I love bread. Bread, and bread products, have always been a staple of my diet. Growing up my mother would go to the bakery every Sunday and would bring home a fresh rye bread, which I would tear into as soon as she walked in the door.

This is why Passover is 8 days of torture for me. All of the foods that I enjoy the most are "off limits" - testing my willpower to no end. Sure, I can eat matzah, but I generally avoid eating foods that taste exactly like the container that they come in.

In the spirit of sharing, I wanted to get a thread started where we can share any favorite Passover recipes. The recipe below is a rich, dense dessert that will elevate your cholesterol by about 100 points, but it is darn good.

Chocolate Espresso Torte for Passover

* 1 cup butter or margarine
* 1 cup sugar + 1 Tbsp. sugar
* 1 cup espresso + 2 Tbsp. espresso **
* 16 oz. semisweet chocolate (large package)
* 6 eggs, plus
* 6 egg yolks
* confectioner's sugar (garnish)

NOTE: can use margarine if good quality
** : brewed espresso or very strong coffee

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 9" springform pan. Place wax paper on bottom of pan. Grease and flour (use Passover cake meal to dust the pan); set aside.

Place butter, sugar and espresso in the top of a double boiler and heat until sugar dissolves. Pour hot liquid over chocolate and stir until dissolved; set aside. Beat eggs and yolks until frothy; add to the chocolate mixture and pour into pan.

Bake for 1 hour; edges should crack slightly. Remove from oven and cool; cover and refrigerate. Remove from pan and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar (must be kosher for Passover)

IMPORTANT: this cake is rich and has no flour. It is almost as creamy as cheesecake. You should only serve tiny thin slices. When you remove this cake from the oven it looks like it is NOT set; and it isn't. It should go in the refrigerator at least for 12 hours; so make ahead of time.

Maida Heatter's Queen Mother's Cakeis a similarly rich chocolate torte. The original recipe calls for dusting the spring-form with flour, but you can substitute matzoh cake flour for that. Other than the dusting, it is free of all grains and uses ground almonds.

Beyond that, remember it is the feast of unleavened bread, and unless you are strictly orthodox following a tradition that says that anything that "looks like" a forbidden item (kitniyot) is also forbidden, there are many interpretations suggesting that only the 5 biblical grains (wheat, rye, oats, spelt and barley) are forbidden (chametz). That leaves you with quinoa, buckwheat, wild rice, corn, and rice, for starters.

We've started including a big bowl of kasha at seders.

I'm cooking my annual Seder for the Gentiles this Saturday. It's becoming an annual event - this will be year three - and while I try to come up with a new menu each year, returning attendees keep asking for my matzo lasagna. Instead of wasting my time cooking a bird or brisket this year, I'm going to make a double batch of the lasagna with a side of green beans and matzo ball soup. Plus the usual seder ancillaries (charoseth, hard boiled eggs, horseradish & matzo with butter).

Here's the recipe for the lasagna for those who are interested:

1 box of matzo
1 lb. ground beef (80% lean)
1 package of chopped frozen spinach (you can use fresh if you desire)
1 pint of mushrooms, sliced & sauteed
minced garlic, to taste (toasted)
2 cups sauce
Italian blend of cheese (mozzarella, parm & asiago)

Brown off the beef - keep some of the pan grease in the meat to add moisture & fat to the dish. Sautee the spinach & mushrooms with the garlic. Make the sauce - I create an on a whim recipe using a mix of stewed whole tomatoes, canned tomato sauce and a teaspoon or two of paste, combine with Italian seasoning, garlic and a dash or two of salt & pepper. Then you start building the lasagna. I run the sheet of matzo under running water until it's almost pliable. You don't want it too wet, but just moist so it doesn't crumble. Sauce, matzo, beef, veggies, sauce, cheese, matzo...repeat. Bake at 350 until the cheese is golden brown & bubbling (approx. 20 minutes). As with most lasagna, it's better on day 2 & 3.

Interesting take on lasagna. But why avoid noodles and make it with matzo when you are mixing meat and dairy in the same dish?

edited to add: I guess I ought to explain why I busted you on being inconsistent re dietary laws. My brother and I came from a "secular Jewish" home. We had a seder every year, but our family was rather assertively non-observant about religious dicta. We went to Fairfax High School (in Los Angeles, not Virginia) which was about 98% Jewish in those days. My brother's way of thumbing his nose at the rules was to bring ham and swiss on matzo sandwiches for lunch during Passover.

Valid point - to a point. By observing Passover, I hold fast to the observance of remembering the exile from Egypt (omitting bread/grains, corn products, rice & as much soy as possible). To me, that justifies meeting the annual requirement of observance for this holiday. Why be hypocritical and keep the strict laws of kashruit for only eight days? I don't do it the other 357 days of the year, so if I mix dairy and meat but leave out the flour noodles, I'm still "safe." Sorry if you feel this is thumbing my nose at the rules.

My communication was a bit influenced by Cotes du Rhone last night (2004 Mas Carlot Les Enfants Terribles). So I was being a bit of an "enfant terrible" in expressing my discomfort with religious rigamaroles in general. I don't think you are thumbing your nose at the rules, quite the contrary, --maybe you would be if you made your matzo lasagna with Italian pork sausage and called attention to it-- like my brother used to do. But really, Mel, however you want to do Passover is entirely your business. My apologies.

No worries, Zora.

FYI: Breadline has freshly baked matzoh this week.

My hypocrisy is so boundless, I've thrown away the bun from a Big Mac and had it on matzoh

The lasagna sounds like a winner!

Thanks,

Kevin

Maybe the not-kosher but kosher-for-Passover plan is is one of those things that makes sense only when you do it -- and not when you hear about it. When I was growing up, my neighbors once used a pork chop bone (instead of a lamb shank) on the seder plate. My friend Eric used to have the "car rule" during Passover -- anything could be eaten in the car, but if you were out of the car, you had to observe Passover. One year my father ate ham and cheese lettuce wraps during Passover. He said it was the easiest Passover ever. I think it's nice to make some kind of effort, no matter how small, which is why I appreciate the recipes here.

In the Sephardic tradition beans are allowed during Passover. Apparently in Israel, some Passover products are marked "For beaneaters only" -- referring to Sephardim, not Bostonians.

Ah, yes. The sacrificial pig of biblical fame. Closely examined, most religious dogma seems absurd: the fundamentalist practice of obsessively cleaning house so that not one miniscule crumb of leavened or potentially fermented carbohydrate remains, having four separate sets of dishes, pots and pans, separate sinks, even refrigerators so that forbidden contact between certain food groups will not occur, eating only the front half of an approved animal, leaving the choicest, tenderest parts for the infidels. Over-cooking all meat so that no hint of blood, or flavor, remains. I could go on. But that's why I got kicked out of Hebrew School for ditching temple.

Too true Zora

I saw for the first time this year 'spelt matzoh'. If spelt is one of the forbidden grains, how the heck can they make spelt matzoh?!?!.

Sometimes it's soooo hard to be a Jew, but the pizza and beer tastes especially good the first night after passover.

I hope everyone has a great holiday!!

Thanks,

Kevin

Interesting that the most important part (to most of us on this board) of religious holidays has to do with food. Thus sayeth a (formerly) Catholic girl who never tasted Matzoh Ball Soup until adulthood. Now, I make Latkes during Hannukah and the urge for Matzoh Balls is getting irresistible.

To throw in an ecumenical factoid: When the 50th Anniversary of the UN happened a few years ago, the festivities ended in a big, fancy dinner for dignitaries of every member country. The chef (I don't remember who this was, but I have no doubt that someone here does) was in a real pickle about what to serve. Yes, he would fix vegetarian fare for those who couldn't, or wouldn't, eat meat. But that left everyone else. Jews and Moslems don't eat pork, Hindus don't eat beef, etc. He thought he was going to have fix boring, old chicken for the masses. So, he put in a call to Letitia Baldridge, who was the Social Secretary for Jackie Kennedy IIRC, and has written a book or two on modern etiquette. She replied, "Oh, Honey, people have been sacrificing lambs longer than anyone can remember." LAMB! That was the answer. Chef was relieved.

Great story. I've long believed that the bacon cheeseburger has to be the most widely offensive food ever concocted, and I think that's one of the reasons I love it so!

That's good news, as I was there yesterday and since I did not see any matzoh, I inquired when they would be selling it--only to be answered by a blank stare and "what's matzoh?" Guess I'll be heading back later this week!

Yes, Barbara, but do you go for the sinkers or the floaters? I'm a floater gal myself--'cuz my Mom has always made 'em that way!

Anybody know where I can buy some kosher for passover desserts for tonight? Looking for a place between DC and Kensington, MD. Was supposed to make the brownies, but ran out of time - Please help!

Thx

Grocery store: Fresh mixed berries & cream with a plate of the chocolate covered marshmallow candies (frozen of course) - it will be refreshing after all the heavy food at dinner.

That actually sounds fantastic - I will keep that one in my back pocket. Just worried someone else might be making the fruit dessert, since I was supposed to bring the brownies - do you happen to know of anywhere that has the brownies or coffee cakes or anything else, pre-made? Thanks!

Try Katz's Koshermart, 4860 Boiling Brook Parkway, Rockville, MD ,
301-468-0400. Not sure what time they'll be closing today.

Oh, I quickly took the side of the "Large and Fluffy" as opposed to the "Small and Dense." Someone I worked with told me what to do to get them that way. Not that I'm usually so OPINIONATED about other things. (The sound you just heard was Craig plotzing )

That looks great-- I need something to take to a potluck humanist sedar this weekend and that might be just the thing!

If there is a possibility of anyone there being kosher, you might wish to skip the meat...although what does one do about animal-based rennets in cheese?

No kosher worries and others will be bringing veggie entrees.

I buzzed the Breadline at 2 and scored 4 pounds of freshly baked matzoh for tonight. Cool!

How deep is your selection of Manischewitz?

Ya'll are putting me in the mood to try my own Passover this year. But we're not Jewish.

Is there a good guide to Passover on the Internet?

Passover (like most Jewish holidays) can be summed up easily:

They tried to kill us.
We won.
Let's eat.

Seriously though, here are three good sites:

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/

http://www.ou.org/chagim/pesach/

http://www.uscj.org/Passover_guide6635.html

Thanks,

Kevin

Go get the ground beef, mushrooms and whatever else you need to make this. Does it taste like lasagne you would make the other 357 days of the year? Nah, but neither does anything else you eat this week. But this is a great alternative. I wish I had taken home leftovers

It was a big hit at the sedar I was at on Saturday! Thanks, Mel!

My mother told me that she went to a vegetarian seder--a first for her. On the seder plate, instead of a shank bone, there was a sweet potato: "The Paschal Yam"...

So, I'm supposed to supply either a potato kugel for seder this weekend or some local greens and a decent potato kugel recipe.

I'm going with the latter option since every potato kugel recipe I've read thus far sounds yucky. I much prefer Sephardic fare at Passover and I even I like noodle kugel.

I am praying someone here has a delicious alternative to the ones I've googled thus far.

Thanks!

Look for a kugel recipe on the Hebrew search engine: Gugel

As a preacher's kid who married a nice Jewish girl, I've been going to Sader for the last 25 years. They are an absolute blast. Serious, yes, but joyful and fun and family too. Lucky for me, I'm only responsible for bringing the wine.

This might be alittle late for Seder, but the bread of affliction is with us for 7 for days so it should still be timely. A tip to anyone making haroset who wants to make it non-alcoholic (i.e. no sweet Manschevitz wine), try pomegranate juice. In the past I used grape juice and it was missing that tanginess you get from thw wine, but the pom did the trick this year and also added a middle eastern/israeli connection too.

I was the only non-Jew at the seder yesterday; everyone loved this joke, especially the vegetarian who kindly made the gefilte fish and the matzo ball soup w chicken.

FYI: Here's a Dr. Seuss-version of the Four Questions that the children recited. It's culinary in nature: Uncle Eli's Haggadah.