Pam R

Dessert Last week I baked some chiffon cakes at work: I do all the baking, then my mom does the finishing. The pecan chiffon cake I baked turned into a Shmoo: Along with some cookies I did at work: Some fresh fruit and peach tea: (Also pictures 1.5L 7-Up from Israel)

The table: Before we eat dinner, we go through the Hagaddah, retelling the storey of the Exodus from Egypt. The hagaddah is also a guide for the evening, telling us when to drink the four glasses of wine, when to eat the matzo, bitter herbs, have dinner, etc. I tried to drink this instead of wine: Ugh. Too sweet. Couldn't do it. When it was time to eat everybody helped themselves to chopped liver and gefilte fish while I got the soup. The little yellow circles are soup croutons from Israel. They are made by Osem and are awesome. They're made from potatoes and get soft rather quickly, so the trick is to add a few, eat them, then add more. Repeat. Then, everything else: Missing the turkey. My plate:

Pre packed. You could crush it yourself, but the pre-packed is consistent and easy. It also comes in whole wheat, but I like to stick to the spelt when I'm cooking for myself. 3 large egg whites 3 large eggs 6 Tbsp. oil or chicken schmaltz 1 cup (or 4 1/2 oz.) matzo meal salt and pepper

While the matzo balls were cooking, I put another pot on with new potatoes and simmered until just tender. Then drained the potatoes and tossed them into a bowl with olive oil, lots of fresh garlic, a mixture of fresh chives, rosemary and oregano, salt and black pepper. Those went into the fridge for a few hours and roasted closer to dinner. The pecans behind the bowl were toasted for the charoset (and so I can toss some into salads for the rest of the week). Then onto the Charoset Charoset is a mixture of fruits and nuts and other flavours. We always had the traditional Ashkenazi version - apples, nuts, cinnamon, honey and sweet red wine: We eat charoset because it's symbolic of the mortar used by the Israelites when they were slaves in Egypt (remember the movie the 10 Commandments? That's the story of Passover). It's strange that something that represents mortar tastes so good. But it does. Umm. Does it look like mortar? It's going into the fridge for a few hours and will get a little darker . . and a little limper . . and a little more mortar-like.

More prep for last night's dinner. Matzo Balls The ingredients: There are all sorts of tricks for getting the perfect, light matzo balls. Some people use seltzer or other carbonated water, some whip the egg whites and carefully fold everything together, some use baking powder, some chill overnight - I don't do any of that. Simpy mix all of the ingredients together (whole eggs plus egg whites, oil -- I used grapseed oil -- matzo meal (spelt last night) and salt and pepper), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the matzo meal has absorbed the liquid and the mixture has stiffened up. This usually happens in the time it takes for the water to come to a boil. Mixture ready for the fridge: Once the water starts boiling, add some salt. Then I use a small ice-cream scoop to scoop the batter. This keeps them all the same size. Roll each scoop into a ball and then the balls go into boiling water. Cover tightly with lid or foil and cook at a high simmer for 40+ minutes. Most recipe I read say to cook for 20-30 minutes -- that has never worked for me. The center is always hard and not fully cooked after 20 minutes. They're ready when you cut into one and the colour is consistent throughout -- if they're darker in the middle, they're not done.

There was no Afikoman. I was the youngest person at the Seder and my parents refuse to pay me for it anymore. My sister and I are the youngest cousins (and only girls) in my father's family. When I was a child my older cousins would act as my agents and negotiate on my behalf. But we did eat matzo! On it's own, with bitter herbs (horseradish) and charoset. Pictures coming soon.

The kugel is one of my favourites. It's much lighter than typical kugels. Thankfully there's a few pieces left . .for lunch! I spent Chanukah in Melbourne about 10 years ago and had a wonderful time at a community celebration -- games, entertainment and of course, food! And my sister lived in Melbourne and worked for a kosher caterer.

Love me some blintzes, but please make them potato. I made a batch around a week ago to go with the leftover brisket from last Passover. This year's brisket was made with the second of two very expensive briskets absent their fat caps that I purchased for pastrami-blogging purposes. I am pleased to say it worked much better in a braise than in the smoker. Oh no. Potato blintzes?? Hmm. Glad your brisket turned out. When I make meat blintzes I use the chicken from chicken soup -- with a little beef if there's any around. Add lots of caramelized onions and some boiled potatoes - helps keep it moist. Dessert blintzes, mayhap? Cherry and blueberry blintzes are wonderful things. OK. So, potato. I was thinking cheese. . maybe some of each? With fruit sauce on the side. I never make them with fruit in them. I don't know why.

Good. I'm feeling good about blintzes myself.

And now, I. Am. So. Tired. Going to sleep. Will post dinner pictures in the morning. Thinking about what to cook tomorrow. How do we feel about blintzes? Goodnight!

It is! And it was as good as ever. Love this brisket.

Soup and meatballs are warming up on the stove. Potatoes, kugel and brisket are in the oven. Salad, chopped liver and gefilte fish are waiting in the fridge. Table is set. House smells so good.

Thanks! You should make one - it's easy! It always works with a chuck roast. My sister, not a beef eater, tried a chuck roast I made this way and proclaimed it The. Best. Roast. Ever.

Chag sameach, Pam! Washington, DC just started ( January 1st) charging a nickel a bag. NYC still doesn't. I think San Francisco might've been the first city in the US to charge for bags. Perfect looking brisket - your method is my favorite. The brisket is nice and juicy when served. Matzo brei and fritatta - identicial cousins! Thanks, Mitch. Chag sameach to you! Are you sedering it tonight? If yes, menu?

Cauliflower, Leek and Zucchini Kugel You can make all sorts of kugels -- using different vegetables, noodles, potatoes, pieces of matzo. All kinds of combinations. I like this one because it's very light and more about the vegetables than the starch. First, slice up a large head of cauliflower -- 3/4-inch is good. Toss with olive oil, salt and black pepper and roast until it starts to brown on both sides. While that's in the oven, wash and slice leeks. Sweat in olive oil with some salt and pepper until soft. When the cauliflower is ready, put it into a large mixing bowl and mash it with a potato masher or a spoon. Add the leeks and some grated, raw zucchini. Add eggs and matzo meal. Mix everything together. At this point I like to take a little - a couple of tablespoons - and microwave it for a minute or so. Taste it and check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if necessary. Pour batter into a casserole dish that's been oiled and bake for 60-75 minutes or until golden brown. We'll cut and reheat it before dinner. Guests are coming in a couple of hours and I need to get going. If I'm not back before, I'll post more after dinner.

Brisket We've always had brisket for holiday meals. Usually garlic brisket prepared by my mom or dad -- but that was based on a recipe that my grandmother used when I was a child. I love that recipe and it's what we make at work, but tonight we're using my recipe. First, salt and pepper both sides of the brisket (this one is 5 1/4 lbs). Heat olive oil over high -- I used a large skillet because I can't find the Dutch oven I'd normally use (I'm moving in the next month or two and I've started packing some things -- like Dutch ovens that I haven't used since last Passover because I was supposed to be in my new kitchen last December). Anyway - brown it on both sides. Then transfer it to a large roasting pan (or just use a large roaster if it's stove-top safe). This brisket has a thin layer of fat covering most of it -- it would be better with some more but people are always looking for the leanest roasts . . A bunch of onions go into the pan that I used to brown the brisket. Some brown sugar is added. Cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and starting to brown. Then add tomato paste, sliced garlic cloves and sweet paprika. Stir and cook for another minute or so then add some dry red wine -- about 1 1/2 cups. Cook a couple of minutes, until it's reduced then add 2 cups of chicken stock. Bring up to a simmer and pour over the brisket (or return the brisket to the pot if you're using something large enough). Cover with lid or tightly with foil and into a 325 oven for 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours, depending on the size and thickness of the brisket. When it's tender, pull it out of the oven. Chill overnight or until completely cold -- so that the fat hardens. Remove the fat with a spoon. Scrape all of the onions, garlic and sauce from the brisket and set the brisket aside. Use a blender, food processor or immersion blender to puree the sauce. Slice the brisket and return the slices to the sauce. When we're ready to heat it, I'll make sure the brisket is covered in sauce. Here it is sliced, before returning to the fridge until later. (sorry about this picture -- will try to get a better one later )

I've been prepping dinner most of the day. The menu: Chopped liver (from the store*) Chicken soup (from store) and matzo balls Charoset (along with bitter herbs, lettuce, parsley, boiled potatoes and matzo) Citrus Almond Salad Garlic Herb Roasted Potatos Cauliflower, Leek & Zucchini Kugel Brisket with Onion Gravy Roast Turkey (from the store) Sweet & Sour Meatballs (from store) Fresh Fruit Shmoo (from store - pecan chiffon cake with whipped topping and caramel sauce) *The store means my store. More details coming up - some might have to wait until after dinner.

Five cents a bag I think. I rarely buy any. I have a collection of reusable bags that I try to keep in the car -- it's just that in the craziness of the last couple of weeks I forgot to check the car before I went to work yesterday to make sure I had them. But I grabbed some bags from work before I went shopping. We still give bags (no charge) but encourage customers to bring their own. A few years ago we had some reusable bags made and gave them out pre-Passover. And we use a lot of cardboard boxes. In the last month we've received . . I'm not sure. 3,000 boxes minimum. Anything that could be used to pack orders was used. Anything that can't be used gets schlepped to the recycling center. It's been at least a decade here too. They charge less here but the bags are pretty flimsy. I should point out that this is the only chain that charges for bags. The other 2 big grocery chains here (Safeway and Sobeys) do not charge for bags, offer more service and generally charge more.

Most of the food I need for the week we sell. But we don't sell wine, produce or eggs. So when I finally finished up at work yesterday, I made two stops on my way home (and saw customers in both places). First was to this store: No question, they have the best selection of kosher wine in the city -- and they also happen to be about 2 blocks from my store. I'm allergic to alcohol (can't drink it, but I can cook with it), but I needed some wine for my brisket and picked up a couple of bottles for dinner tonight. During a seder we're supposed to drink 4 glasses of wine. Little children (and I) drink grape juice. And right across the street from Kenaston Wine Market is the Superstore: And yes, here's my token for the shopping-cart (shaped like our $1 coin): I was here for eggs and produce. Nicely stocked but they didn't have any peppers other than sweet. By the way, very little local products available. We had snow on the ground last week and it's been hitting temperatures below zero at night. We're a ways off from local produce. This is the largest supermarket in the area and has a pretty good produce department. You also must bag your own groceries and pay for plastic bags. I usually have reusable bags in my car which I realized were in my garage once I got to the store. I did have a bunch of plastic bags in my car that I used. Anybody else paying for plastic bags out there?

Pretty good actually. There will always be something we over-order and some things will be short -- we can only guess at the numbers. We'll have to wait until Friday to get a real sense of what's left. Hopefully all our customers are at home cooking up a storm and running out of things. I won't be making gefilte fish, but it may make an appearance tonight. Matzo balls are on the schedule. We don't sell charoset -- but I will be making the classic Ashkenazi version for tonight. Sometimes I make a date version which would be considered more Sephardic. I also like versions with mixed fruits and different nuts. It's fun to experiment with the flavours -- really, you can do so many different things, can't you? It seems that every year there's more available at Passover. Most of the cheeses we sell all year are kosher for Passover. My favorite cheese is a sheep feta from Israel. But we get a great assortment of cheeses in for the holiday. AI Foods is making some nice cheeses now and we bring in a lot of Israeli dairy. There's also a Canadian company that makes pressed cottage cheese that's incredibly popular around these parts. I'll be using some of it later in the week. Exactly! I avoid things that are considered kitniyot . . though the more I think about it the more I think it's not necessary. But it is tradition!

Matzo Brei / Fried Matzo Like most things, there are many opinions on how to make the best matzo brei. This is how I like it. First of all, I prefer sweet over savory. That means I start by making a sauce for it. Wash berries and slice strawberries. Into a pot with the juice of the orange and some sugar. Cook over med-high heat until the berries are soft and have released some juice. You can leave it as is, but I wanted to tighten it up a bit, so I mixed some potato starch into cold water, poured a little in and simmered until it thickened. Next - break up 1 matzo board and into a bowl - cover with boiling water (I use an electric kettle but you can use hot tap water). Mix and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Drain as much liquid as possible -- the matzo should now be soft: Add some salt and 1 large egg. Mix well. Melt some butter in a frying pan (I use a small pan, about 8"). Pour the matzo/egg mixture in and spread it out evenly: Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. I use a large spatula to flip it over then cook the other side until brown -- another 3-4 minutes. Flipped onto a plate and topped with berry sauce. This was breakfast. If you like it sweet you can use maple syrup or jams and preserves. Some people like it with lots of salt and pepper. Pheh.

I'm turning in for the night, but I thought I should mention what I had for dinner. No pictures tonight -- and no cooking. From work: turkey with a mushroom/onion kugel and strawberries (that really tasted like strawberries!) and a toasted coconut and cocoa meringue for dessert. Goodnight.

That sounds like a delicious menu! Chag sameach, Katie. We have no vegetarians at dinner tomorrow. . and there will be meat. Brisket anybody?

I know Melbourne has a large Jewish population but what's it like in your area? Can you find matzo in the local shops? I'll talk more about why I pointed to the map of Canada later, but one of the reasons is that outside of Winnipeg it's hard to find kosher foods for hundreds of kilometers in any direction. We have customers in provinces on either side. And yes, it is the hilly part -- there's a bump in the road nearby. For those of you who have never been here, Winnipeg may be the flattest place on earth (I don't know this as fact, but it must be). As soon as you drive beyond the city's perimeter during the growing season you can see fields of canola (developed here) and wheat for miles and miles in all directions. Once upon a time I went to seders on the first night. But people got sick of everybody in my immediate family falling asleep at the table. Today people kept saying "I hope you're not doing anything tonight" to us. How tired do you think we looked? But tomorrow there will be a seder! Thanks, Maggie. Lots to post tomorrow. With pictures and everything!

That's right. The same rules that apply all year (no milk and meat cooked or eaten together, certain animals not allowed, some cuts of otherwise kosher animals not allowed, etc.) apply during Passover. But we also have restrictions against eating leavened bread and Chometz. We can't eat foods that are made from wheat, rye, oats, barley and spelt. Of course, we do eat things made from these grains (matzo being the most important) but they are prepared under special supervision following strict rules. The issue is that once flour made from any of these grains is mixed with water it has to be baked completely within 18 minutes. It's hard for a home cook to ensure that this happens, so we just eliminate flour completely for the week. So, instead of using flour, we use matzo in various forms for cooking. Very finely ground matzo is called cake meal and is comparable to flour. Matzo meal is coarser and used where you would use breadcrumbs. Now, there's another issue. For Jews of European decent (Ashkenazi), we have a tradition of not eating kitniyot. Things off limits during Passover because they are 'kitniyot' include beans, corn, rice, mustard , most seeds and their by-products (like oil). That's a brief explanation -- I'm sure I'll say more over the week!