Amygdalia's Blog

Foodie Friday: Cooking for Passover

Tomorrow I'm driving up to my cousin's house to cook for Passover.  This is one of my absolute favorite times of the year.  Our family seders are wonderful, but the cooking will always be the most special part of the holiday, for me.  For my family, no holiday would be complete without enough food to feed an army.  Cooking for Passover isn’t just about cooking for the two seders; enough food is prepared so that everyone can take home leftovers to get them through the entire eight day holiday.  Cooking typically begins at least two weeks in advance.  This year, that wasn’t possible, so the weekend is going to be a cooking marathon. 

There are many special foods that are eaten at Passover, but first and foremost is the matzah.  Matzah is unleavened bread, the only grain that is allowed during the holiday.  No flour, no rice or other grains, no yeast or other leavening ingredients are permitted.  All baking must be done with matzah cake meal – finely ground matzah.  Eggs are a main staple, serving as the only rising agent in baked goods. 

Charoset is another food that is eaten during the Passover seders.  Meant to commemorate the mortar that the Israelites used to build the Egyptian pyramids, charoset’s sweetness also reminds us of how sweet it is to be free.  There are different recipes for charoset made around the world, but the traditional one for my family is the typical Eastern European one made with apples, nuts, cinnamon, and red Passover wine. 

A symbol of spring, an egg, typically roasted, is also a part of the seder.  Horseradish symbolizes the bitterness of slavery.  Other seder table items include a roasted shankbone to symbolize the animal sacrifice offered at the Temple of Jerusalem, a green vegetable, and salt water to remind us of the tears our ancestors cried while they were slaves.

In addition to all of those ritual foods for the seder table, there are usually about 20 different dishes prepared for our meal.  The meal begins with either matzah ball soup or hot beet borscht.  The next course is gefilte fish or chopped liver.  Then comes the hard boiled egg course.  For the main course, the choices are roasted turkey, stuffed cabbage, brisket, and stuffed veal.  Side dishes include 3 different kugels (a starch based casserole, savory or sweet, with egg) – matzah apple kugel, potato kugel, and spinach kugel; claremont salad; homemade applesauce; candied sweet potatoes; green vegetable; two kinds of stuffing (one for the turkey, one for the veal) . . . I’m sure I’ve forgotten something.  Because that’s certainly not enough food to satisfy everyone, desserts include spongecake, 2 kinds of mandel bread (sort of like biscotti), and two kinds of meringue cookies.  Assorted boxed candies round out the meal . . . and the people!

Anyone who’s read earlier entries in my blog will recognize that this holiday is a tricky one for my immediate family.  With Jakie’s food allergies, it’s very difficult to find a variety of foods that he can eat. 

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Recipes:

Claremont Salad
1 medium cabbage, shredded         
2 carrots, sliced finely
1 red onion, sliced finely
2 European cucumbers, sliced finely (leave skin on)     
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons salt
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup oil
       
Mix cabbage, cucumber, carrots and onion in a large bowl.  Combine remaining ingredients and blend with vegetables.  Store in tightly closed jars.  Can be eaten the first day, but improves with age (within reason).

Potato kugel
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
8 medium potatoes
2 medium onions, quartered
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
5 large eggs, beaten with a whisk

Preheat oven to 425.  Place oil into large 9 x 13 baking pan & set aside.  Fill large bowl with cold water & add some ice cubes.  Peel potatoes & place them into bowl of cold water.  This will prevent them from turning brown.

Finely chop onions in the container of a food processor fitted with a metal blade.  Remove to a large bowl.  Cut potatoes into chunks & place into the food processor; process until almost smooth.  Add potatoes to onions.  Add sugar, salt & pepper.

Fold in eggs.  Place baking pan with oil into oven.  When oil sizzles, carefully remove from oven & spoon some of it into the potato mixture.  This will help make the kugel fluffy.  Mix well.  Spray pan with cooking spray.

Pour potato mixture into oiled pan.  Bake uncovered for 1 hour. 

Homemade applesauce
10 lbs Rome apples   
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water
dash salt 
vanilla

Place washed apples cut into quarters into large pot with 1/2 cup hot water.  Add a dash of salt.  Cook until very soft. Using a Foley food mill, process all of the apples.  The skins and seeds will stay behind in the mill.  Add sugar to dissolve, and vanilla to taste.  Cool.  Can be frozen.




Amygdalia