That Time of Year Again

It's Passover again and I am avidly reading cookbook author, food essayist, and Jewish culinary historian Joan Nathan's answers to readers questions regarding appropriate and appetizing foods for their Seders in the NYTimes (see additional links at bottom of her post).

But I'm not Jewish, you say?

True.

But for years I lived in New York and Chicago where Jewish holidays were more widely observed than in Texas or here in Connecticut.  I am also an aficionado of food history and culture and have several friends who are culturally if not religiously Jewish.  And so I'm not only aware of but also really interested in the foods of Ashkenazic and Sephardic Passover traditions.   Besides, I just finished Brooks's People of the Book fictionalized account of the Sarajevo Haggadah, the 14th century illustrated manuscript of the text (well, there are several versions now--feminist, GLBT, green, UU--almost any point of view) used during a Seder.  

We've had Seders at our church, being a UU congregation--with tzimmes and haroset and matzo ball soup and kugel (I know, I know, that is more for Rosh Hashanah, since there is flour in the noodles usually and that is not kosher for Passover, but it is in the spirit--besides, the only rules for our Seder are vegetarian dishes and no obvious breads).  But our meal doesn't approach the foods described by Nathan in her NYTimes column or in her books (I gleefully acquired her tome, Jewish Cooking in America at the booksale, with all its wonderful history.  And many vegetarian recipes for dairy meals).  

Here are just a few that Nathan has highlighted this spring.  I might be trying them for Easter!  Because, if anything, our family is diverse and multicultural (which means I should probably try cleaning the cupboards, too!).

Happy first night of Passover!

(Mom--didn't one of Dad's aunts convert from Methodism to Judaism?)

-=-=-=-=-

Citrus Fruit “Salady Soup”

4 tangerines
1 grapefruit
4 blood or other flavorful oranges
1 cup orange juice
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
6 dates or figs, roughly chopped
1 pint lemon or tangerine sorbet
6 tablespoons orange blossom water
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon cumin
6 mint leaves, cut in chiffonade
¼ cup shelled and peeled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
¼ cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped

1. Cut off the tops and bottoms of the tangerines, grapefruit, and oranges with a sharp knife. Slice off the peel and the white pith, and cut in between the white membranes to yield individual segments. Put in a large bowl with the orange juice and enough sugar to make it slightly sweet. Add the dates or figs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. You can do this a day in advance.

2. Just before serving, ladle some of the citrus juice into a glass dessert bowl or individual cognac snifters. Add a small scoop of the sorbet, some of the citrus slices, and a few pieces of fig or date. Splash some orange blossom water and olive oil on top. Then sprinkle with cumin and the mint leaves and scatter with a few pistachios and almonds.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Chocolate Macaroons 
(Adapted from “The Foods of Israel”)

3½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup matzoh cake meal
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, plus 1 egg white
½ cup (4 ounces) imported bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup water

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Mix the coconut, matzah cake meal and 1 cup of the sugar together in a bowl. Add the eggs and extra egg white and mix with your fingers until well blended.

3. Gently shape about 2 tablespoons of the dough into a pyramid and set on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving about 2 inches in between the cookies. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden on top. Cool completely.

4. Melt the chocolate with the water and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer slowly for a few minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Cool the chocolate slightly.

5. Hold a macaroon with 2 fingers and dip half the cookie in the chocolate, so that it is half black and half white. Dry for a few moments tilted over a dish, then place on waxed paper. Repeat with the rest of the cookies. Cool completely.

Yield: 16 macaroons

My Matzo Balls

3 tablespoons chicken fat or vegetable oil
6 large eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 ¼ cups matzo meal
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley.

1. Mix the chicken fat or vegetable oil with the eggs, salt, nutmeg, ginger, matzo meal and parsley together in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

2. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Take the matzo mix out of the refrigerator and, after dipping your hands into a bowl of cold water, gently form balls the size of large walnuts. Add the salt to the water and drop in the balls. Simmer slowly, covered, for about 20 minutes, remove from water with a slotted spoon, and add to the soup.

Yield: About 12 matzo balls.

PEARL NATHAN'S CHICKEN SOUP

Time: About 4 hours

5 chicken leg quarters

2 stalks celery in 2-inch chunks

2 carrots, peeled and in chunks

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

1 parsnip, peeled and in chunks

2 tablespoons chopped dill

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

4 ounces escarole

Matzo balls (see recipe).

1. Place 16 cups water in a deep pot over medium heat. Add chicken legs, skimming off foam that accumulates on surface. Simmer slowly, uncovered, for 2 hours.

2. Add celery, carrots, onion, parsnip, dill and parsley. Continue cooking on low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours more.

3. Strain soup, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight. The next day, skim off solidified fat (save for matzo balls), bring to a boil, and add escarole and matzo balls. Serve.

Yield: About 10 servings.

Joan Nathan