In the kitchen with Henny: Recipes to keep Passover traditions alive during wartime

Just as stories are passed down through the generations, so are traditions and customs. With that in mind, I am sharing some traditional recipes to bring to your Seder table.

Once you have your menu planned, make a full shopping list. Since many of us are trying to go out as little as possible right now, having a prepared list will help limit extra trips to the supermarket.

Start by shopping for dry items such as sugar, oil, matzah products, and anything else that can be stored easily. You can also buy items that freeze well, like meat, chicken, or fish. Try to purchase as many of these items in advance as possible, and then do your dairy and produce shopping closer to the start of the holiday.

When I was growing up, my mother would make a huge pot of chicken soup for the Seder, packed with both chicken and flanken (short beef ribs, or asado in Hebrew). By the time we reached the meal portion of the evening, the soup had been simmering for hours. First came bowls of soup with the traditional matzah balls, and then the main dish was all the tender chicken and meat that had been cooking in that same pot. It was absolutely the best – the long cooking time made everything incredibly soft and full of flavor.

This year, I thought I would prepare a flanken dish for our Seder. It’s different from the one I grew up with, but it carries that same comforting spirit of slow-cooked meat at the holiday table. Please God, my parents will be able to join us this year; it will be the first time I am hosting them for Seder night. Like everyone here, I am hoping that by then the war will be behind us.

Heat olive oil in a deep, wide pan on the stove, add in the onions, and sauté for about 10 minutes on medium heat. Add in the kosher salt, pepper, turmeric, and silan, mix well, and sauté another 5 minutes. Pat dry the flanken and add it to the pan piece by piece on higher heat, and let it sear in the pan for 5 minutes on each side. Then pour in the wine (you can use grape juice, if preferred), cover the pan, and turn the heat down to low. You can let it cook like this in the oven for 3-4 hours, or place it in the oven (check that your pan can fit into in the oven) on 150˚C/300˚F for 4-5 hours.

Very often, my husband is the one in charge of making roasted vegetables for Shabbat or holidays, and especially for Seder night. He’s one of those cooks who add a dab of this and a drizzle of that, rarely measuring anything, so I made sure to watch closely when he prepared this ratatouille recently for Shabbat because I knew I’d want to share it with you.

My only concern was whether the balsamic vinegar would be kosher for Passover. But as he added it to the pan, he noticed that “OU-P” was written on the bottle, indicating that it was certified as kosher for Passover by the Orthodox Union (OU).

If some of these vegetables aren’t your favorites, feel free to swap them for others you enjoy or simply omit them.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Place the zucchini, eggplant, onion, peppers, cherry tomatoes, and garlic on a large baking sheet or roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the oregano, salt, and pepper, then toss well to coat the vegetables evenly. Add the tomato purée and balsamic vinegar, and gently mix again so everything is lightly coated. Cover the pan tightly with foil and roast for about 30-35 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Remove the foil and return the pan to the oven for another 5 minutes to allow the vegetables to lightly caramelize. Serve warm.

Around Passover, many of my clients ask for recipes for side dishes that aren’t another heavy kugel or potato-based casserole. With matzah already taking center stage at the table, meals can start to feel dense very quickly. I wanted to create something that brings a lighter, fresher flavor to the menu while still feeling satisfying.

This strawberry apple crisp does exactly that. The sweet-tart fruit gives the dish brightness, while the crumbly topping provides just enough richness to feel like a treat. It works beautifully alongside a main dish or can easily double as a simple dessert.

Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F and grease or line a 23×33 cm./9×13-inch baking pan. Place the diced apples and strawberries in a bowl and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, potato starch, sugar, cinnamon, oil, and vanilla, and mix until the mixture becomes crumbly. Remove about 2 cups of the crumb mixture and set it aside. Add the eggs to the remaining mixture and stir well to form a batter, then add in the fruit and mix. Spread the fruit batter evenly in the prepared pan. Mix the sugar and cinnamon topping into the reserved crumb mixture and sprinkle it evenly over the fruit. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the topping is golden and crisp. Serve warm.

This crisp can also be baked in 12 small ramekins or disposable aluminum baking cups for an elegant individual serving. Bake the minis for 30-35 minutes.

Pronounced “noont,” it’s a traditional Ashkenazi honey-nut confection made for the spring holidays. My mother remembers it from her childhood and believes my grandmother continued making it as the grandchildren grew up as well. Since I am the youngest grandchild, my memories of it are a bit faint, but the conversation brought back warm images of my grandmother cooking in her kitchen. It was the place where I spent the most time with her, and cooking together with her are some of the sweetest memories that stay with me.

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the honey, sugar, and lemon juice, and cook over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stop stirring, increase the heat to medium, and bring the mixture to a gentle boil for about 5 minutes. Add the nuts, reduce the heat to low, and cook while stirring frequently until the mixture thickens and turns a deep golden color, about 30 minutes.

Pour the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread it to about 1½ cm. (½-inch) thickness. Let it cool until firm but not completely hard, about 10 minutes. Dip a sharp knife into hot water and cut the candy into 2½ cm. (1-inch) squares or diamonds. Allow it to cool completely before serving.

When Purim arrived, many of us clearly saw the parallels between the story of Purim and the situation we are living through now. But as Passover approaches, I find myself thinking even more about the story of leaving Egypt. There is one enormous difference, though: We are thankfully here in the Land of Israel, with Jewish leadership and the protection of the strongest army.

While we may not be walking through a sea that has split before us, I feel God’s closeness every time a missile is intercepted overhead while I sit downstairs in the cold bomb shelter, praying alongside neighbors whom I am only now beginning to know better. Passover is about passing down the story of how we became a free people. In many ways, we are living through a chapter of that story again. My daughter has begun journaling and even making personal videos about what we are experiencing so that one day she will be able to retell how we lived through difficult times and how Hashem protected us.