I figure recipe threads are okay since I've seen many in the past, so . . .

I'll be hosting a small brunch Passover weekend. My brother will not be eating leavened bread or pork and his catholic girlfried (who will eat bread) does not eat red meat or pork. I was thinking of looking for an EASY noodle kugle recipe (we're going to a big wedding the night before so I won't have a lot of prep time). Any other ideas? Can I make a coffee cake that has baking soda/powder? That doesn't require any rising time so I would think it would be okay for Passover?

http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/pkuindex.htm If you write to me I'll be glad to send you my recipe for a kugel with cottage cheese, apricot jam, nuts... will answer any other questions at [email protected]
or go to www.chowhound.net and go to the kosher board.. Regular noodles won't be acceptable.. Also have recipe for Passover cheese cake..

If the person you are cooking for keeps Passover, you cannot use regular noodles or flour. You will need to buy passover noodles (Yuch) and matza meal or matza cake meal (yuch). It's not just leavening ingredients which are forbidden, but anything with flour, corn ( as in corn syrup, corn oil), legumes is also off the list. Many people simply avoid the obvious, everyone has their own degree of compliance. If you want to make things that taste good, I would suggest sticking with foods which are inherently kosher for passover-eggs (omlettes, fritattas), potatoes, fresh fruit, fish (poached salmon works well for brunch) olives, flourless cakes. There's lots of Passover stuff avaialable in grocery stores, but much it just tastes like matza rehashed. Hope this helps

for recipes try aish.com website, click on holidays on the left, then passover, and you'll find recipes there.

also try allrecipes.com they have a passover section

Noodles are a no-no. So is a cake made with wheat flower. As Rachel suggested fritatta is the easiest and safest dish for brunch

Here is an easy chicken recipe, doesn't require lots of work:

Dip strips of chicken in eggs and then in matzo meal or matzo crumbs if you don't have meal, fry till golden brown on all sides. Pour orange juice and honey, add your favorite spices, let simmer.

Your guests will love this dish! Serve with a green salad with olive oil.

For desert just by macaroons in the Jewish section of any supermarket and some chocolates.

Thanks for the great info and links - they are going to be a big help!!

As a very uneducated jew I'm curious, historically, why no flour/corn products. I thought the no leavened bread was based on not having time to wait for it to rise as the jews fled Egypt (I could be totally wrong - my knowledge is limited). Anyone able to enlighten me?

You are right. Bread is made out of wheat flower. And so is matzot. The difference is in time - how fast it was made.

Corn and legumes are allowed, I think for a year or 2 now.

There are many website to explain it. I think Judaism101 is one of them. Or just Google "passover"

Thanks for the info. I need to educate myself. We're going to join a humanistic temple and start sending ds to Sunday school in the fall. My mom suggested I volunteer to help in the classroom - I told her I need to be IN the class, not help to teach it!!

congrats on your decision to join a synagogue. you might ask if they have any family education courses-where you and your kid/s learn together. Or suggest they start such a class (of course, you'll soon learn that suggesting anything in an organization subjects you to being put in charge of it also!)

Thanks you. I feel like I've been a girl without a religion all of my life (mom is jewish, dad isn't) so this was a big decision. I'm glad dh is open to it and look forward to learning more.

OYE VEY. Religion is a good thing.Congratulations snowrooster.

I'd like to recommend a great, easy to read & understand book if you're getting back/learning about Judaism&holidays - the JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words -- all the words associated with holidays, food, services etc with great definitions in modern, American Language. It's on Amazon

The main Passover thread is gone.

Here is a great dessert recipe.

Passover chocolate nut torte.

6 eggs separated
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 cup of chopped walnuts
4 oz grated chocolate
2 apples peeled and grated
1/2 cup of matzo meal

Beat egg yolks with sugar until lemon colored and thick. Stir in nuts, chocolates, apples and matzo meal. Beat egg whites. Fold into egg yolk mixture. Bake 55 minutes at 350.

The taste is really good! I used sour apples so added a little honey. And cinnamon. Can't wait

Hi Faina - I'm actually making a Passover Brownie recipe I found on recipesource.com. It also call for a cup of nuts, but I was going to skip them as my kids tend to just pick them out and make a big mess. Now I'm noticing a lot of the Passover chocolate desert recipes have nuts and I'm wondering they are of more key ingredient than w/other brownies where you can take 'em or leave 'em. Have you ever tried making the reicpe below w/o the nuts? I'm worried that they might be necessary to bulk up the brownies.

Snowrooster, toss those nuts (walnuts?) in a food processor, and they will behave almost like flour just adding to the taste.

I don't like pieces either, and my husband complains they get stuck in his dentures. After a food processor they are just like damp flour.

Hmm... I meant nuts after the food processor, not dentures

Go to www.epicurious.com and type in Passover recipes to see recipes from Bon Appetit and Gourmet. They are rated with cooks' comments.

So anyone know why the other Passover thread got yanked??

Did someone get jealous of all our lovely matzoh binding recipes ;-)

Ha ha ha this reminds me:

Manishewitz came up with a new type of Matzot - wholewheat. On the box it says in Hebrew: let my people go!

Smoked salmon-yup.May I offer the suggestion of steamed asparagus placed in a gratin dish topped with lightly fried eggs over which you grate parmesan cheese and bake.(just until the cheese begins to melt. This is great with a green salad or fruit salad. Steam the asparagus the day before to save yourself time in the am.

Bear with me here: I was going to make the pecan torte in the April edition of LIVING(the diva has returned) with lemon curd for dessert. It does look pretty good. I opted for poppy seed sponge cake with lemon curd and fresh rasberries from the Gourmet Ghetto in Berkeley.

Such a good choice(ordering out). Our niece is coming early Sunday am to help with preparation. Everything takes three times as long when instructing. It's worth it helping her make things for the seder plate. Between chopping apples and walnuts, cleaning parsley and roasting the shank bone, we're trying to compose a seder this year that addresses more earnestly living with committment to social justice. This could take hours!

May I say the house is immaculate!

Happy Passover everyone!