What’s the best part of celebrating Pesach in Israel?

I love the feeling that the whole country is celebrating. Growing up in the States, I always felt like the whole country was celebrating without me. In Israel, we are all part of the festivities!

What’s your secret ingredient for Pesach?

On Passover, people always get nervous about going hungry and not having what they like to eat. I suggest focusing on spices, fresh herbs, meat, fish, cheese and poultry. Imagine you’re an artist being told: here is a white canvas and you can use all the paint colors except white. It’s not a challenge not to use gluten for 8 days out of the year!

Tomato cauliflower beef soup

1 kilo of Flanken without bones, cut into small pieces

2 large onions, thinly sliced

8 pieces of garlic, roughly chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and sliced

1 large head of cauliflower, chopped

2 jars of marinara sauce ( any)

2 Tablespoons of curry powder

2 quarts of stock (vegetable, beef, chicken, or just water)

1 large bunch of fresh basil roughly chopped

Place a 4 liter pot on a high flame on stovetop. When hot enough, add the oil. Season the pieces of beef with salt and pepper and place in pot, not overlapping. Allow to seer in batches for 1-2 minutes per side and then remove and place on side. Turn the heat to medium-low. Add a drizzle of stock and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits. Then mix. Add the onions, garlic,  pepper and cauliflower and mix well. Cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato sauce, curry powder, stock and salt to taste. Bring to boil and then cover and simmer for 5 hours. Turn off heat and add fresh basil. Eat and enjoy!