Charoset, the best-tasting mortar around

by Marisa McClellan, Posted Apr 17th 2008 @ 3:01PM

Yesterday, I asked you guys for some help with a savory matzo kugel (thanks to all who commented and pointed me in the direction of recipes, I do appreciate the help). I want to return the favor by offering one of my very favorite Passover recipes, for charoset. Charoset appears on the Passover menu in order to represent the mortar that the Jews used to build structures during their enslavement.

However dark and unappealing the inspirational source, the resulting dish is delicious. It is a combination of chopped apples, almonds, walnuts, honey, spices and a little wine (or grape juice). You can make a little or a lot, and the leftovers are wonderful with some greek yogurt for breakfast or over a bed of baby greens for lunch. Check out my recipe after the jump, but know that you can adapt it to your own tastes (tossing a handful of raisins in is never a bad idea).

Charoset

3 apples, peeled and chopped into small bits
1 cup of chopped, blanched almonds (give yourself a break and use the already slivered ones)
1/3 cup of chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons honey (darker honeys are wonderful in this)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger (you could use fresh grated ginger for an extra kick)
juice and zest of one lemon
1-2 tablespoons of kosher wine or grape juice (just enough to give it some moisture)

Mix everything together and let sit for a while so that the flavors can mingle. It gets better overnight as long as you enough lemon juice to prevent the apples from darkening).

Source

Filed Under: Ingredients, Holidays
Tags: apples, charoset, fruit, mortar, passover, pesach, seder