Eastern European-style, or Ashkenazi haroset (sometimes spelled charoset) is a must-have at any traditional Passover seder. The combination of apple, walnuts, sweet wine, and spices adds up to one of the symbolic foods on the seder plate.
One of the important symbolic dishes of the holiday, haroset represents the bricks used by the Jewish slaves to build Pharaoh’s cities. A dollop goes onto the seder plate, and the rest goes into a small serving bowl to be spread onto matzo.
The essential ingredients: Made of basically the same few ingredients from one recipe to another — apple, walnuts, sweet wine, and spices — proportions may be varied to taste. Sephardic haroset uses dried fruit like dates in place of apple, and I hope to get that delicious version posted by and by!
How to create a beautiful vegan Passover Seder plate
Kosher for Passover sweeteners: In the original recipe, a touch of honey or sugar are added to the mix, but to make it vegan, we use maple syrup or agave.
If you adhere strictly to Kosher for Passover products during the holiday week, the good news that some brands of syrup and agave come with this designation. It’s easy to find them with the regular Kosher designation, so if that’s fine for you, you’re good to go.
Festive Vegan Passover Seder Recipes, from Matzo Ball Soup to Macaroons
Ashkenazi Haroset for Passover
An important component of the Seder plate and of the Passover seder, haroset is made of apple, walnuts, and sweet wine.
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- 2/3 cup finely chopped walnuts (toasted or not, as you prefer)
- 1/4 cup sweet Passover wine
- 1 to 2 teaspoons agave or maple syrup, to taste
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of nutmeg and/or allspice
Instructions
- To make in a food processor: Combine all the ingredients in the container of a food processor. Pulse on and off until coarsely pureed.
To make by hand: Grate the apples on the coarse side of a box grater. Transfer to a small mixing bowl, combine with the remaining ingredients, and stir together. - Transfer to a serving bowl. If not serving right away, cover until needed. if making a day ahead, cover well and refrigerate.
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