Here’s the story behind this recipe. I was asked to bring charoset to the nth annual potluck seder a bunch of my friends threw every year. Having never made charoset before, I dutifully searched through Jewish cookbooks and articles to make the perfect charoset. I decided I needed walnuts, apples, wine and honey.

The first error was that I didn't think I was chopping the walnuts fine enough and threw them into my food processor and started grinding away. As things began to turn to paste, I kept adding more apples to “chunk” it up and wine to get the right color, because I thought the apples looked too white against what was now the walnut paste. The wine turned everything this really interesting purplish color. At that point I figured the honey was totally out of the question.

Slightly embarrassed, but having used the entire pound of walnuts, I brought it to the potluck seder. The host took one look, cracked up, and someone ran out to the hardware store around the corner to buy a “Pesadich” trowel to serve the charoset. It actually worked quite nicely when we made Hillel sandwiches (and for leftovers). It soon became a tradition for me to bring the mortar type of charoset and someone else was assigned to bring a “traditional” charoset.

I should note that this is best served with Larry’s killer homemade horseradish rather than the stuff from a jar.

Food Editor's notes:  This is an absolutely beautiful looking dish with a delicious combination of flavors that will star as part of a special dinner.  It looks gourmet, yet it is simple enough to make for a quick family meal.  And you will feel so healthy eating it, too!  I made half this recipe in a large saucepan, but I think you could make the whole recipe in one large pan or pot.  Add as much spinach as you can to start and, as it wilts down, add more until it's all incorporated.  I also removed the apples before cooking the pine nuts and the nuts before sautéing the shallots and raisins, just to be sure that nothing got soggy.  I added the apples and nuts back with the last batch of spinach.

This is an old Russian recipe from my mother-in-law's childhood.  She made it for us many times and I now make it for our family.  It is wonderful on a cold day, as a side dish, with a baked potato, as part of the main course.  Some of us enjoy it cold as well the next day.  It is quite simple and the amounts are approximate.  As someone said, it's like cabbage soup without the soup!

Food Editor's note: This dish really is easy and it is quite delicious.  The cabbage flavor is mellowed by the long cooking.  I think it would taste delicious with my mother-in-law's caraway beef stew!

If you like broccoli, cauliflower, and garlic, this is the perfect recipe!  It is easy to make, looks beautiful, and tastes incredible.  A gourmet dish without the fuss!  Cut the vegetables in advance and buy pre-peeled whole garlic cloves, and this is a snap.  You can even prepare the vegetables a few hours before your meal (keep at room temperature) and just toss to heat right before serving.

In response to a request in our Food Forum, I experimented with different versions of this traditional Middle Eastern dish.  The two favorites are included in our Recipe File, Baba Ganoush I and Baba Ganoush II, as our staff was evenly split on their favorite.  This version has less lemon juice and tahini than Baba Ganoush I, and so is a little bit heavier and has a more distinct eggplant flavor.  Vary the ingredients and their amounts as you wish (Baba Ganoush I has za'atar instead of cumin, for example).  This is a wonderful recipe to have in your repertoire for an hors d'oeuvre – it is tasty, healthy, easy to make (double it for a crowd), and can be prepared in advance.  Serve it in a bowl or, in the traditional Middle Eastern presentation, spread on a platter and drizzle with a little extra olive oil.  Pass the pita and enjoy!