Jerusalem hotels, restaurants, attractions, tours & events. Helping since 2008

It's not all matza and bitter herbs. Although Passover is closely associated with the ancient Israelites' Exodus from Egypt, with its narrative of emancipation from bondage (the seder eve is in may ways a "banquet of liberation"), the holiday is also a celebration of the Judean blooming spring and harvest bounty. All of these themes come together in the collective heritage of Passover cuisine, which many find to be overly restrictive due to the traditional prohibition of leavened products, known as chametz (European Jews have even extended the prohibition into the realm of legumes, or kitniot, which are known to appear in many otherwise kosher-for-Passover recipes).

But for creative chefs who enjoy fresh ingredients and lavish feasts for extended clans, Passover can be a time of experimentation with flavors on a scale not generally braved. GoJerusalem.com has spoken with the chefs at three of the Holy City's hottest restaurants, and we're proud to share the below luxurious yet easy-to-prepare recipes straight out of Jerusalem's top kitchens.

1868's sweetbread with cream of onions and roasted peppers

After learning his trade in the high-end kitchens of London and New York, Jacob Turjeman is now at the helm of one of Jerusalem's most classy restaurants, 1868. One of Turjeman's guiding principles is to include representatives of as many different food groups as possible in each serving, which he accomplishes nicely with this sweetbread dish's medley of herbs, vegetables and proteins. "For me," he tells GoJerusalem.com, "veal sweetbread encapsulates Jerusalem. It's the flavor of the Machane Yehuda market, where my rhythm is. The combination of the ras al hanut spice mixture and the sweetbreads brings me back to my original roots," he adds, while the roasted peppers and beans on the side "lend the dish flavors that are distinct and mighty, yet balanced - it's Jerusalem on one plate."

Sweetbreads ingredients

• 200 grams of fresh and cleaned sweetbreads
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1.5 tablespoons of ras al hanut North African spice blend
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic

Onions and roasted pepper cream ingredients

• 1 leek, finely chopped
• 1 white onion, thinly sliced
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 5 garlic gloves, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
• salt to taste
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

• Marinate the sweetbreads with salt, olive oil, garlic and ras al hanut.

• Sprinkle the red peppers with olive oil and place them directly on the flame of your stove top, grill or directly under the flame in a broiler. When the skins are blackened and charred pretty evenly, they are done. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or in a paper bag. This will allow the peppers to steam as they cool. Once cooled, peel the skin and remove the seeds and place in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some salt to taste. Remove the roasted peppers from the food processor and clean.

• Saute the onions, shallots, garlic and thyme in olive oil until fully softened, approximately 30 minutes. Add salt to taste. Run the onions in a food processor until smooth and creamy.

• In a hot pan, sear the sweetbreads on both sides, being careful not to overcook (about 30 seconds on each side).

• For plating, place the sweetbreads on a small amount of onion cream and top with a small amount of the roasted red pepper cream. Garnish with fresh fava beans and serve.
  
  

La Boca's veal asado with root vegetables

Guy Kimchi, who runs the kitchen at the German Colony's kosher Latin fusion restaurant La Boca, tells GoJerusalem.com that asado is arguably the ultimate festive Argentinian dish. "It's traditionally prepared for special events and holidays," he says. "My grandmother used to make it every year for Passover." He learned the original recipe in her kitchen, but he gave it an "upgrade" by using a tender veal asado cut instead.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of silan (date syrup)
• 1 onion, cut in quarters
• 3 carrots, cut into quarters
• 1 parsnip root, halved
• 1 celery root, diced
• 1.5 kilo asado veal on the bone
• 15 bay leaves
• handful of fresh thyme, chopped
• handful of Rosemary
• 20 whole garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• half-liter of red wine

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients and marinate the meat for an entire day.

• Once marination is complete, preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Remove the meat from the marinade, season with salt and pepper, and seal the meat on both sides on a grill or in a pan with a small amount of olive oil.

• Place the meat in a roasting pan and pour the marinade over the meat. Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and cook for approximately two to three hours until the meat is tender. Remove the marinade and reduce in a pan for approximately ten minutes and add a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken the sauce. Pour the sauce over the meat before serving.

• Serve the entire portion in the center of the table.
  
  

Angelica's slow roasted leg of lamb

Marcus Gershkowitz gives traditional meat a contemporary twist day in and day out at Angelica, a landmark of the new Jerusalem cuisine. Preparation is well underway for Angelica to offer a non-traditional prix fixe Seder eve banquet - a first for the eatery - with a menu set to include sashimi with grilled tomatoes, lemongrass and shitake soup, a variety of fresh salads, lamb stew, mushroom-stuffed chicken and unlimited wine refills. "Lamb is an extremely festive ingredient," Gershkovitz asserts. "It's classy and flavorful."

Ingredients

• 1 leg of lamb
• half-cup of fresh mint leaf, chopped
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 7 to 10 garlic cloves
• 2 handfuls of thyme
• quarter-cup of olive oil
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• half-liter of water
• deep pan with roasting rack (for drainage) and cover

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 100 degrees Celsius. Clean and thoroughly dry the lamb.

• Finely chop the mint, rosemary, thyme and garlic and combine. Pour the water in the roasting pan and place the lamb on top of the roasting rack. Sprinkle the chopped herbs and garlic on top of the lamb. Drip the olive oil on the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Cover the roasting pan with foil and place in oven for seven to eight hours.

• After the meat is tender (after seven to eight hours), heat the oven up to 200 degrees Celsius. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Allow the meat to rest for ten minutes before serving.