Mejadra (Spiced Lentils and Rice)

This isn't the most photogenic dish, but its fragrance and flavor more than make up for that. Jeremy, who would normally prefer pizza to lentils and rice, remarked immediately upon coming in the house that dinner smelled amazing; he then proceeded to eat two helpings of it.

Quite the testament!

Mejadra (also known as mujadarrah or mujadarra) is a very old, traditional dish and it's featured in Jerusalem: A Cookbook, a beautiful new work by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi which was just nominated for a James Beard Award as best international cookbook.  It showcases gorgeous pictures and seductively enticing recipes for classic foods from this city which is home to both Jews and Arabs, and generously shares culinary representation from both cultures. Here is how Amazon.com describes it:

"In Jerusalem, Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi explore the vibrant cuisine of their home city with its diverse Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities. Both men were born in Jerusalem in the same year - Tamimi on the Arab east side and Ottolenghi in the Jewish west. This stunning cookbook offers 120 recipes from their unique cross-cultural perspective, from inventive vegetable dishes to sweet, rich desserts. With five bustling restaurants in London and two stellar cookbooks, Ottolenghi is one of the most respected chefs in the world; in Jerusalem, he and Tamimi have collaborated to produce their most personal cookbook yet."

My very dear friend Nika loaned me her copy of Jerusalem, and I wanted to make so many, many things! But I started with one of my very favorites, mejadra - a simple, comforting plate of spiced lentils and rice.

But this isn't just any ol' lentils and rice; the key ingredient in mejadra is onions which have been slowly, lovingly, patiently crisped until they're deeply golden and toasty and richly flavored. Combining these very basic ingredients with cumin, cardamom, turmeric, allspice, and cinnamon enhances and elevates them to make a dish that is absolutely stellar.

And now that Ashkenazi Conservative Jews have been granted permission, if they choose to do so (it's optional, based upon personal preference), to eat kitniyot [KIT-nee-YOHT] - corn, rice, peas, lentils, and beans - which were formerly banned at Passover along with leavened products, this is a fabulous dish that can easily be modified for the holiday that begins at sundown tonight. (See "The Kitniyot Dilemma" for more information about the dietary laws, the new ruling, the difference between customs for Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews, etc.) Simply use matzah meal instead of flour to coat the onions, and you've got an amazing new dish to serve at your seder or at any time over the next 8 days. And it's pareve ([PAHRV] = neither meat nor dairy), so it can be served with any kind of meal!

But really, mejadra is such a wonderful dish that you'll want to serve it all the time!

Mejadra
(slightly adapted from a recipe in Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi)

1-1/4 cups green or brown lentils
2 very large onions, halved, sliced very thin
3 tablespoons flour or kosher l'Pesach matzah meal ([KOH-sher leh PAY-sahk] = kosher for Passover)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 cup white rice
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar
1-3/4 cups water


Place the lentils into a medium saucepan and cover generously with water; bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and cook for 20 minutes until just tender. Drain.

In a large bowl, toss the sliced onions with flour or matzah meal. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, to taste.

In a very large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Carefully add the onions, then turn heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently to keep onions from burning, until they are mostly browned and crisp. Drain in a colander lined with a paper towel.

In remaining oil in the frying pan, cook the cumin and coriander for 1 minute; add rice, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, and sugar.  Stir to coat rice with spices, then add water and reserved lentils. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender and water has been absorbed.

Stir in half of the onions, then place lentils and rice onto a serving platter. Top with remaining onions and serve hot.

Serves 6-8.

Espresso Pudding Parfait

Rather than sponge cake made with matzah meal or plain ol' fruit or sesame seed candies, why not try a pudding for a special dessert during Passover?  Why not make something a bit luxurious, rather than feeling as though food is becoming a punishment with no access to breads, cupcakes, oatmeal, or other items - both decadent and mundane - that will suddenly seem miraculous on Saturday evening when they're permissible again after the holiday?

This rich, luscious dessert uses ricotta cheese, though I know that it can be difficult to find this particular ingredient with a hekhsher [HEK-sher], certifying that it's kosher for Passover.  Pureed cottage cheese would work just fine, if that's easier to acquire.  Or make this after the holiday ends, when you're still trying to use up leftover tins of macaroons.

The pudding isn't terribly sweet, so that it offers a nice contrast to the sugary cookies.  Layers of texture and layers of flavor ... this coffee-almond parfait is simple but beautiful.

Espresso Pudding and Macaroon Parfait

2 15-ounce containers part-skim ricotta cheese
4 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons prepared espresso, chilled

12 Manischewitz almond macaroons, crumbled

whipped cream, for serving

In a large bowl, whisk the ricotta to break it up a bit.  Whisk in the sugar and the espresso until smooth.

Fill 4 wine glasses one-third full with the ricotta mixture.  Divide half of the crumbled macaroons among the glasses.  Divide the remaining ricotta mixture among the glasses, then top with the remaining macaroon crumbs.  Top with whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 4 generous servings or 8 smaller ones.

Chocolate Caramel Matzah

I've eaten far more than my fair share of chocolate-covered matzah over the years -- that stuff is ridiculously good! I've often wanted to make my own, with a caramel layer as well, but have never managed to get around to it ... until now.

Recipes for this abound; so I sort of glanced over a few, determined my own protocol, and then went to work. Though really, it's hardly labor-intensive -- a few minutes at the stove, a few minutes waiting for the treat to bake, another minute waiting for the chocolate to melt. The real work was waiting until last night for the start of Passover to eat this luscious treat, after making it on Sunday afternoon!

I've seen recipes for this using saltines or graham crackers as the base; but I have to say that the crispness of the matzah really serves it well. If you don't already have a stockpile of matzah for the holiday, wait until next week when Passover has ended and you can get a box on sale.

Chocolate Caramel Matzah

2 plain matzot ([mahtz-OTE] = the plural of matzah)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9"x13" baking pan with foil, then grease the foil. Lay the matzot in the pan, side-by-side.


In a medium saucepan (because it bubbles up), melt the brown sugar and the butter together over medium heat until the mixture bubbles. Once it's bubbling, turn the heat to medium-high and stir constantly until the caramel thickens, lightens a bit in color, and pulls away from the sides of the pan -- approximately 2 minutes.



Pour the caramel over the matzot, and carefully spread it with a spoon.


Bake the matzot for 5 minutes or so, until the caramel has darkened a bit. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the matzot.


Wait 1-2 minutes for the chocolate to melt, then spread it evenly over the matzot.


Let everything cool completely, then cut each matzah into 12 pieces.

This can serve 1 or it can serve 2 dozen, depending upon how generous you're feeling ....