Food to feed the soul

I could begin my article with my yearly rhetoric, “I can’t believe I’m back talking about Pesach recipes”, but it feels a bit empty this year. Though time may feel like it has flown by for me, I imagine that for our brothers deep in the tunnels of Gaza, the days are never ending. So, while I sit here thinking of my celebratory meal, my heart goes out to the hostages and their families who certainly won’t be celebrating this year.

Kibbeh

These delicious appetizers can be made well ahead and frozen – a good reason to get ahead and change over early. They are delicious with soup, and wonderful to have ready in the freezer when you get the “I can’t get full” Pesach feeling.

Ingredients

Filling

½ cup sunflower oil

500g beef or lamb mince

1 onion chopped

1 clove garlic chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp cumin

Dough

3 cups matzah meal

1½ cups potato flour

3½ cups of water

5 Tbsp oil (preferably the leftover oil from your meat)

1½ tsp salt

Black pepper

Method

Sauté onions and garlic on a low heat until translucent. Add the meat and gently brown. Add the spices, and then place the mixture in a strainer over a bowl to catch the oil. Prepare the dough either by hand or in a food processor, adding a tablespoon of water if it doesn’t pull together.

Roll a golf-ball sized portion, and using your thumb and forefinger hollow out the middle. Fill with one teaspoon of the meat, and shape into an oval tapered at the ends.

Place on a baking paper-lined baking sheet and flash freeze before putting them into a Ziploc bag. They can be fried immediately too.

Chocolate pavlova smothered in raspberry curd

I’m honestly the worst pavlova maker. My pavlovas don’t tower or peak. However, this one was so delicious, I had to forgive its ugliness. The raspberry curd can be used with a boxed chocolate cake or spooned over delicious fresh mango. The pavlova was even more delicious the next day, when the chocolate softened within the meringue.

Ingredients

6 egg whites

1½ cups castor sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

¼ cup sifted cocoa powder

55g chopped dark chocolate

Method

Preheat your oven to 150°C. Trace two 20cm circles on baking paper and place on a baking sheet pencil side down.

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add the sugar spoon by spoon until the mixture is thick and shiny. Sprinkle on the salt, vinegar, cocoa powder, and chopped chocolate, and gently blend. Dollop onto the parchment paper. Place in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 125°C. Bake for about 75 minutes, and then switch off the oven and allow the meringues to cool in the oven. I wedge an oven glove into the door so that it remains slightly ajar.

Raspberry curd

Ingredients

5 cups raspberries

4 Tbsp lemon juice

1 cup sugar

6 large egg yolks

6 Tbsp coconut oil

Method

Puree the raspberries in a food processor, and then push them through a sieve to get rid of the pips. Place one cup of the puree in a double boiler or in a bowl over a pot of water and add all the other ingredients except the coconut oil. Make sure the water in the pot doesn’t touch the bowl. Whisk briskly until the mixture thickens. When it does, remove the bowl and gradually whisk in the coconut oil. Allow to cool.

To serve

Sandwich the meringue with the raspberry puree. Decorate with shaved dark chocolate and fresh raspberries and mint leaves.