For Everyone Who’s Tired of Potatoes in Passover Dishes

Lamb Shashlik

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lamb trimmed of all fat, and cut into 2-inch cubes (leg or shoulder of lamb)
• ½ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup garlic, chopped
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon rosemary
• 2 medium onions, cut into eighths
• 2 large peppers (of assorted colors), cut into 1-inch chunks

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, combine lamb, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, pepper, salt, and rosemary.
2. Marinate for at least 2 to 3 hours prior to cooking.
3. Place marinated beef on skewers (about 6 cubes per skewer).
4. Be sure to apply a light coat of oil on the skewer prior to threading the meat.
5. Place onion and pepper on separate skewers, alternating type of vegetable.
6. Cook lamb shashlik skewers on grill or under broiler for 10-12 minutes, or until desired doneness. Turn to ensure even cooking.
7. Grill vegetable skewers for last 5 minutes of grilling. Turn. The vegetables should be crisp, yet tender. Be careful not to overcook.

Note: The meat and veggies are cooked on different skewers because the meat will take longer to grill.

Blueberry Crumble

Yields 24 squares

Ingredients:

Blueberry Filling:

• 4 cups fresh blueberries
• ¼ cup white sugar (do not add sugar if the blueberries are naturally very sweet)
• Juice of 1 lemon

Crust and Crumb Topping:

• ¾ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups ground almonds
• 2 cups matzah cake meal
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter or margarine, cold and cut into cubes
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
2. In a mixing bowl combine the blueberry filling ingredients. Stir until mixed well and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, ground almonds, cake meal, salt, and lemon zest until well combined.
4. Add the butter and egg, and use a pastry cutter to blend the ingredients until well combined and you still have pea-sized chunks of butter. Mix in the slivered almonds.
5. Place half of the crust mixture into the baking dish and press it firmly into the bottom. Spoon the blueberry mixture into crust, being careful not to add too much of the liquid.
6. Crumble the rest of the crust mixture over the blueberries so that it is evenly distributed. Bake for 50 minutes until the crumb topping is golden brown.
7. Let cool for at least an hour before cutting. Cut into 24 squares.

This dish is best served just slightly above room temperature, but any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator.

Salt & Pepper Kugel

Ingredients:

• 3 cups spaghetti squash, shredded
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ¼ cup matzo meal
• ¼ cup canola oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix all ingredients except for the oil.
3. Pour oil into a 9×12-inch pan, and place in preheated oven for 5 minutes.
4. Pour squash mixture into hot oil.
5. Bake for 45 minutes.
6. Remove kugel from oven and pour off excess oil.
7. If the kugel is still too watery, bake out some of the moisture before serving.

Poached Peach & Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• Kosher salt & ground black pepper
• 2 peaches (12 oz. total), halved & pitted
• 4½ teaspoons olive oil
• 4 cups baby greens

Chicken:

• 1 lb. chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoons paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons rosemary
• Salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Prepare a medium gas or charcoal grill fire. (Note: If you don’t have a grill, you can cook the chicken in a sauté pan in its marinade.)
2. Combine vinegar and thyme in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the mixture is thick, syrupy, and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 to 9 minutes.
4. Cook peaches in the syrup for 2 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat, discard the thyme sprigs, and season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
5. Season chicken and grill or sauté in a pan until cooked.
6. In a medium bowl, toss the baby greens with the remaining 2½ teaspoons oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange on a platter.
7. Top with the chicken and peaches. Drizzle with about 2 Tablespoons of the reduced balsamic, adding more to taste. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and remaining juice from chicken and peaches.

Tip: Substitute chicken with 1/4 cup feta cheese for a dairy meal.

Cabbage Soup with Matzoh Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 5 Tablespoons canola oil
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 4 tomatoes, diced
• 1 large green cabbage, chopped
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 2 cups tomato sauce

Matzo Meatballs:

• ½ cup matzo meal
• ½ lb. ground beef
• 3 eggs
• Salt and pepper
• 1 Tablespoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin

Instructions:

1. Sauté onion and garlic in canola oil until brown.
2. Add sugar and caramelize.
3. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
4. Let boil for 30 minutes and then simmer.
5. While the soup is boiling, mix all ingredients for the matzo meatballs.
6. Form into balls, then add the matzo meatballs to the boiling soup. Cook for 20 minutes.

Try the Award-Winning The No-Potato Passover this year: Leave behind plain potatoes and opt for healthy, delicious and creative food. Find easy-to-make recipes, vibrant travel photography from across the world, original options to create fantastic dishes for Passover and all year-long, and low-carb and gluten-free recipes.

No pasta or rice, no bulgur, couscous or kasha, no beans or legumes—no problem! Check out Jewish Action for Perfect Passover Side Dishes.

Everything you need or want to know about Passover is HERE: Check out OU Kosher’s Passover site for product searches, answers to your FAQs, videos, articles, and more. Also available for free download are the Passover Guide and the Kosher App. 

Aviva Kanoff is a personal chef, painter, photographer and mixed media artist. She is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and has a degree in studio art from Hunter College in NY. 

The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.