Sephardic Charoset
Happy Passover!
At some Passover in my family’s history, my mother introduced a new Charoset recipe, and it stuck. This is a sephardic recipe, meaning it originates from the Jews of Spain. Like all good isolated jewish communities, they adapted the local flavor palate, as well as slightly different traditions. While my family heralds from eastern European roots (Ashkenazi Jews) this recipe is delicious – so it easily trumps family tradition. (it’s not like my family even had an official version of this anyway – nothing was being displaced.)
Charoset symbolizes the mortar that the Jewish slaves used to bind bricks while building. A typical recipe, is sickly sweet, with a consistency not too far off from the materials that inspired it. Here, the sugar is cut way back, and a variety of nuts and dates are introduced. Fresh ground ginger and lemon balance the mix – leading to the perfect compliment for a nice piece of gefilte fish and a touch of horseradish on matzah.
What to pair it with? Sadly, beer isn’t kosher for passover, no matter how you slice it. I’d recommend a nice dry white wine, or better yet, a homebrewed mead.
Here’s how I make it:
Sephardic Charoset
Adapted from Faye Levy’s International Jewish Cookbook
1/2c. Pecans, toasted
3 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Medium Granny Smith Apples, peeled and cored
2-3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Lemon’s Zest
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Tablespoon Fresh Ground Ginger
1/2 Cup Almonds, chopped, toasted
12 Pitted Dates, chopped
1/4 Cup Pine Nuts, toasted
Grind pecans with sugar in a food processor until fine.
Grate apples and add lemon juice and zest, stir in ground nuts, cinnamon, ginger, almonds and
dates.
Taste and add more sugar, lemon juice or ginger if desired.
