Passover Recipes

Passover begins at sundown this evening, hence six diabetic Passover recipes, including Honey Cupcakes and Hazelnut Citrus Torte. And to all my friends who are Jewish, here's to a happy Passover. Enjoy!

MATZO TOFFEE WITH CANDIED GINGER

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “Traditional matzo toffee — a Passover-friendly spin on saltine toffee — is an addictive three-layer confection of crackers, brown sugar toffee and melted chocolate. In this version, the chocolate gets a spicy boost from the addition of both fresh ginger juice and chewy candied ginger. Or substitute a topping of cacao nibs, sea salt and/or toasted, chopped nuts. Matzo toffee will keep for at least eight days, stored airtight at room temperature, which will take you through the holidays in the sweetest way possible.”

Yield: About 2 dozen pieces.

This was featured in “Closing the Seder with Something New” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

4 to 6 sheets matzo, preferably salted

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ginger juice, optional (see note)

Large pinch fine sea salt

6 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (1 cup)

3 ounces chopped candied ginger (3/4 cup)

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, allowing it to go over the edges of the pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with parchment. Arrange matzo over parchment in one layer, breaking pieces to fit as necessary.

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, bring butter and sugar to a boil for 3 minutes, until thickened and smooth. Stir in ginger juice and salt. Quickly pour mixture over matzos. Transfer pan to oven and bake 15 minutes until bubbly.

Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle chocolate evenly over caramel. Let stand 5 minutes until chocolate is softened. Use an offset spatula to spread chocolate smoothly over surface of toffee. Immediately sprinkle with candied ginger. Place pan in refrigerator and chill toffee for 1 hour. Break into large pieces.

Tip

To make ginger juice, grate a 3-inch piece of peeled ginger into a fine-mesh strainer and press out the juice.

HAZELNUT CITRUS TORTE

This also comes from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “A touch of quinoa flour gives this hazelnut torte an underlying smokiness that makes it more complex than most. It also makes it both gluten-free and kosher for Passover. But if you can’t find quinoa flour, millet flour will work well, too, as would wheat flour (though of course it would no longer be gluten-free). With a supple, moist crumb, this torte will keep for several days, well-wrapped at room temperature, so feel free to make it ahead. Then serve it with a citrus sorbet or sweet citrus salad and a mound of whipped crème fraîche or mascarpone.”

Yield: 8 servings; Time: 1 hour

This was also featured in “Closing the Seder with Something New” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more for oiling pan

200 grams granulated sugar (1 cup)

95 grams hazelnut or almond flour (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon)

30 grams quinoa flour (1/3 cup)

4 large eggs, separated

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

2 grams salt (1/4 teaspoon)

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of an 8- or 9-inch springform pan with parchment and brush pan with olive oil.

Combine a third of the sugar (about 1/3 cup), the hazelnut flour and the quinoa flour in a bowl.

In another bowl, use an electric mixer to whip another third of the sugar with the egg yolks on medium speed until thick and pale yellow in color, about 5 minutes. Beat in 1/4 cup olive oil, the lemon zest and the citrus juices. Fold in the dry ingredients.

In a clean bowl, use an electric mixer to beat egg whites and salt until frothy. Beat in remaining sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 to 5 minutes. Fold a third of the egg-white mixture into batter. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture in 2 batches. Pour batter into pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Remove pan sides. Invert pan, remove parchment and turn cake right side up onto a plate.

Tip

Measurements for dry ingredients are given by weight for greater accuracy. The equivalent measurements by volume are approximate.

HONEY CUPCAKES (for PASSOVER)

This comes from Nichelle Stephens, About.com's Cupcake expert, who writes, "Honey cake is a Jewish traditional dessert that is often served at high holidays like Passover and Rosh Hashanah. I am not Jewish, but I had my first Seder meal at the Catholic elementary school that I attended in Alabama. Now that I have gotten your attention with the previous sentence, it is important as a food writer to sample foods from different cultures and countries. The cool thing about cupcakes is that you can be inspired to bake cupcakes from food all over the world. Honey cupcakes are a nice treat for both kids and adult that will be welcomed at Passover Seder dinner along family and friends. A Passover seder is a festive holiday meal. In some ways, it is somewhat similar to Thanksgiving where families gather, but there are prayers and a ritual that happens throughout the meal. These honey cupcakes are adapted from a Baked-Delicious.com recipe that originally had whole wheat flavor. For Passover, it is necessary to use unleavened bread like matzo for baking." Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; Total Time: 50 minutes; Yield: 18 cupcakes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

A pinch of salt

1 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup honey

1 lemon (only use the juice the zest)

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons milk

2 eggs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325F. In a large bowl, sift the cake meal, flour, salt, spices and baking soda. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the honey and butter. Add in the lemon zest and juice and stir until well blended. Make a well in the center of the bowl that has the dry ingredients. Slowly add the honey mixture, stirring until it is well blended.

Beat the eggs and mil together in a measuring cup or small bowl. Then slowly beat into the batter. Use an ice cream scoop to pour the batter into baking cups. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the center cupcake is well risen and springy.

Set the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.

Make a honey syrup with 4 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons water and the grated zest of one lemon. Drizzle or brush honey syrup on top. For garnish you can add lemon zest and chopped almonds or peanuts on top. Honey cupcakes keep well and taste even better after two or three days.

CHAROSET

This came from Judaism 101. It starts off, "This fruit, nut and wine mix is eaten during the seder. It is meant to remind us of the mortar used by the Jews to build during the period of slavery. It should have a coarse texture. The ingredient quantities listed here are at best a rough estimate; I usually just eye-ball it. The recipe below makes a very large quantity, but we usually wind up making more before the holiday is over. Other fruits or nuts can be used."

4 medium apples, 2 tart and 2 sweet

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

1/4 cup sweet wine

1/4 cup dry wine

1 Tbs. cinnamon

Shred the apples. Add all other ingredients. Allow to sit for 3-6 hours, until the wine is absorbed by the other ingredients. Serve on matzah. Goes very well with horseradish.

NO-FRY POTATO AND SPINACH LATKAS

This begins, “Latkas are served at Chanukah to celebrate the miracle of a little bit of oil lasting for 8 days. Traditional latkas are usually fried in 1/4 cup of oil, so 1 latka contains about 3 grams of fat. I don't know anyone who can stop at just 1 latka, so these 'no-guilt' latkas are a terrific alternative. Each one contains just over a gram of fat – that's a miracle!

“Can be frozen. Serve with salsa, tzadziki, low-fat sour cream or yogurt.”

Yield: 24 medium latkas or 6 dozen miniatures. (3 minis equal 1 medium latka.)

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/211.shtml

Source: MealLeaniYUMM!

Author: Norene Gilletz

Ingredients

4 tsp. canola or vegetable oil, divided

3 medium Idaho potatoes

10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 medium onion

1 or 2 carrots

2 tbsp. minced fresh dill (or 2 tsp. dried dill)

2 eggs plus 2 egg whites (or 3 eggs)

1/4 c. flour (white or whole wheat)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions

Place oven racks on the lowest and middle positions in your oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil. Spray with non-stick spray, then brush each pan with 1 tsp. of oil. (This provides a crispy exterior to the latka.)

Peel potatoes or scrub well if you don't want to peel them. Using the Grater of your processor, grate potatoes, using light pressure. Remove potatoes from processor. Insert Steel Knife and process spinach, onion, carrots and dill until fine. Add grated potatoes, eggs, egg whites and remaining 2 tsp. oil. Process with quick on/offs to mix. Quickly blend in remaining ingredients.

Drop mixture by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly with the back of the spoon to form latkas. Bake uncovered at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes, or until bottoms are nicely browned and crispy. Turn latkas over. Transfer pan from the upper rack to the lower rack and vice versa. Bake about 8 to 10 minutes longer, or until brown. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 42; Protein: 2 g; Fat: 1.2 g; Sodium: 97 mg; Cholesterol: 18 mg; Carbohydrates: 6 g; Exchanges: 1/2 Bread/Starch

BAKED POTATO PANCAKES

Found online at http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/436.shtml Makes about 16 pancakes or 8 servings.

Ingredients

Canola oil cooking spray

6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes peeled

2 large carrots, scraped

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely minced

1/4 cup green onion, finely chopped

2 large eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

reduced-fat sour cream or applesauce (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray large non-stick baking sheet with oil spray. Coarsely grate potatoes and carrots. Place them in large sieve. Set sieve into a large bowl so it nestles securely. Squeeze vegetables to wring out as much liquid as possible. If vegetables still feel wet, pat dry with paper towels, then transfer them to a mixing bowl. Stir in flour, parsley, onion, eggs, oil, salt and pepper, making sure ingredients are well combined.

Spoon small mounds of the mixture on the baking sheet to form 2 1/2-inch pancakes, leaving 1 inch between each. Bake latkes until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes per side, turning once with spatula. Pancakes can also be made in a pan, preferably non-stick, with a light coating of canola oil spray on the bottom. Heat pan to high, then reduce to medium or medium-high heat. Transfer cooked pancakes to warm plates or a serving platter and serve at once. If desired, serve with low-fat sour cream or applesauce.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving): Calories: 251; Protein:6 g; Sodium: 185 mg; Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 50 g; Exchanges: 3-1/2 Starch/Bread, 1 Lean Meat