Passover Kugel

by Mrs Marvel

Here’s another Passover dish called Kugel. According to Wikipedia, kugel was traditionally a savory pudding made from egg noodles or potatoes. At some point, different regional tastes created sweet kugel with the addition of sugar and cinnamon. This particular one calls for fruits and nuts. The name comes from the early shape which was a dome or rounded shape, while today’s kugel can be any shape you have. Farfel – one of the ingredients listed here – is a small pellet or flake shaped pasta made from egg noodle dough.  In your store it may be called “egg barley.”

The instructions are sketchy – from what I can gather looking at other recipes, you combine everything, mixing well, pour into a pan and bake.

Passover Kugel

2 c farfel or broken matzos in colander

Pour 2 c cold water over, let drain

3 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 c sugar

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 c chopped nuts

2 bananas sliced or 2 apples chopped

Bake 350º

Passover Mondel Bread

by Mrs Marvel

Alternately spelled “mandel,” this recipe is for a traditional cookie also called Mandelbrot. Mandel bread is a Jewish baked good similar to biscotti in its crunchy consistency. They were popular with Askenazi Jews and rabbis in Eastern Europe due to it being durable and long lasting. There are variations including cinnamon, chocolate chips and nuts. Apparently in America there are more variations given the many culinary influences present. According to Wikipedia, it literally translates as “almond bread.”

The secret to this and biscotti is that they are baked twice to achieve the dry and crispy crunch.

Passover Mondel Bread

3/4 c oil

3/4 cup sugar (scant)

Beat well

Add 3 eggs

Add

2 tbsp potato starch

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c cake flour

1/3 c matzo meal

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 c chopped nuts

Vanilla

Refrigerate

375° 1/2 hoir

250°

(I really don’t know how long to bake them the second time)

Baked Matzo Rolls

by Mrs Marvel

Kicking off a series of recipes that were filed as either Passover or Jewish in one of the collections I acquired, here is a recipe for Baked Matzo Rolls. I’m going to be learning about these traditional foods because I am not Jewish and I didn’t have a lot of exposure to Jewish foods before this. One thing I learned right off the bat is that matzo meal – which this recipe calls for – is made from crispy matzo ground into a flour-like consistency. Matzo flour is specially made from wheat, spelt, barley, rye or oat and follows specific rules in processing. Crispy matzo is made from matzo flour; matzo meal is made from crispy matzo. From what I can tell, these will be a rounded roll. Many photos show an X-shaped cut across the top of the rolls but I don’t know if that is required.

Baked Matzo Rolls

Stir 1/2 c oil into 2 c Matzo meal. Add 2 c boiling water, 1 tsp salt.

Beat 5 eggs – add

Drop heaping tablespoon on cookie sheet. Bake about 30 minutes or until light brown

375º 30 min

Zucchini Platter

by Mrs Marvel

I don’t know how I feel about this salad recipe. I don’t love zucchini, but I don’t dislike it either. Usually it’s not what I think of when I picture a salad, but it could be good mixed with all the other ingredients. It’s a maybe for me. I feel more like it should be put in a jar and pickled first.

Zucchini Platter (salad)

Cut 5 or 6 zucchini lengthwise

Cook in small amount of salted water 3 min. Drain. Chill.

Combine 1/4 c sauterne wine, 1 envelope Italian dressing (mix) in a jar. Add 1/2 c oil, 1/4 c wine vinegar, 1/4 c sliced green onions, 3 Tbls sweet pickle relish, 2 Tbls parsley, cover & shake well.

Arrange Romaine leaves on platter. Alternate zucchini bundles, tomato slices and onion rings or green pepper rings. Pour dressing over.

Tostada Salad a la Idella

by Mrs Marvel

This reminds me a lot of a dinner I make at least once a month. We call it taco salad, and I omit the cheese, use impossible meat, and ranch dressing instead of French. It’s a favorite in my family. I’ll put my method below Idella’s. Whoever Idella was, people liked her recipe enough to ask for it. Must be good!

Tostada Salad a la Idella

Chop 1 onion, 4 tomatoes & 1 head of lettuce. Toss with 4 oz grated cheddar cheese & 8 oz French dressing. Hot sauce to taste. Crunch in 6 oz tortilla chips. Put in avocado slices. Brown 1 lb ground beef then add 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans drained & 1/4 t salt. Simmer 10 minutes & mix with cold salad.

 

Taco Salad a la Mrs Marvel

1 lb ground beef (or 12 oz impossible meat)

15 oz can refried beans

1 head iceberg lettuce chopped (or 2 bags of salad mix)

Small can black olives

1 small tomato quartered

1/4 c red onion, diced

Taco seasoning (or, 1 t each: paprika, cumin, garlic, chili powder, cilantro, onion)

Tortilla chips

4 T ranch dressing

Hot sauce

Cook the meat with the taco seasoning. While that is simmering, prepare the salad – mix together lettuce, black olives, onion & dressing. Microwave refried beans for 2 minutes. On plates or in shallow bowls, layer 6-10 tortilla chips, 1/3 cup refried beans, salad, then some meat. You can top with cheese if you eat that. Serve immediately with taco sauce/cholula/tapatio/whatever you like available. Makes 3 large or 4 medium servings