Chef Impersonator: Making traditional dishes for Passover
I am not Jewish, but like many people, I have friends who are of the Jewish faith, and the Passover festival is a bit of a mystery to me. Like me, you may wonder what the traditions mean. What do the foods symbolize? What is a Seder meal?
Passover signifies birth and rebirth, and commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. It begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which this year falls on Friday.
It lasts for seven days, with the ritual Seder dinner served at dusk on the first night.
The book of Exodus tells the story of how God helped the Israelites escape slavery by inflicting 10 plagues on the Egyptians, one of which was the death of the Egyptian firstborn. The Israelites were to mark the doors of their homes with the blood of a slaughtered spring lamb, and the firstborn were thereby passed over in that home. This is how the holy day got its name.
The story of Passover also tells us that when the Israelites were freed, they left in such a hurry they could not wait for the bread dough to rise, or leaven. And so the tradition of eating unleavened bread during Passover began.
Matzo is the traditional unleavened bread, and Passover is often called the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.
This month I’m sharing four recipes for Passover given to me by two dear Jewish friends. These recipes are ones that I hope everyone will enjoy regardless of religious faith.
I made matzo balls for the first time and just loved them. So light and fluffy, simple and satisfying. This recipe uses plain chicken stock and carrots for the soup, but feel free to use your own chicken soup recipe and add the matzo balls to it.
The strawberry fluff reminds me of desserts my mom made us growing up. Both recipes come courtesy of the Beth-El Women of Reform Judaism.
Tzimmes (Yiddish slang for “a big fuss”) is a traditional Passover stew, made with carrots, dried fruits and sweet potatoes simmered slowly, and sometimes made with beef short ribs, as I did here. This hearty stew is sweet and earthy, and it pairs nicely with the cool asparagus ribbons, which are served uncooked.
If you’re of the Jewish faith and celebrating Passover, I hope you’ll add these new recipes to your holiday celebration. If you’re not Jewish, you can make them anytime to expand your experience with foods from other cultures and religions.
Nancy Farrar is the Chef Impersonator. Reach her at ChefImpersonator@gmail.com or visit www.ChefImpersonator.com. View her food photography at www.FarrarFoodPhotography.com.
The Seder meal
The traditional Seder meal, eaten on the first night of Passover, includes the sharing and discussion of the story of Passover, drinking four cups of wine, and eating matzo and other symbolic foods placed on the Seder plate.
The Seder plate contains six items:
Maror and Chazeret: Bitter herbs, often horseradish, symbolize the bitterness and harshness the Jews endured.
Charoset: A paste of fruits and nuts represents the mortar paste used by the slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt.
Karpas: Parsley, celery or cooked potato is dipped in salt water at the beginning of the Seder.
Zeroa: A roasted chicken, lamb or beef bone is symbolic of the lamb offered in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Beitzah: A hard-boiled egg symbolizes the festival sacrifice offered in the Temple of Jerusalem.
Nancy Farrar
Matzo balls
Makes about 64 matzo balls (halve this recipe for smaller groups)
- 16 eggs
- 1 cup oil
- 2 tablespoons dill
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons soup stock base or bouillon powder
- 4 cups matzo meal
- 8 ounces sparkling water
- 4 quarts chicken stock
- 6 carrots, peeled and sliced
1. Beat the eggs and oil in a large bowl until well-mixed. Add the spices, salt and pepper, and soup stock/bouillon powder, and mix well. Add matzo and mix well. Add sparkling water and gently stir. Refrigerate 30-45 minutes.
2. Bring the chicken stock to a rolling boil. (You can use water instead, if preferred.)
3. Remove the matzo from the refrigerator. Using even scoops and a bowl of water, wet your hands and gently roll scoops of the dough into 1-inch balls and set aside. (The more you handle the dough, the tougher the matzo balls will be.)
4. Place as many balls as will fit comfortably in the pot without being too crowded. This may take several batches. Boil 30-40 minutes until they’re fluffy and the inside is fully cooked. You may need to cut into one to check. Remove matzo balls from pot.
5. Cook the sliced carrots in the chicken stock for 15 minutes. Add the matzo balls and serve.
Nutritional analysis per matzo ball: 97 calories, 5 grams fat, 8 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein, 53 milligrams cholesterol, 133 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber, 48 percent of calories from fat.
Beth-El Women of Reform Judaism
Tzimmes
Serves 10
Tzimmes is Yiddish slang for “a big fuss.”
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 pounds lean, meaty flanken (beef short ribs)
- 4 cups chopped onion
- 4 cups boiling water
- 11 ounces dried apricots
- 1 pound pitted prunes
- 3 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1. Fill the bottom of a large, heavy pot with vegetable oil. Salt and pepper the meat and brown each side in the oil, cooking in batches to avoid crowding. Remove the meat to a plate.
2. In the same fat, saute onions until soft. Replace meat, cover pot, and cook for about 1 hour over very low heat.
3. Pour the boiling water over the apricots and let soak for 30 minutes.
4. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Transfer meat, onions and cooking juices to a large roasting pan.
5. Pour apricots with soaking liquid over the meat. Put prunes, carrots and sweet potatoes around the meat. Stir lemon zest and juice, ginger and cinnamon into the meat cooking juices to distribute evenly. Cover and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Tzimmes can be served immediately or reheated. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week, and frozen for several months.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 917 calories, 36 grams fat, 82 grams carbohydrates, 68 grams protein, 158 milligrams cholesterol, 178 milligrams sodium, 13 grams dietary fiber, 35 percent of calories from fat.
“The Passover Table”
by Susan Friedland
Asparagus ribbons
Serves 4
- 1/2 pound asparagus (choose the fattest stalks for this recipe)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade (See note)
1. Snap off the bottom ends off the asparagus by holding the stalk between your thumbs and forefingers. The tough stalk ends will automatically snap off exactly where they’re supposed to. Laying each stalk on a cutting board, and using a vegetable peeler, slice the stalks lengthwise into very thin strips.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the asparagus ribbons and gently toss until evenly coated. Add the almonds and basil and gently toss to combine.
Note: To chiffonade, stack basil leaves on top of one another. Roll into a tight cigar shape, cut into thin strips with kitchen shears and fluff strips apart.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 88 calories, 8 grams fat, 2 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, no cholesterol, 1 milligram sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 81 percent of calories from fat.
Adapted from a recipe on thekitchn.com
Strawberry fluff
Serves 12
- 2 egg whites (or pasteurized equivalent)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups frozen thawed strawberries
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Place all ingredients in the mixer. Mix on medium-low for about 10 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and smooth.
2. Pour into a 9-by-14-inch glass cake pan and freeze. Slice frozen and serve.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 109 calories, trace fat, 26 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, no cholesterol, 10 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 2 percent of calories from fat.
Beth-El Women of Reform Judaism
This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 9:56 AM with the headline "Chef Impersonator: Making traditional dishes for Passover."