1. Combine the apples with the lemon juice, zest, scallions, celery and raisins in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, almond butter and syrup.
3. Toss this mixture together with the apple mixture and chill until serving.
4. When ready to serve, toss the apple mixture with the spinach and garnish with toasted slivered almonds.

Ingredients

• 3 strips of flanken meat (short ribs), about 1 ½ pounds
• 2 ½ quarts water
• 1 large onion
• 1 15 ½ ounce can peeled tomatoes in liquid
• 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1medium or ½ large head of cabbage finely sliced into shreds
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 cup dark raisins
• Lemon juice, optional
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar or to taste

1. Rinse off meat and place in a 4 quart pot. Add the water and bring to a boil and simmer for ½ hour, skimming the top of the soup occasionally to remove the brown foam.
2. Add the onion, which has been pierced 4 or 5 times with a sharp knife to allow the flavor of the onion to permeate the soup without having the onion disintegrate.
3. Squeeze the canned tomatoes through your fingers so that you get uneven strings of crushed tomato. Add this and any liquid from the can to the pot. Add the tomato sauce.
4. Add the shredded cabbage, salt and pepper to taste and the raisins to the soup pot and cook for 1 ½ hours lightly covered.
5. After 1 ½ hours, add the brown sugar and adjust the seasonings to your taste using some lemon juice if needed to balance the sweet and sour taste. Cook for ½ hour more. Remove the onion, break up the meat into pieces and remove the bones and serve.

All kidding aside, this is the classic recipe for chicken soup. The o­nly thing you might want to change is your family’s choice of herb. We always used dill. My best friend’s family always used thyme. I guess that’s the difference between a Litvak and a Hungarian!

Add your favorite matzo balls AFTER the soup has been made and strained and NEVER cook your matzo balls in the soup. You can reheat matzo balls in the soup but if you cook them in it they will absorb lots of the soup and make the remaining soup cloudy.

Ingredients

• 1 4-5 pound fowl or yearling (soup chicken), roaster will do
• 5 quarts water or water to cover
• 1 parsnip, peeled and cut into thirds
• 1 large o­nion, peeled but left whole
• 1 turnip, peeled and cut into quarters
• 2 stalks celery with leaves cut into thirds
• 3 or more carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 inch lengths
• Fresh dill, 3 or more sprigs to taste
• Fresh parsley, 2 sprigs or more if parsnip isn’t being used
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the chicken into pieces. Place pieces in a large soup pot and cover with water.
2. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes skimming the top of the liquid of all the brown foam.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over a low heat until the chicken is quite tender and the vegetables are soft, about 2 to 3 hours.
4. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon. Discard the dill and parsley. Remove the vegetables to nibble o­n and save the carrot for later use in the soup. Strain the soup so that it is nice and clear.
5. Place the soup in a clean pot and add the carrots and cooked matzo balls and heat until nice and hot. Serve.

Ingredients

• 1 10-ounce package fresh baby spinach
• 1-pint strawberries
• 1 teaspoon minced onion
• 1/4-cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4-cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4-cup honey
• 1/4-teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 heaping Tablespoons toasted almonds
• 1-2 cups croutons

1. Rinse spinach leaves, pat dry and remove all large stems if not using baby spinach. Tear into small pieces. Place in a large serving bowl and refrigerate covered until ready to serve.
2. Rinse strawberries and remove stems. Slice berries in halves or quarters. Place in a small bowl and set aside in the refrigerator.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients (except the croutons) in the container of a blender and blend until the dressing is emulsified and the nuts are fairly well ground. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. When ready to serve, combine the strawberries with the spinach and croutons.
5. Heat the salad dressing in the microwave for 45 seconds and pour the hot dressing over the salad and toss. Serve immediately.

Chicken salad made from chicken that has been poached with many vegetables is much more moist and flavorful than one that uses chicken cooked solely in water seasoned with salt and pepper.

I made this recipe with 3 year olds on a Good Morning America episode many years ago so try making it with your children or Grandchildren this holiday.

Ingredients

• 3- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken (from the soup chicken)
• 1 1/4 cups finely diced celery
• 3 or more carrots
• 1 Tablespoon grated onion or to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of mayonnaise, regular or kosher for Passover
• 1 can jellied cranberry sauce (optional)

1. Place the shredded chicken into a large bowl.
2. Dice the celery and add it to the chicken.
3. Clean the carrots, trim both ends, and grate them into the bowl with the chicken and the celery.
4. Add the grated onions, seasonings and mayonnaise and mix until well blended and moistened. If necessary, add more mayonnaise. Serve as is or go to step 6.
5. Line a 1 quart bowl with plastic wrap and spoon the chicken mixture into it. Press down firmly on the chicken so that it will mold. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Slice the cranberry sauce into 1/2-inch slices. Using a decorative cutter or sharp knife, cut out designs in the sauce.
7. TO SERVE: Turn bowl with chicken salad upside down on a serving plate. Remove bowl and wrap and coat with a thin layer of mayonnaise. Garnish with the cranberry sauce cutouts and serve with matzo or Passover Bagels.

In Medieval times Jews would place a wish for the New Year on a piece of paper and seal it in dough. They wore this sealed dough around their necks as amulets. Serving Kreplach (triangles of dough sealed around a meat filling) in soup on Kol Nidre night is an off shoot of this practice. We all wish to be sealed in the book of life for the coming year.

The following recipe is made easier by using prepared wonton skins. The only drawback is that these kreplach will be delicate instead of chewy like your grandmothers’s!

Ingredients

• 1 4-5 pound fowl or yearling (soup chicken), roaster will do
• 5 quarts water or water to cover
• 1 parsnip, peeled and cut into thirds
• 1 large onion, peeled but left whole
• 1 turnip, peeled and cut into quarters
• 2 stalks celery with leaves cut into thirds
• 3 or more carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 inch lengths
• Fresh dill, 3 or more sprigs to taste
• Fresh parsley, 2 sprigs or more if parsnip isn’t being used
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into pieces. Place pieces in a large soup pot and cover with water.
2. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes skimming the top of the liquid of all the brown foam.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over a low heat until the chicken is quite tender and the vegetables are soft, about 2 to 3 hours.
4. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon. Discard the dill and parsley. Remove the vegetables to nibble on and save the carrot for later use in the soup. Strain the soup so that it is nice and clear.
5. Place the soup in a clean pot and add the carrots and cooked kreplach and heat until nice and hot. Serve.

KREPLACH

• 1/2-pound fresh ravioli dough or wonton skins
• 2 cups cooked meat, finely chopped (meat shreds from your sliced pot roast are perfect!)
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1-teaspoon chicken fat
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg, slightly beaten

1. Cut dough into 2 inch squares.
   Combine the meat, onion (here you are using it raw, but if you like, sautéed onion may be used instead), chicken fat, salt and pepper and egg. Set aside.
2. Place a teaspoon of filling on each square.
3. Add a little water to the dish used for the beaten egg.
4. Brush the top edges of the dough with a little egg/water wash.
   Fold the dough in half on the diagonal to make a triangle. Pinch the edges together to make a seal. Press the back of a fork around the edge to crimp and seal again.
   Cook in boiling salted water for 10 minutes or until done. Serve in the chicken soup or alternatively, fry in a little oil.

NOTE: Wonton skins will make the kreplach a little thinner than Bubbe’s!

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried large lima beans
• 1/2 ounce dried imported mushrooms
• 1 slice of flanken
• 2 quarts water
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 carrot diced
• 1/4 cup medium pearl barley

Preparation Instructions

1. Cover the lima beans with boiling water and allow to sit for 1 or more hours.
2. Cover dried mushrooms with boiling water and allow to sit for 1/2 hour.
3. Place flanken in a soup pot and cover with the 2 quarts water. Bring to a boil and cook for 1/2 hour skimming off the foam periodically.
4. Meanwhile, remove the skins from the lima beans and dice the soaked mushrooms.
5. Add the beans and the dried mushrooms to the soup pot.
6. Sauté the onion in the oil for 2 minutes. Add the celery and mushrooms and cook until wilted and translucent. Add to the soup pot.
7. Add the diced carrot and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 1 hour stirring occasionally so that the mixture does not stick.
8. Add the barley and cook for 1/2 to 1 hour longer or until the meat is tender and the lima beans disintegrate. Check the seasoning.

Incredible taste, easy to make and fun to eat especially with all of its accompaniments. What more could you want from a soup? Oh, yes, it’s beautiful to look at and packed with loads of nutrients. All the spices actually add up to a curry but this soup is more delicate and less spicy than a normal curry. Kids love to put the raisins, coconut and peanuts on top! Put a scoop of cooked basmati rice in your soup bowl before adding the soup and you have a complete meal.

Ingredients

• 1 3-pound chicken, cut up
• 6 cups chicken stock or water
• 1 onion stuck with 6 cloves
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 carrot coarsely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs of parsley
• Salt to taste
• 15 whole peppercorns
• 1 cup packaged coconut
• 1 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained
• 4 Tablespoons Pareve margarine
• 6 Tablespoons flour
• 1 Tablespoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1-cup soy creamer
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions

1. Cook the chicken in a 4-quart pot with the next 8 ingredients for 1 hour or until the chicken is tender. Strain the broth and remove the meat from the bones.
2. Put 2 cups of the strained broth into a blender and add the coconut. Blend until the coconut is pulverized. Strain the coconut milk through cheesecloth or a double mesh strainer. Throw away any coconut solids
3. If the blender is gritty rinse out the container with water; no need to thoroughly wash or dry. Add coconut milk and chickpeas to the blender and blend until smooth.
4. Combine all of the spices with the flour. Melt the 4 Tablespoons pareve margarine in a 3-quart saucepan. Whisk in the flour mixture and the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in the coconut milk mixture and the remaining broth until smooth and thickened.
5. Add the cream and the chicken pieces and season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Additional Notes

Note 1: Coconut milk does not contain any dairy products. It gets its name from its color and consistency.

Note 2: If you do not keep a kosher kitchen you may substitute butter for margarine and half and half for soy creamer.

FYI: Veronique in the name of a recipe implies that grapes are one of the ingredients.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cooked chicken, smoked turkey, or cooked shrimp
• 1 1/2 ripe avocado
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 cups seedless grapes
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons ketchup
• 1 good pinch of dried summer savory
• 1 – 2 Tablespoons sweet vermouth
• Sliced almonds, toasted for garnish

Preparation Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into half inch cubes. Place in a medium sized bowl.
2. Cut one of the avocadoes into half inch cubes and place in a small bowl with the lime juice. Toss.
3. Add the green grapes to the chicken and toss.
4. Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, savory and sweet vermouth and mix well.
5. Drain the avocado cubes. Using a rubber spatula, gently toss the avocadoes with the chicken and the grapes.
6. Add the mayonnaise mixture and mix carefully.
7. Thinly slice the remaining avocado half and coat with some additional lime juice. Arrange the slices over the top of the prepared salad and sprinkle with some toasted almond slices if you want.

Ingredients

DRESSING

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 Tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1/4 cup salad oil
• 1/4 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
• 2 teaspoons Apple cider vinegargood
• pinch of allspice

SALAD

• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts
• 1 recipe honey mustard salad dressing
• 1 papaya or 1 cup finely diced mango or cantelope
• 1 avocado, diced
• 3 cups assorted greens, bibb, radicchio, watercress
• 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

Preparation Instructions

Dressing

1. Combine the honey and mustard in a bowl and then whisk in the remaining ingredients.
2. If necessary, adjust the flavor by adding a little more oil or Miracle whip.
3. Serve with salads or with vegetables as a dip.

Chicken

1. Brush the chicken breasts with some of the honey mustard dressing and grill over a medium fire until done but still juicy (about 5 minutes total). When slightly cooled, cut into strips and set aside.
2. Thinly slice or chiffonade the greens and toss together in a bowl.
3. When ready to serve, toss the greens with a small amount of the dressing just to coat and place the mixed greens o­n individual plates. Place the sliced chicken o­n the lettuce and arrange the fruits around the plates. Garnish with the toasted almonds and pass the remaining dressing to your guests.