A REVIEW and GIVEAWAY of “Perfect for Passover”

I love shiny new cookbooks about as much as I love a new pair of fabulous shoes.  Maybe not exactly…but it’s pretty darn close!  So, when the brand new “Perfect for Pesach” cookbook, written by my friend and awesome chef Naomi Nachman, arrived in the mail you know I was doing the dance.  The very very happy dance.  Outstanding new recipes for Passover (perfect year round for the GFE – Gluten Free Eater..a.k.a ME!)  with gorgeous photographs taken by the talented Miriam Pascal.  You know the recipes are going to be delicious, but the photos make you feel like you could take a fork and dig in!

When doing a review I like to try out some of the recipes in the book.  I evaluate whether the recipes are well written, straight forward, with ingredients that we can pronounce.  Do the recipes sound like ones my family would enjoy?  Would I want to make them?  Are they easy but look like they took all day to prepare?  The answer to all of the above is a resounding YES!

There are terrific appetizers & dips (Cauliflower Sushi, Hush Puppy Potato Knishes, Quinoa Hummus – for example) and fantastic meat and chicken recipes.  Naomi is the queen of  beef preparation.  I bow to her extensive expertise. I also had a lot of trouble believing the desserts were kosher for Passover! (Of course they were!) Blueberry Cobbler?  Really?!!!  There are lots of “Cooks Tips” and “Prepare Ahead Tips” for the recipes too.

While I immediately wanted to try all of the recipes, there were some practical limitations. I wasn’t quite ready to make Passover food, I had limited ingredients in the house, and I had like 5 minutes until Shabbat. OK maybe a little more time but not a whole lot more.

I settled on the Hawaiian Pargiyot.  Actually my dear daughter picked them for her golden birthday dinner (17 on the 17th in 2017!) – a huge compliment for Naomi!  While I didn’t have pineapple juice in the house, I was able to substitute a can of crushed pineapple.  I also liked the fact that making a minor substitution didn’t completely destroy the recipe.  Always a good thing.   I also didn’t discard the marinade.  It looked too delicious – instead I spooned it over the chicken after it had already baked, then baked it for a little while longer.  YUM!

Bottom line – GET THIS COOKBOOK!  

I love this cookbook SO much I’m giving it to one extremely lucky winner!  You can be that person…just fill out the entry form on the side of this page.  Hurry!  The contest ends Sunday, March 26, 2017 at 11:59 PM.  

If you don’t win the contest (sad face) you can always buy the book on amazon (heres an affiliate link):

Hawaiian Pargiyot (page 127 – Poultry)

Marinade

¼ cup pineapple juice
¼ cup imitation soy sauce
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoons oil
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt

2-3 pounds dark chicken cutlets (pargiyot), pounded or cut thin

1. Prepare the marinade: Place all the marinade ingredients into a bowl; whisk to combine.
2. Add chicken, marinate in the fridge for about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Remove chicken from marinade; place in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.  Discard any remaining marinade.
5. Bake for about 25 minutes, until cooked through.