Brisket Egg Rolls & A review of Passover Made Easy

GET THIS BOOK!!

I am a huge fan of cookkosher.com and Leah Schapira!  I loved Leah’s recent cookbook Fresh & Easy, which received rave reviews (especially from me!).  Leah is fun, vivacious, friendly, and great to know – and her recipes are fabulous.  I was incredibly psyched when I saw that she had come out with a new Passover cookbook with Victoria Dwek – Passover Made Easy.  I eagerly sat down with my handy-dandy multi-colored sticker tabs, and began to read.  I LOVE THIS BOOK!  Recipes aside (we’ll get to those in a minute) this cookbook is fun to read!  The “cartoon” like info bites – “tidbits” are very informative and easy to read.  Each section and recipe is supplemented with “dialog-bubble” stories and incredibly useful tips and recipe variations.    Did you know that “The largest Seder in the world is celebrated in Katmandu, Nepal whose 1,800 participants collectively consume 1,100 lbs of matzah?”  Thanks to Leah and Victoria, now you do!   There’s also a great tutorial on wine pairings and suggestions. Many of the recipes come with additional sauce recipes and suggestions which make the dishes go from awesome to super-awesome!  My only problem with this book was that using my handy-dandy, multi-colored sticker tabs ended up being a waste of time…it’s not so helpful if every page has a sticker tab on it – is it?

It was tough to decide which recipe to try from the book for this review.  I was tempted by the Crispy Crackers, Butternut Squash Salad, Seder Night Chicken, Shnitzel Nuggets (with apricot dipping sauce), Onion Rings, Cauliflower Gratin (pareve!), and Frozen Lemon Wafer Cake.  I finally settled on the Brisket Egg Rolls, which required making the versatile Basic Passover Crepes.      It was a good thing I doubled the recipe because my family went crazy for these egg rolls.  They were delicious!  The recipe calls for Brisket, but I ended up using a chuck steak - which I chopped instead of shredding, with great results.  I also wound up egging the edge of the egg rolls before sealing them after a few from the first batch sort of exploded.  No worries - even though they weren't as pretty as the others they were still inhaled like the rest of them.  The Basic Passover Crepes were easy to make, and I stacked them between pieces of waxed deli paper as I made them.  According to Leah, the crepes can be made in advance and frozen until ready to use.  Considering the many suggestions that Leah and Victoria have for them it’s a good thing they can be made in advance.  I can easily see them becoming a staple in my Pesach preparations. 

Awesome Brisket Eggrolls!!

What struck me as I was going through the Passover Made Easy cookbook was that it could easily be named “Gluten-Free” Made Easy.  With the exception of a few “Gebrokts” recipes in the book, most of the recipes are terrific for the GFE (Gluten Free Eater) year round.  I know that I’ll be keeping this book close by not only during Pesach but year round for healthy, easy to make recipes.  Thanks Leah and Victoria – nice job!!

For more information about Passover Made Easy go to artscoll.com or cookkosher.com.

Basic Passover Crepe

12 large eggs

¾ cup potato starch

1 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

In a blender (or using an immersion blender), beat eggs.  Add potato starch, water, and salt.  Blend until smooth.

Lightly grease a crepe pan or skillet.  Heat over medium-high heat.  Add 3-4 tablespoons batter and swirl the pan to coat the bottom with a thin layer.  Let cook until crepe is firm and edges appear golden, about 1 minute.  Flip crepe, using a slotted spatula.  Cook for 15 seconds and flip over onto plate.  Repat with remaining batter, re-greasing pan as necessary.  Stack crepes as they are completed.

Brisket Eggrolls

These awesome eggrolls can be paired with your own Passover teriyaki sauce on p. 23

½ pound brisket ( 2 ½ cups cooked shredded meat)

Salt, to taste

Coarse black pepper to taste

¼ cup oil, divided, plus more for frying

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium red onion, diced

1 ½ tablespoons sugar

1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

Pinch coarse black pepper

3 tablespoons orange juice

10 (6-inch) Basic Passover Crepes (see above)

You may skip the first step if you are using leftover meat.  Season brisket with salt and pepper.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sear brisket for 3 minutes on each side.  Lower heat, cover, and cook brisket for 1-1 ½ hours, checking periodically.  If meat seems to be burning, lower heat further.

Shred meat.  Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Add onions and sauté 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add sugar, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper.  Sauté 5 additional minutes.  Stir in orange juice; taste to adjust seasoning.  Remove from heat and stir in shredded meat.

Place 2 tablespoons onion-meat filling towards the bottom-center of each crepe.  Roll, egroll-style: fold up bottom to cover filing.  Fold in sides, then roll-upward to close.

Heat 1 inch oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat.  When hot (eggrolls should sizzle when slipped into the pan), fry eggrolls until golden, about 3-4 minutes per side.

For the Basic Passover Crepes

 A dozen eggs in the bowl...

 Blended with the immersion blender...

 Add the starch and other ingredients

then blend again!

4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup...

Batter into the pan!

 Crepe!

 The first one was a little bunchy but the

rest came out great!!

Now for the meat...

Check out this gorgeous chuck steak!

Coarse black pepper...searing on one side...

Flipped...

Cover and cook until soft...

 An episode of "Chopped"...

 All the onions finely chopped with the

Hindy Chopper...

 Saute' with some oil...

Add the juice and other ingredients...mmmmm....

 Add the meat... 

 Now stuff the crepe's...

 Rock & Roll

(don't forget to egg the edge so they don't explode)

 So pretty I almost want to weep...

 A squadron of egg rolls...

 Into the hot oil...

 AHHHHHH!!! They're exploding...

Note to self: Next batch - egg to seal.

 Second batch - perfect!

 Love!!

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Kosher Everyday is dedicated to the memory of my father

Dr. Theodore Saltzberg - Tuvia Ben Nachum Z”L

May his memory be for a blessing - Yihi zichro baruch.

Look for additional information about Edible Experience Kosher Everyday at www.koshereveryday.com,

aish.com, Mishpacha Magazine’s Kosher Inspired Magazine,

The Chicago Tribune Syndication,

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These recipes are for sole, personal use of visitors to Sharon Matten -Edible Experience Kosher Everyday. Edible Experience Kosher Everyday recipes are for your enjoyment but are not to be posted or reprinted without express permission from Sharon Matten. Thank you!!