Sephardic Charoset Truffles and a Pre-Passover Botanic Garden Excursion

I'm embarrased to tell you how old I was when I discovered that Seder, the festive Passover meal I looked forward to celebrating with family and friends, was in fact the same meal as The Last Supper. Yes, as in that last supper. As in the final meal of a Jewish man (to some, the messiah) who had long hair, a beard, fed the poor, and walked on water. I think you know who I'm talking about. This guy. 

The Seder is held on the first two nights of Passover, which begins at sundown on the 14th day of Nisan, the 7th month of the lunar calendar. (This corresponds to March or April on the Gregorian calendar.) It marks the time when Jewish people around the world commemorate the emancipation (or should I say escape) of the ancient Hebrews from the bondages of slavery in Egypt, several thousand years ago. The Jewish people left Egypt in such a hurry (the story goes that they were being chased by Pharoah's army), that they didn't have time to let their bread rise. And so, modern-day Jews shun bread and all leavened products for 8 days. {Kitniyot, which includes legumes such as lentils, peanuts and green beans, are also prohibited for Ashkenazi Jews during the 8 day holiday. Sephardic Jews have different views on this matter and consume away. But since I'm not exactly a religious scholar, and it would take too long to explain all this, google it if you are interested in knowing more!}

Growing up my parents would host Seder in their home and our relatives would come over for a reading of the Hagaddah and the ensuing festive meal. Every Passover I would look forward to my father's World-Famous Matzo Brei and Potato Bilkelach. 

While these days I tend to consider myself more of an agnostic, there are certain rituals that revolve around family and food that I'd like to continue with my own sons. Seder is one of those traditions. 

So to mark the exodus from Egypt, I decided to make a few things that would showcase the season and the holiday of Passover. I found some recipes on my favorite food blogs and some from Gil Mark's Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World. This fantastic cookbook was also a James Beard Foundation Winner, so it's really up to snuff.

I came up with the following menu:

Sephardic (Moroccan) Charoset Truffles, 

dates, dried apricots, shelled pistachios, golden raisins and honey,

recipe (below) courtesy of The Shiksa Blog.

Saffron Matzo Ball Soup, 

recipe from  The Shiksa Blog.

Turkish Leek Patties (Keftes de Prassa) 

a traditional Turkish Passover dish, 

recipe from Olive Trees & Honey. 

Moroccan Mashed Potato Casserole,

a popular Moroccan Passover dish in the Sephardic community, 

recipe from Olive Trees & Honey.

Roasted Caramelized Carrots, 

recipe from Passover By Design, Susie Fishbein 

Chocolate Covered Matzo Toffee with Sea Salt, 

recipe from the Sassy Radish and Smitten Kitchen. 

Growing up in an Ashkenazi home, our Charoset was a mixture of apples, walnuts and (very) sweet red wine (read: good ol' Manischewitz). This Seder staple is brick-like in color and symbolizes the mud used by the Hebrews to build their adobe huts. (The word Charoset comes from the Hebrew charas and means clay.) The Sephardic Charoset Truffles are different in both color and texture from the Charoset of my childhood, and these truffles use ingredients often associated with Moroccan cooking, but the symbolism is the same. The rolled balls dusted in cinnamon and sugar give a more modern twist. 

Sephardic (Moroccan) Charoset Truffles (Courtesy of The Shiksa)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups pitted dates
1 1/2 cups dried apricots
1/2 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup shelled pistachios
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

You Will Also Need: Food processor
Preparation
Place dates, apricots, raisins, pistachios and honey and place in a food processor.
Pulse for about 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth but still has texture. You may need to break up the sticky mixture a few times if it collects in a ball in the processor.
In a bowl, mix together the sugar and the cinnamon. Form date mixture into balls that are about ¾ inch in diameter. The balls will be sticky and soft. It will be easier to shape them if you wet your hands slightly.
Dry your hands. Dip the balls in the cinnamon sugar and coat thoroughly, and re-roll between your palms to smooth out any rough edges. Serve at room temperature.

These truffles are dense and they would go great with tea.  Happy Passover! 

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And from today's outing pre-Passover trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens: