Nobody Starves On Passover With Cindy Grosz
There is a myth, people don’t like Passover food. If you use the right ingredients and experiment with healthy options like lots of vegetables and really good chocolate, Passover recipes become staples year round. Many recipes are used for Easter as well, as well in gluten-free, plant-based, keto and vegetarian diet options.
Here are two favorites. Play around. Sometimes, I add other root vegetables in the soufflé and serve with a crumble topping. I found that even the pickiest eaters and children eat this!
My Butternut Squash Soufflé
Makes one 8×11-inch tray; serves approx. 8
2½ cups (20 oz.) cooked and mashed butternut squash (about 2 medium squashes)
⅝ cup potato starch
½ cup oil
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon
Directions
Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds. Place the pieces in a large pot with about 2 inches of water, and cover the pot. Bring this to a boil over a high flame, reduce the flame, and cook them for 30 minutes, until the squash is fork-tender. Remove the squash from the pot and let it cool. Scoop out the meat from the skin, discarding the skins. Mash the squash meat and measure out the amount needed. Sift the potato starch over the mashed squash with a small sifter or tea strainer, so it won’t clump together. Add the oil, sugar, and eggs and mix well. Pour the batter into an 8×11-inch baking pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the top of the kugel. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the center of the kugel tests firm when pierced with a knife.
Matzoh Farfel
Also adaptable for a matzoh brei breakdown
¼ cup vegetable or cottonseed oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 cup diced celery (about 3 ribs)
1 (4-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained*
3 ½ cups matzo farfel
1 bag shredded cabbage
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
In a large pot, sauté small pieces of cabbage, celery, onions, mushrooms until onions are glossy. Add in farfel, eggs and if needed water or chicken soup broth and keep mixing until soft.
You can put it into a baking sheet and finish in the oven or serve loose as is. Last year, I pre-made waffles and served fried chicken cutlets and waffles and made a gravy topped with fried fresh mushrooms and onions. Big hit!
Oowy Goowy Cookies
Note:love to make two batches and make Parve ice cream sandwiches for dessert
Ingredients
3 cups powdered sugar
⅔ cup Dutch Process cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 to 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ cups bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper (or silpat mats). If you use parchment paper, give it a light coating of nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar with the cocoa powder and salt. Whisk in the egg whites (start w/ just two) and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened. You’re looking for a brownie-like, thick and fudgy batter consistency. If it seems too thick, add another egg white– then a 4th one if it still seems too thick. Then gently stir in the chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter onto the prepared baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds per cookie sheet. I like to use a spring-release cookie scoop. Bake for about 14 minutes, until the tops are glossy and slightly cracked. Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto wire racks. Let cookies cool completely, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Enjoy! And Remember— You Don’t Have To Be Jewish With Cindy
You can now hear me on The Cindy Grosz Show, syndicated across the United States every weekend and streaming worldwide on iHeartRadio, Spotify and every major podcast outlet. In Israel, you can download us through Jewish Podcasts, out of Jerusalem.