Passover is the 8-day Jewish spring holiday where we celebrate the liberation of Jews from Egyptian slavery. Through a series of seders, ceremonial dinners and rituals held on the first two nights of Passover, we remind ourselves of the incredible brave feat our ancestors performed in securing our freedom. Dr. Pollack and I love Passover – it brings back many fond childhood memories and, like any other holiday, it’s a time for us to come together with family and take things down a notch to focus on the people and things in our lives most important to us. Our kids guzzle down grape juice and we love to hear the recitation of the Haggadah, the story of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
Since I’ve been married, the Passover seder is a big to do – every year we lovingly argue over whose turn it is to host or whose house we’re going to. And since we’ve had kids, it seems like with spring break, Passover and Easter falling in somewhere in March/April of every year, the kids are hardly in school! I usually trade in my heels for flats, and Dr. Pollack practically attaches himself to the couch – holidays are literally the only time he allows himself to sit down, until it comes time to hide the matzo. Without fail, each of our kids will approach us individually to break us down and get clues on its whereabouts, but we always hold out until one of them finds it. This year, instead of having cash as the reward for matzo, we’re giving our children an IOU. Just kidding! They would be hysterical and never forgive us.
This year we’re cooking matzo pizza, asparagus with pesto, chicken with rosemary, and roasted bell peppers with quinoa. Check out these great recipes!
MATZO PIZZA
matzo
tomato sauce
cheese
veggies as desired
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and then spray it with non-stick spray. Spread the matzo with tomato sauce, and then sprinkle it with cheese. Feel free to add veggies, too! Bake for 10 minutes until cheese melts and serve.
ROASTED RED BELL PEPPERS STUFFED WITH QUINOA
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling the pan
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped carrots
7 bell peppers, 1 cored, seeded and chopped; tops removed and reserved from remaining 6 then cored and seeded
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 pound baby spinach
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and cooked according to package directions
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup roasted cashews
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until transparent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes more. Add carrots and chopped peppers, cook until just softened, and then add parsley and spinach (in batches, if needed). Let spinach wilt and then stir in cinnamon, cumin and cooked quinoa and toss gently to combine. Add salt, pepper and cashews and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Set aside to let filling cool until just warm.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9×13-inch baking pan; set aside.
Divide quinoa mixture evenly among remaining 6 bell peppers, gently packing it down and making sure to fully fill each pepper. Top each pepper with its reserved top, and then arrange them upright in prepared pan. Cover snugly with foil and bake, checking halfway through, until peppers are tender and juicy and filling is hot throughout, about 1 hour. Transfer to plates and serve.
ASPARAGUS WITH PESTO
1 lb of fresh asparagus
3 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
2 garlic cloves, minced
kosher salt
black pepper
parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix pesto with garlic and oil and toss with asparagus on a baking sheet. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast in a pre-heated oven for 10-12. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve hot.
ROAST CHICKEN WITH ROSEMARY
3 pound whole chicken, rinsed with water
olive oil
6 lemons
pepper
1 small onion, quartered
¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Run olive oil over the chicken, followed by pepper, followed by rosemary. Cook 2 to 2.5 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear, basting with lemons every thirty minutes. Time varies by weight of chicken. Use a meat thermometer for best results.
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