This year (2022), the first seder will be on Friday, April 15 and the second seder will be on Saturday, April 16. For those who can’t spend either the first or second night of Pesach with family, we’ve got you covered. Before you ransack your kitchen pantry in desperation, there are plenty of easy-to-whip-up dishes perfect for a traditional Passover dinner, even if it’s for no more than two. Just follow the recipes below and you’ll be on your way to serving up a mouthwatering meal that’s sure to impress your sweetheart as you share the festival holiday together, cozy at home. RELATED: How To Make Hosting Your First Passover Seder As Couple (At Least Somewhat) Less Stressful If there’s one thing Passover is about, it’s food — but, of course this isn’t your typical romantic dinner. The seder is a ceremonial meal held on the first (and second if you don’t live within Israel) night of Passover. In Hebrew, seder means “order”, and refers to the step-by-step ritual leading up to the meal itself. As explained by Chabad, “During the course of the evening you will have: four cups of wine, veggies dipped in saltwater, flat, dry cracker-like bread called matzah, bitter herbs, often horseradish (without additives) and romaine lettuce, dipped into charoset (a paste of nuts, apples, pears and wine), and a festive meal that may contain time-honored favorites, like chicken soup and gefilte fish. “Each item has its place in a 15-step choreographed combination of tastes, sounds, sensations and smells that have been with the Jewish people for millennia.” Here’s our Passover seder menu with recipes for two, so you can celebrate with a salmon filet glazed with date honey and orange, a matzo ball soup, a sweet charoset dessert and a cocktail inspired by the meaning of the holiday itself.
Passover Seder Menu for Two
The Drink: Maror by The Sipping Seder
Ingredients
3 oz (90 ml) Belvedere Vodka1 Small Golden Beet, raw, peeled1 Slice Fresh Horseradish, peeled, about the size of a quarter (25 x 25 x 2 mm)Fresh Red Beet, raw, peeled, for garnish
Directions Notes: Use freshest, juiciest red beet possible for a dramatic color transformation. We suggest slipping the beet garnish into the cocktail as you serve it. The red color will begin to bleed out into the yellow liquid immediately. Leave it to your guest to observe or agitate the process as they see fit. For those concerned with kashrut (i.e., keeping kosher): As Sipping Seder says, “Because of the grains used to distill the spirits in the recipes, the cocktails in The Sipping Seder are not kosher for Passover. However, a few of our drinks can be adapted easily to meet the requirements. Or, you can enjoy any of these cocktails to get into the spirit of the holiday as Passover approaches.” RELATED: 3 Ways To Boost The Intimacy In Your Relationship (Learned From Orthodox Jewish Couples)
The Appetizer: Matzo Ball Soup by Elana Horwich of Meal And A Spiel
Start this recipe the day before you plan to serve it. If it is already too late, plan on chilling the matzo ball mix for at as long as you can, three hours at least. Ingredients
1 cup matzo meal4 eggs4-5 tablespoons duck fat or schmaltz, at room temperature4 tablespoons (homemade) chicken broth1 1/2 teaspoons salt plus more for salting cooking water1 teaspoon pepper1/4 teaspoon dried ginger (don’t worry, they won’t taste like ginger … it just adds a taste of freshness to the matzo balls)1-2 tablespoons chopped herbs (celery leaves and/or parsley and/or chives and/or cilantro and/or dill)1 quart homemade or boxed chicken broth1 carrot1 piece of celerySome parsley or dill to throw into cooking waterHomemade chicken broth for serving
Directions The Day Before: The Day Of: Note: If you are not serving them immediately, just keep drained matzo balls in a covered glass bowl until you are ready to use them. RELATED: The Profound Promise Of Passover And Easter
The Main Dish: Salmon Filet Glazed with Date Honey & Orange by Executive Chef Andreas Marinkovits of Inbal Jerusalem Hotel
Ingredients Salmon
800 g Salmon fillet, cut to 4 equal sized pieces, with the skin on or off as you prefer.Oil for searing
Date Honey & Orange Glaze makes 240 ml or 1 cup)
80 ml or 1/3 cup of Silan (Date honey)80 ml or 1/3 cup of Orange JuiceZest of 1 Orange1 small clove of garlic peeled and choppedSmall pieces about 1 cm of fresh Ginger peeled and chopped1 teaspoons of cornstarch
Directions RELATED: Don’t Let Love Passover You This Spring
The Dessert: Apple-Walnut Charoset by Medifast
Ingredients
3 medium Gala or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks1 1/2 cups walnut halves, lightly toasted and cooled1/2 cup sweet red wine (e.g. Manischewitz Extra Heavy Malaga) or grape juice1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
Directions *If not using a food processor, dice apples fine and nuts coarse. RELATED: 12 Brutal Truths About Loving A Jewish Woman (As Written By One) Alexandra Churchill is a digital editor based in New York City who currently works for Martha Stewart Living. Her work has been featured on numerous sites including The Huffington Post, Her Campus, USA TODAY College, and Northshore and Ocean Home magazines.
