Charoset, a diplike Passover dish made with fruit and ground nuts, symbolizes the mortar that the enslaved Israelites used to bond bricks. This Ashkenazic version, containing apples, walnuts, and sweet wine, comes to us from the mother of our colleague Leslie Jonath.
This dish was featured as part of our Recipes for Passover photo gallery.
Game plan: Though charoset is traditionally served as part of the Passover Seder, it’s also appropriate for a Rosh Hashanah meal.
- Yield: 2 1/2 cups
- Difficulty: Easy
- Total: 10 mins, plus 30 mins resting time
Ingredients (8)
- 1 1/4 cups toasted walnuts
- 1 pound Granny Smith apples (about 3 small apples), peeled, cored, and cut into large chunks
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup kosher sweet wine, such as Manischewitz
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Matzo, for serving
Instructions
- Place the walnuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse until finely chopped but not a paste, about 20 (1-second) pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl.
- Place the apples and lemon juice in the food processor and pulse until the apples are finely chopped, about 25 (1-second) pulses. Transfer to the bowl with the walnuts.
- Add the wine and cinnamon to the apple-walnut mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the charoset sit until the flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. Serve with matzo.
