Around the Passover Table (4 page)
Read Around the Passover Table Online
Authors: Jayne Cohen
Dr. Heschel's new ritual, however, was widely misrepresented in the press. I read about it in the Village Voice more than ten years ago, where it was incorrectly reported as an affirmation of the role of Jewish women, rooted in an exchange the theologian purportedly had with a male heckler.
Today the orange has taken on a life of its own. For some, it calls to mind Dr. Heschel's original intent. For others, it is a more general metaphor for the sweetness and fruitfulness that welcoming all people brings to the community; by spitting out the seeds, we symbolically repudiate cruelty to anyone.
Passover Recipes
Chicken Soup with Asparagus and Shiitakes, Served with Roasted Fennel Matzoh Balls
Savory Herbed Matzoh
Kleis
(Matzoh Balls Made from Whole Matzoh)
Celery
Avgolemono
(Greek Egg Lemon Soup) with Chicken Matzoh Balls
Artichoke Soup with Light Herbed Matzoh Balls
Smoked Whitefish Gefilte Fish with Lemon-Horseradish Sauce
Salmon Gefilte Fish Poached in Fennel-Wine Broth with Ginger-Beet Horseradish
Slow-Roasted Salmon with Green Herb Oil and Beet-Horseradish Relish
Fish in Tomato, Rhubarb, and Blood-Orange Sauce
Snapper Fillets in Pistachio-Matzoh Crust
Veronese Rolled Turkey Loaf (
Polpettone
)
Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemon
Lemon Fried Chicken with Tart Salad Topping
Braised Brisket with Thirty-Six Cloves of Garlic
Slow-Braised Brisket with Rosemary, Shallots, and Red Wine
Moroccan-Flavored Brisket with Dried Apricots and Prunes
Beet-Braised Pot Roast with Horseradish and Potato Knaidlach
Slow-Braised Lemon Veal with Leeks
Braised Lamb with Artichokes, Lemon, and Fresh Herbs
Etty Russo's Lamb Mina from Izmir
Salad of Bitter Herbs and Oranges
Roasted Asparagus Bundles with Toasted Matzoh Crumbs
Garlicky Swiss Chard and Mushroom Matzoh Kugel
Toasted AlmondâCoconut Macaroons
Hungarian Chocolate-Walnut Torte
Upside-Down Apricot Hazelnut Torte
Strawberry-Rhubarb Shalet (Pudding)
Mango- and Sour-Cherry Macaroon Crumble
Cinnamon Matzoh Brie with Toasted Pecans and Warm Vanilla-Maple Syrup
Matzoh Brie with Prunes and Wine
Overnight Caramelized-Apple Matzoh Brie
MATZOHS
One Passover spent in Paris, I ate thick matzoh, soft and crumbly as a cookie. In shops and restaurants in both the old ghetto area in the Marais and the newer North AfricanâJewish neighborhood surrounding the rue des Richers in the ninth arrondissement, I came across sweet varieties as well, prepared with wine, orange flower water, and sugar, tasting like exotic tea biscuits. They were, the boxes revealed, made from a secret family recipe from Oran, Algeria.
A sweltering August morning, strolling through Venice's
Gheto Novo
(New Ghetto, actually older than the
Gheto Vecchio
, Old Ghetto, but that's another story), my husband, daughter, and I snacked on what looked like quilted pillows of intricate ivory Venetian lace. They were pane azimo, pale matzoh, soft like the ones we'd had in Paris, baked at Panificio Giovanni Volpe, which also offers, even in summer, sugar cookies, delicate macaroons, and other pane dolci, sweets made with matzoh meal.
Eating these thick, puffy matzohs, I recalled the many Italian and French Passover recipes that specified thick or thin matzoh, and understood how Italian Jews who could not bear to go without their pasta might attempt to re-create lasagne with Venetian-style matzoh.
For Eastern European Jews, though, the best matzoh is the thinnest. In Abraham Reisen's story “Matza for the Rich,” the bakery workers expect a generous tip from the town's wealthy dowager for matzoh that is thin, crackly, and “comes out as if baked in the sun.” Notwithstanding their plainness, when served hot and crisp, these familiar Ashkenazi matzohs can be quite tasty.
Hot is the operative word here, for hot matzohâlike hot breadâis an amalgam of wonderful toasty flavors and aromas. Watching schmura matzoh (the special matzoh handmade from wheat that is carefully watched over from the time it is harvested) being prepared by the Hasidic Lubavitcher community in Brooklyn, I was captivated by the tantalizing smells of the freshly baked matzoh. And straight from the scorching wood-fired ovens, they were a marvel: gloriously toasty and crisp.
But when I brought the box home, the matzoh had dulled to a lackluster tasteâthey had more flavor than the packaged variety, but not much. I've learned to reheat matzohs to recrisp them as well as to recapture that fresh-from-the-oven flavor.
TO HEAT MATZOH
PREHEAT
the oven to 400°F. Wet the matzoh lightly on both sides with cold water (a few spritzes from a water spray bottle is perfect for this). Toast on a rack until dry and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.
MATZOH,
so central to Passover that it is often called Hag ha-Matzot (Festival of Matzohs), is served in place of bread or crackers during the full eight days of the holiday. The plain variety contains just flour and waterâno fats, salt, sugars, additives, or preservativesâso you can use them to custom-design your own crackers, seasoning them with whatever you would try on flatbreads or crackers, and enjoy them not only on Passover but also throughout the year.
SEASONED MATZOH
USE
these suggestions as a guide. I'm sure you'll have many ideas of your own.
1. Sprinkle the top of dampened matzoh with coarse salt, and, if desired, freshly ground coarse pepper and/or chopped fresh rosemary or other herbs. Bake until dry and crisp.
2. Gently rub the cut side of a garlic clove or onion over the matzoh until the matzoh is slightly damp. (A couple of vertical slashes in the cut side will make the garlic or onion juices flow more easily so the matzoh won't break apart in the process.) Sprinkle or spritz with a few drops of water, dust with salt, pepper, and herbs, if desired, such as thyme, rosemary or oregano, and bake until dry and crisp.
3. Sprinkle hot matzoh with grated Parmesan, Cheddar, or other cheese, grated lemon zest, and cracked pepper. Or sprinkle the seasoning on unheated matzoh and run briefly under the broiler.
4. Brush matzoh with melted or softened butter or extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, if desired; grated garlic or onion; and chopped fresh or dried herbs. Or steep minced garlic or onion in oil for a while, then brush the oil on the matzoh, using sprigs of rosemary or other herbs as a brush. Bake at 400°F until hot and just beginning to brown.
5. For a sweet matzoh, brush egg matzoh with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Place under the broiler until the sugar melts.
See
matzoh
section for more information.
Classic Ashkenazi Haroset
yield:
About 2
1
â
2
cups
You can vary the nuts, using pecans, hazelnuts, or, even better, a combination. Some people sprinkle pinches of ground ginger or cloves for a bit of spice. Straying slightly from the Eastern European roots, I sometimes include a little mashed banana, pureed dates, or even mango to create a more paste-like consistency.
1 pound apples (about 3 large, or 4 or 5 medium; choose a flavorful, eating-out-of-hand variety, such as Gala, Braeburn, or Jonagold; avoid Red Delicious, which all too often is bland and mealy), peeled, cored, and cut into eighths if large, or quarters if medium
3
â
4
cup walnuts or almonds (best if lightly toasted)
About 1
1
â
2
teaspoons ground cinnamon
About
1
â
4
cup kosher sweet Concord grape wine or juice
COMBINE
apples, nuts, and ground cinnamon in a food processor, and pulse until coarsely chopped and still chunky. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the wine or grape juice. Cover and refrigerate to let the flavors marry for a few hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature when ready to serve. Adjust the seasoning, adding more cinnamon or wine, if desired.
Grandma Dorothy's Haroset
yield:
3
1
â
2
to 4 cups
Her haroset was sweet with snipped raisins; her fritters drizzled with honey tasted so soufflé-light, they were called “snow pancakes.”
Lisa Sokoloff always knew her Grandma Dorothy's food was different. While Lisa's friends ate fluffy matzoh ball soup at their seders, her family tucked into an elixir rich with celery, carrots, chicken meat and necks, and little oniony dumplings made from whole matzoh.
But when Dorothy died, the family knew little about her heritage. Then an old article from a Brooklyn newspaper turned up, and they learned that Dorothy's grandfather, David Henry Lazarus, had emigrated from England during the Gold Rush and fought for the Union in the Civil War. When he was wounded in combat, President Lincoln shook his hand on a visit to the hospitalized troops.
The family is still working on Dorothy's story, tracking down the relatives living near London and Dublin. And part of Dorothy's story is told every Passover in the matzoh balls Lisa makes and in this simple but exceptionally delicious haroset.
She is still trying to piece together the snow pancakes.
1
1
â
3
cups dark raisins
6 or 7 medium, flavorful apples, such as Gala or Braeburn (do not choose the ubiquitous, ironically named Red Delicious apple)
8 ounces pecans or almonds (1
1
â
3
to 1
1
â
2
cups)
1
â
2
teaspoon ground cinnamon
Sugar or honey (optional)
About
1
â
4
cup sweet kosher wine
PLACE
the raisins in a bowl and cover them with hot tap water. Set aside to soak for at least 30 minutes. Peel, core, and quarter the apples.
YOU
can do all the chopping and grating in the food processor without rinsing between tasks if you follow the steps in this order. Pulse the nuts until very finely chopped and transfer them to a large bowl. Drain the raisins and pat them dry. Pulse them in the food processor until coarsely chopped (all the raisins should at least be chopped in half), and transfer them to the bowl. Remove the blade and insert the fine shredding disk. Finely shred the apples. Transfer them to the bowl.
ADD
the cinnamon and mix all the ingredients well. Taste and add a little sugar or honey, if needed (if apples are sweet, you may not want added sweetening). Stir in the wine, beginning with
1
â
4
cup and adding just enough more, if needed, to bind the ingredients together.
COVER
and refrigerate until cold before serving.