Pesach, sweet potatoes, and lots of love

Romi Rabinowitz comes from a large, close Jewish family, and learned how to cook and entertain from her mom, mom-in-law, grannies, and aunties. Cooking and stylish presentation of food is very important to her, and brings her joy. Here are a few of her favourite recipes for Pesach.

Sweet-potato pizzas

These sweet-potato pizzas are a wonderful, healthy substitute for pizza. They can be enjoyed the whole year, but are especially fabulous for Pesach if you are craving the real thing.

Slice sweet potatoes very thinly, lengthwise, using a sharp knife or mandolin. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and pepper.

Bake at 180 degrees centigrade until slightly crispy.

Remove them from the oven, spoon over tomato puree (such as the Tuscanini brand, which is kosher for Pesach) or marinara sauce. Sprinkle with grated cheese and a shake of dried basil. Add toppings of your choice such as olives, red onions, or garlic.

Place back in the oven, and bake for a few minutes until cheese is melted.

Poached salmon with citrus mayo

This is a perfect Pesach dish using fresh herbs and citrus to season and flavour. As I always say, this is how I like to cook all year round using fresh and healthy ingredients. This dish can be served warm or cold, and is great for a yom tov or Shabbos lunch.

Ingredients

1 side of salmon, skin removed

½ cup white wine

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Freshly ground salt and pepper

1 handful of chopped dill

1 orange, 1 lemon, and 1 lime thinly sliced

Method

Place fish in a roasting pan, pour over white wine and orange juice.

Cover the salmon with thin slices of orange, lemon, and lime.

Sprinkle with chopped dill, ground salt, and pepper.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade and bake for about 25 minutes. Watch that you don’t overcook your salmon.

Serve with a citrus mayo:

⅓ cup mayonnaise

Zest of 1 lime

Zest of half a lemon

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp honey

Mix the above ingredients together, and serve with your salmon.

Chargrilled lemon and herb chicken

I am one of four sisters, and my third sister, Steph, is generally my first phone call of the day (and then about 10 times after that). Often, we speak all the way home from the early school lift, yet we never run out of things to say. There is something truly unique about a sisterhood. It’s one of my life’s treasures. Steph loves finding healthy, wholesome recipes that are great for the whole family. She shared this absolute gem with me, and my family was also totally mad about it, as I’m sure yours will be too.

Ingredients

8 butterflied chicken-breast schnitzels

3 lemons

A handful of fresh basil

A handful of Italian flat leaf parsley (available at Woolies or Freshfellas)

2 cloves garlic

½ cup olive oil

A good grind of salt and black pepper

Method

Grate the zest of the lemons, and then squeeze the juice out.

In a Magimix or using a hand blender, blend herbs and garlic, half of the squeezed lemon juice, all the lemon zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Pour the marinade over the chicken, and let marinade for about an hour.

Heat a griddle pan on the stove, and grill the schnitzels until chargrilled and cooked through. Drizzle with the remaining lemon juice.

Serve with thinly sliced sweet potato chips (recipe to follow) and a crunchy, green salad.

Delicious!

Sweet potato chips

These chips are just off the charts! Perfect as a side, absolutely mouth-watering, and more-ish.

Using a mandolin or sharp knife, thinly slice the sweet potatoes using the long side of the sweet potato to get the length of the chip.

Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake on a lined baking tray at 180 degrees centigrade until crispy (you may have to take out some chips earlier and let others cook for longer).

Watermelon granita

I love the watermelon at the moment, and this watermelon granita is the perfect dessert to end off a heavy meal like a seder. I make this throughout the year, and it’s perfect for Pesach, with very simple ingredients.

Ingredients

⅓ cup white sugar

¾ cup of water

2 Tbsp lemon juice

4 cups of chopped watermelon

Method

Make a light syrup by boiling together the sugar and water for a few minutes until slightly thickened (not too long), then add your lemon juice. Allow to cool.

Process the watermelon in your Magimix until smooth.

Add to the cooled syrup and freeze in a shallow Tupperware. After a few hours – don’t wait until it’s too frozen – scrape with a fork to make a slushy mixture, and then place back in the freezer.

Chag sameach and love!

• You can follow Romi on Instagram @eversolovelysa or on Facebook @Romi Rabinowitz