SALADS

BY RORIE WEISBERG PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCHNEUR MENAKER

PESACH IS THE IDEAL TIME TO GET CREATIVE WITH SALADS AND UTILIZE THE PLETHORA OF EXCITING, VIBRANT PRODUCE OPTIONS THAT ADD POPS OF COLOR AND TONS OF NUTRITION TO YOUR PESACH MENU. THE SALADS I SHARE BELOW ARE TRIED AND TRUE RECIPES THAT I HAVE BEEN SAVING TO SHARE FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION; THE PESACH ISSUE OF FLEISHIGS WAS THE PERFECT SPOT.

Golden Beet and Blood Orange Citrus Salad

THIS SALAD IS SO VERSATILE. YOU CAN MIX IT UP BY USING RED BEETS INSTEAD OF GOLDEN AND ANY VARIETY OF ORANGE IF YOU CAN’T FIND BLOOD ORANGE. FEEL FREE TO SERVE OVER GREENS FOR A HEARTIER SALAD.

Roasted Vegetable Bistro Salad

HAVING ROASTED VEGETABLES ON HAND IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT ON PESACH, WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY MEALS TO THROW TOGETHER. THIS IS AN EASY WAY TO ENSURE THAT YOU CAN HAVE A DELICIOUSLY FILLING SALAD IN NO TIME FLAT. JUST PREPARE THE ROASTED VEGETABLES AHEAD OF TIME AND ASSEMBLE THE SALAD RIGHT BEFORE SERVING.

Spaghetti Squash Coleslaw

AN UNEXPECTED WAY TO USE SPAGHETTI SQUASH TO CREATE A UNIQUE AND SATISFYING SALAD. YOU CAN COOK AND SHRED THE SPAGHETTI SQUASH IN ADVANCE AND ASSEMBLE THE SALAD RIGHT BEFORE SERVING. IF SPAGHETTI SQUASH IS NOT YOUR THING, SIMPLY USE GREEN CABBAGE IN ITS PLACE FOR A MORE CLASSIC TAKE ON COLESLAW.

JUST CALL IT SQUASLAW.

1 medium spaghetti squash 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup shredded purple cabbage 3-4 Israeli pickles, diced ⅓ cup Rorie’s Creamy Dressing (recipe follows) 2 tablespoons pickle juice Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut spaghetti squash in half and remove seeds. Place squash halves, cut-side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 35 minutes. Flip squash halves over and let cool completely. Use a fork to shred spaghetti squash. Do not refrigerate the squash before shredding.

Add shredded spaghetti squash to a large bowl with carrots, cabbage, pickles and dressing; toss to combine. Serve immediately.

RORIE’S CREAMY DRESSING

Yields: 2½ cups

RECIPE BY RORIE WEISBERG

This creamy dressing is a wonderful staple that can go way beyond slaw. Use it as a dip for oven-baked fries, in place of mayonnaise in tuna and even drizzled over pulled beef. I always double or even triple this recipe — it’s a major crowd pleaser.

2 eggs, room temperature 2 cups olive oil or avocado oil ¼ cup apple cider vinegar ½ tablespoon garlic salt ½ tablespoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, beat eggs at medium speed for 3-5 minutes. While machine is running, add oil in a steady stream through the feed tube and continue to beat until a thick mayonnaise is formed. With the food processor on medium-low speed, drizzle in apple cider vinegar and mix until incorporated. Add garlic salt, salt and pepper; pulse 2-3 times until incorporated.

Add 1-4 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired texture is reached.

This dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

GOLDEN BEET AND BLOOD ORANGE CITRUS SALAD

Serves: 6

3 golden beets, cubed 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided 2 blood oranges, peeled, supremed and diced ¼ cup roasted walnuts, chopped 2 tablespoons walnut or avocado oil Juice of 1 orange

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spread beets in a single layer on a greased baking sheet and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes; uncover and roast for another 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

To assemble the salad, place beets, blood oranges and walnuts in a large bowl. Drizzle oil, orange juice and remaining ½ teaspoon salt over and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.

If preparing in advance, keep all components separate and mix right before serving.

ROASTED VEGETABLE BISTRO SALAD

Serves: 8

1 eggplant, cubed 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided 3 beets, peeled and diced 6 cups arugula and/or baby spinach 3 cups romaine lettuce, thinly sliced 5 baby yellow peppers, thinly sliced 4 button mushrooms, thinly sliced 3 tablespoons pecans, chopped

Balsamic Citrus Dressing:

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons orange juice 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Juice of ½ lime 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450°F. Grease 2 baking sheets. Add eggplant and butternut squash to a baking sheet and toss with garlic and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and toss to coat. Add beets to another baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon olive oil and season with remaining teaspoon salt. Toss to coat and cover beets with foil.

Roast vegetables for 30 minutes, until eggplant just begins to char and squash is tender. Uncover beets and continue cooking until beets are fork tender, about another 10-15 minutes. Allow all vegetables to cool completely.

Add greens and lettuce to a large salad bowl or serving platter. Arrange eggplant, butternut squash, beets, peppers and mushrooms on top.

In a separate bowl, add all dressing ingredients and whisk well to combine. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Top with pecans.

One Recipe: Endless Options

BY SHIFRA KLEIN S imple baked sweet potatoes will

change your Pesach cooking game. Surprising, right? Sweet potatoes are the ultimate staple ingredient to have on hand and can be transformed into a plethora of options, from a dinner side in its simplest form or elevated into a velvety purée, a great appetizer like sweet potato hummus or stuffed with meat sauce for a fast Chol Hamoed taco-style dinner. You can even turn it into a delectable pie for the perfect sweet ending to a holiday meal. In order to get the most out of this root vegetable, I urge you to go organic. When cooking simply, you want the ingredients to shine, so it’s crucial to utilize the best quality available. When it comes to the humble sweet potato, the non-organic version pales in comparison to the creamy, smooth, sweet and starchy texture of the organic variety. I would also recommend introducing Korean (purple skin, white flesh) sweet potatoes. When it comes to adding that starchier texture to items like purées and pies, the Korean variety adds a one-of-a-kind creaminess, especially on Pesach when ingredients are somewhat limited.

SWEET POTATO PIE

Serves: 8

I served this pie on Shabbos during the year and my family felt it was better than the year-round chometz version of sweet potato pie. I credit its success to the addition of a Korean sweet potato and the extra step of puréeing the mix in the food processor — it really makes a difference. You can even use an immersion blender.

Note: There are many brands that offer nut-based crusts or gluten-free potato starch-based crusts. If you don’t use these products, you can easily omit and bake pie in a glass pie dish or 8x8-inch baking pan.

1 kosher for Pesach graham cracker crust, optional 3 Roasted Sweet Potatoes, peeled 1 roasted Korean sweet potato

(follow same method), peeled 5 large eggs 3 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ cup canned coconut milk ½ teaspoon cinnamon, optional 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place graham cracker crust on a baking sheet, if using.

Add sweet potato flesh, eggs, sugar and brown sugar to a food processor or blender and blend until creamy and silky smooth. Add salt and coconut milk and blend until incorporated. Add cinnamon and vanilla, if using. Pour into crust or pie dish and bake until center is completely set, about 45 minutes.

BASIC ROASTED SWEET POTATOES

Serves: 6

Simple wins here. A single ingredient recipe that will please any sweet potato lover. This recipe is all about the quality of the sweet potato and cooking it right, which doesn’t require much.

6 organic sweet potatoes

Preheat oven to 400°F. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until some natural syrup starts releasing from the sweet potatoes and they are fork tender. Let cool slightly before slicing in half. Eat as is or use in one of the recipes here.

Serves: 8

This velvety purée is a simple side that pairs perfectly with the braised lamb ribs in our butcher’s cut section. It’s the perfect light, creamy side to cut through the richness of the ribs.

3 Roasted Sweet Potatoes, peeled 1 roasted Korean sweet potato (follow same method), peeled ½ cup canned coconut milk 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Add sweet potato flesh, coconut milk, salt and pepper to a food processor or blender and blend until really creamy and silky smooth. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, pour purée into a saucepan over medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of broth or more coconut milk to thin out as needed.

SWEET POTATO HUMMUS

Serves: 8

We love serving dips on Shabbos and Yom Tov and a meal is never complete without hummus. This completely unexpected take on hummus is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Serve with vegetable sticks for a delicious snack.

2 cups Sweet Potato Purée 1 cup Almond Hummus (pg. 20) Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, for serving

Blend together until smooth. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

MEAT SAUCESTUFFED SWEET POTATOES

Serves: 6

This dish is inspired by our meal at Rodchenko, a charming bistro that we visited in the Marais district in Paris. The sweet potato serves as the perfect base for our basic savory meat sauce, a great recipe to add to your menu as all the components can be made in advance. 6 Roasted Sweet Potatoes 3 cups Basic Meat Sauce (pg. 20) ½ cup Roasted Shallot Mayo (pg. 20) 2 scallions, finely chopped, for garnish

Preheat oven to 425°F. Slice sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and place on a baking sheet. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of flesh from each sweet potato half and reserve for another use. Fill with meat sauce. Cook for 10 minutes. Top with Roasted Shallot Mayo and chopped scallions.

BY SHIFRA KLEIN

I met with our editor Elisheva Taitz in late January to discuss the upcoming Pesach issue. When I mentioned my idea of highlighting sweet potato, she shared the hottest root vegetable trend — sweet potato toasts — and I knew we HAD to put our own spin on it.

Once you slice the sweet potatoes and roast them, skin intact, they become a vehicle for a multitude of toppings, just like the toast trend of yesterday — avocado toast. Sweet potatoes are so versatile and pair with both sweet and savory preparations. While we sliced the sweet potatoes lengthwise into planks, slicing the sweet potatoes width-wise on the diagonal can make really cute bruschetta-like slices.

SWEET POTATO TOASTS

Yields: 12 toasts

3 large organic sweet potatoes 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Using a sharp knife, slice sweet potatoes lengthwise to form ¼-inch planks.

Place in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Brush sweet potato planks with oil.

Roast until sweet potatoes are golden brown and mostly fork-tender, about 25 minutes.

Flip sweet potatoes and roast for an additional 5-10 minutes. Let cool.

Serve with your favorite toppings.

TOPPING IDEAS:

Chocolate hazelnut spread or almond butter + sliced bananas + chia seeds Silan + chopped dark chocolate + toasted almonds + sea salt Mashed avocado + tomatoes + sliced jalapeño + microgreens + flaky salt Meat sauce + fried egg

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CHIA SEEDS: KOSHER NOTE

Chia seeds in their raw form are completely kosher for Pesach. According to the OU, chia seeds aren’t considered kitniyot, but may require extra checking. The CRC states that chia seeds in their raw (unroasted) form, without any added ingredients, can be eaten on Pesach without a hechsher at all. In any other form, like flour, a hechsher and Pesach distinction is necessary. The Star-K states that if you are purchasing chia without a hechsher for Pesach, purchase from a brand that doesn’t process any grains.

THROWBACK RECIPE: CHIA PUDDING

Back in our September health-minded “Annual Handbook” issue, we featured the most incredible chia pudding shared by the talented Rivki Rabinowitz. They can easily be made for Pesach; all they require are any form of milk (almond and coconut alternatives also work), any sweetener (like honey or maple syrup) and optional added flavorings (vanilla extract or cocoa powder). Chia pudding makes for a great breakfast or anytime snack.

Combine ¼ cup chia seeds, 1 cup milk of choice and 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder. Divide in airtight containers. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Enjoy chilled. Top with bananas, berries, yogurt or whipped cream.

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