RECIPES: Gefilte Fish, Syrian Soup, Stuffed Lamb for Passover

When Passover begins this Friday, March 30, it will be celebrated with food. Steeped in tradition, Passover meals are an act of remembrance. The Jewish Food Society, a new organization with a simple mission: to preserve, celebrate and revitalize Jewish culinary heritage, shared with us a few of their favorite Passover recipes and the stories behind them. From a spiced Syrian soup to a lamb recipe from Aleppo, you’ll find recipes both old and new that honor culture in different forms and make cooking for the holidays fun and adventurous. You’ll want to share these Passover recipes with your loved ones.

The Syrian Passover Soup That Came to Brooklyn

Grandma Fritzie Abadi’s Passover Kibbeh Hamdah (Sour Soup with Lemon, Celery, Mint and Stuffed Meatballs)
Photo by Dave Katz, courtesy of the Jewish Food Society.

As a child, Jennifer Abadi’s seder meals started with this Syrian soup called kibbeh hamdah. The stuffed meatball soup also included charoset, rice with onions and roasted lamb. In her book, Too Good to Passover, Abadi published the recipe passed down to her via her grandparents. The memories attached to this old family recipe are sure to bring about feelings of nostalgia and appreciation for Syrian food culture. Get the recipe.

The Lithuanian Gefilte Fish from a Grandmother She Never Knew

passover recipes, gefilte fish
Photo by Dave Katz, courtesy of the Jewish Food Society.

Dorit Golender never met her grandmother, who died at the start of World War II, but in cooking the dishes served at the popular Lithuanian restaurant her grandmother owned, she found a connection to her. Her old-world style of gefilte is sure to capture the attention of your table. Get the recipe.

Cordero Relleno con Papas (Stuffed Lamb with Potatoes in a Tamarind, Tomato and Chile-Olive Sauce)

Cordero Relleno con Papas (Stuffed Lamb with Potatoes in a Tamarind, Tomato, and Chile-Olive Sauce) Passover recipes
Photo by Dave Katz, courtesy of the Jewish Food Society.

Every week when Rafael Zaga was growing up in Mexico City, his grandmother hosted a Friday lunch for 25 family members. This is where the cordero relleno con papas became part of Zaga’s family tradition. The dish is a combination of both Syrian and Mexican elements and is a celebration of both cultures. Get the recipe.