Helping prepare for the seder ... and beyond

“Passover Made Easy: Favorite Triple-Tested Recipes” (Artscroll/Shaar Press) by Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek was released in February.

The co-authors, both from New Jersey, are popular food writers: Schapira (“Fresh & Easy Cooking” and co-founder of CookKosher.com) and Dwek (managing editor of Whisk Magazine, a kosher publication by Ami Magazine). There are 60 triple-tested recipes, most of them gluten-free (non-gebrokts), in the 128-page soft-cover book. They are creative and original, easy to prepare, and good to eat. Each recipe includes a full-color photo, step-by-step plating instructions, and a wine pairing and seder wine guide. The book costs $15.99.

This promises to be the first in a series of “Made Easy” cookbooks by the two women.

Although there are many recipes that can be adapted for a seder, the book offers creative dishes for the entire holiday week. For example, the cover photo of Barbecue Rib Steak with Honey-Horseradish Glaze, paired with Schnitzel Onion Rings, would make a yummy family meal – if a bit extravagant for the seder.

Here is a nice recipe for squash kugel. As the authors note, it looks a lot like noodle kugel, but it is actually very low in calories. It can be made even lighter by replacing some of the yolks with whites.

Spaghetti squash kugel

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

1 tablespoon oil

2 onions, finely diced

1 garlic clove, minced

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarse black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350Â°F. Wash spaghetti squash and place into a loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool. Raise oven heat to 400Â°F. (Or just nuke it! For quicker preparation, microwave the whole squash for 1 minute to soften. Slice in half and remove seeds. Place cut side down in a dish with 1/2 inch water. Microwave for 8-10 minutes.)

2. Slice squash in half and remove seeds. Using a fork, scrape the strands of squash into a large bowl.

3. Heat oil in a sautÃ© pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. SautÃ© until onions are soft, 5-7 minutes. Add onions to spaghetti squash. Add eggs, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Bake until kugel is crispy on top, about 1 hour. 6 servings

Simply Scrumtious

And from our local area comes “Simply Scrumptious Cookies & Desserts for Passover,” written and illustrated by Susan Sinek of Fort Lee. This adorable spiral-bound book is a compilation of recipes that Sinek, who has lived all over the world, has collected.

The recipes are written in standard measurements, but the book includes a metric conversion chart should you choose to send a copy overseas. Each recipe includes a pastel sketch depicting the baked goods.

The author writes lovingly of her family and her Hungarian background. She includes a recipe for Bajai Torte, handed down for four generations and baked at family events for 60 years. I’ll leave it up to readers to make that delicious-sounding recipe on their own when they buy the book and then report to me. I will make one myself.

The book costs $13. To order, call (201) 969-8181 or email simplypassover@aol.com.

Next is a recipe on page 32 for carrot cake. It was hard to choose one to print.

Carrot cake

Line a 9-inch spring form cake pan with parchment paper and dust with potato flour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

5 eggs, separated

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1/2 pound carrots, peeled and finely grated

1 cup ground almonds

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 heaping tablespoon fine matzah meal