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Source: http://www.sukkahworld.com/Passover-Seder-Guide.asp

Cooking for Passover is a challenge. Even before the cooking, actually. First there’s the cleaning and getting ready for the holiday. Then the shopping. Then the cooking.

We all know the rules. We can’t use this or that ingredient. None of our favorite breads or pasta or beans and such. Spices and other ingredients difficult to find Kosher-for-Passover. So, when added to the usual kashruth restrictions, minding all of these extra considerations for 8 days can feel daunting.

We all get through it of course, every year, and for me at least, the challenge presents a way to be creative, to work within the rules and yet make delicious food for everyone. I look forward to it.

In our family we also have an additional restriction too, at least for the Seders. My daughter Gillian has a life-threatening allergy to fish, so I never cook it or have it in the house when she and her family come. That leaves out gefilte fish (which our Ashkenazy family always had at Seders when I was growing up) or any other lovely, creative first-course dish of, say, roasted salmon or quinoa pseudo-sushi.

I serve salad instead, and that has turned out to be a blessing. Seder meals can be heavy and filling. Mine are anyway. Salad lightens up the menu. Everyone appreciates it, and not only for the fresh, crisp addition to the holiday feast, but also because salads are colorful and add an extra touch of glamor.

The salads I choose for the Passover Seder change every year. Sometimes I’ll serve one made up primarily of greens but sometimes it’s a vegetable salad. In recent years I’ve served quinoa salads with vegetables or dried fruit and nuts. I try to make the recipes interesting and attractive, in keeping with the joyous nature of the holiday.

This year I plan to serve something I call Sweet and Bitter Salad, so named to signify the sweet feeling of freedom and to recall the bitterness of slavery. On the second night I’ll serve Beet Salad with Orange, Mint and Lime. It’s a beautiful dish and one that I can make well in advance, so there’s no last minute fussing.

We’re already on our 26th year of hosting Passover hotels in Israel, and each year we pinch ourselves because it’s hard to believe how lucky we are to be doing this with our amazing guests. Not that you need to be convinced, but here are our favorite reasons for being in Israel for Passover. We’d love to hear yours in the comments below!

10. Seven days instead of eight days. One seder instead of two. ‘Nuff said.

9. While in most countries Jewish communities set up discrete locations to burn the last crumbs of chametz on the day before Passover, in Israel it’s a series of street parties. Just follow your nose to that bonfire-like smell. You’re bound to find more than a few in every neighborhood.

8. Passover in Israel features gorgeous spring weather, which is why it’s also named “Chag Ha’aviv”. The trees sing; the flowers bloom. It’s the perfect time to enjoy the hills and valleys which are now painted with flowers in every color of the rainbow, as you breathe in fresh air and enjoy Israel’s great outdoors.

7. With practically the entire country on vacation for the week of Passover, a myriad of entertainment options are available – including free museum days and fun festivals. See our Chol Hamoed activity list for ideas.

6. Bananagrams in Hebrew for your seder, as per Laura Ben-David’s article in the Times of Israel on making the seder fun and interactive. That, and other Israeli inventions to make the seder more exciting for the kids (and some grownups, too).

5. The current conversion rate for Israeli currency is 1 dollar to 3.73 shekels. That means you get more bang for your buck on food, hotels and everything you need for a fantastic family holiday.

4. Not only do you get a good conversion rate, but spending time in Israel means directly supporting Israel’s economy. With boycotts galore and tourism being one of Israel’s major sources of income, the money you anyway spend on Passover is better spent here than anywhere else.

3. Kosher for Passover restaurants spring up throughout the country, giving everyoen a much-needed break from all that seder cooking. It’s a unique adventure to go restaurant-hopping and see the creative dishes that can be produced on the limited kosher-for-Passover diet.

2. Think restaurants are an unusual perk of Passover in Israel? Wait until you see the luxury Passover hotels. They will blow you away with their amenities and warm chag atmosphere. Families and friends look forward all year to relax at these spas and resorts as their children and grandchildren spend quality time together.

And finally,

1. This year in Jerusalem. We’ve said this before, but there’s really nothing like celebrating the festival of our freedom in our homeland. Imagine recounting the narratives of the haggadah – Avraham being gifted with Canaan; the birth of Yitzchak; the journey of Yaakov going down to Egypt; the sages in Bnei Brak and many others – on the very land in which the stories took place. Let this be the year you get to witness the miracle of our survival firsthand, together with you family and all the pleasures of modern-day Israel, in the Holy Land.

What are your favorite reasons to celebrate Passover in Israel?

Potatoes are an inevitable part of Pesach. You’ll be happy they are when you whip up these fresh and flavorful dishes. These recipes use minimal ingredients so that everyone, no matter what their Pesach customs are, can enjoy them. You can use either the non-Gebrokts potato dough and the Gebrokts version, with either the pesto or the orange sauce.

Gnocchi – Non-Gebrokts
Gnocchi, pronounced “nyo-key”, are thick soft Italian dumplings, most commonly made with potatoes. Gnocchi is usually served as an appetizer, but works as a side or main dish as well. Classic accompaniments of gnocchi include pesto, tomato-based sauces, and melted butter with cheese.

Shlishkes – Gebrokts
Shlishkes are small potato-based dumplings, popular in Ashkenazic Eastern European cooking. These soft dumplings are traditionally rolled in browned and flavored crumbs. Make this dish non-Gebrokts by using the gnocchi potato dough for the shlishkes, and by replacing the matzo meal with more ground almonds for the crumbs. Or just save this special recipe for the last day of Pesach like I do!

Zuppa Arancione
Zuppa Arancione literally means “orange soup” in Italian. Use this thick, delicious, sweet and savory, hearty soup as a base for gnocchi. As with all my recipes, if you are using regular table salt, cut back the salt amount by one-third.

Pesto
Who can resist classic hand rolled gnocchi accompanied by fresh homemade pesto? If your Pesach customs allow for the use of pesto ingredients, go for it! A little goes a long way with this flavor-packed sauce.

Click here for an explanation of Gebrokts and other Passover kosher information.

Here are 10 Non Gebrokts recipes.

As we approach the Passover holiday and plan our seder menu, it’s a good idea to take an inventory of your kitchen equipment.  Do you have everything you need for Passover?  If you don’t have a hand blender, you’re probably working too hard.  I recently tested the KitchenAid 5-Speed Hand Blender and this dynamo is like having my very own sous chef in a box.

The powerful 5-speed motor and 8 inch removable blending arm provide exceptional control to mix all your ingredients with ease.  You can blend, puree, chop, shred, mince, froth/mix, and whisk/emulsify and aerate.  From breakfast smoothies, chopped nuts for charoset, dicing bitter herbs for maror, shredding vegetables for salad and stir fry, or whisking egg whites for meringues or macaroons  – you can do everything you used to do by hand in a fraction of the time with the KitchenAid blender.  So instead of buying a food processor, a blender and a mixer you can do it all with just this hand blender.

With the removable bending arm (always wished I had one of those) you can work with deep bowls, pots (including those industrial size soup pots that can feed the army of guests you have coming for seder), or pitchers of most any size.  It also comes with a 1-liter, BPA free pitcher with a no-splash lid so yo don’t need multiple measuring cups or mixing bowls.  The five foot power cord can navigate a large kitchen with ease.  A removable pan guard will prevent scratching on expensive cookware.  All the equipment is dishwasher safe or will clean up easily with soap and water.  The other feature I really liked was the storage case, it’s sleek and stylish, but most importantly, it keeps all your equipment organized in one place and all for under $100.

Here are a few recipes I have tried with my KitchenAid 5-Speed Hand Blender, what would you make if you had one?

Creamy Cucumber Gazpacho

Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup

Watermelon Mango Cooler

****Giveaway****  Win your own KitchenAid Hand Blender right now.  Just enter with Rafflcopter below.

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I actually look forward to Passover food…really, I do. It’s the one single holiday I actually feel lighter after. I totally embrace the opportunity to eat lots of light fresh food and as always try my hardest not to overdo it – my guests actually thank me for keeping things on the lighter side. Love these cool salads and starters; after tasting them your guests will love you!

Balsamic Carrot and Cucumber Ribbon Salad

Balsamic Carrot & Cucumber Ribbon Salad
Pretty, pretty, pretty. And it doesn’t take much. If you own a vegetable peeler you’re in business.

Avocado Egg Salad - Deconstructed Guacamole

Avocado Egg Salad
I should have named this “My Sister’s Mother-in-Law’s Israeli Guacamole.” But that seemed like a mouthful (plus it didn’t fit). I have made a ton of good guacs in my short cooking career but I never thought to add egg until I saw her do it. Sometimes you just need someone else to give you the simplest idea.

Pink Rimmed Gefilte Fish
How many ways can you reinvent this staple? Lots! I like to look at it as a blank canvas and say to myself, the fish, and anyone listening “nu, so now what?” This Pesach, dress it up in pink!

Grapefruit Brulee

Grapefruit Brulée
Crème brulée is my favorite dessert and this starter is inspired by its sweet caramel-like top. Fruity, refreshing, and sweet—the kiddies and I were eating the juicy slices right off the pan.

You’ve all heard about the butterfly effect — the idea that one small event or change can have a large effect somewhere else.  In classic theory, a butterfly flapping its wings can create a hurricane or tsunami halfway around the world.  You don’t go into Passover expecting to lose weight.  It’s a holiday and we are surrounded by delicious foods and wine all week long.  Your best hope is damage control.  And to be honest, after all the work cooking, cleaning and koshering a little indulgence is well deserved and need not induce any (more) Jewish guilt.

However, it’s the little decisions we make along the way that will tip the scales, one way or another.  During Passover, I love matzo and cream cheese, especially the fluffy white stuff from Temp Tee.  It’s comfort food.  It’s not going on a cookbook cover, but it doesn’t have to go on my thighs either.

Here’s my secret…

Temp Tee whipped cream cheese has 80 calories and 8g fat in a single serving.  Made with only 5 simple ingredients and no artificial preservatives.  A leading brand brick cream cheese has 100 calories and 9g fat in a single serving.  That’s 25% more calories!  Whipped cream cheese has more air which means fewer calories.  Plus, whipped cream cheese is very spreadable and makes it easier to spread less.  So take it easy on your matzo and take less calories every day.

A little whipped cream cheese can add lots of creaminess to dozens of Passover recipes.  You can cut down on higher fat hard cheeses, heavy cream and other high calorie, high fat dairy products.

I think I hear a butterfly flapping its wings somewhere…

Creamy Stuffed Mushrooms

I love stuffed mushrooms.  I also love cream of mushroom soup.  So why not combine the two for a deliciously creamy, bite-size appetizer.  And munch on this, it’s only 60 calories a serving!

Crustless Quiche with Asparagus and Oven Roasted Tomatoes

A crustless quiche is a Passover classic.  It can be part of light lunch or a grab and go breakfast.  I brought together the smoky sweetness of oven roasted tomatoes, the tang of whipped cream cheese and asparagus for a marvelous mouthful made in a muffin pan.  150 calories never tasted so good!

Passover Sweet Potato Gnocchi

A week without pasta isn’t easy.  No wonder gnocchi is one of the hottest Passover food trends.  You can hardly tell the difference and this Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage recipe is so good, you’ll be making it year round.  With this on your menu, eight days of Passover might not be enough.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Ice Cream

We can’t forget dessert.  The whipped cream cheese replaces heavy cream and eggs in traditional recipes so that you can whip this together in 30 minutes.  There won’t be any time for your kids to scream for this ice cream.

You know they’re in there. Amongst the row of bottles that you can only see but not taste, in every price category there are the best of the bunch—the corked favorite you’re waiting to discover. This is the unadulterated, objective list of the best wine picks for every budget. I’ve tasted all of these wines and I’m only recommending the picks I’d drink myself.

Under $10

BARKAN CLASSIC PINOT NOIR. Inexpensive wines are not going to be complex and oaky, but like this one, it will be fruity. The lower alcohol content makes this easy to drink.

WEINSTOCK RED BY W. This is the crowd-pleaser. Another easy to drink fruit-driven wines. I’m recommending it for the Seder because it’s 12% alcohol instead of 14%. That 2% makes a big difference—the wine will take much longer to go to your head. People who don’t usually drink wine try this and say, “This is actually pretty good.” The White by W is also a lovely wine. It has a little hint of sweetness; it’s easy drinking and refreshing—most people don’t think of wine as a refreshing beverage but it is.

BARTENURA ROSSO TOSCANO. Like the Red by W, this is another crowd-pleaser and a crazy value. It sold out when the masses caught on.

Under $15

BARON HERZOG “OLD VINE” ZINFANDEL This richly flavored zin with ripe fruit characteristics is an award winner and a steal in the low teens.

Under $20

WEINSTOCK CELLAR SELECT CABERNET SAUVIGNON. The best cab under $20

CHATEUX LE PETIT CHABAN. A nice, French Bordeaux

Under $25

CHATEUX THENAC. Another lovely French Merlot-based Bordeaux. Unlike the Chaban, this one is earthy, common of French wines. (To compare, California wines are fruitier while Israeli wines have a herbaceous nature which I find interesting).

BINYAMINA RESERVES (SHIRAZ OR CARIGNAN). The Carignan is a brand new wine from Israel. The vine is originally from France, but it was planted in Israel back in the 1960s and 1970s because the vines give off a lot of fruit, making a great grape to use for mass-producing Kiddush wine. As the vines began producing less fruit, they were left alone—but older vines produce grapes with a more concentrated and interesting flavor. So, today, there is a revival of Carignan and great wines are coming out of that grape. The Binyamina Reserves Shiraz was just awarded 90 points by Wine Enthusiast.

GAMLA CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE. This was also awarded 90 points by Wine Enthusiast and it received the Editor’s Choice. That’s the most exciting—it means it’s a wine they would pick to have on their own tables. That’s real value for the money.

PSAGOT MERLOT. An awesome wine under $25

Under $30

HAGAFEN MERLOT. My “aha” wine. I ordered this in a restaurant last week, and the sommelier said he didn’t think I would like it. He didn’t know what I did for a living. When he tasted it—he nodded his head. He was proven wrong.

ELVI “HERENZA” CRIANZA RIOJA.  Rioja wines are made primarily from the Spanish Tempranillo grape. The wines are fruity, spicy & delicious!

Under $40

HERZOG SPECIAL RESERVE ALEXANDER VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON

SEGAL’S “DISHON” VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON

SHILOH “SECRET” CABERNET SAUVIGNON.  A newer wine I’m very pleased with.

VIP’s

The best of the best—for holiday drinking when there aren’t too many glasses to fill.  Save these for a time when you can savor and appreciate them.
$60, CARMEL MEDITERRANEAN
$60, CELLAR DE CAPCANES, PERAJ HA-ABIB
$75, DOMAINE DU CASTEL GRAND VIN
$80, YATIR FOREST

THE SWEETS

Since the natural sugars in grapes are converted into alcohol during the fermentation process, sweet wine is made by fermenting only some of the grape juice, leaving the wine with some of its natural (AKA “residual”) sugar.  Here’s my sweet picks: Ben Ami “Zemora”, Alfasi Mistico,
and the whole Jeunesse line.

THE BEST TEMP

Most people think that room temperature is best for serving dry red wine, but in the “old country” room temperature was much closer to 60°F than today’s 70°F. Served at this temperature, the alcohol taste is hidden a bit, making the wine a more refreshing sipper. When wine comes out of a cellar or wine refrigerator, it’s a cool 55°F to 60°F. In the absence of professional wine storage, pop it into the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes for the same effect.

Source: Gary Landsman from Royal Wine Corp.  As seen in Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Magazine Passover 2012 – Subscribe Now.

How many people have cooked for years or are newly married but really never learned the secrets of cooking and not getting frazzled or despondent when a recipe doesn’t turn out like it says in the book.

Cookbook recipes are only a guideline.

But cooking is always from the heart giving you the ability to play and experiment.

In the months to come I will be giving you the tricks of how to cook learning all the tricks and secrets of the trade.

Today I will teach you How to Cook Finger Licking Chicken.

Chicken has always been one of my favourite foods and is always on our table on Shabbos.

Regardless of the time of year, there’s always a great way to cook chicken. Chicken on the barbecue, skewered, marinated in teriyaki sauce for the summer. And that first roast chicken in the fall – with mashed potatoes, peas, and carrots – always feels like an extra special treat.

But… you need to know how to cook chicken if you want it to be delicious.

Knowledge… It’s the difference between ending up with burnt, dry chicken, and ending up with a perfectly seared, juicy chicken breast.

And hey! It’s a lot more fun to spend time in the kitchen when you know you’ll end up with a fantastic meal.

How to cook Chicken

There’s a lot to know about cooking chicken. How to prepare baked chicken breasts, barbecued chicken wings, whole roasted chicken. How to fry chicken, how to braise it, how to grill it. There are endless possibilities.

Not sure what the best way to cook a particular piece of chicken is?

So….Let’s get started on the basic way of roasting a chicken to perfection.

Roasting a chicken well is actually a very simply task and here is my recipe for a  Simple Market Roasted Chicken. 

I love the chillier temperatures of late autumn and winter. The brisk air and snuggly sweaters make this my favorite time of year. I also especially love the food with its heartiness, big flavors and comforting textures. Cooking for my own family, for friends and clients is also a pleasure as everyone is actually hungry in the winter! People’s appetites are more timid in the warmer months, but everyone likes to eat when it is cold.

This is the time of year when dishes that take a long time to cook, like short ribs, stews, soups and casseroles, are a cook’s best friend. Not only can you create a satisfying hearty meal, but long slow braises benefit from TLC. You can really tell when a cook has put some love into their braised dish, because the end result has succulent flavorand texture.  Here are some chefs hints to make your braised dish luscious and  amazing.

Osso Bucco

Braising is a term that describes a cooking technique. First the meat or sometimes vegetables are browned in fat (my favorite, duck fat, olive oil, or canola oil). Then the aromatics are browned, and herbs, wine and stock are added to the mix. Finally, the whole gorgeous concoction is covered in a heavy-duty casserole dish or Dutch oven and cooked slowly for a long period of time.

Braised Lamb Belly from Chef Seth Warshaw

Braises utilize the economy cuts of meat. These are the cheaper cuts that have a lot of connective tissue and are tougher meats.  They require a long, low heat cooking session. The end result is a tender, richly flavored dish with meat that can be cut with a spoon. The braising liquid is
skimmed to remove the fat, and then reduced until it coats the back of a spoon. The flavors intensify and the sauce becomes a glaze. There are no shortcuts when braising and the method will test any chef or home cook’s mettle, but there is big payback in flavor and texture.

Aromatics

Use aromatic vegetables, such as onions, garlic, fennel and celery, which all have big flavor and add to the dish. These aromatics are the backbone of a good braise. I like to add carrots, turnips and tons of FRESH herbs.

A Bouquet Garni is French for “Garnished Bouquet” and is a professional chef’s secret flavor weapon. The stems of fresh herbs have tons of flavor in them and a long slow braise in liquid unlocks that flavor.  I use unbleached (I do not want bleach flavor in my food!) kitchen twine and wrap my herbs together in a tight bundle.  When the dish is done, I pull out the bundle and discard it. The herbs have released their flavor and added an earthy essence. 

Wine and Stock

I like to use good quality wine when I braise. For heavier beef cuts, I use red wine. For poultry and vegetables like mushrooms and root vegetables, I use white wine. The important thing here is to only use a wine that you would drink. So-called cooking wines are not palatable and not of good quality. Remember each ingredient going into the dish must be good unto itself. There is no amount of cooking time that will make up for inferior wine. I also only use homemade stocks; richly flavored and with tons of body. I know when I use a homemade stock in a braise, the sauce will end up intensely flavored and delicious.

Browning

The most important step in braising is browning the protein.  Browning the meat, poultry or vegetables creates deep, rich and intensely flavored food. The natural sugars caramelize and the surface of the meat becomes  crispy, resulting in a multi-textured dish. No, this step does not seal in the juices—but it makes it taste better.  Whenever I teach classes and demonstrate a braised dish, the first thing I am asked is if the browning step can be skipped. The answer is NO. You can certainly skip the browning and get dinner on the table, but the dish will not be deeply flavorful.
Browning is essential. It may take a bit more effort, but it is worth it.

So, bring on the winter weather, the snow and the cold.  I am going into the kitchen to make satisfying soups, stews and my favorite short ribs and Osso Buco. It is my favorite season after all!

Osso Buco with Gremolata

Lamb Belly

Main Image – Sea Bass with Saffron Tomato Jus from Chef Jeff Nathan

Photos by Sasha Gitin

As seen in the Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Magazine Purim 2012 – Subscribe Now.

This issue of Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller magazine is a real eyeopener.  Every scrumptious thing in this issue is kosher for Passover and uses absolutely no processed ingredients!  Zip. None.  It’s a totally different way of thinking about food that your body will thank you for.  We have over 50 new Passover recipes including Gnocchi 3 Ways and inspired homemade Popsicle recipes perfect for a Passover dessert or snack.  We also go fishing for some fabulous seafood recipes with Alessandra Rovati.

Memories can be quite powerful, food memories all the more so. When I use a spice my grandfather often used, or smell a cake like one my grandmother used to bake, I’m there in an instant, right in their kitchen. When Pesach comes, I close my eyes and I can see my grandfather eating matzah with a schmear of whipped cream cheese, a hot mug of sweet creamy coffee beside him.

That is Passover to me:  exactly that vision, that aroma, that taste.

I’m a woman of simple pleasures, you know that.  Matzah with cream cheese is my Passover delicacy. Has to be whipped cream cheese, of course, cause it’s my favorite and cause otherwise you wind up with a pile of crumbled matzah and a palm full of cream cheese.  I was raised on light, airy Temp Tee cream cheese. It’s been part of our Sunday brunches, school lunches, and Pesach breakfast lunch and dinners over the years.

So when I got a call out of nowhere from Temp Tee, I’m thinking, do they know me?   Have they been watching me all these years through tiny transmitters on their containers? Turns out–there are no transmitters — and they never dreamed that I’ve had a lifelong devotion to their product, though they were really tickled when I told them. They had called simply to ask if we could work together to help cooks with new creative cream cheese ideas for Passover. You see there’s this thing called matzah fatigue. And it’s a real condition, I tell you. My new Temp Tee friends recognize it too and want to team up to help.

I do love helping people…

So it was a no-brainer for me. I usually stock up on half a dozen containers of cream cheese before Yuntif anyway, just to get us started. It’s especially handy when I “work the house,” as Hubby calls it. He loves when I sub in whatever’s handy in my fridge or cabinets instead of sending him to the store in the snow to buy a pint of sour cream.  Ooooooh you shoulda seen him when he found out I only needed three tablespoons of the stuff for a recipe.  Big deal! Never saw a man refuse to eat something because it was “made with slave labor.” Anyway, today I know better and strictly adhere to the house rule: Never-Send-Hubby-Out-for-Piddling-Amounts-of-Stuff-Especially-in-a-Blizzard-When-You-Can-Sub-Something-Else.   So whenever I get creative, it’s comforting to know I always have CC on hand:   it’s so easy to use instead of sour cream, heavy cream, or even ricotta in a pinch.  Sometimes I just add it to creamify a recipe.  Those Temp Tee folks a knew what they were doing when they called me.

So let’s spread the word about Temp Tee cream cheese this Passover: there are 101 things we can do, but we promise to share at least 50 new ideas from our team and all our blogger friends all in the name of putting an end to the matzah fatigue, a stop to the same ol’ same ol’, although that seemed to be good enough for my grandfather (that generation was much more easily pleased). We are here to save you, the world or at least your Passover with our Temp Tee cream cheese revolution. Too much? Well you know I’m a passionate person when it comes to good food.

Bookmark our growing list of Whipped Cream Cheese Recipes for Passover and check back often for updates. Stay tuned for Pre-Passover Twitter and Facebook chats in real time with me, I can’t wait to talk to you all.

I want to feature your recipes too! In the comments below share a quick and creative cream cheese idea, or your favorite Passover memory for your chance to win a $100 Amex card from Temp Tee.  See rafflecopter details below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and giveaway as part of a partnership with Temp Tee Whipped Cream Cheese. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

“Worries go down better with soup than without.” (A Jewish proverb)

I love winter’s crisp-cold air and the way the sunlight casts shadows. I enjoy the long dark nights and I especially love to cook during the winter months. I hunker down in my kitchens and bring long cooked soups and stews together with aromatic herbs, dried mushrooms and root vegetables

I notice my customer’s habits changing as well. Suddenly everyone is actually hungry. Summers dainty and delicate appetites are replaced with something a bit heartier. I really look forward to soups, making them and eating them. They remind me of my favorite sweater taken out from summer storage, cozy and familiar, like an old friend.

I teach cooking classes all over the country and am often asked how to make the perfect  broth and stock.

Here are some definitions.

Stock-is a liquid base from which soups and sauces are made. Stock is made by simmering bones and sometimes meat with mirepoix (aromatic vegetables) and herbs and spices.

Broth-is an already flavored stock or water with vegetables and sometimes starch added to make it more substantial. Many prepared stocks contain flavor enhancers.

Bouillon-In French means broth, it is broth simmered with vegetables, herbs, and sometimes meat or poultry.

Bouillon cubes- are made by dehydrating vegetables, meat stock, a small portion of fat, salt, and seasonings and shaping them into a small cube. Dehydrated broth is also available in granular form. Bouillon cubes are convenient but have little nutritive value since they mostly contain flavor enhancers from monosodium glutamate or yeast extract.

Stock is the backbone of every delicious soup. Sure, you can make a soup with water or canned broth, but you will not have the richness of flavor and mouth feel. As a professional chef and mother of three, I like to make my own stocks not only for reasons of attaining superior flavor, but also I like to know what exactly is in my soup. Every ingredient in the soup is in my control and I know that when I serve my family and clients, I am giving them a delicious and nutritious gift from my heart.

I make soup with a technique called Ad Hoc cooking. It means “for this.” What I mean by ad hoc is that I start out with the intent to make a great soup. Each ingredient is thought out and has a purpose. Many people make stock with “a little of this and a little of that” mentality. While you will end with stock, it will not have a defined flavor and texture. I tell my staff that stock should be made just as carefully as a sauce or braised dish. That means technique as well as love goes into the pot! I do not throw leftovers into a pot hoping for a great end-product. I start with carefully chosen ingredients and then add some touches usually in the form of garnishes.

So here you are my three favorite stock recipes. All should be kept in your freezer ready to go at all times to enhance everything you make.

Vegetable Stock

Veal Stock

Chicken Stock

Fish Stock

My family loves to be adventurous in the kitchen, and I’m lucky to have two young children who will try just about anything. This rarity allows me the freedom to try new recipes and even create my own. Whether your families are picky eaters or not, there’s something for you in my kitchen!

Spicy Chicken and Garlic Pasta

Spicy Chicken and Garlic Pasta
One of my favorite dinners growing up was my father’s spicy garlic spaghetti with roasted chicken and lots of olive oil. As a parent, I love to watch my kids scarf down my variation on a childhood favorite. To change things up and keep this dish pareve, I love to add kani (fake crab) instead of chicken to the pasta.

Freezer Chili

Homemade Freezer Chili
I have a rule in my kitchen to make a double batch of anything that freezes well, so there will always be something delicious to thaw for dinner when I’m feeling lazy. This homemade chili freezes incredibly well, although you might actually finish the whole batch before you get a chance.

Salsa Baked Salmon

Salsa Baked Salmon
On a long Jet Blue flight from Seattle (my hometown) to New York (my current home), I watched Italian American chef and TV personality Giada De Laurentiis make an incredible salmon recipe, which inspired my simpler version using jarred salsa right out of the pantry. It really doesn’t get any easier! The side of onion soup is a Greek version of one of my all-time favorites, French Onion Soup.

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos Rancheros
This dish is my American variation of a Mexican breakfast dish, huevos rancheros. Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner, right? Instead of buying tortillas, I choose to make my own—you won’t believe how simple the process is. I don’t think I can ever go back to store-bought flour tortillas.

What are you cooking for dinner this week? Time to get rid of the chametz.

As seen in the Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Magazine Purim 2012 – Subscribe Now.