Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Passover is a celebration of the Exodus from Egypt, sure - but really it's also a celebration of spring! What better time to make lots of foods full of spring-y goodness like garlic sauteed fiddlehead ferns?

Also - I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet - it's the biggest secret for carb-craving Jews on Passover...you can eat quinoa during Passover (technically it's a seed, not a grain).

This menu has two quinoa recipes for the seder - one with almonds and the other with beets and fresh oranges:

http://jcarrot.org/resources/sustainable-passover-menu/

Wow - to the extent that commercials can be viewed as a snapshot of time, that one really says a lot... It also made me realize how much more subtle and sneaky advertising has become in the last 20 years!

This is a great list Brian. I grew up absolutely hating canned macaroons. But a few years ago at a friend's party, I tasted these amazing homemade chocolate-studded, melty, coconut-nugget things that I loved - and then was told they were macaroons! I'm glad they waited until after the first bite to tell me.

I also wanted to share a list of kosher-certified, organic, fair trade (and depending on where you live!) local chocolates I compiled for The Jew & The Carrot blog - they'd make great sustainable valentines day gifts:

http://jcarrot.org/resources/kosher-sustainable-chocolate-list/

Leah,
Editor, The Jew & The Carrot blog

Decidedly gross - I don't understand what sort of business thinking leads to a product like this. Another funny and related product we posted on The Jew & The Carrot blog today is The Mobile Barbeque which actually cooks your hamburger while you drive...

http://jcarrot.org/worst-product-ever/

Leah
Editor, The Jew & The Carrot
http://www.jcarrot.org

Great post Nick - I totally understand that intense need for veggies after getting home from a trip where you either ate a bunch of crap, or just ate really differently than you normally do. I almost always crave kale as my detox vegetable. My recipe is simple - steam/sauteed with soy sauce and minced garlic and splashed with vinegar or lemon juice at the end. Ending a trip never quite seems complete until I've had this welcome-home meal.

Leah
Editor, The Jew & The Carrot
http://www.jcarrot.org

Oh so precious! Now, we know who is the next food network star. Haha!

I think I would be horrified if my child started exhibiting such behavior. O__o

Caramel Matzah Crunch- the absolute best- google it.

Anything I've ever made of Marcy Goldbman's has been terrific.

I make liver knishes with a mashed potato dough and just saute them and everyone loves them.

@sixsonnets: Love that recipe and echo Perkymac's response.

@TheJewAndTheCarrot (or whichever rep from that blog comments here): In a similar post to the Serious Eats: Talk blog, quinoa was discussed, in the context of what is kosher for passover. Yay, quinoa. It takes away some of the "Sephardi envy". Also, yours is another blog I regularly read. On Saturday a friend mentioned Hazon and we discussed last year's conference, which neither of attended, so I recommended the jcarrot blog to her.

For traditionalists, if there are any out there, this recipe makes a sponge cake that's better than any other I've ever had.

Aunt Ida's Passover Sponge Cake

12 eggs, separated
1 cup matza cake meal
1/2 cup potato starch
1 T. oil
2 cups sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 T. vanilla
1 cup orange juice

1. Sift meal and starch together and set aside.

2. Add oil and vanilla to egg yolks. Add sugar and salt while beating.

3. While beating, add orange juice alternately with sifted dry ingredients. Beat until creamy.

4. Beat egg whites until stiff, and fold into egg yolk mixture.

5. Bake at 325 F. for 50-60 minutes in a 12" spring pan if you can find one or a 10" tube pan (bake the remaining batter in an additional small pan.) Test for doneness. Top should spring back when touched lightly. Start checking at 45 minutes. Avoid overbaking.