Tips and recipes to make Passover a culinary delight

Local resident and gourmet chef Myrna Ossin has created a Passover cook book, "What To Do With Your Leftover Matzah, The Fifth Question," that will meet all the needs and answers all the questions of what to prepare for the Passover Seder and meals for the following seven days. Included in this book are 60 tested (she and her husband, Archie, tried them all) recipes with photos; a timeline and "to do" list for preparation of the seder; a list of various serving utensils and items needed; menu plans for the week, which include vegan, vegetarian and Shabbat options; a shopping list with information about how much to make for family and guests; and even a metric conversion chart.

This rabbi-reviewed book also gives brief explanations of the ritual elements of the service and how to prepare the seder plate. There are also concise explanations of the kosher rules and historic differences between Sephardic and Ashkenazi traditions.

Ossin studied dietetics at the University of Wisconsin and has taught cooking for many years. She has written and published three other books: "Favorite Recipes of Central Florida," "Culinary Arts and Crafts Cooking" and "Lists for Living, Lists for Life."

"What To Do With Your Leftover Matzah, The Fifth Question" is available on Amazon.

The following are two of Ossin's recipes.

Stuffed Potato Meat Pies

Makes 8-12

Ingredients:

3 large eggs, separated

1 cup matzah meal

2 cups mashed potatoes, without dairy

salt and pepper

1 cup chopped cooked meat-chicken, beef, hamburger or ground turkey

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 Tbls water

Directions:

In a small bowl, whip egg whites until stiff. In another bowl, combine egg yolks with matzah meal, mashed potatoes, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Mix well and carefully fold in egg whites. Use 2/3 of the mixture to form balls the size of a small egg. Reserve the rest of the batter. Flavor chopped meat with salt and pepper. Make a depression in each batter ball and fill with meat mixture. With the remaining potato batter, seal each. In a small dish, mix an egg with the water. Heat oil in a small fry pan until it is very hot (325 degrees). Test the oil to see that it sputters when a drop of water is sprinkled in it. Dip each ball in egg/water mixture and fry in very hot safflower or peanut oil until browned on both sides. If the oil is not hot, the balls will absorb too much grease and be very oily. They should only fry about 3 minutes on each side until brown and then flipped over with a large spoon to fry the second side. Drain on a paper towel and serve warm.

These can be refrigerated and reheated to serve. Cool and place on a tray covered with a piece of plastic wrap to freeze. After freezing, store in a plastic freezer bag. Reheat as needed in a hot oven (350 degrees) until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

Chocolate Mocha Truffle Candy

(These candies become a show-stopper at the end of a meal)

Makes about 20 pieces

Ingredients:

15 oz. can Passover condensed milk

1 tsp. instant coffee powder

8 oz. semi-sweet Passover chocolate or chips

4 oz. very dark or Passover chocolate, shredded

1/2 tsp. kosher salt (not iodized)

1 tsp. vanilla bean paste

1/4 cup cocoa powder for garnish

1/4 cup shredded Passover coconut (optional)

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

In a food processor, pulse the chocolate to tiny pieces. In a large microwave bowl, mix the coffee powder and salt into the condensed milk. Heat the milk in the microwave for one minute. Stir in the chocolate pieces until melted, making sure there are no lumps. If needed, heat the mixture for another 30 seconds. Stir in the vanilla bean paste. Allow the mixture to cool in the refrigerator until you are able to work with it to make 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in cocoa powder, nuts, coconut, Passover jimmies or nonpareils, and place on a cookie tray lined with parchment paper.

Freeze the truffles until firm and store in a freezer bag squeezing out all the excess air. Allow them to defrost before serving.