529 eastern recipes

This is a favorite dish of my family's, especially on holidays like Easter and Christmas. Most people cringe at the idea of eating a cow's tongue, but actually the meat is very tender, and even if you have to close your eyes and plug your nose to try it, please do. I guarantee it won't be what you expect!

Passover bagels made with matzo meal, eggs, oil, and water. No yeast, no flour, no boiling pot — just a stovetop dough and a quick bake. Chewy on the inside, lightly crisp on the outside, and kosher for Passover.

Parcha bozbash is an Azerbaijani lamb soup with chestnuts, quince, prunes, and chickpeas simmered in a rich broth and finished with ghee. Warming, fruit-kissed, and deeply aromatic.

Grilled eggplant slices brushed with a mint, cumin, and lemon oil, served with a cool mint-cumin yogurt sauce. A light vegetarian appetizer with Middle Eastern flavors.

This is a Middle Eastern soup, typical of the simple foods served in the desert regions. Serve with pita bread and a grain or vegetable dish for a simple meal. This soup is also food served cold, stuffed into a pita bread.

Passover-friendly chocolate sponge cake made with matzo meal, grated sweet chocolate, orange juice, and 12 separated eggs. Light, airy, and kosher for Pesach.

Chocolate chip meringue kisses that dry in the oven for 5 hours after a brief blast of heat. Light, crisp, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with just six ingredients.

Kolachkies are flaky Polish cream cheese cookies with thumbprint centers filled with apricot jam. A buttery holiday tradition that melts in your mouth.

Orange-almond sour cream cake with chocolate chips, orange flower water, and a Grand Marnier orange syrup soaked into the warm crumb. A dense, fragrant Bundt cake that keeps for days and freezes for months.

Glazed smoked ham three ways: honey-mustard-bourbon, red currant and orange, or classic brown sugar and clove. One holiday ham, three sticky-sweet finishes for Easter, Christmas, or Sunday supper.

Passover loukoumades are Greek-Jewish fried dough balls made with matzo meal instead of flour, soaked in spiced orange-lemon syrup and crowned with crushed pistachios.

Breaded pork chops braised until tender, topped with a warm sour cherry sauce spiked with cinnamon, cloves, honey, and Madeira wine. An elegant but approachable dinner.

Vietnamese stir-fried blue crabs with lemongrass, garlic, ginger, serrano chiles and scallions. Mama Lan's famous fiery seafood feast served in crispy fried shells.

Passover bagels made with matzo meal instead of flour, using a choux-style dough of boiled water, oil, and eggs. Kosher for Pesach and surprisingly chewy inside with a crisp crust.

Passover brownies made with matzo cake meal instead of flour, plus an optional dark chocolate sour cream glaze. Kosher for Passover, fudgy, and richly chocolatey.

Easy raisin sauce: a classic sweet-tangy companion for baked ham, made with brandy-plumped raisins, Dijon, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, and brown sauce. An Easter dinner essential.