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Roast chicken with caramelized onions, figs and honey
I have drawn from a non-Jewish, unauthored source for this particular mainstay of Passover, because this recipe is so simple and straightforward that just reading it eases the stress of nurturing holiness in this time of Coronavirus. I have roasted many chickens, and this method is good. It allows you to start with basics and then add in what you have in your larder. To this version, I like to add halved figs, whose sweetness makes the molasses in the brown sugar even more dimensional.
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Brisket
Food writer Joan Nathan’s favorite brisket is recreated with great, staged pictures in a recipe from the good people of Sour Cherry Farm, a homestead and cottage industry in the lower Hudson River valley.
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Shakshuka
This Middle Eastern staple is very easy to make, and yet it has such an aroma and presentation that it’s not just the vegetarians who will be indulging. Here is Tory Avey’s simple recipe, which takes you step by step from her trip to the fabled Dr. Shakshuka restaurant in Old Jaffa to your table. Leftovers, if that happens, make for a great Passover breakfast.
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Zucchini kugel
Barbara Rolek’s pareve zucchini kugel is a delicious and gluten-free side dish that any other day would make a great lunch. This is a forgiving feast dish. No matzah meal? No worries, just crumble some matzah or go without. Have two heads of broccoli and a potato? Mince and go. You can use the spiralizer for a fluffy kugel, or in a pinch, shred the zucchini and beat the whites of the eggs separately from the yolks for a little aeration.
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Healthy tzimmes
This absolutely beautiful tzimmes by Debra Klein expands the traditional melange of root vegetables and prunes into a colorful garden of roasted and no-fuss goodness, which (as Klein points out) is ironic, since tzimmes means “fussed over.” Your guests won’t know the difference, especially if you’re on FaceTime, but they’ll want you to make it again when they come for Rosh Hashanah.
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Baghdadi carrot cake/Halva
The tenth-century confection recounted in this recipe by Nawal Nasrallah in her cookbook Delights from the Garden of Eden will add a wonderful and sweet gluten-free complement to the afikomen, some dark chocolate and cut oranges. Cornstarch can be replaced easily with potato starch to conform to those refraining from eating kitniyot on Passover, but don’t skimp on those aromatic flavorings. To make pareve, or just because you love olive oil in your cakes as I do, leave out the butter.
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Oranges and chocolates
Afikomen