Ask A Boston Chef: Great Passover Recipes

Passover, the eight day commemoration of the story of the Exodus in which ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt, begins at sundown on Monday, March 25, 2013. In celebration of the occasion, The Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro is serving a special prix fixe dinner on Monday, March 25 and Tuesday, March 26, 2013 from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Featuring traditional Jewish flatbread matzo and a three course menu from Executive Chef Josh Lewin, it's sure to be a memorable meal.

Executive Chef Josh Lewin
Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro
25 Charles Street
Boston, MA 02114
Phone (617) 723-7575
www.beaconhillhotel.com

Among other selections at BHHB, matzo ball soup will be served at the special Passover dinner, as well as braised beef short rib with melted red cabbage and sunchoke latkes. Turkish Passover cake with walnuts, orange and almond milk gelato will end the meal, which costs only $38 per person (not including tip and tax). In addition to those in-house options, these three Passover recipes have been provided by Chef Lewin himself, who became Executive Chef at the Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro in January of 2012 after working as a sous-chef.

Sunchoke Latke

• 2 cups sunchoke, unpeeled, grated
• 1/2 cup onion, small dice
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg
• lamb fat, for frying

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, excluding lamb fat, in a medium sized bowl. Portion into 2 tablespoon thin rounds.
2. Heat a heavy sauté pan over medium high heat with lamb fat, until nearly smoking.
3. Add latkes to pan in an even layer without crowding. Cook 90 seconds on first side, until golden brown. Flip and cook for another 60 seconds.
4. Drain on paper towel before serving.

Related: Boston's Best Delicatessens

Turkish Passover Cake

• 6 eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• Juice and zest of 1 orange
• 1 ½ cups walnuts, toasted and chopped
• Oil and matzo meal for baking

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat the egg yolks with sugar until well mixed and pale in color.
3. Add almond meal, orange juice, orange zest and walnuts. Mix well.
4. In a second bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, then fold into egg yolk and nut mixture.
5. Oil a 9-inch spring form cake pan and dust with matzo meal. Pour batter into pan.
6. Bake 1.5 hours.

Related: Looking At The Law: The Festival Of Passover

Braised Beef Short Rib, with Melted Cabbage

• 3 pounds short ribs (bone in)
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 quart beef broth or stock
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 sprig each, thyme and rosemary
• 2 bay leaves

Directions:

1. 2 hours before cooking, set short ribs on counter top and liberally season all sides with kosher salt and black pepper.
2. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
3. In a heavy pan, sear meat on all sides until well browned, then place in baking dish. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Cover tightly and braise for 2.5 to 3.5 hours, until meat is fork tender.
5. Strain liquid after cooking and simmer until reduced by half for sauce.

Meanwhile, to prepare the cabbage:

• 1 head red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 granny smith apple, cored and sliced
• ¼ pound, butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• kosher salt
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the butter in a heavy bottomed pot over medium low heat.
2. Add onions and a pinch of salt. Cook gently and without browning, until onions are nearly soft, for 5 minutes.
3. Add Cabbage and apples, cover. Continue cooking gently, stirring occasionally until cabbage is very soft for about 1 hour.
4. Remove cover, add garlic and cook for 5 more minutes. Adjust for seasoning.