Kokh Leffle

Thank you so much for making me feel welcome here on eG. Following the discussions as you all prepared for and had your Seders was my way of regaining the spirit of the holiday. Saturday (ereve Peseach) I was feeling very alone and isolated. I spent the whole day just reading through the posts and it really made a big difference. It almost made me feel like I was in my kitchen and celebrating with family. Hag sameach Elie

My favorite preparation is nap and peal. If I’m in a hurry I just boil in salted water using a shallow skillet for two or three minutes then plunge into an ice bath. If I have more time I like to toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and oven roast. I drizzle with a simple garlic vinaigrette and garnish with a few of the smaller inner rings of a red onion. I prefer tasting the asparagus rather then the sauce or dressing. This is a great side dish for a perfectly grilled medium rare steak or Tri-tip roast. Here in Ontario, I have noticed the Mexican asparagus for the last couple of months. Its quite pricey at about two and a half to three dollars per pound. I can’t wait for the thick stalked California crop to make its way to our markets.

YUM!! Try This: Get the best ripe tomatoes you can find. At this time of year, your best bet is on the vine hothouse tomatoes. Alternate and overlap slices of tomato with slices of onion. I like to make overlaping concentric rings on a plate. Sprinkle with sea salt and lots of fresh ground black pepper. Drizzle with some good olive oil and enjoy with your favorite bread. A nice home baked baguette is ideal. Be sure to soak up the juices and oil with the bread. For a nice variation, scatter with some capers or anchovy filets.

Pam I have enjoyed following your discussion for the last few days. It has brought back memories for me. Several years ago I was the chef/manager of a kosher restaurant in southeast Florida. The restaurant was affiliated with a kosher take out/catering business that was housed next door. During Passover we closed the restaurant, but the catering was at one of its busiest times. This being a kosher establishment hekshered by Chabad, the preparation of the kitchen was a major event. Everything that wouldn’t be used during the holiday was taken and stored offsite. A crew then came in and cleaned and koshered like crazy. Kosher for Passover utensils and cookware were brought out of storage and the cooking started like gangbusters and didn’t stop. Steam jacketed 80 and 100-gallon kettles were boiling away with soup and matzo balls. Tilt skillets were going 24 hours a day. Cases of eggs need to be hard boiled and pealed. Not to mention ovens turning out kuggles as fast as they can. The last two days I had charge of the meat ovens. My duties included roasting about 150 turkeys. As soon as they were cooled enough to handle, I had an assembly line going to carve and platter or carve and put back on the frame. I hired two culinary school students just to make the Seder plates. My reward was schmoozing with customers as they eagerly came to pick up their orders. I have to admit that I just couldn’t stop beaming as I graciously accepted compliments on how nice everything turned out. This year, I find myself in exile. I have not been able to find a single box of matzo for sale anywhere, not to mention matzo meal or anything else that’s kosher for Passover. I suppose I should have been prepared when I couldn’t locate kosher salt anywhere and had to mail order it. Lesson learned, and if I find myself back here next year I’ll be better prepared and perhaps make a trip up to Toronto or order online. For the rest of the holiday, I’m going to avoid anything hametz but I know its just not going to feel the same. Yesterday was an extremely difficult day for me. As evening approached, I found myself really feeling alone and cut off. The one saving grace was being able to share the posts of my newfound eGullet family as you all prepared for the holiday. Thank you for the time and effort you put into this blog. Thanks also to my fellow eGulleters for sharing your holiday with me. I am looking forward to seeing and hearing about everyone’s Seder. Hag sameach Elie

I use my own modified version of mise en place. My prep consists of pealing, cutting and chopping my ingredients and lining them up on my cutting board (usually in the order Ill be using them). I can’t be bothered with the ramekins, bowls or recycled yoghurt containers. But I do like having everything at hand and ready to drop into the pot as I’m cooking. Depending on what I’m cooking, I may have things on the go while I am still prepping. Always have a pot of water or stock coming to a boil. Or I have onion caramelizing while I finish up the prep. I mostly use a recipe as a guideline or for inspiration. So I dispense with precise measurement and eyeball. The only time I don’t is when baking or when dry to wet ratios are critical (like rice, two parts liquid to one part rice). My herbs and spices are within reach and that’s exactly what I do when I need them. I am only anal about two things. Everything has its place and I expect to find it exactly there. I literally want to reach for utensils and cookware and put my hand right on it without having to look. God help anyone who used my equipment and didn’t put it back EXACTLY where it belongs. I am also a clean as you go nut. When I’m done with something it gets washed as soon as I get a break in the cooking. The only cleanup left after a meal is the dishes and the cookware left on the stove after plating. This works well for me and incorporates methods and style that I have developed as both a professional cook and a home cook.

Just a quick question for you, Kokh Leffle, doesn't adding a parsnip and a rutabaga give the soup a slightly sweetish (not Swedish!) flavor ? Ever the purist, I love my soup clear (yes!!) but salty and chickeny ... ← That’s an interesting question Gifted. To my pallet, whatever hint of sweetness I detect comes from the carrots. Also, I avoid the large rutabaga on steroids. I like one about the size of a medium tomato. BTW if your lucky enough to reside in the NY metro area or southeast Florida, I have noticed pre-packaged soup packs in the produce department that include a parsnip, rutabaga and dill that are available around the holidays. So get a big chicken and add an extra pinch of salt and it will be just the way you love it. Elie

I love matzo brie both savory and sweet. I employ the soak, squeeze and coat with egg method. For savory, I like onion sautéed in schmaltz (I always have a jar of home rendered schmaltz on hand). A great variation is onion and lox a la eggs, lox and onion or fried kosher salami. Sweet matzo brie takes me back to my childhood. Plain matzo brie with a sprinkling of sugar. As a special treat mom would soak the matzo in some Manischevitz and proceed as usual. A sprinkle of sugar and your instantly transported to zibent himmel (seventh heaven).

Ahhhh. Jewish penicillin. I judge all chicken soup against my standard, my mom’s chicken soup. No great secret. Mom always insisted on a whole kosher chicken. Wash your chicken thoroughly. Lay it in the bottom of your pot. Add carrots, celery (with green leaves) cut into large chunks. Add an onion cut in eights or quarters (leave the skin on for a rich color). Cover with cold water, add salt and pepper and bring to a rolling boil and skim, skim skim. Turn your heat down to maintain a constant simmer. When the soup is at a constant simmer, place fresh dill, a parsnip and a rutabaga on top. Continue to skim to maintain a clear soup. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if necessary. Just as a cautionary note, do not cook your matzo balls in the soup, as it will cloud it. Cook them separately in stock or salted water. If cooking them in stock you may consider adding some sliced carrots to use when serving the soup.

Does Chatelaine count? Not strictly a food magazine, but they do cover food and recipes. Online edition in both English and French Here: