Three top Israeli chefs share their winning wartime Passover shortcuts

When Passover begins Wednesday night, food blogger Ruhama Shitrit’s seder will include matzah, her kids’ favorite Pesach rolls, Iraqi haroset of silan, pecans and walnuts, and a kubbeh pie, the Iraqi version of shepherd’s pie, alongside other dishes.

“My heart will be with my mother and my brothers and my followers in Israel,” said Shitrit, who lives in Newton, Massachusetts. “I want tasty food that’s also simple, and to keep our traditions.”

Shitrit always describes her home as an Israeli household in Newton, Massachusetts, where she and her family have lived for the last 20 years.

This year, she’s digging down into her roots more than ever, following the death of her Iraqi-born father earlier this year.

Shitrit is thinking about the Iraqi macaroons her paternal grandmother would make each year, during a prolonged visit from London. Made from ground almonds with sugar syrup, egg whites, and a little cardamom or cinnamon, the cookies were dried outside in the sun.

“I was always my mother’s and my father’s daughter,” said Shitrit, who FaceTimes with her mother in Haifa, once, even twice a day. “I’m always with them in my heart and mind.”

In fact, Shitrit was visiting Israel on February 28 when the first alert sounded, warning of an incoming Iranian missile attack. At the time, she was having an early morning coffee with her friend, cookbook author Adeena Sussman.

It took more than a week for Shitrit to get a flight home, and she’s still focused on her family, friends, and followers in Israel, hoping that the night of the seder is free of sirens and missiles.

In Tel Aviv, where Sussman has been sheltering with her husband Jay Shofet, and various family members and friends, she keeps thinking about 2020 and the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, when instead of celebrating her husband’s 60th birthday, she made a meatloaf for their seder of two.

“We’re reconsidering our plans and being fluid and spontaneous,” said Sussman. “I’m thinking about the concepts of Passover and how to incorporate them, renewal, freshness, and simplicity. Spring cleaning can mean a lot of things, both metaphorical and actual.”

As Sussman and her family have been navigating the realities of running to shelters amid the Iranian missile barrages, she gifted an online Passover book to readers who pre-ordered “Zariz,” Sussman’s latest cookbook, which is being launched in April.

“I wanted to gift my community for being so supportive,” she said. “Really, I had simplicity in mind when I created the booklet.”

It includes Sussman’s latest Passover recipes like Matzo Brei Brûlée, Pink Horseradish & Dill Salmon and Meringue-Topped Chocolate Pudding Cake, to mention some of her particular favorites.

“It’s inventive twists on things just to give a little lift,” said Sussman.

Chef Shalom Simcha Elbert, an entrepreneur on food waste and content creator who was the former head of R&D at award-winning Tel Aviv restaurant OCD, is thinking about forging forward with the spring spirit using stalks of purple-and-white garlic bulbs.

It’s the only time of the year when the Israeli market has its own garlic, and not the bulbs imported from China.

“You can use all the parts, leaves, stalks, and bulbs, and it has a stronger smell, but it’s less sharp, less pungent,” said Elbert, who makes jars of pesto with all parts of the garlic, and uses it in different dishes, including potatoes, lamb, fish and salad dressings.

“You just brush it on anything, including matzah,” he said. “You can use it across the meal.”

Elbert, who lives in Tel Aviv, is also rethinking his holiday plans, but even in the midst of frequent runs to the bomb shelter, he feels thankful that at least one thing has changed this year: the knowledge that all the living hostages have been released from Gaza captivity, and all deceased hostages have been properly buried in Israel.

“There’s a bright side to everything, ” said Elbert. “Last year, we sat around the seder and couldn’t really be free. We’re at war again, but I’ll take a hostage-free seder over anything.”

Ruhama Shitrit’s Passover Mini Rolls

½ cups water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup olive oil
3 cups matzo meal
6 eggs

Olive oil or avocado oil spray
Sesame seeds (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C
2.⁠ ⁠In a pot, add the water, salt, sugar, and olive oil. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil.
3.⁠ ⁠Remove from the heat and let cool for 1 minute.
4.⁠ ⁠Add the matzo meal and, using a wooden spoon, mix everything together.
5.⁠ ⁠Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes, then gradually add the eggs, stirring until you get a smooth and uniform mixture.
6.⁠ ⁠With wet hands, form small balls, about ping-pong size, and place them on a baking sheet.
7.⁠ ⁠Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
8.⁠ ⁠Bake at 400°F/200°C for 40 minutes.
9.⁠ ⁠Turn off the oven and, using a wooden spoon, keep the oven door slightly open for 5 minutes to help the buns maintain their shape.

Adeena Sussman’s Bubbe’s Extra Crispy Potato Kugel

8 medium russet potatoes (4½ pounds), peeled
2 large onions, halved
6 large eggs
⅔ cup vegetable oil (not olive oil)
¼ cup all-purpose flour or potato starch
1½ tablespoons kosher salt, plus more if needed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

1. Grate the potatoes and onions on the large holes of a box grater or using the large shredding disc of a food processor.
2. Place the grated potatoes and onions on a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Transfer the grated vegetables to a large bowl and mix with the eggs, 1/3 cup of the oil, the flour, salt, and pepper, ensuring the potatoes are evenly coated. If you don’t mind tasting raw egg, taste the batter to make sure the salt level is to your liking.
3. Place a 9 × 13-inch or 10 × 14-inch ceramic or metal baking dish on top of a rimmed baking sheet. Add the remaining 1/3 cup of oil to the baking dish, place it in the oven, and heat until the oil is very hot, 10 minutes.
4. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the baking dish from the oven, stir the batter, gently spoon the batter into the dish, and spread it out evenly, making sure not to splash the hot oil. If some of the oil comes up the sides, use a spoon to carefully spread the hot oil over the top of the kugel.
5. Return the kugel to the oven and bake until the exterior is very crisp and deep golden brown, 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. (It might seem like it’s taking forever for the top to brown, but it will!)
6. Remove from the oven, cool slightly, and sprinkle with more salt, if desired. Serve hot, warm, or cold out of the fridge the next day, when it might remind you slightly of a piece of Spanish tortilla española.

Shalom Ebert’s Green Garlic and Walnut Pesto

200 g (3-5 whole bulbs) green garlic (white and light green parts only, cleaned and chopped)
80 g  (⅔ cup) walnuts, lightly toasted and cooled
50 g (⅓ to ½ cup) hard aged cheese (such as Pecorino Romano or Parmesan)
5 ounces extra virgin olive oil
Zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1. In a food processor, combine the chopped green garlic and toasted walnuts. Pulse until the mixture reaches a cohesive paste; if it is a bit dry or fibrous, add a splash of water. Add lemon zest and cheese.
2. With the processor running on a low setting, slowly stream in the olive oil until a thick, slightly textured emulsion forms.
3. Season with salt and transfer the mixture to a clean glass jar. To maintain the vibrant green color and prevent oxidation, smooth the top of the pesto and cover with a thin layer of olive oil before sealing.