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A stiff bread dough - much firmer than sandwich bread - kneaded long, given a first rise, divided and shaped into rings, cold-proofed overnight in the fridge for flavour development, then boiled briefly in a sweetened water bath before baking. The boil sets the crust and gives the characteristic shiny mahogany surface; the bake finishes the inside. Topped with seeds while wet so they stick.
The Ashkenazi version, simplest and most common in northern Europe and the United States: tart apples chopped fine, walnuts crushed coarse, cinnamon, a little brown sugar, and sweet kosher red wine to bind. Stirred together and left for the flavours to meld. Some households add a pinch of ground ginger or a squeeze of lemon. There are dozens of regional variants (Sephardi versions use dates and figs); this one is the most familiar at a North American seder.
A two-stage dish. First, thin crepes (much thinner than a pancake - almost see-through) cooked one side only on a buttered pan, stacked under a clean cloth. Then a filling of farmer cheese (or ricotta drained well) mashed with egg yolk, sugar, vanilla and a little lemon zest. A heaping tablespoon of filling on the cooked side of each crepe, folded into a tight envelope, and fried briefly in butter on both sides until golden. Served warm with cold sour cream and a spoon of red-berry compote.
Chicken thighs marinate 6+ hours in baharat, turmeric, paprika, cumin, garlic, yogurt, lemon, olive oil. Stacked or spread on a tray (the home shortcut), roasted hot 25 minutes turning once, finished briefly under the grill until charred edges. Sliced thin and stuffed into pita with all the accompaniments.
Dried chickpeas soak overnight, do not cook them. Blitz with onion, garlic, herbs and spices to a coarse green paste. Rest for 1 hour. A pinch of baking powder mixes in just before frying. Shape into balls; deep-fry at 175°C 4 minutes until darkly crusted. Stuffed into pita with hummus, tahina, salata, pickles.
A mix of white-fleshed fish (carp, pike, whitefish, or a more modern blend of cod and haddock) is ground with grated onion, eggs, matzo meal and a little sugar, then formed into quenelles. The quenelles poach gently in a broth made from the fish skin, heads and bones with onion and carrot. After an hour they are lifted out and chilled overnight in the strained broth; some of the broth jellies as it cools, which is the point. Served cold, on a leaf of lettuce, with a generous spoon of horseradish.
A sugar syrup is cooked to soft-ball stage (118°C). Tahini is warmed slightly. The hot syrup is poured into the tahini and mixed with a wooden spoon just until ribbons form, this is the critical moment. Over-mix and halva turns to crumbs; under-mix and it stays soft. Poured into a lined tin; pistachios are sprinkled on top; set at room temp 4 hours.
A simple oil-based cake built around a generous pour of dark honey, brewed coffee for moisture and depth, and a quartet of spices (cinnamon, ginger, clove, allspice). Mixed in one bowl, baked low and slow. The crumb is dark and dense without being heavy; the flavour deepens overnight, which is why most Jewish households bake it a day or two ahead of the meal.
Dried chickpeas soak overnight with a teaspoon of baking soda. Cook for 60-75 minutes with baking soda until very soft. Reserve a small handful of whole chickpeas as garnish. Blend hot chickpeas with garlic, lemon, salt, ice cubes (yes, they help the emulsion) and a generous quantity of good tahini. Result: smooth, silky, pale-gold. Plate in a wide bowl; swirl with the back of a spoon; top with chickpeas, paprika, parsley, olive oil, cumin.
Cornflour whisks into a small amount of cold milk to a slurry. The rest of the milk warms with cream and sugar; the slurry pours in; the mixture cooks for 4-5 minutes until thick and silky. Rosewater stirs in off the heat; the lot pours into glasses to set in the fridge. The syrup of rosewater, sugar and a touch of grenadine pours over before serving.
Red bell peppers char briefly under the grill, skin peels off. Tomatoes (fresh or tinned) and the peeled peppers blend coarse. Chopped garlic, hot green chilli and oil heat in a wide pan; the tomato-pepper mix joins. Cooks down slow 75 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very thick and jammy. Paprika, cumin, salt, sugar fold in late.
Two parallel jobs: a long-simmered chicken broth made from a whole bird with onion, carrot and celery, skimmed clean and finished with dill; and the matzo balls themselves, made from matzo meal, eggs, schmaltz and seltzer, rested in the fridge for the gluten to relax. The balls poach in salted water (never the broth, or the broth clouds), then sit in the hot broth at serving time. Light, comforting, traditional.
Wide egg noodles cooked just past al dente, drained and tossed in butter so they don't clump. A custard of cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, sugar and cinnamon is whisked smooth and folded through the noodles with golden raisins. The mixture goes into a buttered baking dish, gets a generous topping of crushed cornflakes (or cinnamon-sugar crumbs) and a dot of butter, then bakes low and slow until the custard sets and the top is mahogany-brown. Cut into squares while warm.
Rugelach dough: equal weights butter and cream cheese, beaten together, with flour and salt, like a cream-cheese shortcrust. Chills for 2 hours. Filling (chocolate version): cocoa, sugar, butter, sometimes chopped chocolate. Dough divides into 4 portions; each rolls into a circle 28 cm across; spreads with filling; cuts into 8 triangular wedges like a pizza. Each wedge rolls up from the wide edge toward the point. Brushes with egg wash; dusts with sugar. Bakes for 22 minutes at 180°C.
Aubergine slices salt, drain 30 min, pat dry, fry crispy in olive oil. Eggs hard-boil (or for the traditional Iraqi-Jewish version, slow-cook overnight in a hamin pot, the brown eggs become beigene). Israeli salad: cucumber, tomato, red onion, parsley, lemon, olive oil. Tahini whisks with lemon juice and water to a pourable sauce. Pita warms briefly. Build: hummus smears inside; aubergine slices layer; egg quarters; salad; tahini drizzle; amba spoon; parsley.