Lookie Back at Bubbies’s Passover Recipes
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While modern chefs continue to put fresh spins on Passover classics, sometimes we crave the traditional flavors that transport us back to our grandparents’ kitchens. Preserving the rich culinary heritage of Jewish cuisine has become a mission for many organizations. The New York Public Library’s Dorot Jewish Division houses one of the largest collections of Jewish cookbooks, offering a window into generations of cherished recipes. As we looked back through these historical cookbooks, we discovered unique Passover dishes — some that may revive forgotten memories and others that remain staples on Seder tables today.
Planters Edible Oil Co.
This special Passover recipe booklet, featuring 46 ways to enhance Passover cooking — from baking and frying to salads and gravies — was originally distributed by the Planters Edible Oil Company in the 1950s. At one time, the company offered Kosher for Passover peanut oil, catering to American Jews who were accustomed to using it. However, its kosher certification was later revoked, as the ongoing debate still exists as to whether peanuts fall under the category of kitniyot. Whether or not to use peanut oil remains a matter of your family custom.
Potato Knishes
4 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
3 eggs
3 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup matzo meal
3 large onions
4 tbsp. Planters Passover Hi-Hat Peanut Oil
Mix potatoes, beaten eggs, meal, pepper and salt. Brown onions in Planters Hi-Hat Peanut Oil, adding 1 tsp. salt. Flatten small pancakes of the potato mixture in hand, cover with brown onions or meat mixture, then press another pancake on top. Roll in matzo meal. Fry in hot oil or bake. Fill with meat, onion or liver mixture.
Mina Pies
Place some matzo in cold water to soak. Take the matzo out and dry on towel, grease a pan with Planters Passover Hi-Hat Peanut Oil, and put in enough matzo to cover bottom of pan. Take chopped meat, bind with an egg, season with salt, pepper and chopped parsley. Cover this with the matzo, add some Planters Passover Hi-Hat Peanut Oil, cover with mashed potatoes and 1 or 2 well-beaten eggs and bake until brown. A complete meal in itself.
Apple Fritters
1 cup of matzo meal
3 tart apples, sliced thinly
3 eggs
2 tbsp. Planters Hi-Hat Peanut Oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup of water
Beat all ingredients, mix well, then add apples. Drop the mixture by tablespoonsful into deep oil and fry until golden brown, or fry in a frying pan like pancakes. Drain on heavy paper and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
Cheese Cake
6 matzos
3 eggs, beaten
1 lb. cottage cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
Juice of ½ lemon
1/2 cup sugar
6 tbsp. Planters Hi-Hat Peanut Oil
Dip matzos in water, then drain. Place 4 tablespoons oil in a baking dish, fit bottom and sides of dish with matzos. Mix cheese, eggs, salt, sugar and lemon juice, and spread half the mixture over the layer of matzos. Cover with another layer of moistened matzos, repeat with cheese filling and place a third layer of matzos on top. Dribble oil over top and bake in a moderate oven about 1 hour until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into squares. May be served hot or cold.
National Council of Jewish Women 1957
Verenikas
2 cups mashed potatoes
1/4 cup matzo cake meal
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs, well beaten
1 cup chopped, cooked meat
1/2 cup matzo meal
1/8 tsp. Pepper
Combine potatoes, cake meal, salt, pepper and 2 well-beaten eggs. Form into balls. Make a depression in the center of each. Fill with chopped meat and enclose smoothly with potato-meal mixture. Flatten slightly and dip in beaten egg and then in matzo meal. Fry in hot chicken fat, turning only once, to brown both sides. Serves 4-6.
Holiday Lamb Roast
4 1/2 lbs. shoulder of lamb
1 tbs. potato flour
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 cup grape preserves
1 cup boiling water
1 cup Concord grape wine
Wipe meat with a clean, damp cloth. Combine potato flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Rub this mixture into meat’s surface. Roast in a moderate oven, 350 degrees over about two hours.
Drain off fat from roasting pan. Mix grape preserves, water and wine. Pour over meat and continue roasting for another half hour, basting every 10 minutes with the liquid in the pan. If desired, the gravy may be thickened after the meat has been removed from the pan by blending 2 tablespoons of potato flour with a little cooled liquid, then simmering while stirring until smooth. Serves 4-6.
Snappy Eats of 1932
From Soup to Nuts Compiled by Temple Sisterhood Pine Bluff Arkansas
Toasted Cheese Matzos
4 or 5 matzos
1/2 cup of milk
3 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 lb. cottage cheese
Butter baking pan and cut matzos to fit, cutting enough for three layers. Beat one egg, add milk and salt. Soak matzos in this for a minute, then allow to drain. Mix together 2 eggs, sugar, butter and cheese. Spread some of this mixture on the bottom layer of matzos in baking pan, then cover with another layer and repeat. Spread the two cheese layers about 1/8 inch thick. Bake in a moderate oven for 10 minutes, then toast under broiler until brown.
Farfel Pudding
2 cups of matzo farfel
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. chicken fat
1 apple or banana
1/4 cup of chopped nuts
Cover farfel with cold water, then drain immediately so that farfel is moist but not soggy. Add beaten eggs, salt, sugar and chicken fat. Slice in apple or banana and add nuts. Place in greased baking dish and bake in a moderate oven about a half hour.
Tempting Kosher Dishes from the Manischewitz Co. 1930
Matzo Kugel
3 Manischewitz’s matzos
2 tbsp. fat
1 cup matzo meal
1/4 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 lemon, grated rind only
1 large apple, grated
5 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 lb. (1/2 cup) hot fat
Soak matzos in water. When soft, press out excess water. Heat fat in a spider and add matzos to dry further. Remove to a bowl. When fairly dried, add matzo meal, stirring in well. Then add beaten egg yolks, almonds, lemon rind, salt and grated apple, and lastly the stiffly beaten egg whites. Put in a greased pudding dish and pour the hot fat over it. Bake in a moderate oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes until brown. Serve with wine sauce.
Pots, Pans and Pie-Plates and How to Use Them
A Collection of Tried Recipes Published under the auspices of The Hebrew Day Nursery
Date Bars
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
1 cup matzo meal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup dates, cut fine
1 cup chopped nuts
Mix sugar and eggs, add dry ingredients mixed together with dates and nuts. Spread as thinly as possible in greased baking tins (square or rectangular). Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. When done, let stand for 15 minutes, then cut bars about 4 inches by 1¼ inches and roll in powdered sugar.
Matzo Shalet
3 or 4 matzo, soaked overnight in water and drained
5 eggs
5 tbsp. sugar
2 apples, grated
1 tbs. cinnamon
Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
Seeded raisins
Chopped almonds
Heat a heaping tablespoon of rendered fat in a pudding dish. Beat the eggs lightly with the sugar. Mix in all the ingredients lightly. Pour most of the hot fat over the mixture, leaving a little in the baking dish. Mix, turn the mixture into the baking dish, and bake from 1½ to 2 hours. Serve hot with lemon sauce.
