Category Archives: News

Heavenly Halek-Persian Charoset

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Pesach Table at the Feldman Home 2012
Pesach Table at the Feldman Home 2012
This recipe, which my friend Marjorie Feldman first brought to my attention, has become the favorite at my house and many folks prefer it to the more traditional apple and honey version. I always make both and have now added a third variety, which I will post up here shortly.

Halek/Hallaq (Persian Charoset) is completely different from Ashkenazi recipes. It is firmly Mizrahi and Sephardic and consequently and rightly has a very strong set of flavors. It is also pricey to make in large quantities, because the dried cherries, nuts and apricots, when you use organic, cost a pretty penny. In general Passover is the time of year I just spend way too much money. I have even made a category for it in my bookkeeping and the food I buy at this time of year is no longer just under groceries. It has its own moniker so I can keep some track. If you aren’t making this for thirty or more people it is not so expensive. I quadruple this recipe and have enough for the meal and usually some left over for the next day as well.

  1. 1/4 cup almonds
  2. 1/4 cup pistachio nuts
  3. 1/4–cup walnuts
  4. 1/4–cup raw pumpkin seeds
  5. 1/4–cup hazelnuts
  6. 1/8 cup coarsely chopped pitted dates
  7. 1/8 cup coarsely chopped prunes
  8. 1/8–cup raisins light and dark
  9. 1/8 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
  10. 1/8 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries
  11. 1/4 cup red wine (good red wine, kosher for passover and not sweet wine)
  12. 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar (kosher for passover if you can)
  13. 1/4 teaspoon Advieh which is a mixture of 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom,1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger. There are many other versions, but these ingredients are easy enough to get a hold of almost anywhere. If you have access to an Iranian or Persian market of some kind, get some Advieh from them instead.
  14. 1/4-1/2 teaspoon rosewater

Finely chop the nuts in a processor. Mix the nuts, fruits, wine, vinegar, Advieh and rosewater to achieve a moist textured consistency. This stuff keeps very well and should be very moist and sticky. You can make it a day ahead.

Traditional and Terrific Apple-Cinnamon-Honey and Walnut Charoset

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Seder Table in Feldman Home in Roseburg, Oregon home of Foon Winery
2012 Seder Table in Feldman Home in Roseburg, Oregon
home of Foon Winery

I first learned this recipe in the kitchen of my first boyfriend Matt. His mother Marsha Yarus was my first Passover and Charoset instructor supreme and I have never found a better traditional recipe than hers. It is important that you use enough sweet wine for this recipe, and as in all my recipes, don’t skimp on anything!

Traditional Wine Soaked Charoset

  1. one box of Matzos (not egg or flavored, just plain ones)
    10 or so good apples
  2. 1–2 cups of finely chopped walnuts (I mean really finely, either in a food processor or take your time and get those walnuts very tiny if you are doing it by hand)
  3. 1–3 cups of Manishewitz brand or other Sweet Kosher Wine (this is the Cough Syrup of the wine world, but you have to use this sickly sweet stuff for this recipe. It’s the only recipe I will ever tell you to use this kind of wine for)
  4. lots of cinnamon
  5. lots of honey

Chop up the apples into really tiny little pieces, really, really tiny pieces, skin and all. Chop up the nuts into really tiny little pieces. Combine these in a large mixing bowl, grind up 4–5 Matzos with your hands into small pieces. You can put them in the food processor to get them tiny, you can also do this with the nuts. DON’T do a food processor for the apples. Sprinkle liberally with lots of cinnamon, pour the wine over all of this and stir it up, then add a bunch of honey. Charoset should be sticky and pasty, like the mortar it is supposed to represent. It will taste right to you at some point. You may have to add more Matzos, more honey, more nuts and more cinnamon depending on your taste buds. This should be prepared an hour or two before the Seder, it gets less yummy over time and the consistency changes as the wine, honey and matzos soak. I usually put five or six small bowls of this around the table and along with my Persian Halek and the Sephardic Date Balls there are then three different kinds of Charoset on offer at my Seder (traditional Passover meal)

Paul’s Perfect Raita

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Platter by Paul Barchilon, the other chef in this family whose main medium is ceramic!
Platter by Paul Barchilon, the other chef in this family, whose main medium is ceramic!
  1. One large container of whole milk or low fat organic yogurt (don’t use fat free!)
  2. one peeled cucumber
  3. one tomato chopped into tiny little cubes
  4. lots of salt (kosher works best for this)
  5. brown, yellow or red mustard seeds
  6. a dried red cayenne or other hot chili pepper
  7. olive oil
  8. a handful of fresh cilantro chopped finely

On a clean cutting board, grate ½ to a whole peeled cucumber (I prefer to use the thin English kind). Pour a large amount of salt over the pile of grated cucumber and mix with your fingers so the salt is coating the cucumber. The purpose of this is to bleed out the water. Let this mess sit and water will be pouring out of it. I usually place a clean dishcloth under my cutting board near the pile and wipe the water as the salt drains the cucumber of its liquid. Let the cucumber salt thing happen for at least 10 minutes if not longer. Meanwhile mix yogurt until it is smooth in the bowl you will be serving the raita in. In a tiny little pan heat a few teaspoons of olive oil, add 1/8–teaspoon. mustard seeds and the dried red chili. The mustard seeds are done when they have changed color and popped. Do NOT over cook these, one minute usually does it. Add this hot oil with the seeds into your yogurt. With clean hands, grab a bunch of the cucumber stuff and wring out as much liquid as you can over the sink, dump the cucumber into the yogurt bowl, repeat this process until you’ve gotten all the cucumber in the bowl. Add chopped tomato and cilantro.

My husband does not like the seeds and occasionally I feel generous enough to leave some out for him that doesn’t have the seeds in it. I vastly prefer it with the seeds as the combination of the cold cucumber and yoghurt with the tiny pop and flavor of the mustard seed, just makes my mouth really happy. I hope you enjoy and make adaptations as your family or friends or self require, but I strongly urge you to remember the Ten Commandments of Nicole’s Kitchen, especially #1. Some folks also don’t like the tomatoes. Play with your food. You’ll find the right way to delight in this particular recipe.

I serve this Raita with all Persian dishes I make, with all Indian food I am cooking or if I have lots of cucumbers around in the summer and just want another way to serve that up. It is refreshing, cooling and really delicious.

©Nicole Barchilon Frank

Paul’s Indian Dal/Dhal/Dahl or “Aren’t you a doll and a great dish baby!”

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Timurid by Paul Barchilon
Timurid by Paul Barchilon

This recipe amount is for one large pot, I always make big amounts of soup. I do this for many reasons, bur primarily so folks who are sick can get some and there are left-overs. You can always freeze a soup after it has cooled down on day two. I usually put soups in plastic yogurt containers, larger ones and label with the date and ingredients, for the freezer (never put glass in the freezer). I never put warm soup in plastic. I generally use quart and 1/2 gallon glass mason jars for storing soups or left overs in the refrigerator. When someone in need is sick, I have a ready bunch of soups available and can dispatch the right soup pretty quickly to whomever. And, if I’m sick or someone in my house is and no one has energy to cook, voila, good food easily available is on hand. Please see the Aisha Recipe for instructions related to curry and making your own combination.

Soaking lentils overnight is always a good idea. It isn’t necessary though, it just tenderizes and softens things and releases some of the gasses that legumes and beans tend to have. Lentils are very forgiving and easy. One of the tricks to my cooking is to have everything chopped up in bowls or handy nearby so you can just assemble it all together at the exact moment you need it. I highly recommend doing this, especially if you don’t have a sous-chef on hand, and most of us aren’t that lucky!

  • 3–4 cups of red lentils, well rinsed and washed (rinsed at least five or six times and drained)
  • Olive oil
  • 1-2 onions chopped/diced up (yellow is best)
  • ¼– ½ root of fresh ginger root (grated very finely, including the juices that emerge when you are grating it)
  • ½ – 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1–2 teaspoons garam masala (this is also a combination of herbs)
  • ½ – 1 teaspoon curry (optional, I don’t always add curry, this depends on the flavors and how things taste, sometimes I want a stronger set of flavors, sometimes not)
  • 2-4 tomatoes, chopped up into small chunks (keep the juice with them in the bowl because that will go into the dhal as well)
  • a whole bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped up

Drizzle the olive oil onto a good pan with a lid, enough to sauté the onions with. Sauté the onions for ten minutes. Add grated ginger and sauté for another minute or two.Add turmeric and then add drained lentils and stir around in the pan so the oils, ginger and onions get distributed through. Add vegetable stock or water to cover the lentils. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Lower heat to simmer and cover. Stir every 10–15 minutes and add water if more is needed. After about 30 minutes the lentils should be very mushy. Add the garam masala and a little curry, the chopped tomatoes and cook another 10 minutes. Add the cilantro at the last-minute. Serve over rice with tofu stir–fry, roasted almonds and raita (recipe to follow shortly). I like to have sheep milk feta on hand as well.

© Nicole Barchilon Frank

French Green Lentils

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Black Lentils, not the French Green ones, different recipe too, but the picture is a teaser for the next recipe
Black Lentils, not the French Green ones, different recipe too, but this picture is a teaser for the next recipe….Black Lentils with Fresh Herbs.

It’s best if you soak the lentils overnight, but not necessary. Use organic small green French lentils for the best results. Wash the lentils, at least five or six times, running them through your fingers so the dust and stuff really comes off.

Sauté up a bunch of onions, carrots and celery in olive oil. Don’t add the celery and carrots until the onions have cooked for a while. Add salt and ground pepper. Add lentils, without water and stir them around in the pot for a minute or two. Add a few cloves of garlic, pressed, cook this way for another minute. Then add water to cover the lentils, or a little more than cover. Don’t forget to add a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, stir and cover and turn the heat down to a simmer. Check in about 15–20 minutes. Then add some balsamic vinegar, more salt and pepper or water depending on the flavors. You can also add ground cumin, fresh or dried oregano and thyme. This is a recipe that actually doesn’t require many spices, but won’t be hurt by adding more either. Mirin or red wine is good too if you don’t have balsamic, but the balsamic is the best. A variation is to add chopped tomatoes or a can of tomatoes. This makes it more hearty and soup like. You can have your lentils more like a soup by adding more water and not letting it cook down or be absorbed by the lentils, or you can have them more like beans and let the water cook down. They are done when soft. This can take anywhere from 20–40 minutes depending on your lentils. That amount of time relates to post boiling.

Serve with rice, cheese, hot sauce, feta or whateva!

Enjoy!!!

Nicole