Almost Passover - Let the Cooking Begin in Ernest

Joanna called me at 7:30 this morning with her first cooking question of the day - "Since my brisket is huge, and the roasting pan from Grandma Hazel barely fits in the oven, how do I sear the brisket in the oven rather than on top of the stove?"  We decided that 20 minutes at 450°F/220°C should work just fine.  It will look like the photo above, but without the lima beans.  And while she's busy cooking most of the meal, I've dishes of my own to prepare...

Last Day of Passover

For many Jews, Passover never gets beyond the second Seder. For many others, like me, it continues for eight days. It seems as if I've been cooking and cleaning and eating way more than writing. That said, this Passover season we've done very nicely.

In addition to a great many leftover meals, here are just some of the other tasty dishes we've been eating. Starting with the Chocolate Covered Matzo Crunch, thanks to David Lebovitz, who got his inspiration from Marcy Goldman. Fortunately I made enough to enjoy through the week.

These Spicy Moroccan Meatballs were perfectly balanced by mashed Sweet Potatoes.

Tonight, the last night, we'll be enjoying this Chicken Shnitzel and...

Savory Carrot Kugel.

While everything was very delicious, I admit it... I'll be happy to be back to normal.

The Lull Before the Passover Seder Chaos

I had to take a picture... once everyone arrives here this evening, joyful chaos will take over and I wanted to remember this.

The only cooking left to do (I wrote about the menu yesterday) is the last minute stuff... reheat the chicken soup and matzo balls, plate the gefilte fish, last hour of roasting for the brisket, reheat the carrot tsimmis & potato kugel, roast the asparagus and toss the salad. I even had time to make David Lebovitz's Matzo Crunch... or as he calls it Matzo Crack. Seriously addictive!

Passover Seder Menu

It's that time of year again, when I start getting serious about my Passover Seder Menu. For the last few years, I've only had to make a side dish or two, or even better, spent the day in Joanna's (my older daughter)Kitchen preparing together or playing Grandma, and keeping little boys occupied while Mummy cooked. The photo is of Joanna, Sharron (my baby who couldn't make it this year) and me.

This year, the first seder is at our house and we'll be ten... small compared to the twenty or so I used to feed when we lived in Montreal, years ago. And, I even have help with the menu. My son-in-law's (Ezra) mother will be making the chopped liver, potato kugel and bringing dessert. Ezra's sister, who is a great baker will be making a flourless cake.

For those of you still hunting for a new dish or two to add, I hope this gives you some idea. The photos here are for those traditional dishes I've made time and time again. The rest will be photographed - hopefully - on Monday and added later. Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls Gefilte Fish (I buy the frozen prepared logs and just boil them up, but I do make my own horseradish sauce - Chrain)

Cheryl's Chopped Liver

Bitter Greens Salad with Berries & Citrus Vinaigrette

Brisket with Mushroom Rub & Gravy Potato Kugel (Cheryl's making hers, but this is my recipe)

Roasted Asparagus (without the cheese - just a balsamic drizzle)

Gingery Carrots, otherwise known as Tsimmis

Dessert... surprises

That's on top of the ritual eating during the actual Seder portion. For those who are wondering what that is. This Wikipedia explains it quite well. So in addition to the lamb shank bone & one egg that roasts along with the brisket boiled eggs in salted water for everyone, there's the Charoset or mortar - a sweet mixture to remind us of the mortar Jewish slaves used to build the pyramids in Egypt. This year my friend Jane of Janes on the Common found a new recipe for it that I'm going to try too. Pistachio & Dried Fruit version from Bon Appetit and it sounds delicious.

All in all, I think I'm ready... just need to buy some stretchy pants to wear after all this eating!

Celebrations - Birthday & Passover Seders

Birthday treat ...

...finally a new photo with me and my girls - Sharron, Joanna and me

Ready for the Passover Seder

I mentioned before that my daughter Sharron was in for my birthday and it's been joyously hectic since her arrival. I thought I'd share some of the highlights...which always entails cooking and recipes.

Saturday morning at the market held an interesting discussion in the line at Getaway Farm about liver. Bottom line...you either love it or hate it...there is no in between. I love it, but never make it because my Honey ...well...he's in the other camp. So at least twice a year - for Jewish holidays, Joanna makes some chopped liver - no recipe, sorry and no picture either because...well, it never looks pretty. It's hard to find good beef liver in this town, so I was excited when I saw some and called my daughter (waking her up at 7 AM) to ask how much she needed..."Lots" was the answer so I took 4 pounds which was probably twice as much as we needed. No worries - those of us who do enjoy it at the Seder table on Monday had fantastic care packages to take home!

The afternoon was spent doing a little of the cooking for the Seder (I like to do everything as close to serving as is possible. So starting two days before is as early as I care to go.)...some fantastic Caramel Matzo Crunch from Marcy Goldman's A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking and of course I forgot to take a picture of that too. The rest of the day was spent visiting and organizing.

Sunday was my birthday and I opted to cook dinner for family and friends of Sharron's who are like family. My Honey thought we should eat out or order in... that I shouldn't have to cook on my birthday. Silly him - it's one of my biggest pleasures.

Cooking schedule for the day...

Chicken Soup & Matzo Balls

and Tunisian Date Cake for Monday's Seder

My Birthday Dinner - from one of my latest cookbook acquisitions -
Rose Reisman's Family Favorites: Healthy Meals for Those Who Matter Most
Roasted Salmon with Teriyaki Hoisin Sauce

Roasted Root Vegetables with Maple Syrup Dressing

And my own, thrown together, simple mixed green salad with a blueberry balsamic vinaigrette.

Dessert was just the birthday cake. Everyone seems to have a personal favorite....homemade with love, or store bought; ice cream cake or something baked. My family usually opt for something chocolate, and usually of the ice cream variety. I, on the other hand have to wait until my birthday comes around for the store bought (I'm talking grocery store) vanilla cake with white butter cream icing and hard candy roses (see top of post).

Boaz and Dov seemed happy with my choice too.

Monday morning and more cooking for the Seder...boiling a dozen eggs and whipping up Charoset for the ritual part of the meal.

Gefilte fish (I cheated)...bought frozen logs that you just put in boiling water, seasoned with a carrot and onion for an hour and a half.

Two giant Potato Kugels (One would have been plenty)
Roasted Asparagus - without the grated cheese garnish in the recipe, whipped up while everyone was eating their appetizers.

The rest of the cooking was perfectly prepared by Joanna and her able assistant, Sharron - too busy for a photo.
Roast stuffed leg of lamb, carrot tsimmis, salad, and of course the chopped liver.

Plus some candid shots....note the empty table...that's the ritual portion before we overindulged.

Ezra, Boaz, Joanna & Dov
The rest of us, pardon the blur. And what does a three year old do when he's not quite engaged in the Seder? He uses Grandma's camera...
Poppa's shoe and my favorite...
Self Portrait.

For those of you celebrating Easter this coming weekend, I hope yours is as wonderful as our past weekend was and may it bring you Peace and Joy. Oh...and what will you be serving anyway?

Remember that I'll be hosting this week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup - I even found kosher for Passover pasta. Send your entries to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Pasta For Passover?

A little simplistic background...Passover is the Jewish holiday where (over dinner, which is called a Seder), we relive the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Charleton Heston starred in the epic film version - The Ten Commandments. Heston played Moses AND the voice of God (which I did not know until just now).

NOTE: Passover won't begin until March 29th, but every Jewish housewife is already starting to plan her menus and buy up all the Passover goodies she can find.

There is one key ingredient that we eat throughout the eight days of Passover and it symbolizes the hasty escape and wandering through the Sinai desert for 40 years. We do not eat bread, or any leavened baked goods. That, my friends, means no flour. Instead, we eat lots of matzo (photo at the top of the post - think crackers) - sheets of it - great for a snack with butter and jam, or fried - I'll have to write the recipe for ours, which is basically a cross between scrambled eggs and French toast, sounds weird but tastes awesome... farfel - large crumbs, in soups as you would crumbled crackers and traditional stuffings,
like this Farfel Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Black Currant Sauce,

And matzo meal, which is ground matzo, because no Jewish feast would be complete without chicken soup with matzo balls.
or Velvet Squash & Carrot Soup with Curried Matzo Balls...
All that to say, if you're a bread addict, you'll still be fine.

Fine and dandy but what about pasta? It's been a very long time since I've found kosher for Passover pasta and, being such a pasta person, I've always tried to find dishes that feel and taste like pasta, even if there isn't a noodle in sight.

Last year I made Sweet Potato & Mushroom Lasagna

and the year before that was the Spinach Lasagna (made with matzo).
This year, I've already done some experimenting and was delighted when I saw a recipe for Eggplant Rollups on the cover of Bon Appetit that really looks like cannelloni. (I know, not the best picture, but we were in a hurry to eat it, not to mention the fact that I left my camera at home. This was taken with an iPhone.) The dish was awesome! So Jewish or not, Passover or not, this should definitely be on your table soon.

In fact, I'm sending it to Kirsten, From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours, for this week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup, because it is my favorite pasta free pasta.

And, naturally....guess what I found yesterday at the one grocery store in Halifax that actually has a supply of Passover foods.... not one but two kinds of kosher for Passover pasta.

A Diary of Passover Meals

I was just doing a little instant messaging with a friend in Toronto and telling her what we've been eating so far this Passover. She was impressed so I thought I'd share with you...after all, there are still four days to go.

Thursday's Seder at Joanna & Ezra's (daughter & son-in-law, or as they are usually known here...Boaz & Dov's parents).

Chicken Soup & Matzo Balls (still hard even though we tried to make them soft and fluffy)

Salmon Gefilte Fish

Joanna's Chopped Liver (sorry no recipe. One of these days I'll have to get it down on paper)

Stuffed Roasted Leg of Lamb (same story)

Potato Kugel


Gingery Carrot Tsimmis


Mixed Greens with Strawberries & Balsamic Vinaigrette

Date Cake, melon slices and macaroons from a box

Friday Night Dinner here - so many courses for the two seders that I thought to forgo appetizers and soup....no one complained. (Photo at top of post)

Farfel Stuffed Chicken Breasts in Blackcurrant Sauce

Wild Mushroom Potato Kugel

Roasted Asparagus without cheese or herbs

Passover candies for dessert

Saturday

Breakfast was Fried Matzo or Matzo Brie ( no recipe really but per person... 2 sheets of matzo crumbled and soaked in hot water and then squeezed dry, 1 egg and season with salt, pepper and some grated onion. Saute in some oil in a hot pan, like you would make scrambled eggs).

(Joanna called it Lupper, since we actually ate at around 3pm)

Sweet Potato & Mushroom "Lasagna" - the sweet potatoes are the "noodles"

and some Passover Rolls

Supper...snacking on leftovers.

Now I'm hungry...good thing there are still some containers in the fridge.

Passover's Coming

Short post, because I'm up to my neck in cooking and baking for Passover Seders and visiting in-laws. But I thought I'd share my contribution so far...okay, that was from 2007, but doesn't it look awesome? The lamb is about to go in the oven and everything else is ready.

For years I boycotted making gefilte fish...I love to eat it, don't get me wrong, but it's so smelly to make...at least it was until I found this recipe last year. It's delicious and the house will not smell very fishy either.

Salmon Gefilte Fish Balls with Horseradish Sauce

Tunisian Style Date Cake
(and no flour at all!)

One or two more desserts coming...maybe...depending on when I poop out and then I'm done except for the helping. I used to have 20-25 people for Seder dinners (Often, I would even do both of them), but it's been a while and now I simply contribute to other people's Seders.

Here's the menu for 2007 Seder at Joanna & Ezra's. Boaz was a baby and we (including my other daughter, Sharron) came to Halifax for the holidays.

Passover Seder Menu

ENJOY!

And to all my Christian friends....have a very Happy Easter.

Don't forget that this week's Presto Pasta Night roundup is being hosted by the wonderful Marye of Baking Delights. Send your perfect pastas her way at maudet8816 (at)aol (dot) com and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com Guidelines to share your pasta dishes.

Who knows, maybe I'll even get in a pasta dish for dinner tonight...nothing does leftovers better than pasta.