Everyone will love them: 4 main dishes for Passover

Chicken casserole in white wine, root vegetables and green garlic

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(Photo: Haim Yosef, Styling: Oriya Geva)

• Ingredients: Whole chicken (up to 1.7 kg / 3.7 lb)
• 4 tbsp canola oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 2 celery roots (celeriac), cut into sixths
• 2 small fennel bulbs, quartered
• 3 star anise pods
• 5 bay leaves
• 5 allspice berries
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch dill
• 2 cups white wine
• 4 heads green garlic

1. Heat the oil in a wide, deep pot that can go into the oven, and sauté the onion and leek over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, until golden. Add the celeriac, fennel, star anise, bay leaves and allspice, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.
2. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Add half a bunch of dill to the pot and place the chicken on top. Pour in the wine and increase the heat. Scatter the garlic heads around the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and place the remaining dill over the chicken.
4. Cover the pot with a lid or aluminum foil and transfer to the oven for 2½ hours.
5. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C (390°F), uncover, and roast for 20–25 minutes until browned.

Whole asado steak in the oven with pomegranate barbecue glaze

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(Photo: Nimrod Ganisher, Styling: Keren Barak)

• 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) sliced veal asado (bone-in short ribs)
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of black pepper
• 5 allspice berries
• 5 bay leaves
• 100 ml soy sauce
• 250 ml pomegranate molasses
• 1/2 tsp shatta (chili) pepper
• 2.5 liters water

1. Heat a large cast-iron skillet until very hot. Add the oil, season the asado pieces with salt, black pepper, allspice and bay leaves, and sear in the pan, about 3 minutes per side.
2. Transfer the meat to a deep baking dish that can go into the oven.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the soy sauce, pomegranate molasses and chili pepper, and pour over the meat so the sauce coats all the pieces. Add the water and cover with parchment paper, then tightly seal with aluminum foil.
4. Place in an oven preheated to 250°C (480°F) on convection (fan) mode for 30 minutes. Lower the temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 2½ hours. Remove from the oven, uncover and let the dish cool slightly.
5. Before serving, transfer to a hot grill to sear.

Lamb ossobuco with vegetables and wine

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(Photo: Efrat Lichtenstein)

• Ingredients: 6 lamb ossobuco portions (400 g / 14 oz each)
• 1/2 kg (1.1 lb) onions
• 300 g (10.5 oz) carrots
• 250 g (9 oz) leek, diced
• 1 liter red wine
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp allspice
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp baharat (Middle Eastern spice blend)
• 1.5 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 100 ml olive oil

1. Sear the ossobuco in a skillet to “seal” the meat until browned, then remove from the heat.
2. In a heavy pot, sauté the root vegetables in olive oil. Add the spices and wine and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the ossobuco, cover with water and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender, about 3 hours. Strain from the cooking liquid.

Veal shoulder with chestnuts and sweet onions

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(Photo: Anatoly Michaelo, Styling: Dalit Russo)

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 kg (4.4 lb) beef shoulder (preferably veal)
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 onions, quartered
• 10 garlic cloves, halved
• 1 celery root (celeriac), roughly chopped
• 1 parsley root, roughly chopped
• 200 g (7 oz) peeled chestnuts (vacuum-packed)
• 12 small onions
• 2 tbsp silan (date syrup)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot that can go into the oven, and sear the meat on all sides until browned. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the carrots, onions, garlic, celery root and parsley root to the pot. Pour in enough water to cover the meat by an additional 2–3 cm (about 1 inch) and bring to a boil.
4. Transfer to the oven and roast for about 2½ hours. Let cool. Strain the cooking liquid and set aside. Keep the oven on.
5. Slice the meat thinly and arrange the slices in a deep baking dish.
6. Boil the strained liquid until reduced by half. Pour over the meat, add the chestnuts, small onions and silan, and bake for about 30 minutes, until the onions are browned and slightly charred.