Stirring up a modern Passover repast
Leah Koenig’s recipes combine hallowed tradition with a new twist and fresh flavours
In Leah Koenig’s “modern Jewish kitchen,” there is room for both tradition and new vibrant flavours. Her blintzes are filled with roasted garlic-potato or orange-scented cheese, and her matzo balls are studded with sautéed jalapeno and shallots.
She was raised in a Jewish home with an appreciation for Jewish foods, but didn’t learn how to cook them until she moved away for college.
“I was creating my Jewish repertoire from scratch, and doing it in my 21st-century kitchen filled with vegetables from the farmers’ market and a sauce-splattered laptop that played music while I chopped,” she writes in Modern Jewish Cooking (Chronicle Books, 2015).
In addition to 175 recipes, Koenig includes a chapter devoted to Jewish holidays and festival foods; menus are listed for Shabbat, Purim, Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Hanukkah.
“I think people get Passover wrong a little bit by focusing on all the things they can’t eat, and really kind of getting into this deprivation mode. Which is ridiculous because you’re not starving; there’s plenty to eat,” Koenig says.
RECIPES Gefilte Fish In White Wine Herb Broth
9 cups (2.25 L) water
1 tbsp (15 mL) kosher salt
2/3 cup (165 mL) dry white wine
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped 1/2 parts, small roughlyleek, white choppedand light green
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped 1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 large garlic cloves, gently smashed 1/2 cup (20 g) packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, with stems and leaves 1 tsp (5 mL) black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
1 lemon, thinly sliced
For the gefilte fish:
1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) dried thyme 1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into chunks 2 1/2 lbs (1.2 kg) skinned whitefish fillets, such as a mix of halibut and cod, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 1-in. (2.5-cm) chunks 1/4 cup (25 g) matzo meal (recipe follows) 3 eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest 1 tbsp (15 mL) kosher salt 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) freshly ground black pepper 1. Make the poaching broth: Combine all the ingredients in a wide, deep pot set over high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl, then return the broth to the pot. Cover and set aside, off the heat. Discard the solids. 2. Make the gefilte fish: Use a mortar and pestle to crush the thyme and oregano. 3. Combine the onion and carrot in a food processor and process until the vegetables are finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl. Working in two batches, add the fish to the food processor and process until it is finely chopped and begins to form a ball. Add the fish to the vegetables along with the matzo meal, eggs, lemon zest, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper, and mix well to combine. 4. Return the poaching broth to a simmer over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, moisten your hands with water. Scoop out a scant 1/4 cup (70 g) of the mixture and form into an oval 3 in. (7.6 cm) long. Set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining fish mixture. 5. Use a slotted spoon to place the fish balls in the gently simmering broth. Cover and simmer until firm and cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes. (If you cut one in half, it should be opaque at the centre.) Remove the gefilte fish from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with the horseradish herb sauce (recipe below).
Make ahead: Let cool and transfer to a large container. Pour over enough cooled poaching broth to submerge the gefilte fish. Cover the container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight. Serve cold or at room temperature topped with the horseradish herb sauce.
Makes about 20 gefilte fish balls
Creamy Horseradish Herb Sauce
3/4 cup (180 g) mayonnaise 1/3 cup (80 g) prepared white horseradish 1/4 cup (10 g) finely chopped fresh dill 1/4 cup (10 g) snipped fresh chives 1 tsp (5 mL) fresh lemon juice 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) freshly ground black pepper Stir together the mayonnaise, horseradish, dill, chives, lemon juice, and pepper in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, or up to 2 days.
Makes 1½ cups (280 g) From Modern Jewish Cooking by Leah Koenig. Reprinted with permission from Chronicle Books.
For the poaching broth: