Pasta For Passover?

A little simplistic background...Passover is the Jewish holiday where (over dinner, which is called a Seder), we relive the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Charleton Heston starred in the epic film version - The Ten Commandments. Heston played Moses AND the voice of God (which I did not know until just now).

NOTE: Passover won't begin until March 29th, but every Jewish housewife is already starting to plan her menus and buy up all the Passover goodies she can find.

There is one key ingredient that we eat throughout the eight days of Passover and it symbolizes the hasty escape and wandering through the Sinai desert for 40 years. We do not eat bread, or any leavened baked goods. That, my friends, means no flour. Instead, we eat lots of matzo (photo at the top of the post - think crackers) - sheets of it - great for a snack with butter and jam, or fried - I'll have to write the recipe for ours, which is basically a cross between scrambled eggs and French toast, sounds weird but tastes awesome... farfel - large crumbs, in soups as you would crumbled crackers and traditional stuffings,
like this Farfel Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Black Currant Sauce,

And matzo meal, which is ground matzo, because no Jewish feast would be complete without chicken soup with matzo balls.
or Velvet Squash & Carrot Soup with Curried Matzo Balls...
All that to say, if you're a bread addict, you'll still be fine.

Fine and dandy but what about pasta? It's been a very long time since I've found kosher for Passover pasta and, being such a pasta person, I've always tried to find dishes that feel and taste like pasta, even if there isn't a noodle in sight.


Last year I made Sweet Potato & Mushroom Lasagna


and the year before that was the Spinach Lasagna (made with matzo).
This year, I've already done some experimenting and was delighted when I saw a recipe for Eggplant Rollups on the cover of Bon Appetit that really looks like cannelloni. (I know, not the best picture, but we were in a hurry to eat it, not to mention the fact that I left my camera at home. This was taken with an iPhone.) The dish was awesome! So Jewish or not, Passover or not, this should definitely be on your table soon.


In fact, I'm sending it to Kirsten, From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours, for this week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup, because it is my favorite pasta free pasta.

And, naturally....guess what I found yesterday at the one grocery store in Halifax that actually has a supply of Passover foods.... not one but two kinds of kosher for Passover pasta.

Leftover Pasta + Eggs = A Perfect Frittata

There is no question that pasta plus any other ingredient - often just a little oil & garlic - makes a great meal. From the quick and easy to the more elaborate, time consuming, multiple pot varieties, pasta wins the day for versatility.

Even better, is the fact that pasta leftovers turn magically into something new and entirely different. So, typically I make enough to feed a small army (my father said I learned the skill from my mother, who obviously in another life, fed the great armies of the world). That way, I'm sure of another wonderful dinner by just adding a touch more sauce, perhaps some chopped vegetables, a little cheese or garlicky breadcrumb mixture on top and a bake in the oven.

Cavatelli Frittata

I'll be honest though, my favorite remake is the frittata and yesterday that meant sauteeing some chopped pancetta until almost crispy, tossing in Thursday's Cavatelli with Cauliflower until heated through, adding the eggs....and just a short wait until we ate a heavenly, leisurely weekend brunch.

What's your favorite pasta remodel? And don't forget to share your pasta - new or recycled versions with Presto Pasta Night. This week Kirsten, From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours, is hosting for the first time – so glad to have you host the first PPN for year #4.

Just send an email to kirstenmlindquist AT gmail DOT com and a cc to me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Happy Third Birthday Presto Pasta Nights!

What a fantastic celebration. Glad I’m wearing my stretchy pants. Thanks everyone for helping me celebrate Presto Pasta Night’s third birthday bash. So many great dishes from soup to dessert, but see for yourselves......

Update! Oh my, somehow Rachel The Crispy Cook's delicious Smoked Salmon & Peas Pasta, got lost in my email. So sorry, Rachel. So now it's the first thing everyone will want to try.


First in, I love early birds…. is Sarah of What Smells So Good? with some yummy Mac 'n Cheese dishes (one cheesy stove top plus some others she snuck in). Unfortunately, no photos, but we'll gladly imagine what they look like.

Another early bird is Mrs Ergul & her Passion for Life & Food with this tasty looking Stir Fried Mi Fen, which looks so tasty and so healthy - what a great way to start a new year of pasta enjoying.
Katie of Thyme for Cooking has been a regular PPNer almost from the first roundup and I'm so glad she's still having fun with it. She brings a delicious looking Pasta Puttanesca with Tuna for all of us to share.
Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe, another PPN regular shares a birthday treat of Fried Ginger Rice Noodles that was also a hit for her little daughter's birthday party. What good taste she has.
Ching of Little Corner of Mine hasn't been around for a while. This is her first entry for 2010, and hopefully there'll be a lot more coming up. Check out this tasty Fried Been Hoon. I'm drooling.
Martha at Seaside Simplicity is a PPN newcomer with a wonderful blog and a very tasty looking Chicken Alfredo over Pasta that's perfect for the party. Hope she plans on coming around often.
Tigerfish of Teczcape is an awesome PPN regular and she shares a dish of Stir Fried Noodles and Vegetables. I forgot that noodles are always served at Chinese New Year as a symbol of longevity - so with all these dishes, I guess PPN is bound to be around for a long time. Hopefully Tigerfish will be around too.
Shankari of Sacramento Spice is another PPN newbie and I hope she comes back often. This time around she shares a very tasty dish of Pierogi - Whether it's Japanese Gyoza, Chinese dumpling, Jewish Verenikas or Italian stuffed delights like ravioil, there's nothing like a delicious pocket of noodle stuffed with something wonderful.
Joanne who always Eats Well with Others, and often at PPN, brings a glorious looking dish of Sesame Noodle Salad with Dried Pineapple. What a great party dish.
Gilli of So So Simple, another fabulous PPNer, shows us just how simple it is to make your own ravioli. She even did it two ways - simple, and simpler.
Daphne of More Than Words is back with a mouth-watering dish of Chili Ricotta Meatballs and a reminder of Lady & the Tramp - that wonderful old Disney film. Perhaps I'll rent the DVD and invite my little grandsons over to enjoy both.
Italian Mama Chef ,last week's wonderful PPN host, is back with Basil & Mozzarella Risotto. While it's not really a pasta dish - everyone thinks of it in the same way. And if you made it with orzo instead...well then, there you go.
Cynthia, the Kitchen Slave is feeling stressed, (I'm blaming it on the weather) and made this great looking Mee Siam. She wasn't so happy with it, but I think it looks great and thanks, for the candle to celebrate PPN.
Deb of Kahakai Kitchen hasn't been around for a while, but she's back with a perfectly gorgeous Noodle Soup for the Needy...and who isn't...needy, that is?
Julie of Blukats is a first time PPNer - so welcome and I do hope you come back often. Because it's a big celebration, Julie is sharing her favorite Grilled Salmon with Fettuccine Alfredo and we thank her very much. It looks awesome.
Val of More Than Burnt Toast has been a friend forever and I always love it when she shares her dishes with PPN. This time she has me green (with envy) with her Ravioli with Spring Vegetables. I have much longer to wait for Spring and local produce here on the East Coast.
Susan, The Well Seasoned Cook and recent PPN host, brings more sunshine and comfort to cold and dreary end-of-winter days. Her Chickpea & Pasta Soup really hits the spot.
Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes always brings a great dish to PPN parties and this week is no exception. Her Conchiglioni al Forno is my all time favorite baked pasta...so much easier to fill giant pasta shells than to try and stuff manicotti or canneloni.
Nic over at Lemon & Cheese has been enjoying her time off working hard around the house. Isn't pasta wonderful, when you have no time (or energy) to fix dinner? Her Tagliatelle with Smoked Salmon sounds fantastic.
Chaya, the Comfy Cook loves PPN so much (and we love her too) that she named her tasty pasta PPN Third Anniversary Pasta. Thanks!
Over at Sweet & Savory, (Chaya's other blog), you'll find some very fun Pasta Pancakes. What a terrific idea. Thanks Chaya for both dishes.
Erica over at piExperiment is another new PPNer, but she promises to share often. Her first offering is a very easy, very healthy Simple Pasta With Vegetables...sounds and looks terrific.
Cool Lassi of Pan Gravy Kadai Curry , yet another first timer - so welcome! And, lucky us, because soup and main course of pasta aren't enough for us...a gorgeous pasta dessert - Pasta Pudding. I love it.
Kit of Kits Chow shares what is probably my most favorite comfort soup (even more than my mother's chicken soup) Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup, best known as Pho. She even made the beef broth herself.
Joan of Foodalogue brings a very sophisticated dish to the party - Vegetable Pasta with Truffle Oil. Looks stunning and I'm sure will taste divine.
And finally me...did you ever see a recipe, fall in love with it and then not remember where you saw it? That was me, but finally I found the email from Lidia Matticchino Bastianich' agent (sent in January) telling me about her latest cookbook Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy. Glad I finally found it. So here's my version (I added cured black olives) of Cavatelli with Cauliflower. If you like garlic, you'll love this. It sounds like you'll scare every vampire on earth away, it's actually very rich and mellow.


Next week Kirsten, From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours, is hosting for the first time – so glad to have you host the first PPN for year #4. Just send an email to kirstenmlindquist AT gmail DOT com and a cc to me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.


I'm still looking for someone to host April 23 &30th and beyond, so if you're interested, drop me a line. It's lots of fun and a great way to meet wonderful bloggers.

Can You Believe It - Presto Pasta Night Turns Three

Where does the time go? It is truly hard to believe that I started Presto Pasta Nights three years ago on a whim. I thought, hey if others could do roundups, why not me. I never expected it to last. I hoped I wouldn't look like an idiot and be the only one sending in a pasta dish.

Within a month of starting PPN, I had to dismantle a home we lived in for 17 years in Toronto (and it was so much easier to hide things in the basement than to actually determine if we needed to) and pack what we did treasure for the move to Halifax so we could be close to a brand new grandson.

Three years later, (do you think Boaz will lend me his birthday hat?) ...


Boaz has a brother (who is already over a year old!)
And Presto Pasta Night hasn't just survived that upheaval. It's thrived!!! And I couldn't have done it without you!

A HUMONGOUS and heart-felt thanks to all of you who've played along with me over the years and sent in tons of absolutely fantastic pasta dishes. And a HUGE thanks to all the wonderful guest hosts who've helped out along the way.

So bring your party best...or your most comforting (pyjamas & slippers, in front of the TV)... something new and exciting...or... your all time favorite noodle dish and be part of the fun. Just send me your entries by Thursday night so we can all enjoy some pasta on Friday. Just mention Presto Pasta nights and link to it with in your email to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com. And don't forget to tell your friends to join in too!

Hooray for Canada!

Wow, what an awesome way to end the 2010 Olympics. Normally, I'm not much of an athlete. I think walking is a strenuous exercise. And I'm not really a sports fan either. But come the Olympics... I'm mesmerized. The flexibility, the endurance, the sheer ...well the only word for me watching some of these death defying sports is ...terror. Fortunately the athletes don't feel the same. So I always love watching the events.

This year there was more to it than just the games themselves. It was a sense of HUGE pride in being a Canadian. So kudos to all you medal winners - we won more gold than any country EVER in the history of the Olympic games. And kudos for all of you who tried your best, who got up, and finished races even when you knew you couldn't win.

Since my only way to say thank you is to cook something up....I'll just share some of my favorite cookbooks that are truly Canadian....with a recipe or two from each, of course.

Anita Stewart's Canada



The Best of Chef at Home



A Year in Lucy's Kitchen



a la di Stasio

And you'll find even more of my favorite Canadian cookbook authors and their dishes, right here.

And now I'm off to go swimming....I'm starting my training for the Summer games.

Purim is Here and Naturally the Hamantashen Wars

I love Purim, which is definitely the most kid friendly holiday ever. It's a powerful story filled with lots of intrigue, starring a power hungry king, Achashverosh, an evil Prime Minister, Haman, and a beautiful Queen, Esther.

Today it's celebrated with dress up parties and lots of delicious food and drink. Above - Joanna, as Queen Esther, (still always dressing up as anything "Princess") and her younger sister, Sharron, the Court Jester (she always was the ham). Joanna's children will be dressing up quite differently for the Purim party tomorrow. Boaz, I'm told is going as a giraffe and Dov as Spiderman.

But back to food....truthfully, although you can find many great dishes for your Purim parties, for me, it's all about the Hamantashen...filled cookies shaped like Haman's three cornered hat. And everyone has their own favorite. Much like bagel wars, there is always a heated discussion when it comes to filling and dough.

Hamantashen times two

Even in our own family we have very definite opinions. I love mine with a tart and tangy prune and apricot filling like my mother used to make. Joanna, loves the sweeter date filled and the poppy seed fillings equally. My Honey, on the other hand is impartial...he loves them all equally, including the chocolate filled (which to me is a travesty).

So the other day, in preparation, Joanna and I got together at her place and made two versions (my station was at the front - I used my take on Marcy Goldman's version, with memories of my mother's. Joanna followed Faye Levy's recipe. And if you look at the photo of the cookies, mine are shinier from the egg wash and oil based dough, Joanna's are whiter and three year old Boaz went free form with sprinkles. He did help me make circle shapes for my hamantashen as well. It's always fun to bake with kids. Soon enough his brother will be helping out too.

And for the big question....Do you like your cookie fillings tangy or sweet?

Happy Purim everyone! And for my non-Jewish friends, the cookies are still delicious and the story a great read, especially if you love the intrigue of Royal Courts through the Ages.