Passover is a holiday steeped in tradition, marked by a gathering of family and friends eating together. If you’re cooking for just yourself or a small group this Passover—and therefore avoiding judgment from highly opinionated family members who have enjoyed a few too many glasses of Manischewitz—we encourage you to experiment and have fun with your menu. Try a braised lamb shoulder spiced up with chiles and softly sweetened with dates, an appetizer of crispy fried artichokes, or a Sephardic-style charoset scented with orange flower water. (More leftovers for you is never a bad thing.) Below, you’ll find our favorite traditional and not-so-traditional recipes to make this year’s seder a smashing success. (Just don’t forget the desserts.)
A note about the recipes that follow: Though some were designed with Passover in mind, others are meant to be more all-purpose, which means some of them contain ingredients not considered kosher for Passover—or, at least, not considered by everyone to be such. These may include soy sauce (which can be substituted with kosher tamari), Worcestershire sauce (fish-free Worcestershire may be substituted), distilled white vinegar, mustard, rice, and legumes. Where possible, we’ve suggested replacements for these items. As dietary restrictions during Passover vary widely, we’ve chosen to offer a range of recipes to meet a range of preferences, with the hope that everyone will be able to find a few dishes here that they love and can add to their menu.