Religion

One week from today, my home will be filling up with the smells of Seder dinner.  Chicken soup will be simmering on the stove.  Brisket will be roasting in the oven.  The food processor will be chopping up apples and walnuts.  My husband will be snacking on macaroons.

What is a Seder Dinner?

The Seder dinner is a tradition for the first night, or for some people the first two nights, of Passover.  Seder, which is a Hebrew word meaning order, is an evening of rituals, such as eating matzo and bitter herbs, drinking four cups of wine (many of us have adapted that ritual to four sips), telling the story of Exodus and eating the Seder meal.

During the Seder, and the following eight days of Passover, we remember the Exodus when our ancestors escaped from being slaves in Egypt.  We eat matzo and refrain from eating other grains because our ancestors did not have time to let their bread rise.  We eat bitter herbs to remember the bitterness in their lives.  We eat charoset to remember the mortar they used to build the pyramids.

What Is Not Eaten?

I could write an entire post on what is or is not kosher for Passover.  This is the quick overview.

The foods that can not be eaten on Passover are called chametz: wheat, spelt, oats, barley, and rye.  Many Jewish people of European descent, including me, also do not eat kitniyot: corn, rice, legumes and some seeds.  The reason?  The quick answer is we deny ourselves foods our ancestors were not able to eat during the Exodus and the only food containing grain we eat is matzo.  Matzo is unleavened bread, almost like a large cracker, made from only flour and water and baked for less than 18 minutes.  Matzo can be ground into matzo meal to be used in many recipes during Passover.  A fine matzo meal is similar to a course flour, while a course matzo meal is similar to bread crumbs.  There are a few reasons many of us refrain from eating kitniyot, but it is basically to prevent accidentally eating chametz.

Many Jewish people who do not keep regularly keep kosher follow the general rules of Kashrut, dietary law, during Passover.  That means we do not eat pork or other meat from animals with cloven hooves that chew their cud.  We do not mix meat and dairy.  We only eat seafood that has fins and scales, which means we do not eat shellfish.  This website has a good overview.

Some Traditional Recipes

I am sharing with you a few of my favorite traditional  Passover recipes.  I’ll be making these and many other foods for my Seder dinner.  Please share your own favorites in the comments.  Maybe you can help me decide what side dish is missing from my menu.

My Mom’s Chicken Soup

Whether you are making this soup for Passover or just everyday enjoyment, the recipe depends on using kosher chickens.  Kosher chickens are soaked and salted before packaging and that makes a significant difference in the taste.

Makes 12 cups of soup

• 2 kosher chickens, each 3 lbs plus, cut into quarters (include the neck and any organs – they will add lots of flavor)
• About 14 cups water
• 3 large carrots, cleaned and cut in thirds
• 1 large white turnip, cleaned not peeled; cut in half
• 1 large parsnip. cleaned
• 4 stalks celery, each cut in half
• 1 whole onion, peeled
• 3 leeks
• 1-1/2  bunch parsley
• 1 -1/2 bunch dill
• Salt to taste (about 2 teaspoons to one tablespoon)

Clean chicken thoroughly. Cut away excess fat and discard. Pour boiling water over chickens prior to putting in pot.  Put chickens in a large stock pot and pour water up to about ¼ of an inch over the chickens.  Bring to a boil and skim off fat and scum during the first 10 minutes of boiling.  Lower heat to allow stock to simmer.  After one hour, remove about half the chicken. (This chicken will make great chicken salad, the chicken that cooks the whole time will have lost most its flavor.)  Add carrots, white turnip and parsnip.  Bring back to boil, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes before adding celery, onion and leeks.  Bring to a boil once again, lower heat and simmer for another 10 minutes before adding parsley and dill.  Bring to a boil for a final time and simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain the soup before serving so you have a clear broth.  I strain it from the ladle as I pour each bowl.  In my family, we serve the soup with one large matzo ball and a piece of carrot.  Some people like to shred some of the chicken and add it to the soup.  As a child, it was a treat to get the neck or the gizzards.

For the matzo balls, my mother always told me there is no better recipe than the recipe on the side of the box of Manischewitz matzo meal.  We are a family that believes matzo balls should float, not sink.

Charoset

Adapted from The Complete Passover Cookbook, Frances R. AvRutick

• 4 apples, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks (many people peel the apples, but why cut away all that fiber?)
• 1 cup chopped or ground walnuts
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 6 teaspoons kosher red wine or grape juice

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped.  Ideally, the charoset should resemble a chunky mortar, as it should remind us of the mortars used to build the Egyptian pyramids.  Some people prefer a chunkier charoset.

Charoset is my favorite Passover food.  Every Passover, I wonder why I don’t make charoset throughout the year.  It is simple and delicious.  But I know that, in my heart, I want to keep charoset special so I only allow myself the cinnamon apple goodness during the eight days of Passover.

Coconut Macaroons

This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown’s Toasty Coconut Macaroons.

• 4 large egg whites
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 8 ounces unsweetened coconut
• 12 oz semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate chips
• 1 oz vegetable shortening

Bring eggs to room temperature.  Whip eggs, a pinch of salt and vanilla until they stiffen.  Add sugar in three parts and continue to whip until very stiff.  Fold in the coconut, being very careful not to over mix.  You want to keep the mixture as light and fluffy as possible.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Drop batter onto paper using a teaspoon.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, checking periodically to makes sure they do not burn.  You want a nice golden color on the top, but the cookie won’t be too firm.

In a double broiler, or a metal bowl over a pot of about 2 inches slightly bowling water, melt the chocolate chips with the shortening.  Dip the cookies in the chocolate so the chocolate covers about half the cookie and let dry on parchment paper.

(Special thanks to DahlELama for making sure this Reform Penguin didn’t make any mistakes)

Matzoh Ball Photo: Flickr