When I first thought of this Pesach series, I was a little concerned that this post was going to be too complicated. Then I thought that maybe I would just collect some recipes for charoset from different Jewish traditions, but that seemed to be a cop-out. As I was leafing through some recipes, I flipped past the word “deconstructed” and it instantly clicked; for this article, I would feature the elements of charoset in a variety of recipes.

One thing that always troubled me about charoset was it’s contradiction. Charoset symbolizes the mortar used by the Jewish slaves in Egypt, but it’s sweet. We have salt water for our tears, maror for the bitterness of slavery, but the remembrance of the hardship of servitude is actually pleasantly sweet (and a little alcoholic). One answer is that it fits with the other Pesach juxtapositions between slavery and freedom.

(more…)

The seder celebrates Pesach as Chag HaAviv, the Holiday of Spring. To commemorate the rebirth and renewal of the land after a cold winter [although I'm not sure what they do in South Africa or Australia], we eat a small amount of greens at the beginning of the seder. Parsley, saved from near death as a garnish, has a bright, zesty, faintly bitter flavor when added at the last minute to recipes.

Here are some recipes that highlight the flavors of parsley, as well as some potato recipes, and a crepe recipe that is limited only by your imagination.

Little darlin’, it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter… (more…)

So we’re back for one more round of the egg at the Seder. I’ve assembled a list of recipes for egg dishes that are delicious, beautiful, and easy to prepare. The seder is about freedom, and elegance is most certainly a symbol of freedom. There are ten recipes in total, so if you missed part one, you can read it here.

So, soups and deviled eggs don’t do it for you, huh? Want something a little more challenging? Something with a little more ooh and aah? These egg recipes aren’t exactly difficult, but poaching eggs takes a little patience to get it right. The results are not only well worth the effort, they’re pretty tasty, too.

(more…)

This post isn’t going to be about fancy-schmancy Lavender White Cornmeal Pancakes with Ginger Saffron-scented cream. No one wants to go through that kind of trouble at too-early o’clock. This is for when it’s cold outside and the kids need something warm in them and you’ve woken up too early and can’t fall back asleep and your ranking is slipping as SuperParent.

I haven’t even gone through the trouble of converting the recipe to weight from volumetric measurements, because this is going to be easy and fun, which is just what you need at the crack of dawn.

(more…)

Passover is right around the corner. All around the Jewish world, people are starting their lists, most prominent among them is The Meal. The traditional Pesach meal during the Seder (Shulchan Orech) usually starts with an egg. The roasted egg on the Seder plate represents the chagigah sacrifice, as well as a symbol of mourning for the destruction of our Temple. Many people have the custom to eat a hard-boiled egg in salt water as a soup. I actually eat the egg from the Seder plate, since I believe that the ki’arah is supposed to be functional, not merely decorative. But that’s me. I’ve assembled a list of recipes for egg dishes that are delicious, beautiful, and easy to prepare. The seder is about freedom, and elegance is most certainly a symbol of freedom.
(more…)