores, they offer free weekly home delivery in the New York City area and ship nation-wide anywhere that FedEx delivers. If you are looking to try something new to serve your family this Rosh Hashanah, give Grow and Behold a try, but order soon to get your meat in time for the holidays.

I had a chance to get my hands on one of their beautiful briskets recently, and want to share our step-by-step simple cooking method for a classic, delicious (and easy) brisket. Check out our video below.

Regardless of the recipe you use, something new, old, traditional or not, there are a few important tips to remember when cooking brisket.

• How much meat? You will need around 1/4-1/3 pound per person, depending on the appetite of your guests and how many other dishes you are serving.
• Equipment? Cook the brisket in a Dutch oven, crock pot or pan where you can seal tightly with foil.
• How long should it cook? Cook until tender, not necessarily a specific temperature, which can be anywhere from 2-6 hours depending on the size of the brisket. It’s done when you can easily pull the meat apart with a fork.
• Pro tip: Brisket is better the next day. Cool, then refrigerate in the cooking liquid. Reheat in liquid at a low temperature so it doesn’t dry out.

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The post How to Make Perfect Holiday Brisket with Help from Grow and Behold appeared first on My Jewish Learning.

So when I find a recipe that works – and that my family agrees is a “keeper” – I tend to bring it back year after year. And this sponge cake is no exception. Moist and deeply flavorful, I am a big fan of this classic Passover dessert. It comes out consistently delicious and keeps for days, too.

But – aside from the same-old dusting of powdered sugar (the kosher-for-Passover kind, of course!), it lacked that “wow” factor. So a few years ago I candied some orange and lemon slices and placed them on top – for a pretty presentation that looked lovely on our table.

Making candied citrus slices is super easy – and can provide a quick garnish for any dessert!

Note: The recipe for the sponge cake is inspired by this recipe from Epicurious. 

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Instead of the traditional, flourless chocolate cake, I wanted to create a chocolate dessert that was a bit lighter, while still remaining rich and chocolaty. The raspberry jam adds a slight tang to the torte, and pecan crust lends a nice crunch. I literally could not stop eating this, and so I gave it to my neighbors to eat instead. Suckers.

Note:
After you bake the pecan crust it might look a little funny, like it didn’t work – almost a little too bubbly. I was also worried when I made it, but it is totally fine. I would also recommend topping your torte with fresh raspberries and even a few sprigs of mint for an extra beautiful presentation.

The post Raspberry Swirl Chocolate Torte with Pecan Crust appeared first on My Jewish Learning.

There are as many recipes for all these potato-topped pies as there are cooks, so finding an “original” recipe is all but impossible. Some recipes harken back to the Tudor era, with its mincemeat pies, meat pies flavored with sweet dried fruits and warm spices and flavorings such as saffron and candied citrus peels. In general though, shepherd’s pies tend to contain peas and legumes, while cottage pie, which seems to be a bit older, is simpler, with just a few root vegetables, chopped meat and plenty of sauce.

Cumberland pie is likely a variant of the cottage pie. Early recipes for Cumberland pie often include butter-rich mashed potatoes and occasionally there is cheddar cheese in the potato mix. With the accessibility of so many pareve milk-style products—from almond and cashew to soy or oat—creamy potatoes are now easy for kosher cooks. But what sets Cumberland pie apart is the crunchy topping, often a broiled top with plenty of toasted breadcrumbs.

When I lived outside of London in the 1980s, I ate more than my fair share of butter and cucumber sandwiches on pullman loaves, and fried egg and potatoes. But British food has undergone a renaissance, in much the same way that American food has.

My Cumberland pie is slowly braised at a low temperature with sweet wine. The parsnips in the stew are what gives it a decidedly Anglo-Ashkenazi spin. The recipe is easy to make in parts—perfect for Seder fare.  The meat should be made at least a day in advance, but it can be made up to five days ahead. The potatoes can be made the day before. The day you are serving the pie, skim the brisket pot well and remove the meat and vegetables. Heat the sauce until it has reduced in volume enough to coat the back of a spoon. That nappe (as French chefs call it) will make the dish flavor-rich. Cover the pie with the potatoes, warm in the oven, top with the crusty topping and broil at the last minute. It’s a showy and fun dish, perfect for a crowd and anything but bland.

This recipe is actually as easy as pie to make but fear not the long list of ingredients. You’ll have a memorably hearty and flavor-rich dish that is worth the time.

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The post Shredded Brisket Cumberland Pie appeared first on My Jewish Learning.

And despite my skepticism for gluten-free trends, it is my obsession with pasta that led me to invest in a spiralizer and try out the zucchini noodle craze. I must admit: zucchini noodles are tasty and satisfying. And with both these zucchini noodle recipes below, I never once felt deprived that my carbs had been stolen away.

Like regular pasta, zucchini noodles lend themselves to multiple flavors and interpretations. And they can be an easy go-to, even on a weeknight. Last Monday my dad, my daughter and I strolled to our local farmers market to see what was fresh from the farm. I picked up zucchini, corn, tomatoes and fresh ricotta. We went home, threw them all together. And a new dish was born.

My zucchini noodle bolognese was actually a dish I made during Passover. We loved it so much my husband and I both ate two enormous servings. The only thing missing? A large hunk of garlic bread.

Zucchini Noodles with Corn, Tomatoes and Fresh Ricotta, Makes 3-4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

4 medium zucchini

olive oil

salt and pepper

2 ears of fresh corn

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove corn kernals from cob and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 10 minutes.

Spiralize zucchini into noodles.

In a large saute pan heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute zucchini noodles in 3-4 batches for around 4-6 minutes each, or until noodles are soft but still have a bite. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a colander to drain off any excess water that the zucchini released.

Add butter to another large pan over medium heat and melt. Add corn, cherry tomatoes, cream and salt and pepper. Cook until cream has reduced slightly. Add zucchini noodles and toss to coat.

Serve with fresh ricotta and fresh basil if desired.

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The post Zucchini Noodles Two Ways appeared first on My Jewish Learning.

Growing up, my family’s standards were quite stringent. We did not eat any processed ingredients, and we only used produce that could be peeled. My mother prepared simple syrup in place of sugar, and we seasoned our dishes minimally with kosher salt, no spices allowed. Thankfully, I married into a family whose customs were slightly more lenient. My in-laws allow a variety of fruits and vegetables, including cabbage, as well as some minimally processed foods, like tomato sauce.

When I spent Passover with my in-laws last year, I decided to pay homage to my roots by adapting my grandmother’s stuffed cabbage recipe for the holiday. While my grandmother would never have made this recipe for Passover, to me, it signifies the union of my husband’s familial customs with my Eastern European heritage. And that is precisely how we celebrate Passover.

Variation: For unstuffed cabbage soup, shred the cabbage and roll the meat into balls. Place everything into a pot and continue with Step 8.

Note: Place the cabbage in the freezer overnight (about 12 hours) before making this dish, to make it pliable for rolling and stuffing.

Passover Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

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4.4 from 8 reviews

Print Recipe

A Passover twist on a simple, classic dish.

• Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
• Yield: 15 rolls

Ingredients

Units USM

For the rolls:

• 1 head of green cabbage
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 heaping cup leftover mashed potatoes
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the sauce:

• 2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped
• ⅓ cup sugar
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. Place the cabbage in the freezer overnight (about 12 hours). Remove and place in a colander in the sink to defrost. This makes the cabbage pliable for rolling and stuffing.
2. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and discard. Peel the remaining large leaves, taking care not to tear the cabbage as you go. Set the whole leaves aside and chop up the remaining cabbage for later.
3. In a bowl, combine the ground beef, potatoes, onion, egg, salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Set up a stuffing station with your whole cabbage leaves and ground beef mixture. With a paring knife, trim the thick part of the stem off the base of the leaves, taking care not to cut through the rest of the leaf. Place the leaves upright so that they are curling upward like a bowl.
5. Place a small handful of filling towards the base of each leaf and fold over the leaf from the left side. Roll the cabbage leaf up and using your finger, stuff the loose end of the leaf inward, pushing it into the center. Rolling the cabbage this way ensures that they hold together nicely during cooking.
6. Continue with remaining leaves. If you have any leftover filling, simply roll them into meatballs to place in the pot alongside the cabbage rolls.
7. Place the stuffed cabbage rolls in a large pot and cover with sauce ingredients. If you had any leftover cabbage or meatballs, add them to the pot as well.
8. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil over medium heat and reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot, leaving it slightly open so that the steam does not force the cabbage rolls to open. Cook for approximately 2-2 1/2 hours, until cabbage is tender and sauce has thickened.

Notes

Place the cabbage in the freezer overnight (about 12 hours) before making this dish, to make it pliable for rolling and stuffing.

• Author: Chanie Apfelbaum
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Category: Entree
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Basics

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I like to give the people what they want, but after tasting this version I’ll admit I was wrong! Chicken can be a wonderful dish when cooked well. This one-pot Passover meal has chicken thighs braised so tender in a white wine sauce you don’t even need a knife. Served with tomatoes, leeks and potatoes so it’s filling and healthy at the same time. That way, you can have more room for macaroons and chocolate-covered matzah.

The post White Wine Braised Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Potatoes appeared first on My Jewish Learning.

The aisles are already full of matzah. Kosher for Passover noodles are all the rage, but still, I find myself walking right by them in search of something different.

I come home home and look around, think about planning my seder menu. And think about what i can do differently this year.

And then it happens…almost instantaneously. A soup for the perfect brunch, the perfect dinner or just a perfect starter to your Seder. And even if you’re not kosher for Passover, well, it’s still the perfect soup to warm you up, make you feel good, and fill up your belly.

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Traditional Tuscan style liver spread calls for a special wine made in the region called Vin Santo, which of course is difficult (though not impossible) to find kosher if thats important to you. Vin Santo can also be a tad on the expensive side, so you can use any super-sweet wine you prefer, but for Passover I often use good old Manischewitz.

I like to broil my own livers, but there is no reason you can’t use already broiled livers from the butcher. Also note: according to strict kosher rules, you should not mix fish and meat, and if that applies to you, simply leave out the anchovies.

The post Tuscan Style Chopped Liver appeared first on My Jewish Learning.

While a sidekick every other week of the year, chrain makes a solo appearance on Passover, acting as maror — the bitter herb on the seder plate. Many Jews buy the prepackaged supermarket brands, but some people have the tradition of going back to chrain’s roots — that is, the roots of the horseradish plant, which they themselves grind to create fresh and pungent maror.

My family treasures a story of how my great-uncle, as a child, invited a friend over to his house. When his mother, who was making a batch of chrain, stepped out of the kitchen, my great-uncle lured his friend in. “My mother is making delicious soup, and if you want we can have some,” he said. “Smells heavenly, wanna check it out?” The unsuspecting friend opened the pot, where the relish sat, and inhaled — a lungful of chrain-scented air. Fresh horseradish is incredibly pungent, and even seasoned chrain-eaters sniff it with caution; the story goes that the boy almost fainted, coughing, crying, and laughing at the same time.

Aside from such pranks, chrain has a prominent place in old-school Russian idioms. The meanings it takes on are diverse, and oftentimes have something to do with the root’s phallic shape. “Chrain be with you,” for instance means “to hell with you”; and you can probably surmise the meaning of “why the chrain would I want to do this” as well.

Yet, you do not need to be Eastern European, and you don’t need to wait for Passover, to put together your own fresh batch of chrain. Made from scratch, it is a delicious alternative to mustard and wasabi sauces (indeed, horseradish belongs to the same Brassicaceae family of plants as mustard and wasabi). It works with deli meats, grains, or as a dip for baby carrots and crackers. Just be careful it doesn’t knock you off your feet!

In America, horseradish root is mostly available in Russian specialty shops and health-food stores.

Written with Efim and Irina Marmer.

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Passover History

The origins of Passover lie in pre-Israelite spring celebrations of the first grain harvest and the births of the first lambs of the season. In the Jewish context, it celebrates God’s great redemptive act at the time of the Exodus, leading the Israelites out from slavery in Egypt to freedom. Together with Shavuot (the Festival of Weeks) and Sukkot (The Festival of Booths), Passover is one of the three ancient Israelite pilgrimage festivals, during which adult males journeyed to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices and bask in the divine presence. Since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, the focus of Passover shifted to the ritual meal, called the seder, which normally takes place at home.

Passover At Home

In anticipation of Passover, it is traditional to engage in a thorough spring cleaning. During the holiday, the food reflects the major theme of Passover and is intended to help Jews relive God’s great redemptive act, albeit in a vicarious manner. Because the Israelites had no time to let their bread rise as they hurriedly left Egypt, Jewish law forbids eating (or even possessing) any food that contains leavened grains.Therefore, a major part of the preparations for Passover consists of removing all traces of leavened foods from the home and replacing them with unleavened foods (though many Jews prefer to “sell” some leavened products to a non-Jew for the duration of the holiday). This necessitates both a massive cleanup and the replacement of one’s ordinary dishes with special Passover ones. It also requires a shopping expedition to stock the kitchen with special kosher-for-Passover foods.

The central ritual of Passover is the seder, a carefully choreographed ritual meal that typically takes place in the home. A number of symbolic foods are laid out on the table, of which the most important is the matzah, the unleavened “bread of affliction.” The seder follows a script laid out in the Haggadah, a book that tells the story of the redemption from Egypt. Although the Haggadah is a traditional text, many people add to it and revise it in accord with their theology and understanding of God’s redemptive actions in the world.

Passover In the Community

Although the focus of Passover observance is on the home, on the first and last days traditional Judaism prohibits working. There are special synagogue services, including special biblical readings, among them Shir ha-Shirim, “The Song of Songs,” and Hallel, psalms of praise and thanksgiving. The last day of Passover is one of the four times a year that the Yizkor service of remembrance is recited.

Passover Theology and Themes

The overarching theme of Passover is redemption. After all, this is the holiday that celebrates God’s intervention in history to lead the Israelites from slavery to freedom. It is a time to celebrate God as the great liberator of humanity. The divine redemption of the Israelites thus becomes the blueprint for the Jewish understanding of God and divine morality and ethics.

Learn more about Passover from our partner sites:

The 18 Best Passover Episodes on TV

Passover Facts You Didn’t Learn in Hebrew School

How To Incorporate the Women of Exodus Into Your Seder

Kveller’s Guide To Passover Crafts for Kids That Are Easy and Actually Fun

Download a Printable Version of the Passover Story for Kids

The Jewish History of Macaroons, a Classic Passover Cookie

Prep for Passover like a pro with this special email series. Click here to sign up and you’ll receive a series of helpful, informative, and beautiful emails that will help you get the most out of the holiday.

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This recipe was inspired by a dish my husband and I ate in Los Angeles back in December at a downtown restaurant called The Industriel. I have never been much of a quinoa fan, but when I tasted their braised lamb served with rich walnut-quinoa porridge cooked in milk, I knew I had to try and make a version for myself. Cooking the quinoa in coconut milk adds a richness and heartiness to the quinoa that I really enjoyed, and it was almost like I was eating rice or pasta with my stew. Almost.

If you aren’t a fan of Indian spices, you could also try a more Middle Eastern flare my replacing the masala with Ras-el-hanout or harissa, which would also pair nicely with the creamy coconut quinoa. And despite my kvetching over the lack of carbs, this dish is absolutely delish, Passover or not.

The post Masala Lamb Stew with Creamy Coconut Quinoa appeared first on My Jewish Learning.

Paula Shoyer, author of
The Holiday Kosher Baker
among several other cookbooks, has released her newest collection: The New Passover Menu.

This cookbook is anything but traditional, and shows a distinct European flare, perhaps a result of Ms. Shoyer’s time spent in culinary school in Paris. In fact, she dedicates an entire section to a French dairy menu, a welcome addition for this dairy-lover, and a distinct difference from most meat-heavy Passover cookbooks.

She also includes some more traditional favorites, like matzah ball variations, lamb stew and several kugels. But it’s her Italian, French and even BBQ dishes that really make this new book unique. And of course her desserts like date and pistachio roll and flourless chocolate cake with marshmallow frosting.

Another beautiful cookbook available for Passover and year-around cooking is Aviva Kanoff‘s second cookbook,
Gluten-Free Around the World
. This is not an explicitly Passover cookbook, but many of it’s recipes are already appropriate for Passover without any adaptation. Aviva once again wows us with a colorful account of travel and food that brings world flavors into the kosher home.

Kanoff’s fish dishes are particularly noteworthy, including plantain crusted red snapper, rosemary walnut crusted salmon with garlic aioli and Tuscan tuna steaks with basil yogurt sauce, just to name a few. Not exactly your bubbe’s poached salmon, eh?

Passover doesn’t have to be all brisket, potato kugel and tam tams, and both these cookbooks bring flavors and cooking techniques from around the world to expand the boundaries of your kitchen. We will be featuring recipes from both Shoyer and Kanoff’s cookbooks as part of The Nosher’s Passover line-up, so stay tuned this month for more.

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The post New Passover Cookbooks to Make Your Life Easier appeared first on My Jewish Learning.

But what really makes me stressed are lunches! I am happy with all the meat at the seders, but in general I need a lighter lunch and try to avoid eating matzah.

I typically love salads for lunch but need something to go with it – the veggies alone do not always cut it. So I came up with a more substantial salad that is delicious cold or warm and fulfills my desire for fresh vegetables and my need for something starchy.

This recipe is great to make ahead of time to serve as lunch on chag or the perfect tupperware lunch during chol hamoed. Looking to add additional protein? Serve with some grilled salmon.

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They make a great addition to a dessert buffet, but my family makes them to keep on hand as a snack.  Beware—they go quickly! We usually end up making more than one pan to last us the entire holiday.

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