Passover kashrut laws are always challenging, and the biggest challenge has to be finding a good kosher-for-Passover cake. If you need the cake to be pareve (dairy free), that’s even harder. So when a festive and good-looking Passover cake, made of layers of chocolate cake and whipped cream, first appeared in a national newspaper in Israel in the 80s, it was immediately adopted by many home cooks, my mother included. The cake was a revelation! At the bottom rests a rich chocolate layer made of whipped eggs and melted chocolate. When cooled down, the cake is topped with simple whipped cream lig ..read more

Matzah brei is tasty it’s classic, it’s versatile, and we love it for all those reasons. But it can also be stodgy, same-y and yet another matzah-based meal that our sore stomachs don’t want. This year, bring the spirit of Passover freedom to your breakfast table, and introduce some variety, freshness and novelty to the most important meal of the day. Here are eight Passover breakfast ideas better than matzah brei from The Nosher — to fill each morning with promise. But before we dive in, if you’re struggling to break up with ‘brei, try this cacio e pepe twist for a savory, modern matzah brei ..read more

A staple of Sephardi Passover tables, mina de matza (sometimes simply called mina) is a type of savory pie stacked with sheets of matzah and fillings like seasoned meat, eggplant, or spinach and cheese. With layers of mashed potatoes and spinach both laced with Parmesan, this one from Alexandra’s family makes a wonderful main for a vegetarian Seder or Passover lunch. Excerpted from “The Jewish Holiday Table” by Naama Shefi and the Jewish Food Society (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2024. Print Photo credit Penny De Los Santos Potato, Spinach and Cheese Mina ★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ..read more

Passover is a cooking marathon, and we know how exhausting it can be to spend the entire holiday in the kitchen. Even if you plan and cook ahead, filling the freezer weeks beforehand, sometimes it’s not quite enough… What you need is a collection of easy recipes that require little preparation and/or cook up in a flash.  Well, here they are: 25 super easy Passover recipes from The Nosher to keep up your sleeve. From seder mains to weeknight dinners, fresh side dishes to decadent desserts, we have you covered. Mains 1. Matzah Mac & Cheese Photo credit Sonya Sanford A decadent dish so d ..read more

Once you’re halfway into Passover, and the leftovers from seder are long gone, do you find yourself craving something that will scratch the itch for doughy bread and silky pasta? That’s when it’s time to whip up a matzah lasagna, or “matzagna” as it’s more lovingly called. While the dish’s exact origins are unknown (although it’s likely an Italian Jewish creation), matzah lasagna strongly resembles Sephardic mina, a popular Passover matzah pie made with layers of cooked spinach and melty cheese.  Every family has their distinct way of preparing matzah lasagna; some insist on including cot ..read more

Moroccan Jews are well-known for their love for all things sweet, and are famed around the world for their spectacular Mimouna parties to celebrate the end of Passover. With elaborate pastries and cakes, it comes as no surprise that this community has a wonderful array of dishes that are served during Passover as well.  Pellebe is a sponge cake flavored with orange blossom water and citrus zest, and then soaked in apricot syrup. This wonderfully light and airy cake is traditionally served by Jews in Morocco during Passover. Some bake the cake with the apricot halves and almonds gently pla ..read more

Brisket is synonymous with Jewish cuisine. It seems as though every bubbe has their own recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. A fall-apart brisket was the centerpiece of our Hanukkah meal, with umami-rich gravy pooling onto our plates loaded with crispy potato latkes. Recreating the texture and taste of beef for a plant-based dish is challenging, but king trumpet mushrooms and grated tofu help mimic the look and feel of brisket. Serve it with roasted potatoes or latkes, or try it in a challah bun and slaw for a play on a “pulled beef” sandwich. For a less traditional ..read more

Matzah ball soup is undoubtedly one of the most comforting and well-known Ashkenazi classics, and one that is a challenge to replicate for a vegan diet. Traditional matzah ball recipes rely on eggs and schmaltz (chicken fat) for fluffy, flavorful matzah balls. In this recipe aquafaba, or chickpea water, acts as a binder similar to eggs, with some added potato starch to help hold those balls together. These are definitely a bit denser than a big, fluffy matzah ball, so if you are team sinker, you’ll love these. You can add any flavors you like to the base matzah ball mixture, like some freshly ..read more

Albondigas are small meatballs commonly served in a broth flavored with chilis and vegetables. The dish was brought to the Sonoran region by the Spanish and is served at restaurants all over Tucson in different iterations, including chicken, turkey, beef, shrimp and fish.  One year, inspired by Passover, I decided to personalize my version of this popular soup by swapping out the meatballs for matzah balls, and my Matzalbondigas was born. Recipe reprinted with permission from “Taste of Tucson: Sonoran-Style Recipes Inspired by the Rich Culture of Southern Arizona” by Jackie Alpers. Published ..read more

Every year in the weeks leading up to Passover, I start to feel a little flutter in my stomach. It makes sense. With seder menus to plan, loads of groceries to buy, a kitchen to scour and turn inside out, and hours of cooking ahead, Passover’s to-do list is simply overwhelming. And this year, I have an extra item to add to my Passover anxiety checklist: the price of eggs.  As anyone who has been grocery shopping in recent months has surely noticed, eggs are wildly expensive right now. Thanks to a combination of avian flu outbreaks amongst egg-laying chickens (which led to a decrease in ov ..read more