#passover 2022

you don't have to throw out your bread

I know a lot of traditions say to get rid of all the bread in the house but this always seemed kinda dumb and wasteful. Especially since refrigerators exist. Just don't eat it.

Potatoes are your best friend

Big fan of starch but can't have bread for a week? Use potatoes. They can be used for everything and contain zero flour.

Rice is also your best friend

Take a lesson from our brothers and sisters in Asia. Rice is the ideal staple crop and can be used to make thousands of dishes.

Rice noodles are amazing

No need to skip out on pasta this passover. Rice noodles can be found in any grocery store and are the perfect substitute for the wheat-based ones.

Meat + starch + veggies = perfect meal

Meat of your choosing, rice or potatoes, some veggies, and a nice sauce makes for meals that are delicious and excellent as leftovers. My personal favorite is sautéed chicken with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and a homemade fruit chutney.

Talk to your gluten free friends

These poor shmucks have to avoid wheat all year round. They know exactly how to find and make good food without it.

Corn is an amazing substitute

The indigenous peoples of North and South America knew what was up with that staple crop. Corn tortillas are perfect if you still need to make sandwiches. They contain no wheat and go with everything.

Take advantage of easter

Passover starts on easter Friday this year. Which means that there will be tons of food on sale for all the gentiles making Easter Sunday meals. Apart from the hams, many food they make also can be passover safe. Eggs cooked every way. Chocolate. Potatoes with cheese. Various casseroles. Check out the easter blogs for recipes and coupons.

Be part of the global food experience

I know a big thing for our people is tradition, but let's be real. European passover food sucks because European food sucks. It has no flavor and is the same boring ingredients over and over. Luckily, unlike our ancestors, we live in a world where we aren't limited to what we can grow in our little village. There are millions of wonderful ingredients from all over the world at your local grocery stores. And millions more recipes online from thousands of cultures. What's more, thanks to the gluten free trends, most recipes and restaurant menus nowadays already will tell ya if the recipe contains wheat. So no need to scramble around seeing if its passover safe. And honestly, I think that great great great great great great great granny Esther would not only be proud of the new flavorful ways one can cook for passover, she would love every bite and ask for seconds.

Chag Pesach Sameach!

Passover Thumbprint Cookies (Fannies)

Last year I posted a recipe for a Passover version of my Aunt Fanny’s famous butter cookies (which we call Fannies in her honor). They were a big hit at our house.

But this year, after reading an article in Hadassah magazine by food writer and cookbook author Adeena Sussman, I took yet another approach. The article suggested using the grain-free products such as almond flour and coconut flour that have become available in recent years.

I made several versions, experimenting with amounts (you can’t just substitute all-purpose flour or matza cake meal 1:1 for grain-free flour) and had my “tasters” try all of them.

We had two winners. Most people liked the almond and coconut flour recipe; it is tender and buttery. But some liked the matza cake meal and coconut flour recipe; it is dense, more crumbly, and suitable for nut-free diets.

I’m not finished experimenting. Aunt Fanny, wherever you are — your cookie recipe is immortal, now in the original and in Passover versions now and yet to come.

Here are both recipes.

Almond and Coconut Butter Cookies (Passover)

2 cups almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

jam, lekvar, chocolate chips, etc.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the almond flour, coconut flour and salt in a bowl and set aside. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until the ingredients are evenly combined.or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the almond flour mixture and mix another 1-2 minutes, or until the ingredients are almost blended. Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract. Mix the ingredients 1-2 minutes, or until a uniform dough forms. Refrigerate the dough for at least 45 minutes. Scoop pieces of dough and shape them into balls about 1" in diameter. Flatten the balls between your palms. Press each circle with your thumb to make an indentation in the center. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet, leaving an inch of space between them. Fill the thumb print spaces with a small amount of lekvar, jam, etc. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.

Makes about 50

Matza Cake Meal and Coconut Butter Cookies (Passover)

1 cup matza cake meal

1 cup coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

4 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

jam, lekvar, chocolate chips, etc.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the matza cake meal, coconut flour and salt in a bowl and set aside. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until the ingredients are evenly combined.or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and mix another 1-2 minutes, or until the ingredients are almost blended. Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract. Mix the ingredients 1-2 minutes, or until a uniform dough forms. Scoop pieces of dough and shape them into balls about 1" in diameter. Flatten the balls between your palms. Press each circle with your thumb to make an indentation in the center. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet, leaving an inch of space between them. Fill the thumb print spaces with a small amount of lekvar, jam, etc. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.

I can’t find the original post I made from last year so im just going to repost it