New Holidays, New Challenges: Passover

New holidays, New challenges!

With Passover just around the corner my thoughts have turned to creating allergen-free “matzo balls”.  Of course they cannot contain the traditional ingredients, eggs or matzo meal.  I will try to make gnocchi using potatoes and potato starch with tapioca starch as binders.  If it works I will post the recipe. 

Ashkenazi Jews (Jews from Eastern Europe) who observe Passover dietary restrictions cannot eat soy during Passover.  So Passover is a terrific time to stock up on soy-free goods that normally contain soy. Look for a grocery store that carries a large selection of Passover foods. Then bring your reading glasses and have some fun!!   For example, soy-free bouillon is available.

 The Kosher Better than Bouillon chicken base is allergen-free and I can only find it during Passover.

We found potato starch at much lower price than Bob’s Red Mill.

Lieber’s brand soy-free chocolate chips   are half the price of the Enjoy Life allergen-free chips. 

And if you are looking for allergen-free instant pudding mix, the brand Gefen may work for you.  We plan to make the pudding using almond milk. 

But the most exciting find was Glick’s Olive oil cooking spray.  It contains only olive oil and propellant.  NO SOY LECITHIN!!    This is the first cooking spray I have seen that does not contain a soy product. 

Many sauces are available and in order for them to be Kosher for Passover they must be soy-free.  Please read every label very carefully since wheat in the form of matzo meal will appear in many products.   And products do get moved from shelf to shelf so you still need to be vigilant with label reading.

So far our Seder menu will feature:  chicken soup with potato gnocchi, fruit salad, green vegetables, roast chicken, sweet potato casserole with crunchy cornflake topping and an allergen-free chocolate cake with coconut milk chocolate ganache.  Some of us will be able to eat matzo and all of us will enjoy many glasses of wine.  And of course there will be horseradish and haroset (a mixture of apples, nuts and wine).

The gnocchi test run is tomorrow.  I’ll let you know if they work out.