Sweet and Sour Meatballs - A Weitzman Favorite

 I didn't make meatballs when the kids were younger. I am not a meatball lover, and didn't really care. But I have made this recipe for Passover and all year round. I can also make them with meat or with vegetarian balls.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1/4 c. matzo meal
• 1 t onion powder
• 1 t dried oregano - from the Spice House
• 1 large egg
• 1 16 oz can of whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1 26 oz jar of marinara sauce (I use Paul Newman's)

Instructions:

In a pot over low heat, combine the cranberry sauce and the marinara sauce while you make the meatballs. Stir every once in a while.

In a bowl mix the beef, matzo meal, onion powder, oregano and egg. I use gloves to really get into the mixture. Form meatballs that are about 1-2 inches in diameter. Drop them into the sauce. Cover. Cook for 45 minutes. Test a meatball to confirm meat is done.

To make it vegetarian, I use either pre-formed balls or I take the "meat" and form my own.

Cauliflower "Popcorn" - Kosher for Passover and All Year Round

I am NOT a big fan of cauliflower, but this recipe is delicious!

2 heads of cauliflower, cut into medium size florets, stems and leaves tossed into the compost pile
1 t fine sea salt
2 t white sugar
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t tumeric
1/2 c olive oil

Preheat oven to 450

Cover baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with Pam

In a large bowl combine everything but the cauliflower.  Then stir in the cauliflower and stir really well.

Put the cauliflower on the pan and bake 30 minutes, or until a fork can pierce a piece of cauliflower

The recipe says serves 8, but my family of four ate the whole thing as a side dish for dinner.

Cucumber and Onion Salad

An easy salad to make any time of year, but it is kosher for Passover!

3-4 thin cucumbers (peeled)
1 medium Vidalia onion
2-3 T fresh dill (you can substitute in 1 teaspoon of dry dill if needed)
1 T sugar
2 T olive oil
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c white wine vinegar

Slice the cucumbers paper thin and put in bowl.

Slice the onion as thin as possible and add to bowl.

Sprinkle with sugar and leave out for 30-60 minutes.  Add olive oil and vinegars and stir.

Passover Almond Butter Banana Pancakes

Tried this new recipe for Passover.  Passover breakfast is always a challenge in our house since we normally eat cereal, and we have a few choices.  Passover means no ready to eat food in our house, and things need to be prepared.  Three out of four of us eat matza brie. . . . . no one likes the Passover pancakes (homemade or from a mix) and we all agreed the $7.99 box of Passover waffles was the worst waffle we ever ate.

Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
4 eggs
1/2 cup almond butter
1 t vanilla (KFP)
1 cup chocolate chips
maple syrup
vegetable/canola oil

Place the bananas, eggs, almond butter and vanilla into the food processor with the "s" blade and process until smooth.  Pour into bowl and add chocolate chips and stir.

Heat griddle over low to medium heat.  Heat oil.  Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto hot griddle and cook on one side for 2-3 minutes.  Flip and cook for an additional minute and move to cookie sheet.  (You can keep the prepared pancakes in a warm oven until batter is gone.)  Continue.

Serve with maple syrup and a berry salad on the side.

Passover Meat Lasagna

Ingredients

1.5 lbs ground beef - not extra lean (if you want to make it vegetarian, use 1.5 pounds of mushrooms that you have pulverized in the food processor)
2 onions, chopped
3/4 c. pignoli nuts (you can substitute dates)
1/2 c raisins soaked in red wine
1-2 t ground cinnamon
1 t cloves
2 T Olive Oil
One box of matzah (4 sheets per layer)
2 eggs
1/2 c beef broth or red wine
salt and pepper

In a pan, heat oil over medium heat and add onions and a pinch of salt.  Let onions cook for 5-7 minutes.  Add nuts and raise the heat a bit.  Add ground beef and cook for 5 minutes.  Add raisins with the wine, cinnamon and cloves.  Let cook 5 more minutes and add salt and pepper, if needed.  Cook until beef is cooked.  Remove from heat and cover.  You want the mixture to have some liquid (if there isn't any add some beef broth or wine).

Preheat oven to 350F

Take a 9 x 5 pan and fill with water (this is to soak matzah).  Place 4 matzot to soak for a few minutes, but not too long.  You want it in one piece and not many.

Take another 9 x5 pan and add a teaspoon of oil and put in the oven for a minute (to heat but not burn).  Take out pan and put in two matzahs.  Add 1/2 of the meat mixture with some juice and cover with two matzahs.  Then add the rest of the meat and matzah.  You need to replace the matzahs in the water as you take out two to keep the process going.

Beat the eggs together.  Poke a few holes in the top layer of matzah.  Pour egg mixture over it.

Bake 30-40 minutes or until brown.  Let stand for 10 minutes then serve.

Sephardic Charoset

Growing up, the charoset on our Passover table was made of apples and nuts.   A few years ago, I learned about how each geographic area had their own charoset.  My mother in law introduced this to me before I married her son.

Sephardic Charoset

1 pound of dark raisins
8 oz. pitted dates
2 cups water

Place raisins and dates in a bowl and cover with water and let stand for one hour.
Chop fine in a food processor in small batches, and put in a heavy saucepan.
Simmer over a very low heat until all liquid is absorbed (about an hour)
Remove from heat and cool.
Place in Tupperware in the fridge.

After the seder is over, I typically serve it for breakfast or with lunch to spread on matzah.

Passover Blintzes

Passover is a holiday where the kitchen is a busy place.  Because of the different food restrictions of the holiday and the cost of prepared foods, I find myself in the kitchen a lot.  And since there are no short cuts, I find myself with a hungry family and a meal not quite ready, especially during the work week.  However, during the weekend, I like to treat my family to homemade blintzes.  Blintzes are a favorite around here, and they are time consuming to make.  However, because there are not as many favorite Passover recipes, I am more likely to prepare this recipe to satisfy their hunger.

Passover Blintzes

Batter:

6 eggs

1 cup potato starch

1 cup cold water

1 cup cold seltzer water

Sweet Cheese Filling:

1 pound farmer’s cheese

2 egg yolks

½ pound of cream cheese

2 T sugar

Blend the eggs in a blender; slowly add the potato starch, and both waters.  Blend until pale, yellow and foamy.  Pour into a bowl.

Lightly oil a 6 inch skillet over medium high flame.  Melt some butter in a small Pyrex bowl.  Brush the skillet with a bit of melted butter.  Using a ladle pour batter to coat pan, drain off excess batter.  When the crepe seems dry, use a rubber spatula to make sure the crepe is not sticking to the pan.  Shake crepe onto a cloth and let cool.  Brush pan with butter.  Stir batter and ladle onto pan.  Repeat until all batter is gone.  When the crepes are dry and cool, you may pile.

Mix filling ingredients until well blended.  Place a tablespoon of filing on the top third of the crepe in the middle.  Fold down the top, and the left and right sides, and then roll, into a blintz.  Repeat. 

Put folded blintzes into a greased Pyrex pan.

Preheat oven to 375.  Bake blintzes for 15-20 minutes.