Rocky Mountain in the Early Spring

We decided to take a little day trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. The temperatures were hovering around 80 in Denver, but up in the mountains it was still a little cool. But signs of spring were obvious. Ice was melting and the creeks were starting to run. It was a lovely afternoon...and I still can't believe we live here.

sephardic charoset truffles (plus a denver botanic gardens excursion)

The seder is held on the first two nights of Passover, which begins at sundown on the 14th day of Nisan, the 7th month of the lunar calendar. (This corresponds to March or April on the Gregorian calendar.) It marks the time when Jewish people around the world commemorate the emancipation of the ancient Hebrews from the bondages of slavery in Egypt, several thousand years ago. The Jewish people left Egypt in such a hurry (and I would too if I were being chased by Pharaoh’s army!), that they didn't have time to let their bread rise. And so, modern-day Jews shun bread and all leavened products for 8 days. 

Growing up my parents would host seder in our home. Our friends relatives would come over for a reading of the Hagaddah and partake in the ensuing festive meal. Every Passover I would look forward to my father's famous Matzo Brei and Potato Bilkelach and my mother would make matzo meal muffins and "rolls" which I thought were the greatest!

Passover memories are some of my fondest from childhood, and today I continue to embrace religious rituals that revolve around family, culture and food. The seder tradition is something I’m passing down to my own children and this year I hope my youngest will be able to make it through all of the four questions!

To mark the exodus from Egypt I’m trying out a new version of the seder staple, Charoset.  Charoset, which comes from the Hebrew word charas meaning clay, is brick-like in color and symbolizes the mud (brick and mortar) used by the ancient Hebrews to build their adobe huts. Traditionally we serve our Ashkenazi* charoset in a small bowl and spread it over our matzah, but these Sephardic** charoset truffles are different in both color and texture from the recipe of my childhood.

Unlike the standard Ashkenazi charoset which has apples, wine, and walnuts, these truffles incorporate ingredients often associated with Moroccan/North African cooking. It contains dates, dried apricots, shelled pistachios, golden raisins and honey, which are all blended together to form a paste. They are then rolled in the palms of your hand, and once they are ball-like in shape, they are dusted in cinnamon and sugar.

And if the delicious taste weren’t enough, you can easily make these truffles with your children too!

Enjoy and Happy Passover!

* Jewish people with German, Central and Eastern European roots.

** Jewish people with Iberian Peninsula roots (Spain and Portugal) who, after the Inquisition of 1492, generally settled in the North African countries of Morocco and Algeria (some also fled to France and other parts of Europe). 

The menu:

Sephardic (Moroccan) Charoset Truffles, 

dates, dried apricots, shelled pistachios, golden raisins + honey,

recipe (below) courtesy of The Shiksa Blog.

Saffron Matzo Ball Soup, 

recipe from  The Shiksa Blog.

Turkish Leek Patties (Keftes de Prassa) 

a traditional Turkish Passover dish, 

recipe from Olive Trees & Honey. 

Moroccan Mashed Potato Casserole,

a popular Moroccan Passover dish in the Sephardic community, 

recipe from Olive Trees & Honey.

Roasted Caramelized Carrots, 

recipe from Passover By Design, Susie Fishbein 

Chocolate Covered Matzo Toffee with Sea Salt, 

                     recipe from the Sassy Radish and Smitten Kitchen. 

Sephardic (Moroccan) Charoset Truffles (Courtesy of The Shiksa)

Ingredients


1 1/2 cups pitted dates


1 1/2 cups dried apricots


1/2 cup golden raisins


3/4 cup shelled pistachios


2 tbsp honey


1/4 cup sugar


1 tsp cinnamon

You Will Also Need: Food processor


Preparation

Place dates, apricots, raisins, pistachios and honey and place in a food processor.

Pulse for about 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth but still has texture. You may need to break up the sticky mixture a few times if it collects in a ball in the processor.

In a bowl, mix together the sugar and the cinnamon. Form date mixture into balls that are about ¾ inch in diameter. The balls will be sticky and soft. It will be easier to shape them if you wet your hands slightly.

Dry your hands. 
Dip the balls in the cinnamon sugar and coat thoroughly, and re-roll between your palms to smooth out any rough edges. 
Serve at room temperature.

* * * 

And a few shots from today's outing to the Denver Botanic Gardens: 

Thin and Green: Roasted Asparagus and Green Beans with Red Pepper Vinaigrette

For the past two weeks the weather has been picture-perfect here in Denver. With the exception of today- rain and snow showers are predicted- the temperatures have been in the mid-70s and low-80s. Flowering trees are blooming and we have been spending a ton of time outside. It seems like everyone on my block has been barbecuing, and I'm having a serious hankering for a burger. And steak too. Surprised? You shouldn't be! I've been experimenting with tofu "burgers" and playing around with marinades for grilled tofu steak: chili rub, orange glaze, straight-up spicy barbecue, to name a few. I've also been making some complimentary sides dishes-- ones that are easy to make and take under 15 minutes. I realized long ago that not every post, nor every dish, has to be complicated or fussy. Sometimes a nice, straight-forward vegetable dish is all you need. Today I have two.
The first is for Roasted Asparagus with Lemony Breadcrumbs, which was published in the most recent issue of Martha Stewart Living. I like to use pencil-thin asparagus for this one. Yes, it is more expensive than the wider asparagus, but in this particular dish I think it makes a difference. I tend to use the wider variety when I make asparagus soup. Since there are so few ingredients in this asparagus dish, buy the best quality produce you can find.
The second recipe is for Green Beans with Red Pepper Vinaigrette. My friend Jo Ellen brought this side dish over for a recent playdate/dinner. I made macaroni and cheese and the green beans were the perfect compliment to the pasta entree. Jo got the recipe from her sister-in-law Sara, who came up with it while trying to recreate the flavors she tasted in a similar bean dish. I like to use haricot vert, but traditional string beans will certainly do the trick.
This green bean recipe is one of my new favorites. Flavorful and simple. And now that I think about it, I bet the red pepper vinaigrette would make a really nice drizzle for asparagus. Hey, wait a minute. Is there some sort of recipe development happening here?! I'll try it and let you know how it turns out...

Roasted Asparagus with Lemony Breadcrumbs
Courtesy of Martha Stewart
Serves 6 (You can easily halve the recipe)
Ingredients
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup panko- Japanese breadcrumbs (I used high-quality plain breadcrumbs)
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
Garnish: 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet, and drizzle with oil. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast until tender, 18 to 20 minutes, then transfer to a platter.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko, and cook, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice and zest. Season with salt. Top asparagus with breadcrumbs, and garnish with lemon. 

Click the link for another asparagus recipe: Linguine with Asparagus, Egg and Hollandaise. Yes, it's delicious! 

* * *

Green Beans with Red Pepper Vinaigrette 

(Courtesy of Sara Stevens, by way of her sister-in-law Jo Ellen)
2 pounds of green beans, boiled for 5 minutes in salty water, then dropped in an icy bath. 

Vinaigrette
1-2 cloves of garlic (I go with 1)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 - 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
Mix the vinaigrette ingredients in a small food processor so that the garlic is pulverized. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add roasted red peppers from a jar-  1/2 to most of the jar. Whir that up a bit. It doesn't need to be a smooth puree, get the dressing to the consistency of your liking. Adjust seasoning (and keep in mind that the dressing has to stretch over all those beans...so a little bit more salt would work.)

Pour the dressing over the beans. Let it sit in the fridge for a while, overnight is good. 

Serve!