"Passover and Good Friday Menu suggestions"?

[schoolchef]

All,
As some know, I am positioned in the vocational school arena and am planning to menu items for the upcoming Jewish holiday in our culinary arts shop. I have to admit I am not "schooled" as much in this cuisine as I should be.

I would enjoy any of your suggestions that would both educate our teachers and students, such as "FYI's" and "Hey did you know...". Yes, I will probably get on the web and explore, but I am intrested in the most popular entrees, starches, vegetable dishes that you have tried and are winners. We usually run 2 entrees, an action station, special plated "dinner" salad, a Deli sandwich, and 1-2 soups.

Some of my goals are to recognize ALL faiths, religious and ethnic traditions as much as possible, teaching students respect to all people (which I hope some day they will get it). I love my students and wish to expose them to as much as possible before the are set loose in the big world! Thanks so much for you help,
schoolchef

[Jim]

Schoolchef,

For Passover~
Soup: Matzoh Ball in chicken broth
Traditional 'Side' Dish: Haroset
Entree: Traditioanl Braised Brisket of Beef with veggies
Other Sides: Matzoh Kugel - basically a 'pudding' with soaked sheets of Matzoh. Gefilte Fish is also traditional but may be a bit scary for most (ground white fish in a jelly... sounds icky but is great slathered with homemade horse radish)
Dessert: Chocolate dipped sheets of Matzoh, of course. Cocont macaroons, too!

[cape chef]

Also a Seder plate with a cooked lamb shank,a hard cooked egg,parsley,horseradish,choraset.

Jim covered exactly what is served at Pesah meal.

You'll need a wine glass for Elicha and a piece of matzo for the afecomun.

[Mezzaluna]

Jim, the recipe for matzo balls contains baking powder- not allowed, along with any leavening agents, for passover. It's fine for the rest of the year.

The charoset recipe looks WONDERFUL. I love the dried fruits and spices! A nice change from the Eastern European apple/nut version.

The seder plate is a must for any seder- ritual foods to look at, learn about and (some) to taste. If it's simply a meal to taste the foods, the seder plate isn't necessary- it's part of the ritual retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt. It would make a nice display, though.

Although Jews from the Mediterranean, North Africa and middle east do eat rice, European Jews do not. No grains are permitted, nor legumes. I recently learned quinoa is botanically a fruit, so it's permitted.

My seder menu this year will include gefilte fish with horseradish, chicken soup with matzo balls, beef brisket, mashed potatoes and asparagus (someone else is bringing it, so I have no idea how it will be prepared). Dessert will be delicious almond macaroon horns dipped in chocolate, which my sister-in-law will buy in the Chicago suburbs, and a big plate of Mock Oatmeal Cookies. The only wine we'll use will be for ritual use- the sweet Manischewitz concord grape. If there's any good fresh fruit in the store, I'll put out a platter of that as well. Oh, yeah: that stand-in for corrugated cardboard, matzo. To me it has no charm unless it's being cooked with! We'll have enough charoset for ritual purposes, but also some extra for those who will want some for dessert.

Here's my mom's recipe for cookies, which she's made for over 40 years. They freeze well, too.

Mock Oatmeal Cookies for Passover

1 cup matzo meal
1 cup farfel (not the Nestle's dog! )
1/3 cup margarine, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins
2 eggs, beaten

1 Combine all ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls onto sprayed cookie sheet (or sheet covered with parchment paper or Silpat). Bake at 350° for about 12 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning. 1/2 cup walnuts or chocolate chips may be added if desired.

Makes about 24 cookies.

[Jim]

Mezz,
OOPS!! You are right! It must have been a temporary matzoh overdose that clouded my thought process... besides, what do those people over at RecipeCenter know anyhow?!
While on the topic, have you checked out any of Joan Nathan's works? She has written more about Jewish cuisine than I knew ever existed! One of her past tomes got the nod for a James Beard Award.

[Mezzaluna]

No worries about the baking soda, Jim. Matzo balls are year-round food, so for 51 weeks a year, that recipe is just fine.

Yes, Joan Nathan is wonderful. I love to listen to her talk about food and traditions. Best of all, she's opened the entire Sephardic (non European) world of food to those of us who had thought Eastern European Jewish food was all there was to it. She's opened my eyes.

[schoolchef]

Thank you for the helpful information! Is the Brisket, potatoes, asparagus, and matzo ball soup usually the most popular menu choice? From the replys that seems to be the common thread. During my research, I came across a link to a site that has quite a bit of information. This seems to be right along the same lines as all of you have suggested.

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ab522/jewishfood.html

I love the lamb with the horseraddish combination sounds wonderful. This should be an awesome day. Hey I have some raw corned beef brisket in the freezor L/O for St. Pat's day would that work without the season pack they throw in???
schoolchef

[Mezzaluna]

Nice site, schoolchef.

Brisket is a tradition among Eastern Europeans (Ashkenazim) because it was cheap and flavorful. I use it because it's still economical and is a breeze to prepare and serve. Most everyone likes it.

Sephardim (Mediterranean basin, Iberia, Middle East) use more poultry and fish for Passover. Spice palettes are quite different, and fruits are often incorporated into the poultry/fish dishes.

When I was growing up my mom served turkey stuffed with matzo stuffing (her same recipe as for Thanksgiving's break concotion, but used broken matzo sheets in place of bread). She sometimes served matzo meal kugel (really awful if you don't assure it's moist with broth or schmaltz!!!). We usually had asparagus because it was just coming into season and we all loved it.

Many people make vegetable kugels, too. Just be sure you don't use any grain products except matzo or matzo products. Thicken sauces with potato starch or matzo cake meal. Really observant people read labels to avoid corn syrup products too, which results in CocaCola labeled as "kosher for Passover" in some areas! (They use cane sugar to make it at that time.)

Observant families also change dishes, cookware and tableware for Passover. Or, they "kasher" everyday items- heat them in boiling water- to avoid mingling non-Passover food remnants, even microscopic ones- with Passover ones. Frankly, it's a way of separating those holiday days with "regular" days. Sort of separating sacred things from the everyday.

[DaveB]

There is a somewhat obscure tradition (Hungarian or Viennese) that says the roasted shank bone should be the only roasted meat on the table. In my wife's family, the traditional main course was boiled flanken and boiled chicken, both used to make the soup for the matzo balls.

Not the most sophisticated fare, but fairly tasty with enough horseradish.

This came to an abrupt end when my wife and I were guests at the seder of a well-known orthodox rabbi, who served us a lovely standing rib roast.

[Suzanne]

The Passover menu suggestions so far are some of the most common (= popular) dishes among Ashkenazi Jews -- those of us descended from Eastern Europeans. Since that's a majority of Jews in much of the U.S., it's hard to go wrong with them. This is the one time when people who wouldn't touch it otherwise might eat brisket cooked in kosher-for-Passover Coca Cola.

But for something a little more unusual, have a look at some of Joyce Goldstein's recipes. She has a couple of books on Italian and Mediterranean Jewish (Sephardic = eastern) cooking. I've used recipes from Cucina Ebraica at home, and they're great!

[schoolchef]

Suzanne,
Yes I will check out some of Joice G.'s recipies. I will run the general meal that everyone has confirmed through this post probably on thursday of this week (17th). One of my upcoming students is Jewish and he was saying that the matzo ball soup is hard to get the matzo balls just right. I have never made the soup before, go figure of all the years under the heat, you either get them too soft then mushy, or there too stiff. Either way I'll try one from Joice's book and from other sites I've found and experiment !! Along with the menu I'll throw in the chocolate dipped matzo, coconut macaroons, and one or two other deserts!

Dave,
Anything that is roasted with the bone, on the table, is sensationally awesome, mostly with some whole roasted onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Hey I'll bring the goodies...where's my invitation?

Mezzaluna,
Thank you for the mock oatmeal cookie recipe. I love oatmeal cookies, especially loaded with raisins, dates, and even a little dried figs into the dough, but I'm not going to add anything to yours though. Thanks so much !

[Mezzaluna]

Consider the recipe my birthdy present, Schoolchef! Many happy returns of the day.

[cookinscool]

It is tricky to get the consistency of the matzo balls right. Out of all the seders i have been too, the best matzo balls were made from the Manishewitz Matzo Ball Mix! so i stick with that

[Mezzaluna]

The mix does make consistently good matzo balls. I never used it until I was out of college. Our family "recipe" goes something like this:

1 egg per two people- beat lightly
a few dashes of salt
enough matzo meal to make a batter as thick as oatmeal

Cover, refrigerate 30 minutes or longer.

We cooked them in water with boullion in it, so the soup doesn't get soaked up by the matzo balls. Have the soup at a low boil. Dip a soup spoon in the hot soup, then scoop some of the batter against the side of the spoon so you get a dumpling the shape of a large almond. Gently shake the matzo ball off the spoon into the soup. Repeat until all the batter is used. Cover the pot and lower the heat to a simmer (the water should be moving- not still as for a poach).

After 30 minutes, they're usually done.

If you ever meet someone who doesn't like matzo balls, let me know. I never have!