Cook up a three-course seasonal spring Shabbat dinner with these recipes by Jake Cohen, New York Times bestselling author and OneTable Board Member.
Each recipe serves ten people, so adjust accordingly if you’re hosting a smaller or larger crowd.
Feel free to save it to make copious amounts of the dressing to last you throughout the week. This salad will also hold dressed, so you can assemble it right before your guests arrive and store in the fridge if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Pickled Celery Ingredients
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon coriander
6 celery stalks, trimmed and sliced on a bias ¼-inch thick
Dressing Ingredients
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon coriander
6 celery stalks, trimmed and sliced on a bias ¼-inch thick
Salad Ingredients
10 heads of little gem lettuce, trimmed and quartered
Dressing
Pickled celery
¾ cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Celery leaves, for garnish
Directions
- Make the pickled celery: In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and coriander to a simmer over high heat. Cook until the sugar and salt has dissolved, 2 minutes. Place the celery in a heatproof bowl and pour the pickling liquid over it. Let cool completely.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients until smooth.
- Assemble the salad: Arrange the lettuce on a platter and drizzle with the dressing. Top with the pickled celery and chopped hazelnuts. Garnish with celery leaves, then serve.
The best part is that it can be made completely in advance and then just popped into the oven before your guests arrive. Actually, I lied. The best part is that you’re going to have leftovers to eat the next morning.
Mushroom Ragú Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons red wine
Two 28-ounce cans of whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 thyme sprig
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pesto Ricotta Ingredients
4 cups (2 pounds) whole-milk ricotta
1 cup basil pesto
½ cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
Assembly Ingredients
Olive oil, for greasing
1½ pounds dried lasagna sheets, cooked according to package directions
2 pounds mozzarella, cut into ¼-inch slices
Directions
- Make the ragù: In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until lightly caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and onions, and cook until the onions are translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour in the wine and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the tomatoes, oregano, and thyme, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the liquid has thickened, 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
- Make the pesto ricotta: In a large bowl, whisk together all the ricotta ingredients until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container and let refrigerate overnight.
- Assemble the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 350° F. In the baking dish, spread a quarter of the ragù on the bottom. Place 3 to 4 sheets of pasta dough across the bottom, overlapping slightly to cover. Spread a third of the pesto ricotta over the sheets and layer with a quarter of the sliced mozzarella, then arrange more pasta sheets to cover. Repeat the process of layering, alternating the ragù and the ricotta 4 more times for a total of 6 layers of pasta. Top the final layer of pasta with the remaining quarter of the ragù and the mozzarella slices.
- Cover the lasagna with greased foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake covered for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling, 30 minutes more. Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Ingredients
½ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon zest, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound mixed mushrooms, roughly torn
3 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 pounds sugar snap peas, stems trimmed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pea shoots, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450° F. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper.
- On a sheet pan, toss the mushrooms with half the oil mixture. Roast until lightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Add the asparagus, snap peas and the remaining oil mixture to the pan and toss to coat. Continue roasting until the asparagus and snap peas are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a platter and drizzle with the lemon juice. Garnish with sunflower seeds and pea shoots, then serve.
Not to be too repetitive, but these can be made the night before and kept in the fridge! I try to always have my dessert completely handled in advance.
Ingredients
½ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon zest, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound mixed mushrooms, roughly torn
3 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 pounds sugar snap peas, stems trimmed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pea shoots, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450° F. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper.
- On a sheet pan, toss the mushrooms with half the oil mixture. Roast until lightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Add the asparagus, snap peas and the remaining oil mixture to the pan and toss to coat. Continue roasting until the asparagus and snap peas are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a platter and drizzle with the lemon juice. Garnish with sunflower seeds and pea shoots, then serve.