Elegant Passover Recipes

Credit: Landon Nordeman

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Knaidelach (Matzo Balls and Goose Soup)
The recipe for this comforting soup is based on one from Budapest chef András Singer, who crumbles matzo to make his matzo balls, giving them a striated texture. We found that using baking powder makes them even more springy and airy.

See the recipe for Knaidelach »

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Comments (23)

by GOODLUX on 2011-04-15

Wait a minute............Isn't baking powder a leavening? Aren't we supposed to eliminate leavening from Passover?

by Terencej on 2011-04-15

Hey boys. This is Passover. Baking powder is verbotten.

by Terencej on 2011-04-15

Hey boys. This is Passover. Baking powder is verbotten.

by BATIA75 on 2011-04-15

Baking soda is chametz, forbidden during passover

by BATIA75 on 2011-04-15

......and be careful when buying chicken broth or stock if you don't make your own....most contain "yeast extract," also chametz.

by NEURODOC18 on 2011-04-15

The lightness or heaviness of the matzo ball depends on the ratio of matzo meal to egg, not the presence of baking soda or baking powder (which is indeed chametz). You can always use seltzer water to "aerate" them a bit :)

by CATERFRAN on 2011-04-15

I'm not a hundred percent sure that baking powder is chumetz, it's gone back and forth some say its OK

by CATERFRAN on 2011-04-15

I'm not a hundred percent sure that baking powder is chumetz, it's gone back and forth some say its OK

by CATERFRAN on 2011-04-15

I'm not a hundred percent sure that baking powder is chumetz, it's gone back and forth some say its OK

by Gjsprague on 2011-04-15

Yup there is no levening during Passover. e.i. the quick exit from Egypt. First time I've seen Saveur Blow It!

by katmkg on 2011-04-15

I think that out of self-respect, if not respect to your audience/clients, you should get the basics on the food your present. Not only is yeast, fermenting or any other levening agent not allowed in Passover food, Leg of Lamb is NEVER kosher (passover or at any other time).

by katmkg on 2011-04-15

Moreover, Lamb (especially roast lamb) is generally avoided at Passover.

by bwaks on 2011-04-15

indeed..if you are an Orthodox Jew, the sciatic nerve must be removed from the hindquarters of any animal before it's deemed Kosher..which is possible to do but quite expensive...so legs of lamb or beef or goat are out.. however if you're like me or some variation thereof.. (a Bar Mitzvah Reform Jew , whose mom was raised Catholic,) leg of lamb is fine even though the blood of a lamb was smeared on our door posts to signify that we were Jews, when the avenging angel slew all the first born Egyptians..bloody hell! & besides Saveur is foodie bible not the Talmud..lighten up

by bwaks on 2011-04-15

hanks for writing and it is a good question. The bottom line is that according to Torah and subsequently Rabbinic interpretation and application, the only foods that can be prohibited as "hametz" are those made from the "five species", specifically wheat, barley, rye, oats and spelt.

Hence, if a substance can cause something to rise or expand and is not hametz or derived from hametz, then it is kosher. In Israel you'll find both of these products regularly sold before and during Pesah. The only question it seems to me is whether or not it causes one to violate the "spirit" of hametz and leavening.

by Loul@ on 2011-04-16

In Israel you can find baking powder and bakind soda "Kosher for Passover"!!!
Everything is good to make money, isn't it?
I wish to all the jewish people an Happy Passover.

by DHGLICK on 2011-04-16

I live in Georgia good luck getting a Kosher for Passover Goose. Easier to just have a red neck run one over for me! Happy Passover everyone, I love Saveur!

by FARFSMOM on 2011-04-16

there IS passover baking powder available- usually you can find it in the passover aisle just before the holidays

by Laronowitz on 2011-04-16

Leg of Lamb is not kosher. Nice recipe, though.

by JUSBETH on 2011-04-16

The cream in the livers makes it not only not kosher for Passover, but not kosher at all--dairy in the meat???

by sofielion on 2011-04-17

I was really excited to see Saveur's Passover recipes, and while I appreciate the effort, I'm pretty sure that having chicken livers and heavy cream in a recipe makes it not only NOT kosher for Passover, but NOT kosher to begin with!

by Samazama on 2011-04-17

I agree with katmkg - this was a sloppy article. I wonder why Saveur thought they could publish an article on the most important holiday in the Jewish religion that was written and researched to such blas� standards. So far my favorite was the stock picture of the spinach salad in the slide show - it had bacon bits in it!
Lamb is not eaten during Passover by some Jews because of the association with sacrifice and the attendant rules that make serving it a complicated process.
Moreover, generally, it is the hindquarters of any animal that are problematic. You can google it or wiki it or read Claudia Roden's The Book of Jewish Food for more information.

by renerich on 2011-04-18

The picture on the main page of the Passover Recipes has BACON and mushrooms in it. The recipe has neither. I find it interesting the recipe and the picture do not reflect passover.

by KROLANDS on 2012-04-04

Love Saveur, but next time- get someone who knows what "kosher l'pesach" means! And leg of lamb is not kosher any time, not just at Passover.