Check epicurious. They always run Passover recipes and I think you can search their recipe archives specifically for Passover and for the non-traditional recipes. Many years ago I clipped non-traditional recipes from a NYT column and will look through them. Also, do a search for Sephardic recipes and you'll find some out of the ordinary possibilities. And don't forget about Joan Nathan's cookbooks.
On the subject of Passover, last year I used rendered chicken fat in my Matzoh balls and took them to a new level.
A tip: Blue Ribbon Bakery makes their own Matzoh. While they don't adhere to the timing requirement, it's delicious and a real conversation starter. You have to order in advance.

epicurious has a passover section with recipes for a Sephardic seder and Mexican Passover recipes, too.

About ten years back either Bon Appetit or Gourmet had a recipe for sweet potato matzoh balls that were delish! You can probably locate that recipe on epicurious, too. (I've been thinking about making the sweet potato matzoh ball and shaping them into gnocchi to serve as a side dish.)

Although it it won't work for your seder, one Sephardic Passover dish that I really like is mina. The one I make is like a veggie lasanga and is made with matzoh, potatoes, bechamel, cheese and spinach. I also found this link for a meat mina at: http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/mina.htm

hi liz! my dad is a reform rabbi so i have a little experience in the slightly offbeat seder. first, you should look for a recipe for sephardic charroset. unlike the traditional apple-nuts-wine version, this one is made with dried fruits like dates and it's got the consistency of baby food. it's sweeter and it's a nice compliment to the horseradish that's eaten with it.

also, two of my favorite passover things are shmura matzah (the round, handmade kind) and hardboiled eggs chopped up in salt water.

as far as what's kosher-for-passover and what's not, bread, cake, pretzels, pizza, pasta are obvious. sephardic jews eat rice and legumes and corn during passover while ashkenazic (most american jews are ashkenazic) don't. for those who are strict, that even means corn syrup, which is in way too many things.

do your guests keep kosher? if not, i would suggest making this chocolate cake for dessert (click my name for link). but if they keep kosher and you're having meat for dinner then you can't have dairy for dessert.

no, nobody keeps kosher. everyone is ashkenazi. my mom has committed to the osso buco, so i was thinking of roasted fennel with parmesan and a flourless chocolate cake for dessert. one of the guests is bringing a green salad, so i think all we need is a starchy side, which is where i'm coming up short! (i was really gunning for white beans, but they're apparently not kosher for passover.)

My mom makes a mean passover sedar - roast lamb and <a ref="http://www.dahlshouse.com/recipes/archives/2003/09/scalloped_potat.html">scalloped potatoes</a>, and when I'm around, I'll top it off with <a ref="http://www.dahlshouse.com/recipes/archives/2004/04/white_chocolate.html">semifreddo </a>. The dessert is not kosher, since its dairy, but it is kosher for passover, which is all my family cares about.

Oh, and the sedar we go to on the second night substitutes gefilte fish with smoked salmon and creme fraiche mixed with horseradish - highly recommend it.

oh, and my links didn't go through, but recipes for all of the above are here: http://www.dahlshouse.com/recipes

omg! are potatoes okay? i'm so confused!

I'm not Jewish, but I've found myself at more than a few seders . . . charged with making sephardic charroset from NYT recipe that appeared in the early 90's.

Incredible stuff! What a great holiday . . .

yes -- potatoes are ok.

...but scalloped potatoes if they have milk or cream in them cannot be served with meat like lamb. If you plan on keeping kosher that is.

Three words: Flourless Chocolate Cake.

Replace any flour called for in the recipe with matzo meal.

you mean the flour that isn't in the flourless chocolate cake? ;)

yep, that's already on the menu. i was just hitting a wall with the starchy side, but i think potatoes will be delish. maybe i'll roast them with the fennel.

and no, we're not keeping kosher. kosher for passover, but not milk-and-meat kosher. which, i realize, doesn't make a lot of sense, but there you go.

Well, often flourless chocolate cake recipes will call for a few tablespoons of flour to help form a crust on top...

For starch, try matzo farfel. My grandmother does a great job turning it into an airy stuffing with celery and onions.

Guido, can you please share the NY Times recipe for Sephardic charoset? I have a few others, but I'd like to compare.

Thanks.

I love Joan Nathan's cookbook Jewish Cooking in America. She has the brisket recipe that's now become a staple for our seder. A couple of weeks ago, the NYT did a story on kugels and had recipes for some untraditional ones. I made the broccoli & potato one and it was great. Might be a little too E. European for the seder. I also have the New York Cookbook by Molly O'Neill and there's a recipe in there for Moroccan carrots that could be really yummy (and carrots kosher for passover).

I'm kind of fascinated by the kosher for passover but not kosher thing. There's an old joke about a Jewish man at a diner who orders ham and cheese on rye. Another Jew in the restaurant says, "Don't you know it's Passover?" "You're right! Ham and cheese on matzoh!" Of course my dad was a kosher butcher, so he would look at me like I was insane if I put a dairy dish with meat. But then he's the same guy who, this past Sat. after driving in a car and paying for lunch (both verboten on shabbos) told me he doesn't carry a pen on shabbos. You draw the line, Dad! So I guess, do what makes you and your guests happy, it's supposed to be a joyous meal. And make sure to get a nice wine :)

there is a good article by joan nathan in today's nytimes about passover, with some recipes --

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/05/dining/05leav.html

she also does a good job of explaining where the custom of not eating legumes either is from.

basic idea is it starts with a prohibition against 5 grains -- wheat, barley, rye, oats, and spelt. any of these, mixed with water and allowed to sit for more than 18 minutes, is 'chametz' (matzo is made by mixing any of these with water and baking quickly - in the under 18 minute time frame; cleaning the equipment in between batches to make sure there are no bits left for more than that time.)
derivitives, like vinegar, grain based alcohol, or more obviously, things made from these grains - pasta, flours - is also 'chametz'.

i keep kosher, and other than for baking, i tend to skip most of the kosher for passover recipes and just go with recipes that i make throughout the year that do not have grains and legumes. this means most proteins and veggie recipes are fine. the things that make it slightly more complicate are derivitives -- soy sauce, vinegar, etc.

i'd be happy to answer any more specific questions - just post them here - i'm usually lurking :-)

I know this is a bit off the main topic, but i want to make a kugle. Can i make it with egg pasta or is that out? If not what would be a good replacement? I should mention i'm in Australia and have been struggling to find kosher food for the holidays.

My family's favorite Passover recipe is Nana Jose's Flourless Chocolate Cake from the NYT. I threw out a couple of new ideas for this year's dessert and there was nearly a riot.