Spinach-Artichoke Matzo Kugel

There are a lot of Passover dishes to get excited about. Matzo ball soup, for one, is a favorite. No matter your preference of dense or light and fluffy, those dumplings always please. Gefilte fish, too, is consumed in great quantities and, personally, I can't get enough of it. Served with spicy beet horseradish, I'm perfectly happy with eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are also the sweeter elements of the Seder: haroset (chopped up fruit and nuts) and tzimmes, baked root vegetables (such as carrots and sweet potatoes) with honey and dates. Those two are easy to love.

But no one gets excited about matzo kugel. Often bland and heavy, a savory kugel typically consists of mushrooms and onions.  To my surprise, many recipes contain dairy, too. For a kosher household, like my parents', where brisket and chicken soup will be served, the use of heavy cream and butter (you know, the good things in life) are out of the question.

So, here was my challenge: to create a flavorful kugel sans dairy. Using a recipe from Cooking Light as a guide, I prepared a spinach-artichoke kugel, speckled with chopped roasted red pepper and diced parsley. It's a surprisingly light kugel, which I attribute to the extra egg whites. A little smoked paprika and cayenne pepper provide a kick that will surely make it a great addition next to roasted meats. For those vegetarians at the table, this could easily be a full-on entree, accompanied by a great big salad.

Additional recipes to serve during Passover:

Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

Roasted Vegetable, Avocado and Kale Salad

Cauliflower "Couscous"

Moroccan Carrot Dip

Pickled Beets with Feta

Sweet Vermouth Cocktail

Beet and Quinoa Tabbouleh

Shaved Fennel, Apple and Quinoa Salad

Cucumber, Avocado and Kumquat Salad

Beet Dip with Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese

Pesto-Coated Carrots and Parsnip Fettuccine

Spinach-Artichoke Matzo Kugel

Source Adapted from Cooking Light, March 2014

Yields 10-12 servings

Ingredients

10 (6-inch) matzo crackers
2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup hot water
2 cups diced onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 13-oz can artichoke hearts (I used the Whole Foods brand), drained and coarsely chopped
3 roasted red peppers, from a jar, coarsely chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 large egg whites
2 large eggs

Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Line a baking sheet (or multiple baking sheets) with aluminum foil. Lay matzo crackers flat on baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes, until browned slightly.

3. While the matzo is in the oven, whisk together the eggs and egg whites in a small bowl.

4. Take the matzo out and, using your hands, break into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Pour hot vegetable broth and water over the matzo and let sit for 10-15 minutes, until completely absorbed.

5. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion, season with a teaspoon of salt and cook for three minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and let cook for another minute. Add chopped artichoke, roasted red pepper, and spinach. Season with another teaspoon of salt, along with smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Let cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the spinach has wilted. Taste for seasoning.

6. Mix the cooked vegetables with the matzo. Stir in parsley. Let sit for a minute or two and then pour the whisked egg over the matzo mixture. Stir to incorporate.

7. Transfer matzo kugel mixture to the prepared baking dish and smooth top using a spatula. Cover with aluminum foil and transfer to oven. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake, uncovered, for another 18 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

Cucumber, Avocado and Kumquat Salad

Last Wednesday was a glorious day. The temperature reached close to 60 degrees, allowing for the enormous piles of snow to start melting. I took Maki for a longer walk than we've been doing these last few months. I spent most of the walk looking up at the sky and just breathing in the warm air. My spirits were immediately lifted. The world felt brighter, full of so many possibilities. And the normal stresses of the day didn't seem to bother me as much.

Of course, as I write this, we're clearing out more snow. Boston has officially broken its record for the most snowfall. Clap. Clap. Clap. Ok, now are we done with this winter weather? It's time to move on to spring.

The fact that I was craving salad at all was a sign that warmer days are approaching; days when we won't resort to bowls of soup and stew for our weeknight meal but, rather, something refreshing and healthy. A couple weeks back, I chowed down on a Burmese avocado salad at a local Chinatown restaurant. It was creamy but light and totally satisfying. I took inspiration from those characteristics as I developed this recipe, which is at once sweet, spicy, and savory. I went back and forth as to whether I should pickle the kumquats and, in the end, decided it wasn't necessary. Those thin slices bring the dish to life, the citrus notes cutting through the bite of the watercress.

This salad hits all the right notes. As I sat in our dining room on that beautiful day, the plate before me and a fork in my hand, the dog sunbathing outside on our porch, I was just totally happy. I look forward to more days like that; ideally with the windows open, allowing a breeze scented with blooming trees to pass through the house. That will be nice. Soon. Soon.

Cucumber and Avocado Salad with Kumquats

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients 1 cucumber, thinly sliced 1 ripe avocado, sliced 1/4 cup kumquats, thinly sliced 4 cups watercress (use red watercress if you want something with more of a bite), washed, dried and large stems trimmed Toasted sesame seeds

Dressing 2 tsps honey 1 lime, juice and zest 1 tsp minced ginger 1 tsp salt 2 tbsps sesame oil

Directions

1. Make the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients.

2. Place the watercress in a serving bowl and toss with 3/4 of the dressing.

3. Top watercress with sliced cucumber, avocado and kumquat. Drizzle remaining dressing on top and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Sweet Vermouth Cobbler

Cocktails aren't traditionally served at a Passover Seder. Often, there is wine. But because any grain or corn-based spirits are kitniyot (the hebrew word for the category of foods that are not allowed to be consumed during Passover), mixed drinks aren't typically served.  In looking ahead to the holiday, I thought a libation using fortified wines, such as sherry and vermouth, would be nice for those wanting to mix up a little after-work drink.

I sipped my first cobbler just a few weeks ago at one of our favorite bars and haven't stopped thinking about it since. The idea is simple: muddled citrus (typically orange), some sugar, liquor and garnished with seasonal fruit (citrus and berries) and mint. Sherry and vermouth are often a bit thicker in consistency and so a bit of soda water will help cut it.

After describing this drink to my mom, she pointed out that sometimes people include orange on their Seder plates. I had never heard of this before. Why orange? What symbolism does that have?

Here's what I learned from a quick search online: In the 1980s, Dr. Susannah Heschel, a Jewish feminist scholar, was visiting Oberlin College. It was there that she witnessed students adding bread crust to their Seder plates as a way of showing their support of feminists and gays and lesbians, who they felt were excluded from Judaism. Heschel suggested that because bread is kitniyot, that they replace it with an orange slice ("I chose an orange because it suggests the fruitfulness for all Jews when lesbians and gay men are contributing and active members of Jewish life."). The tradition has continued, but now is used to represent any groups that may feel marginalized.

Sometimes a recipe isn't just a recipe. Sometimes there's something symbolic about an ingredient or dish that resonates with people. I certainly wasn't expecting this cobbler to have such significance, but it's nice to think there's more to it than just a way to get people a little intoxicated.

sweet vermouth cobbler

SERVINGS
1 drink

INGREDIENTS
3 orange slices
3 ounces sweet vermouth
1 tablespoon sugar
Soda water
Crushed ice
Fresh mint

DIRECTIONS

1. In a highball glass, muddle two orange slices with the sugar. Once the juice has been released, remove the remainder of the orange slices from the glass.

2. Pour the sweet vermouth into the glass then fill the glass two-thirds of the way with crushed ice. Line the inside of the glass with a single orange slice.

3. Top drink with soda water and garnish with fresh mint.