Cooking with Candi

I must preface this with the fact that anyone who’s ever had this farfel dish loves it. It is steeped in tradition, it was made absolutely the best by my Grandma Regina, and only seconded by my mother (G’ma Millie). It is a very tricky dish to make, and after many failed attempts, I figured out that doubling it doesn’t work, and you must let it dry out!!! It should probably sit out to dry for at least 2 hours. I know this sounds crazy, but it’s true. Of course, G’ma Regina never wrote a single thing down, so you’ll be winging the spices and the oil, because I always do. It’s not the healthiest thing in the world, but it’s so delish and we only  make it but once a year. When I was little I couldn’t wait to have it at my grandparents’ house. We looked forward to it every year…

this recipe was actually given to me by my daughter, jennifer. she has made it numerous times. always to raves from the family. i am going to make it this year for rosh hashana and it is so perfect for Passover.  it is a delicious chicken dish made with honey so it so appropriate for the jewish new year! sweet and savory as our new year should be! enjoy it.  if anyone out there has some holiday ideas i’d love to hear about them. pay attention to cooking directions as you will not be preheating oven!!!!!!

Ingredients:

1 stick butter or margarine

1/2 cup minced yellow onion

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard

1/2 cup mild honey

1 teaspoon kosher salt

a rounded teaspoon curry powder

2 tablespoons peach or mango chutney ( available in most supermarkets)

small handful of dried currants or chopped dark raisins

2 roasting…

Remember that fabulous cranberry apple crisp we made for Thanksgiving? Well, here it is for Passover made with matzoh farfel! Perfect side dish for Passover as well, or use for dessert. My family likes to eat this as part of the meal, but do whatever you like. You can even make this in little ramekins and do individual crisps if you like. Once again, this is from Karyn, who deserves full credit in my book!

*just got a call from Karyn who said this time she made it she just soaked the matzo farfel quickly before putting it on top ( which is such a good idea) just to soften and she also made it with just 1 cup of sugar! and it came out perfectly so I am changing this recipe to 1 cup not 2 cups of sugar.

*you can substitute margarine for butter if you want to with…

Here we are again with all the matzoh meal and no flour for Passover, not to mention the 6 eggs that seem to be in every recipe.  I figured I’d be helpful for all of those looking for ways to reinvent the wheel. This recipe contains cinchy, easy ingredients, and its usually a crowd pleaser. So many variations of the same thing. This one can be made ahead and frozen, which is great. You will just cook it 1/2 way through before freezing, then defrost and cook at 350 degrees for about another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes later. This is a dairy side dish, so obviously won’t work for everyone but hold on to it because it is a keeper when looking for a vegetarian dairy side dish.

Ingredients: (can be doubled)

2 pkgs. frozen spinach (2 boxes) ( it’s app. 20 oz. of spinach, a bag and a half or…

This is my easiest Charoset. It’s traditional in the sense that it’s an Ashkenazi (Eastern European) recipe. I add a little brown sugar instead of white sugar and it gives it just a bit more character. This makes about 4 cups, but you can easily double it. My family loves it, so I always make a double batch. Remember, while a reminder of the mortar used in making bricks for Pharaoh, charoset is really just a sweet condiment of apples and wine!

Ingredients:

3 medium Fuji apples (or any other kind you like), peeled, cored and finely diced (use processor to make your life simpler) I usually use whatever is in the house, but on Passover I go through so many apples, so buy what you like (I always like Granny Smith because they are nice and tart)

1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped (buy them pre-chopped)

1/2 cup sweet red wine such as…

I have no idea where or who this recipe comes from but I’ve made it many times and it’s very tasty. This is sweet–once again with apples, eggs, oil , raisins, and of course, matzoh. Probably best in a rectangular Pyrex dish (9×12 should do it).  After I wrote this recipe, I received the same one from Marcy and she says she puts in a can of pineapple pieces or crushed, sounds good to me. You can serve this with meal or dessert. It’s a very good recipe. Worth keeping.

Ingredients:

12 sheets of matzoh (plain)

9 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 tsp. salt

6 large apples (you can use any kind you like) peeled, cored and cut into slices

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 cup pecans

1 1/2 cup golden raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Break matzoh in a bowl into small pieces…

It’s so good to have friends that share their recipes. Whether it be for holidays or just to share. My friend Julie shared this with me and though I haven’t baked them yet I am pretty certain they will be a winner. Always on the lookout for Passover desserts, I’m excited to give this one a try. It’s also amazing that there are only 2 eggs in this recipe because it seems like every recipe has a whopping 6 eggs in it for this holiday. Just an aside here, my friend Julie has a baking company in Aspen, CO. named Aspen Jewels Bakery. If you live up here and don’t feel like baking you can contact her and she’ll bake for you!

Ingredients: 

1 stick butter, unsalted ( or margarine)

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons matzoh cake meal

1 tablespoon potato…