A three-course Pessah meal

Green Pessah Chicken Soup with Dumplings, Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Haroset and Pessah Napoleon with Coconut Cream.

leg of lamb 311 (photo credit: Danya Weiner / Fresh Flavors from Israel)
leg of lamb 311
(photo credit: Danya Weiner / Fresh Flavors from Israel)
Green Pessah Chicken Soup with Dumplings
Clear chicken soup with matza dumplings (kneidlach) is the most popular starter for the Seder meal and one of the few Ashkenazi dishes to be adopted in practically every Israeli household. The following recipe takes a few liberties with this classic: The dumplings are enhanced with aromatic spices and cooked in a soup that welcomes the green vegetables of spring.
Serves 8-10
1 kg. chicken and turkey parts and bones
2 onions, chopped
1 celery root, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 Tbsp. oil
1⁄3 cup dill, chopped
1⁄3 cup fresh coriander, chopped

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1⁄3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1⁄2 kg. fresh or frozen broad (fava) beans (optional)
2 potatoes, diced
2 leeks, white part only, sliced
1 level Tbsp. turmeric (optional)
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Chicken Kneidlach
250 gr. chicken breast, ground
1 cup matza meal
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tbsp. fresh coriander, chopped
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1⁄2 cup chicken stock or water
Prepare the soup: Brown the bones with the onions and celery root and stalks in a saucepan with some oil. Add 3 liters of water, the dill, coriander and parsley. Bring to a boil and cook for about one hour. Strain and retain the broth.
Add the beans, potatoes and leeks to the broth and bring to a boil. Season and cook for 45 minutes over a low-medium heat until the vegetables are tender.
Prepare the dumplings: Mix the ingredients and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Before serving: Bring the soup to a boil, form small balls of the dumpling mixture using two spoons or your hands, and slide into the boiling soup. Cook for 20 minutes and serve.
Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Haroset / Chef Avi Steinitz
Haroset is an important part of the Pessah ritual. As this recipe shows, it also makes a terrific filling for another symbol on the Seder table – the leg of lamb.
Serves 6
11⁄2 kg. leg of lamb, shank bone left in, hip end of bone removed (have the butcher do this for you)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
The Haroset Stuffing:
250 gr. ground beef or lamb
2 tart baking apples, cored and diced
250 gr. date paste
11⁄4 cups walnuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 tsp. dry ginger
Leaves from 1 thyme sprig
The Spice Rub:
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp. dry coriander seeds
1⁄2 tsp. ground chili pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
5 Tbsp. olive oil
Spread the leg of lamb on a work surface (the side with the bone facing up). Mix the stuffing ingredients thoroughly and spread along the center of the leg. Wrap the meat over the stuffing to make an elongated package. Tie with kitchen string.
Preheat oven to 180º.
Combine the spice rub ingredients and rub the meat on all sides.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and brown the meat on all sides. Remove from the skillet and wrap loosely in aluminum foil. Roast for 50-60 minutes (a meat thermometer inserted inside the lamb should indicate 60º for medium. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
Pessah Napoleon with Coconut Cream / Adi Blumenfeld, Touch Food Cooking School, Ra’anana
This is the Pessah version of the classic French dessert. Caramel-coated matzot are a clever substitute for the puff pastry.
serves 8
The Coconut Cream:
800 ml. (2 cans) coconut milk
80 gr. (5 Tbsp.) corn starch
8 egg yolks
150 gr. sugar
3 tsp. rose water or a few drops rose essence
The Caramel Matzot:
5 matzot
Oil for frying
250 gr. (11⁄4 cups) sugar
240 ml. (1 cup) coconut milk
To Serve:
Fresh strawberries, halved lengthwise
Confectioners’ sugar
Prepare the coconut cream: Dissolve the corn starch in 1⁄2 cup of coconut milk, add the egg yolks and most of the sugar and beat well. Bring the remaining coconut milk with the remaining sugar to a boil and add gradually to the egg mixture. Pour into a pan and heat slowly, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens. Remove from the stove and add the rose water. Cool and transfer to a piping bag.
Prepare the caramel matzot: Wet each matza with water, wrap in a kitchen towel and set aside for 30 minutes. Cut the matzot into circles using a ring cutter, or into small squares, and fry in oil on both sides until golden. Remove from the pan and dry on paper towel.
Dissolve the sugar in a saucepan with a few tablespoons of waterover low heat until a light caramel color. Bring the coconut milk to aboil and gradually pour into the caramel, stirring constantly. Cook fora few minutes until smooth and creamy. Dip the fried matzot in thecaramel cream for 2 minutes, remove carefully and cool.
To serve:Place a matza disk or square on a serving plate. Pipe some of the creamover it and top with fruit. Cover with another matza, pipe more cream,top with fruit, and cover with another matza. Dust with confectioners’sugar and serve.