An extraordinary anticipation exists before Passover. It mounts weeks in advance because Passover represents spring, and spring means house cleaning. Jewish families that put forth the effort for the holiday feel comforted that they are doing more or less what their ancestors have done for at least the last 2,000 years.
The week-long festival, celebrating the freedom of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, begins at sundown on April 9 this year. More than any other Jewish holiday, Passover requires titanic energy in preparation.
But what`s so bad about having a holiday that once a year makes you clean out your refrigerator, dust that top shelf, discard your old spices?
Beginning up to a month in advance of the holiday, each corner of the well-kept Jewish household is to be cleaned, especially the kitchen and any places where food is prepared or consumed. The Book of Exodus says that every trace of leavening must be removed from the Jewish home, and that only unleavened bread be eaten for eight days to serve as a reminder of the Jews`
hasty flight from Egypt. (Leavening or chometz, such as yeast or baking powder, causes breads or cakes to rise and expand when they are cooked, something for which the fleeing Jews had no time.)
Some conservative and almost all orthodox families keep separate sets of dishes, cutlery and cooking utensils for Passover that are packed carefully away the rest of the year. Other families convert their dishes, pots and silverware for Passover by scalding them in boiling water.
When all traces of chometz are removed, all surfaces that might come in contact with food will be covered with aluminum foil or other covering. The freezer and refrigerator will be defrosted, thoroughly cleaned and lined for the holiday to keep foods from touching surfaces used the rest of the year.
For the person responsible for cooking, Passover presents a formidable logistics problem. Not only are unique foods prepared for the symbolic seder plate, but the cook has to prepare a meal without the benefit of such proscribed foods as regular flour, baking powder, rice, corn oil,
confectioners` sugar, cornstarch, beans or even mustard seeds.
Once the kitchen is readied, it is time to prepare a plate with symbolic foods for the seder.
Maror, a bitter herb (usually horseradish root) is grated as a reminder of the bitterness of enslavement in Egypt. Haroset, a blend of sweet fruits and nuts, representing the mortar used by Jewish slaves in building for their masters, must be ground and prepared in sufficient quantity to satisfy those craving its sweet taste. It is eaten-in what many think of as the first sandwich-with a piece of maror between two pieces of matzo.
Although most Americans prepare a haroset made from apples, almonds or walnuts and sweet wine, there are as many different kinds of harosets as the countries (and sometimes the cities) from which Jews have come. Many seders include a haroset typical of the family as well as another, more exotic one, such as an Egyptian haroset with dates, raisins, walnuts and sugar that probably resembles the one used in ancient times.
A lamb bone and an egg must be roasted as a reminder of the Passover festival sacrifice mourning the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
That done, an enormous meal must be cooked for hungry people who have been sitting through a lengthy narration of the story of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
The observance of Passover rites varies greatly among Jewish families, from merely celebrating the seder for one night and introducing matzo into their home to following every detail of koshering an entire home. For those preparing the seder it can be especially exhausting but spiritually rewarding. Menus also vary depending on the ethnic and religious background of the family. In the United States where most Jews are of Eastern European background, a meal typically might start with hard-cooked eggs in salted water, followed by gefilte fish.
Homemade gefilte fish can vary regionally. In the Midwest the fish patties might be made entirely from whitefish. On the East Coast a traditional combination of carp and whitefish is used, or sometimes pike. On the West Coast gefilte fish could include salmon and haddock. Cooking times vary too. Try cooking gefilte fish for half the time your mother`s or any traditional recipe suggests. It will be lighter, and just as tasty.
For many, a seder without chicken soup and matzo balls is no seder. How you make matzo balls depends on what you remember from your own childhood. Matzo balls can be heavy as stones or light as air. One tip for the matzo balls is to make them in advance, place them on a cookie sheet and freeze them. Then put them in a plastic bag. If you have a large freezer, you can kosher a soup pot ahead, make the chicken soup with the matzo balls and just freeze the entire soup and matzo balls until the night of the seder.
Main courses also vary, but brisket, stuffed veal and turkey seem to be the easiest ways to feed a large crowd. Brisket does not have to be the everyday variety. Try a Moroccan brisket with olives for a change. Vegetables are difficult at Passover because so many are proscribed. First-of-the-season asparagus and spinach are good bets. Roasted new potatoes, potato kugels are popular vegetables.
Passover is a time of year to bring out old dessert recipes. Any European torte with no leavening is appropriate. Many of the greatest Viennese and Hungarian tortes include no flour and are exquisite desserts, so much better than the more common, dry sponge cakes. For butter, just substitute pareve margarine, that is, margarine prepared without meat or dairy products. Look in your favorite cookbooks or try a recipe like the following moist chocolate torte.
EGYPTIAN HAROSET
PREPARATION TIME: 10 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 20 MINUTES YIELD: 4 CUPS
1 pound raisins
8 ounces pitted dates
2 cups water
1/4 cup each: sugar, chopped walnuts or pecans
1. Place the raisins and dates in a bowl with enough water to cover. Let stand for one hour.
2. Add the sugar and whirl the mixture in a blender, a few spoonfuls at a time. Or divide the mixture in thirds and place in a food processor.
3. Transfer the chopped fruits to a heavy saucepan and simmer gently until the fruits are cooked and the liquid absorbed, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and place in a jar. When cool, sprinkle with chopped nuts.
MOROCCAN-AMERICAN BRISKET WITH VEGETABLES AND OLIVES PREPARATION TIME: 45 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 3 HOURS
YIELD: 12 SERVINGS
1 first cut brisket, about 6 pounds
1/2 cup onion soup mix, kosher for Passover
2 1/2 pounds green cooking olives, obtainable at Greek specialty stores
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
2 large fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced
4 tablespoons chopped celery heart with leaves
1/2 small carrot, peeled and sliced in paper thin rounds
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Fresh black pepper to taste
1/2 cup water
Juice of 1 lemon
1. Smear the brisket with the onion soup mix. Place in a heavy roasting pan and bake, covered, in a 350-degree oven 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until a fork goes in and out easily. Let cool and slice. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, pit the olives. Put them in a pot, cover with water and heat to boil. Drain and cover again with water. Drain again. This is done to remove some of the saltiness.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy pot. Add enough turmeric to make the oil yellow. Add onions, tomatoes, celery, carrots and black pepper to taste. Saute until the onions become translucent. Stir in the olives. Add water and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over all. Cover again and continue to cook 30 minutes longer, adding more water if necessary.
5. Heat brisket again in the pot. Pour the olive mixture over all and serve.
ASPARAGUS WITH FRESH HERBS
PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINUTES COOKING TIME: 10 TO 12 MINUTES
YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
6 tablespoons pareve margarine
6 shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons each: chopped parsley, chives, dill
Fresh chervil to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
1. Cook asparagus in boiling water until just tender, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
2. While asparagus is cooking, heat 4 tablespoons margarine in a large skillet. Saute the shallots and then add the asparagus and the herbs and cook for a few minutes, shaking frequently. Sprinkle with lemon juice and season with salt and ground pepper to taste.
MOIST ITALIAN CHOCOLATE TORTE PREPARATION TIME: 25 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 50 MINUTES
YIELD: 8 SERVINGS
This recipe is adapted from Claudine Ostrow, a fine cook and an Egyptian Jew who lived for many years in Italy, where she learned this recipe from a chef.
1/2 cup (1 stick) pareve margarine
8 ounces imported semi-sweet chocolate
5 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup ground almonds
1. Melt the margarine with the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a microwave oven. Cool.
2. Mix the egg yolks with the sugar, stirring until they become pale yellow.
3. Combine the chocolate mixture with the yolk mixture; fold in nuts.
4. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. Fold in.
5. Place a shallow roasting pan, filled with water, in a 375-degree oven. (This makes the torte more moist.)
6. Grease 9-inch springform pan and line with aluminum foil, smoothing out a many wrinkles as possible. Pour in batter. Wrap outside of pan in foil so no water gets in pan. Place in pan of water and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool a few minutes. Remove sides from pan and carefuly peel off the foil. Invert onto a serving plate. Serve as is or sprinkle with granulated sugar ground finer in a food processor. During the rest of the year sprinkle with confectioners` sugar. (Note: Confectioners` sugar is prohibited by some at Passover because it contains cornstarch.)
