A Variety of Wines Now Available for Passover

Wine is an important part of the observance of Passover (April 20 through April 27); at least four cups are poured during the seder service. I’m sure we have all noticed how wines have changed since our childhoods, when only sweet syrupy kosher wines were available.

This year at the seder table, our family and friends may choose from a wide variety of kosher Passover wines, not only from California but from Israel, Italy and France. Among them are sweet and dry wines--red, white and rose in many popular varietals--Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Rieslings. You will find many to choose from in markets and wine stores; even sparkling wines and Champagnes are available. All Passover wines are marked with a special seal and signed by the local rabbinical authority.

Beside the ceremonial uses of wine, you’ll find wine to be a great way to liven up Passover menus. Used in cooking and baking, it makes a welcome substitute for the many seasonings, spices and sauces that are not permitted during the eight days of Passover.

Remember, when you cook or bake with wine, the alcohol evaporates and only the flavor and aroma remain, so you may serve the food to everybody in the family.

The recipes I’m sharing are not intended as a menu. You may not want to serve all of them at one seder or Passover dinner, but used creatively, they will add interest to holiday menus. Included is a California charoset developed for our family seder. It contains only fruits, nuts and wine grown and produced in California.

The Chopped Liver Terrine contains wine, chicken livers, apples, mushrooms and chopped eggs. It makes a delicious appetizer served with matzo.

Then there’s Beet and Horseradish Sauce that’s great with gefilte fish or with my recipe for Whitefish in White Wine. This whitefish is another family specialty. It combines both broiling and poaching at the same time; the result is fish that is lightly browned, but still tender and juicy.

A favorite main course is Lamb Shanks Roasted in Red Wine, which gives the shanks a most delicious, robust flavor. The same recipe works well with lamb or veal tongues.

For dessert, serve a sponge cake flavored with wine and spices, substituting ground nuts and Passover potato starch for the usual matzo meal or matzo cake flour. Or make Wine Custard Mousse using old-fashioned Concord grape wine. This is especially good with your favorite Passover cookies.

CALIFORNIA CHAROSET

1 large avocado

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup raisins

4 pitted dates

2 figs

2 pitted prunes

Zest and sections of 1 orange

2 tablespoons Passover sweet wine or apple juice

2 tablespoons matzo meal

Cut avocado into halves; peel and dice into bowl. Add lemon juice to prevent darkening. Set aside. Place almonds, raisins, dates, figs and prunes in processor with metal blade and process until coarsely chopped. Add orange zest and orange sections and process briefly to combine. Add avocado and process 1 or 2 minutes more.

Transfer mixture to glass bowl and gently fold in wine and matzo meal. Cover with plastic wrap and chill. Makes about 3 cups.

CHOPPED LIVER

TERRINE

1/4 cup peanut oil or olive oil

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1 1/2 pounds chicken livers (prepared for kosher)

4 large mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 medium apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons dry white wine

2 hard-cooked eggs

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Salad greens

Sliced cucumber

Heat oil in large, heavy skillet and saute onions until lightly browned. Add prepared livers, mushrooms, apple and saute gently, turning livers on both sides. Do not overcook. Add wine and simmer 1 minute.

Transfer liver mixture and juices into meat grinder, add eggs and grind coarsely into large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add additional oil to moisten if needed. Stir well.

Line loaf pan or mold with plastic wrap, allowing overhang on all sides. Spoon in liver mixture, cover and refrigerate. (Plastic wrap makes it easy to invert terrine onto serving plate.) Garnish with salad greens and sliced cucumber. Serve as appetizer with matzo. Makes 12 appetizer servings.

WHITEFISH IN WHITE WINE

1 cup thinly sliced green onions

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup fish or vegetable stock

3 garlic cloves, minced, optional

8 fillets whitefish or salmon, about 6 ounces each

Green Herb Butter

Lemon slices

Line large broiler pan with heavy-duty foil. Add green onions, wine, stock and garlic. Place fish fillets on top. Top each portion with slice of Green Herb Butter. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Broil fish, basting once or twice during first 5 minutes. Continue broiling about 10 minutes more without turning fish, or until tender and fish begins to brown lightly on top.

Place fish in center of heated serving plates and spoon sauce on top. Garnish with lemon slices and serve with fresh asparagus.

Green Herb Butter

5 small spinach leaves, stems removed

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried

Water

1/4 pound unsalted butter or margarine

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, peeled

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Drop spinach, parsley and tarragon into pot of boiling water. Boil 5 minutes. Drain, dry on paper towels and set aside.

Place butter, lemon juice and garlic in food processor. Using knife blade process until well blended. Add cooked spinach mixture and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mold into cube, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze. Remove plastic wrap and slice.

BEET AND HORSERADISH SAUCE

4 medium beets, scrubbed and trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stem ends intact

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish with beets or 2 tablespoon freshly grated horseradish

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Salt

In large saucepan combine beets and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring water to boil. Cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, or until very tender. Drain beets, reserving 2 tablespoons cooking liquid. Remove skins and stems.

Puree beets with reserved cooking liquid, horseradish, vinegar and salt to taste in food processor. Transfer to glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill. Serve with gefilte fish. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

LAMB SHANKS ROASTED IN

RED WINE

1/4 cup oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, thinly sliced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 bay leaf, crushed

3 sprigs fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon chopped

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

1 (10 1/2-ounce) can Passover tomato sauce with mushrooms

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

6 lamb shanks, trimmed of fat

8 mushrooms, thinly sliced

Heat oil and saute onions and garlic until tender in large roasting pot. Add carrots, celery, bay leaf, oregano, parsley, wine and tomato sauce and simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add lamb shanks and baste with sauce.

Bake at 375 degrees 1 1/2 to 2 hours, basting every 20 minutes. Uncover, add mushrooms and bake additional 30 minutes or until shanks are tender, turning shanks to keep moist. Makes 6 servings.

GRANDMA’S PASSOVER

SPONGE CAKE

9 eggs, separated

1 2/3 cups sugar

1/4 cup Passover sweet red wine

Grated zest of 1 orange

1 cup Passover potato starch, sifted

1/2 finely ground almonds

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat egg yolks and sugar until light in color and texture in bowl of electric mixer. Blend in wine and orange peel. Combine potato starch, almonds, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Add to egg yolk mixture, blending thoroughly.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. (Do not overbeat; if you can turn bowl upside down, it’s done.) Fold 1/4 of whites into egg yolk mixture to lighten batter. Add remaining whites and fold in gently but thoroughly until well blended.

Pour batter into ungreased 10-inch tube pan with removable bottom. Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes or until wood pick inserted in center comes out dry. Remove cake from oven and immediately invert pan. Cool cake. Loosen sides and center of cake with sharp knife and unmold onto cake plate. Frost with chocolate frosting. Serve with Wine Custard Mousse. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Chocolate Frosting

2 tablespoons unsalted margarine or oil

3 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup Passover Concord grape wine, strong coffee or orange juice

6 ounces semisweet Passover chocolate

In small saucepan combine margarine, honey and water. Bring to boil, remove from heat and add chocolate. Beat until stiff enough to spread or drizzle over cake. Makes about 1 cup.

Wine Custard Mousse

3 eggs, separated

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup Passover sweet wine

1/3 cup water

Dash salt

Place egg yolks in top of double boiler. Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat with wire whisk until pale yellow and creamy. Place top of double boiler over simmering water over low heat. Beat half of sweet wine into egg yolk mixture 1 minute. Gradually beat in remaining wine.

Reduce heat to very low. Continue cooking over gently simmering water. Beat constantly and scrap bottom and sides of pan frequently until mixture is fluffy and thick enough to form soft mounds when dropped from whisk, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook or it will curdle. Remove top of double boiler from water immediately. Whisk custard briefly, pour into bowl and chill.

Beat egg whites with salt using wire whisk until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Mix about 1/2 cup meringue into cooled custard to lighten it and continue folding in remaining meringue. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Makes about 4 servings.