From the Angelis

For the last 25 years, Evan Kleiman has hosted a Passover dinner at Angeli Caffe, but it's not a seder--she calls it a "celebration of food." The family-style menu combines the chef's Jewish upbringing and her love of rustic Italian cooking: There's almost always chicken matzo-ball soup and orange-laced pot roast, but also cianfotta, a sautéed Italian side dish made with fresh spring vegetables.

Cianfotta can mean different things in Italy, depending on the region. In the south, it's probably eggplant and tomatoes cooked long and slow in olive oil; in the north, it can be asparagus, tender fava beans, baby artichokes and sugar snap peas. "It's an Italian welcome to the springtime table," Kleiman says.

She gets peak-of-the-season farmers' market vegetables and cooks them until slightly more than al dente. Served hot on its own, cold in a salad or tossed with pasta or risotto, it's great for the holiday--or any time.

Spring Cianfotta
From Angeli Caffe's Evan Kleiman
Makes three to four servings

1/2 cup olive oil
1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
1 stalk green garlic (or 2 garlic cloves), peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 bunch thin asparagus, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 pound sugar snap peas, stem end and string removed; pods sliced vertically to expose peas
15 spearmint leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper
1. In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the leeks and cook over medium-high heat until soft. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute.
2. Turn the heat to high and add the asparagus, sugar snap peas and spearmint. Cook the vegetables, stirring frequently, until slightly softer than al dente, about 7 to 10 minutes; longer for softer vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Angeli Caffe's Passover dinner is Thursday, April 9; $40 per person; 7274 Melrose Ave., L.A.; 323-936-9086 or angelicaffe.com