Make It From Scratch: Mizuna Pesto

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Mizuna is a Japanese mustard green with serrated leaves that resemble dandelion greens. Its flavor is tangy and slightly bitter. Mizuna is nutrient dense with lots of vitamins A, C and K, folate and iron. The leaves are often used in salad mixes like mesclun and spring mix.

Its bitterness yet slight unfamiliarity to most people make it a thematic addition to the Passover Seder meal. Although halachically it cannot be substituted for romaine lettuce on the Seder plate, it can be served at the Seder meal in raw form.

Mizuna can also be made into a (dairy) pesto to serve with breakfast. This mizuna pesto recipe is very tasty and so simple to whip up:

Ingredients

• 3-4 cups mizuna leaves, washed and dried, and include leaves and stem

• 2/3 cup nuts (roasted 5 min in the oven)

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

• 3 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

• 1 Tbsp lemon zest

• 2/3 cup olive oil

• 3 or 4 garlic cloves

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Throw the mizuna into a food processor.

2. On a baking rack lined with parchment paper, roast the nuts for 5 minutes in the oven.

3. Add the roasted nuts, then the rest of the ingredients.

4. Run the food processor on high for 30 seconds or until the ingredients are completely processed.

That’s all there is to it! This pesto goes well on matzo – or even on its own as a side dish.

Chag kasher v'sameach.

Kohlrabi Fries

A QUICK SNACK: KOHLRABI FRIES

A weak potato harvest in North America this winter has resulted in a shortage of potatoes used to make French fries. Luckily, there are a number of alternative ways to make fries, using kohlrabi, jicama or sweet potato. Unlike the refined starch of fries made from white potatoes, these vegetable fries are all complex starches; they are baked rather than fried; and they are more nutritionally dense.

It’s the perfect time to talk about kohlrabi, an exotic-looking cruciferous veggie, high in vitamin C and native to Germany – and a veggie that you may not yet know. Its dense fibrous bulbs are crisp and crunchy. The most common variety is green. However, there is also a purple variety sold by some farmer’s markets. It is a bit sweeter. We slice them into French fry-like wedges, dip in olive oil, season with paprika, garlic powder & sea salt and then bake.

To say that they are pure addictive bliss is an understatement!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 or 4 kohlrabi bulbs (stem, leaves and thick outer skin removed)

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp sweet paprika

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• Dash of salt

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Preheat oven to 350°F

2. Slice kohlrabi into wedges or long thin strips

3. In a medium bowl, toss in the spices and mix well. Then add the kohlrabi, making sure to coat it well.

4. Place onto a baking rack with parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes or until soft and slightly darkened on the outside. Flip over halfway through.

Sautéd Shishito Peppers

A QUICK SNACK: HOW TO MAKE SHISHITO PEPPERS

Shishito peppers make an excellent appetizer and finger-food. They are very easy to prepare.

While Shishito peppers are technically hot peppers, they are about 100X milder than a jalapeño, measuring 50-200 Scoville heat units. From what others have told me, about 1 in every 10 Shishito peppers is hot and spicy. But so far we have not experienced any hot ones. They are also very high in vitamin C. You can find both the green and red versions in farmer’s markets and Asian supermarkets. Their vivid red hue just means that it is a more mature green pepper.

INGREDIENTS

Quantities are approximate, as they really don’t make that much difference.

• Shishito peppers 🌶🌶🌶

• Olive oil

• Lemon juice

• Dash of salt

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Wash and dry Shishito peppers. It is not necessary to remove the seeds or cut the peppers.

2. Sauté in olive oil fort 10 minutes or until the skin gets slightly browned.

3. Keep mixing around.

4. When they are almost ready, drizzle with a little salt, some lemon juice and serve immediately

5. Don't eat the stems or ends.