Passover

Bhuna means “browned”—actually, the process of browning. So in this dish the meat has a browned look to it, and whatever sauce there is, it is thick and clings to the meat. This is a family recipe that comes via my niece, Abha. If you like, two slit hot green chilies may be added at the same time as the cilantro, just before the final stir. I like to eat this with Indian flatbreads (pita or other store-bought flatbreads may be substituted) as well as Potato and Pea Curry. You could also serve it with rice.

Beans cooked in olive oil and eaten at room temperature are a Turkish staple. The mottled pink borlotti beans (they are called barbunya, which is also the name for red mullets) are a special treat. The Turkish ones obtainable here need to be picked over for foreign matter. There are also good-quality canned varieties which you can use.

Tagine barkok, made with or without honey, is one of the most popular fruit tagines of North Africa. It is eaten with bread. Restaurants in Paris accompany it with couscous and bowls of boiled chickpeas and boiled raisins (see page 377).

This simple and delightful North African salad is easy to make with the frozen artichoke bottoms obtainable from Middle Eastern stores.

For this flavorful Egyptian dip, buy the split fava beans which are sold with their brown skins removed and look creamy white.

These potatoes are normally deep-fried or sautéed in olive oil but they are equally good roasted. They are served cold, although I admit I like them hot, too.

These eggplants stuffed with ground meat—their name, karniyarik, means “slashed belly”—are served as a hot main dish with rice pilaf (page 193). Use a good-quality tomato juice.

When carrots are roasted, they develop a sweet flavor that thyme enhances. I serve these carrots with a beef pot roast and roasted potatoes.

You'll want to pickle the beets a day ahead.

Matzoh can take many forms during the eight days of Passover: crushed into meal for baking or coating, topped whole with sauce and cheese for pizza, or fried with eggs for Matzoh brie. All can create Matzoh fatigue, but it can also be transformed into something a bit unexpected; that is, a riff on a holiday favorite: stuffing (minus the bread). Studded with meaty, browned mushrooms and translucent bits of celery and fennel, this is a delicious side dish perfect for soaking up gravy, or just as satisfying on its own. 

A passover meal wouldn't be complete without haroseth, a traditional, chutney-like condiment.

The Deli's mashed potatoes aren't very complicated. Each pound of potatoes serves about 3 people.

This salad is so simple and refreshing. The spiced matzo chips can be made a few days in advance and stored in a ziplock bag. I always make some extra to serve with soup or dips at another meal.
Parve
Gebrokts

This show-stopping presentation is for wowing guests when you only have a few minutes to prep and get something into the oven. Make sure you have butcher's twine on hand for tying the roast.
Meat
Non-gebrokts

Parve
Gebrokts

Every Passover, my maternal grandfather, Irving, made beet horseradish from scratch. He was a gardener with a true green thumb when it came to tomatoes, but I can't remember if he grew his own horseradish. What I do remember is how teary-eyed everyone got when he served my grandmother's homemade gefilte fish with his beet horseradish on the side. Through the sniffles, we all expressed delight and assured him that this batch was the hottest and best yet. Horseradish is one of those flavors I have always loved. For all you other horseradish lovers out there, here's a fabulous dip. Use extra-hot prepared horseradish to guarantee those sniffles and teary eyes.

Quinoa, a grain with a texture like that of couscous, is sold at natural food stores. Serve this side dish with lime wedges.