PASSOVER PANACHE.

Byline: Marge Powers Daily News Staff Writer

Although Passover, which begins at sundown Monday, is a holiday laden with tradition - from the story of Jewish liberation told through the Haggadah to symbolic foods such as matzo - contemporary tastes and creations can enliven the Seder menu.

The recently released ``New Traditions: A Jewish Cookbook for the 21st Century'' ($18), written by the Temple Judea Sisterhood in Tarzana, offers many ideas.

Instead of the classic brisket or chicken that is most often featured, Baked Fish in Wine could be the star of this year's Seder dinner, said Shirley Joseph, a Tarzana resident and marketing director for the cookbook. Fish is easy on hostesses who are short on time. Simply season halibut or sea bass fillets or steaks with stewed tomatoes, ripe olives, onions, mushrooms and wine for a delicious entree, said Janet Pransky of Calabasas, who contributed the recipe to the book.

``The recipe was given to me at my bridal shower in 1962,'' Pransky said.

Accompany with plenty of the season's freshest asparagus - steamed - and Tsimmes, a classic side dish of carrots, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, brown sugar - and in this recipe store-bought orange-flavored prunes. The Tsimmes recipe is one shared in the book by Charlotte Levitt of Northridge and has evolved from her mother's recipe from Poland.

For a novel diversion from the usual gefilte fish, offer Passover Derma, an appetizer roll made by combining grated carrots and celery, onion, garlic, crushed egg matzo, eggs, margarine and seasonings. Use foil to assist in shaping the mixture into a roll. Once baked and cooled, cut into 1/2-inch slices and serve on lettuce leaves.

A Spinach Matzo Kugel is a delicious take on a vegetable kugel - and hails from Binnie Nadler of Calabasas by way of her Israeli cousin. It will have diners giving rave reviews. This version sports pieces of matzo in combination with frozen spinach, onions and mushrooms and an egg mixture with nondairy creamer and seasonings.

And for those who can't live without chicken soup with matzo balls, two recipes are also included today. The matzo balls are light and fluffy, as they contain no oil.

Desserts are always a challenge at Passover, as no leavening is permitted. The standard repertoire includes plain sponge, honey and nut cakes. You can break away from the classics with Passover Chocolate Nut Torte, designed for chocolate devotees, and Passover Wine Cake. Garnish the torte with fresh raspberries and kiwis for a decadent taste surprise.

``Passover is a holiday for family and friends. It is a time of sharing and eating great foods that have been handed down through the past generations. It is a time to remember our grandparents, parents and children,'' said Joseph, whose family plans a new and different Seder each year.

``We make what happened all the thousands of years ago relevant to what is happening today. Everyone at our table takes part in the service,'' Joseph explained.

It's the preservation of family recipes and traditions that led the Sisterhood to produce its latest cookbook.

Now younger members of the Jewish community and non-Jews who love Jewish cuisine have a treasure trove of recipes they can hand down to future generations.

Marsha Novak, a member of the cookbook committee, said the intent of the cookbook was to have traditional Jewish dishes full of flavor.

Recipes came from temple members and friends. More than 500 recipes were contributed, but only about 250 made it into the book, which took two years to complete. The recipes were tested by those who sent them in.

Although this cookbook, the Sisterhood's third in 40 years (the last cookbook was published about 20 years ago), features traditional foods from the past with a guide in the front of the book filled with information on recipe modifications, including substituting, reducing and altering ingredients, no calorie counts or nutritional breakdowns accompany recipes.

As in many fund-raising cookbooks, some recipes do not provide bottle, box and can sizes in ingredient lists; pan and pot sizes; or serving amounts. This should not be a problem for most veteran cooks, but novices may need some help in deciphering the recipes.

Profits from the sale of the book will go toward Sisterhood projects, including the support of Temple Judea youth groups, women's retreats, education, community projects, the homeless, and interfaith and ethical-actions programs in addition to Mazon, a national Jewish group.

Joseph said the best part of working on the new cookbook was the camaraderie of the committee. The worst, of course, was the time and the effort that was expended.

``A lot of hard work went into this cookbook - assembling the recipes, proofing and running back and forth to the printers - but it was worth it,'' said Novak.

The only thing missing from the book are the wonderful stories of where the recipes come from and who provided them.

The cookbook can be purchased from the temple office, 5429 Lindley Ave., Tarzana, Calif. 91356; [phone].

PASSOVER DERMA

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 cups crushed egg matzo

1 cup margarine, melted

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

In a bowl, combine carrots, celery, egg matzo, margarine, onion, garlic, eggs, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.

Place a 20-inch piece of foil on a baking sheet. Place mixture on foil and shape into a 16-inch roll. Bring up sides of foil, allowing for expansion. Fold short sides up and over. Seal.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 45 minutes.

When cool, cut into 1/2-inch slices. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

NOTE: Can be made the day before and reheated.

MAMA'S CHICKEN SOUP

1 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) chicken, cut up

Water

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic (optional)

2 carrots, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

3 celery stalks, sliced with leaves

Soup greens (optional)

My Mother's Matzo Ball (recipe follows)

In a soup pot, cover chicken with cold water and bring to a boil. Skim and add onion, garlic, carrots, salt and pepper.

After chicken has boiled slowly 1 hour, add celery and soup greens. Continue boiling slowly until chicken is tender. Add more water, if necessary. Strain soup and chill. Fat may be removed at this time. Soup may be prepared in advance and frozen.

Serve with My Mother's Matzo Balls. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

MY MOTHER'S MATZO BALLS

2 eggs, separated

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Scant 1/2 cup matzo meal

Water

Mama's Chicken Soup (recipe above)

Let separated eggs stand at room temperature 1 hour. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. In a small mixing bowl, with same beater, beat egg yolks, nutmeg and salt until yolks are pale yellow.

Fold yolks and most of matzo meal into whites, being careful not to lose much volume. Sprinkle remaining matzo meal on top. Refrigerate, uncovered, 30 minutes.

Bring a pot 1/2 full of water to a boil. Roll matzo balls, about the size of golf balls, in your hands, making sure there are no cracks. Dip hands in cold water periodically, to keep mixture from sticking. Drop into boiling water where you see bubbling. Cover partially and cook 20 minutes. Remove cover occasionally and shake pot. Drain and place balls in Mama's Chicken Soup.

Make sure soup and matzo balls are about same temperature. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

NOTE: There is no oil in these matzo balls - they are light and fluffy.

BAKED FISH IN WINE SAUCE 

4 halibut OR sea bass fillets OR steaks

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 can (14 to 16 ounces) stewed tomatoes

1 can (4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1/2 cup dry Passover white wine

Spray a shallow glass 7x11-inch casserole with nonstick cooking spray. Place fish fillets in casserole.

In a skillet, saute onion and mushrooms. Mix undrained tomatoes, olives, olive oil and wine together and pour over fish.

Bake in preheated 325-degree oven 20 to 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily when pierced with a fork. Makes 4 servings. (Double recipe for 8).

TZIMMES 

2 pounds carrots

4 tablespoons margarine

2 cups water

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 pounds sweet potatoes, sliced into 1 1/2x1/2-inch chunks

1 package (12 ounces) dried pitted orange-flavored prunes

1/2 cup golden raisins

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Peel carrots and slice. Melt margarine in a saucepan. Add carrots and saute 5 minutes. Add water and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Then combine all ingredients in a 4-quart casserole. Cover.

Bake in preheated 375-degree oven 1 hour, stirring occasionally until tender and water has evaporated. Makes 10 servings.

SPINACH MATZO KUGEL

6 to 8 pieces matzo

Water

2 medium onions, finely chopped

Vegetable oil

6 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms or use jarred mushrooms, drained

2 packages (10 ounces EACH) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups nondairy creamer

Salt, pepper and ground thyme to taste

In a bowl, break matzo into pieces and soak in water. When matzo is soft, squeeze out water.

In a skillet, saute onions in a little vegetable oil until soft. Add mushrooms and simmer 10 minutes. Add spinach and simmer 5 minutes. Add mixture to matzo. Place spinach-matzo mixture in a 9x13-inch pan.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs with nondairy creamer. Add all seasonings.

Pour in pan over spinach-matzo mixture.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 40 minutes or until top is golden brown. Makes 8 to 12 servings.

PASSOVER WINE CAKE

12 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup Passover red wine

1 cup Passover matzo cake meal

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup ground walnuts

In a bowl, beat egg yolks and add sugar gradually. Beat until very light. Add wine, cake meal, salt, cinnamon and nuts gradually, mixing well after each addition.

Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites, stirring from bottom. Pour into a 10-inch tube pan.

Bake in preheated 325-degree oven 1 hour. When done, invert tube pan securely over a soda bottle and let hang until cool. Makes 16 to 20 servings.

PASSOVER CHOCOLATE NUT TORTE

6 eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup chopped walnuts

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, grated

2 Delicious apples, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup matzo meal

Powdered sugar

In a bowl, beat egg yolks and granulated sugar until lemon colored and thick enough to ribbon. Gently stir in walnuts, chocolate, apple and matzo meal.

Beat egg whites into stiff peaks. Gently fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture, using a spatula, until thoroughly mixed. Turn mixture into an ungreased 9-inch springform pan.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 45 minutes to 1 hour or until cake springs back. Cool in pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

HAROSET FOR PASSOVER

1/2 pound dark raisins

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup walnuts

In a bowl, soak raisins in wine about 5 minutes. Squeeze out wine with your hands. Grind raisins in a processor and add nuts. Texture should be a dark thick paste.

Roll into small balls or serve in a bowl garnished with extra ground walnuts. Makes 15 to 20 servings.

SEDER DINNER

Passover Derma x

Mama's Chicken Soup x

My Mother's Matzo Balls x

Baked Fish in Wine Sauce x

Fresh Asparagus

Tzimmes x

Spinach Matzo Kugel x

Passover Wine Cake x

Passover Chocolate Nut Torte x

Fresh Fruit

Haroset x

x Recipe included

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos, Box

Photo: (1--Color) Seder-plate traditions vary from family to family. Here's how one family from Temple Judea prepares it. Clockwise from foreground: a roasted lamb-shank, a reminder of the paschal lamb sacrificed in the days of the Temple; prepared horseradish; a fruit-and-nut paste, representing the mortar the slaves used in buildings 1for the pharaoh's cities; parsley dipped in saltwater, a reminder of tears shed during slavery; bitter herbs (fresh horseradish), symbolizing the bitterness of the Israelites' lives under slavery; a hard-boiled or roasted egg, symbolizing the renewal of life; and, in the center, the cup for the prophet Elijah, filled with Passover wine.

(2--Color) Tsimmes, a combination of sweet potatoes, carrots, prunes and raisins, is flavored with honey, cinnamon, cloves and lemon.

(3--Color) Passover Chocolate Nut Torte features the taste of walnuts, apples and chocolate.

(4) Shirley Joseph, left, Janet Pransky and Binnie Nadler, cookbook committee members, peruse a Seder dinner menu taken from the Temple Judea Sisterhood's new cookbook ``New Traditions: A Jewish Cookbook for the 21st Century.''

David Sprague/Daily News

Box: SEDER DINNER (See Text)