Around the Passover Table by Jayne Cohen Read Free Book Online Page B

chill it), don’t add any more matzoh meal. If necessary, add just enough matzoh meal to enable you to do so. Refrigerate for at least 2 or up to 4 hours so the matzoh meal can drink in the liquid and seasoning.
    WHEN ready to cook, bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a rapid boil in a large, wide, lidded pot. Dipping your hands into cold water, if needed, roll the batter into walnut-size balls. When all the balls are rolled and the water is boiling furiously, turn the heat down to a gentle boil. Carefully slide in the balls one at a time and cover the pot tightly.
    TURN the heat down to a simmer, and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, without removing the cover. (They will cook by direct heat as well as by steam, which makes them puff and swell, and lifting the lid will allow some of that steam to escape.) Take out a dumpling and cut it in half. It should be light, fluffy and completely cooked through. If it isn’t, continue cooking a few more minutes. Remove the balls gently with a skimmer or large slotted spoon—they are too fragile to pour into a colander.
    WHEN the matzoh balls are almost ready, start the soup: bring the broth to a simmer in a large pot. Add the matzoh balls, the mushrooms, and asparagus and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
    USING a slotted spoon, transfer the matzoh balls to shallow soup bowls and ladle the hot soup and the vegetables over them. Garnish with the reserved chopped fennel fronds.

    COOK’S NOTE : You can cook the matzoh balls up to 2 to 3 hours in advance. Drain them and cover with some broth to keep them moist before setting them aside until you are ready to reheat them.
    Experiment with making matzoh balls with a puree of other vegetables, like beets, carrots, leeks, mushrooms, or shallots. Roasted vegetables absorb less moisture than boiled or steamed ones (and, therefore, require less matzoh meal, making them lighter). They are also more flavorful.
    For Your Vegetarian Son, Your Vegan Niece
    Many families need to accommodate a son returning home from college, a mother-in-law, or other diners who are vegetarian or vegan. Whenever possible, serve them foods your other guests will enjoy too, or make use of ingredients already prepped for other dishes.
    Preparing a dairy seder (see suggested seder menus) or even an egg-rich one at a meat meal for a vegetarian guest is not difficult. For a pareve menu, start with Chopped Eggs and Onions or Huevos Haminados; make and serve any of the matzoh ball recipes with vegetable broth, adding extra flavor to the matzoh balls with Olive Oil Schmaltz. Latkes, kugels, and special matzoh bries, such as artichoke, can be made without meat or dairy products and work well as festive vegetarian main courses. And all of the Passover desserts are appropriate for vegetarians.
    But creating food in holiday dress that is not just meat-free, but dairy and egg-free as well and conforms to Passover hametz and kitniyot restrictions is a real challenge. Some suggestions:
    Start with a pâté: slowly caramelize onions in oil, and set aside. Sauté sliced mushrooms and chopped carrots with garlic until deep gold. Let cool slightly, then combine all the vegetables together with toasted walnuts or almonds in a food processor, and puree until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and more oil or Olive Oil Schmaltz, if needed. Serve in endive, radicchio, or butter lettuce leaves or with matzoh.
    A plate of spinach and roasted potatoes will never pass for a main course: add complexity to vegetables with textural contrast, and layer or stuff them to make them taste more substantial. For example, fill zucchini or cabbage with potatoes, walnuts, and mint, or make matzoh-crusty gratins of pureed cauliflower or squash. Top sautéed vegetables with a shepherd’s pie layer of mashed potatoes combined with toasted nuts or sautéed herbed matzoh crumbs. Or make burgers of mushrooms, finely chopped onion, and