Ingredients
1 cup shelled almonds, coarsely ground
1 cup shelled walnuts, coarsely ground
1 cup black raisins, coarsely ground
2 apples, peeled, coarsely chopped
2 ripe bananas, coarsely chopped (optional)
2 cups red wine
Mix everything together and serve.
Source: Sephardic Cooking by Copeland Marks
Ashkenazic Apple-Nut
(makes three cups)
6 peeled apples, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup chopped almonds
3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
grated rind of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons sweet red wine
Combine all, mixing thoroughly. Add wine as need. Blend to desiredtexture—some like it coarse and crunchy, others prefer it ground to a paste. Chill.
Source: The Jewish Holiday Kitchen by Joan Nathan
Bukharan Style
(makes about 3 cups)
Ingredients
1 cup walnuts
1 cup raisins
1 large apple, peeled and cored
1/2 cup red Passover wine.
Grind everything together to mix thoroughly but leaving some texture. Do not grind too smoothly.
Source: Sephardic Cooking by Copeland Marks
Curacao Charoset Balls (Garosa)
(makes 25 to 30 balls)
14 pitted dates
10 pitted prunes
8 figs, stems removed
cup golden raisins
cup cashew nuts
lemon, unpeeled and cut in chunks
cup sweet red wine
cup honey, or more as needed
2 tablespoons cinnamon to coat
Place dates, prunes, figs, raisins, nuts and lemon in food processor. Chop coarsely. Add the wine and cup honey. Process to chop finely. Mixture should be moist but firm enough to shape. Add a little extra honey if needed.
Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Toss in cinnamon to coat. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Note: The mixture can be spooned into a serving dish and dusted with cinnamon before serving.
Source: "Celebrating Passover with dishes of Curacao," from the Philadelphia Inquirer by Ethel Hofman and Myra Chanin
French Provencal Style
(about 8 cups)
1 pound chestnuts
1 cup blanched almonds
2 medium tart apples, cored and chopped
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup dried figs
1 cup raisins
1 to 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
wine vinegar
1. Cut an X in the shell of chestnuts. Place in boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Drain. When able to handle, peel off shells.
2. Finely chop chestnuts and almonds. Add fruits and finely chop. Stir in enough wine vinegar to make a thick paste. Add ginger.
Source: Sefer Ha'Menuha, a work of the 13th century Provencal scholar, Rabbi Manoach, as cited in an article by Gil Marks in the Jewish Communications Network archives
Israeli Style
(makes 10 side-dish servings)
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 bananas, peeled and chopped
Juice and grated peel of 1/2 lemon
Juice and grated peel of 1/2 orange
15 dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup ground pistachios
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sweet Passover wine
5 tablespoons matzo meal
In large bowl, combine apples, bananas, lemon juice and peel, orange juice and peel, dates and nuts; mix well. Add cinnamon, wine and matzo meal; blend thoroughly.
Source: "A Passover Seder With Israeli Flavor," from the St. Louis Post Dispatch by Judy Zeidler
Italian Style
3 apples, sweet or tart
2 pears
2 cups sweet wine
1/3 cup (50 g) pine nuts
2/3 cup (50 g) ground almonds
1/2 lb (250 g) dates, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup (100 g) yellow raisins or sultanas
4 oz. (100 g) prunes, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar or * cup (125 ml) honey or to taste
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Peel and core the apples and pears and cut them in small pieces. Put all the ingredients into a pan together and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, until the fruits are very soft, adding a little water if it becomes too dry.
Variations: Other possible additions: chopped lemon or candied orange peel, walnuts, pistachios, dried figs, orange or lemon juice, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
Source: The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden
New American
(makes about 2 cups)
2 Granny Smith apples
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup fresh mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Port or sweet wine
1. Peel, core, and dice the apples and sprinkle with the lemon juice.
2. Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse once or twice just to break up. Let sit for the flavors to meld.
Jewish Cooking in America by Joan Nathan
Surinam—Seven Fruit (Sephardic Style)
(makes 5 cups)
8 oz. unsweetened coconut
8 oz. chopped walnuts or grated almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
8 oz. raisins
8 oz. dried apples
8 oz. dried prunes
8 oz. dried apricots
8 oz. dried pears
4 oz. cherry jam
sweet red wine
Combine everything except the jam and wine in a pot. Cover with water and simmer over low heat. Periodically, add small amounts of water to prevent sticking. Cook at least 90 minutes. When it is cohesive, stir in the jam and let stand until cool. Add enough sweet wine to be absorbed by the charoset and chill.
