Dually Blessed: Passover celebration begins tonight

Wednesday, March 27, 2002 | 8:33 a.m.

The celebration of Passover is a challenge to any Jewish cook. During the eight days of Passover observance, Jewish homemakers will cook and bake without the use of any leavening (any ingredient that causes fermentation). Finely ground matzos matzo meal and matzo cake meal or potato starch or ground nuts are substituted for flour.

Passover commemorates the flight from Egypt that delivered the Jewish people from the slavery and tyranny of the Pharaoh's rule. They fled in such haste there was no time to allow bread to rise. With the assistance of a few miracles, their exodus from oppression was made.

On the night of the first Passover seder (Passover begins tonight at sundown and ends April 4) families and friends gather to retell the story of the exodus. On seder nights regular prayer books are replaced with the Haggadah, a special prayer book used only at Passover.

Traditional seder plates filled with symbolic foods horseradish, parsley, roasted egg, celery leaves, lamb shank and haroset are placed on the table to be tasted as the Passover story is recounted. Haroset is a delicious mix of chopped fruits and nuts blended with sweet Passover wine that symbolizes the mortar and bricks used to build the Egyptian pyramids. The sweetnes of the haroset balances the "bitter" symbols on the Passover plate. It is everyone's favorite.

A typical Ashkenazi (Middle-European) Passover meal includes gefilte fish served with pungent red-colored horseradish (chrain), chopped liver, chicken soup with matzo balls, a variety of roasted meats and poultry, many side dishes and, of course, matzo.

An abundance of Passover cakes and desserts are offered. The cakes are as light as those made with flour, only the texture is slightly different.

The Passover recipes that follow have been adapted from some of my favorite Jewish cookbooks: "The Jewish Holiday Kitchen," Joan Nathan (Shocken, $12.95); "A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking," Marcy Goldman (Doubleday, $25); and "The Jewish-American Kitchen," Raymond Sokolov (no longer in print). Out-of-print books can sometimes be found on bookstore remainder shelves.

Have a good Pesach (Passover). Ashkenazic Haroset

1 lb tart apples, peeled and cored

4 oz walnut haves (1-1 1/2 c.)

3/4 Tbs cinnamon

3-5 Tbs sweet wine

Finely chop the apples and walnuts. Add the cinnamon and mix together in a bowl. Add enough wine to moisten and create a paste-like texture. Taste and add more cinnamon if necessary. Makes 4 cups.

Sephardic Haroset I

1/2 lb pitted dates (1 c. packed down)

4 oz walnut pieces (1 c.)

6-8 Tbs sweet wine

Chop the dates and nuts and combine in a bowl. Add the wine by tablespoons until a pastelike mixture is achieved. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Sephardic Haroset II

1/2 lb pitted dates (1 c. packed down)

1/2 c. raisins

1 medium apple, peeled, cored and chopped

2 oz walnut pieces (1/2 c.)

1 tsp fresh-grated ginger

1/4 c. sweet wine

Combine all the ingredients except the wine, and finely chop. Alternatively, chop with just a few quick pulses in a food processor. Stir in the wine to make a pastelike mixture. Makes 2 cups.

Decadent Fudge Brownies With Glossy Fudge Frosting

Brownies:

2 c. granulated or brown sugar

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter or unsalted Passover margarine, melted and cooled

3 eggs

1 Tbs brewed coffee

3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1/4 tsp salt

1 scant c. matzo cake meal

1/2 c. finely chopped toasted walnuts (optional) Glossy Fudge Frosting:

2/3 c. water or brewed coffee

7 oz semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 Tbs unsalted butter or Passover margarine, softened Topping:

Finely chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 7-by-10-inch rectangular baking pan, a 9-inch square pan, or an 8- or 9-inch springform pan.

Brownies: In a bowl, mix the sugar into the melted butter, then the eggs, coffee, cocoa, salt, cake meal and toasted walnuts, if using.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Do not overbake. The brownies should be set and seem dry to the touch, but there should not be a crust around the sides. Cool in the pan.

Frosting: Heat the water or coffee in a small saucepan. As it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate. Remove the pan from the stove and stir until the chocolate is thoroughly melted. Cool in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Whisk in the softened butter or margarine and spread the frosting on top of the cooled brownies.

Decorate the top by running the tines of a fork through the frosting and sprinkle with additional chopped nuts, if desired. Cut into squares or (if baked in a round pan) into wedges.

Makes 30 squares.

Brown Sugar Pecan Passover Cake

9 eggs, separated

1 1/3 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 Tbs Passover vanilla sugar

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp plus a pinch of salt

1/3 c. matzo cake meal

1/4 c. potato starch

2 Tbs unsalted Passover margarine, melted

1/2 c. lightly toasted ground almonds

1/2 c. lightly toasted ground walnuts

1/2 c. lightly toasted ground pecans

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line the bottom of a 10-inch tube pan with baking parchment.

Set the egg whites aside in a clean, dry mixing bowl.

In another mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, 1 cup of the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, vanilla sugar, cinnamon and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Whisk very well to blend and lighten the egg yolks. Fold in the cake meal, potato starch and melted margarine. Blend in the nuts and stir well. (The mixture may be thick.)

Add the pinch of salt to the egg whites and, with clean, dry beaters, slowly begin whipping the whites to foam. Increase the speed and dust in the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar. Whip until the whites form stiff, glossy peaks.

Stir a generous one-third of the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten and loosen it. Gently fold in the remaining whites.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Place in the oven and immediately lower the heat to 325 degrees. Bake until the cake springs back to the touch (50-55 minutes -- the cake may rise, then sink -- this is OK). Remove from the oven and cool well before removing it from the pan. It helps to run a flat knife around the edge to separate the cake from the pan.

Variation: For Citrus, Cinnamon, and Nut Cake, replace the brown sugar with granulated sugar. Increase the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon, and gently fold into the batter 2 tablespoons each finely minced orange and lemon zest.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Note: A circle of baker's parchment placed on the bottom of the pan before adding the batter makes it easier to remove the cake. Let cake cool on a rack, upside down, before running a knife around the edge.