Passover 2002–2005

[Swisskaese]

I make everything from scratch. My mother and soon-to-be MIL do not live here.

But, this year my parents will be here and we are going over to my cousins in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, they have it catered. I say unfortunately because we went last year and the food was not very good.

However, this year I insisted on bringing matzah ball soup, haroset and the dessert.

Edited March 11, 2005 by Swisskaese (log)

[Pam R]

Unfortunately, they have it catered. I say unfortunately because we went last year and the food was not very good.

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Not that we're saying ALL caterers are bad...

I = caterer

[Barbara Moss]

We sell garlic brisket too - we tried to take it off the menu a couple of years ago because it is so expensive but the people demanded it! So we returned it to the menu and have to charge over $30/lb for it. We don't count the cloves, all I know is it takes me at least an hour to get the garlic prepped for it! (we usually do between 4-6 15 lb. double briskets each holiday)

Did you want ideas on desserts? Or just on menu items?

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[daniellewiley]

We'll be headed to NY to do Passover with my family. I'm excited, and am hoping that they will let me cook quite a bit. Saturday night is at my mom's with all the step family. She will probably want to do most of the cooking herself. I love her Brisket, so that's OK at least. She usually puts me in charge of vinaigrette for the asparagus, which she steams in the microwave until it's just past raw. I hate it. My primary goal at her house will be getting the asparagus roasted.

Sunday is at my dad's, with the other step family. My stepmother will probably let me help quite a bit.

I will for sure insist on supplying the haroset (at both houses). I have a recipe from the early 90s, I think, from the NYT magazine that is the only one I have ever liked. It is fabulous.

[Swisskaese]

Unfortunately, they have it catered. I say unfortunately because we went last year and the food was not very good.

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Not that we're saying ALL caterers are bad...

I = caterer

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No, not all caterers are bad.

Sorry, I meant to say that the caterer they selected was not very good. How would you like to open a branch here?

[SobaAddict70]

How early do you start planning the seder? One month? Two months? A year?

Soba

[Pam R]

Will your recipes be on the magazine's website?  We could all check them out there. I would appreciate any thoughts you have.

At the moment I can't find my recipes on their site... I'll let you know if they show up. If you'd like one of the recipes, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

We usually do a couple of 'fancy' desserts - this year I think I'm keeping it simple - a variety of cookies (some komish/mandelbroit or as I like to call them 'passover biscotti', almond macaroons, meringues.. that kind of thing) - I'll be baking cakes/tortes and cookies for customers, so really it'll be whatever I can still stand looking at!

I'm now partial to a kugel made with shredded butternut squash, leek and zucchini - I find it's lighter than most other ones I've tried. And I've always enjoyed the 'mashed' potato type of kugel - no matzo meal.

Grilled or roasted vegetables... we've NEVER had tzimmes in my family... it may be time to try one

I don't know if this is at all helpful! Let me know if you'd like more ideas for specific things.

No, not all caterers are bad.

Sorry, I meant to say that the caterer they selected was not very good. How would you like to open a branch here?

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I may be tempted ;) I just need lots of money backers! Last year I actually thought that maybe I should open a kosher for passover only bakery in Israel. We're full-line caterers but I spent SOOOOOOOOO much time baking that I was baking in my sleep! I figured I could maybe make enough money over Passover to live on all year... what do ya think?

How early do you start planning the seder?  One month?  Two months?  A year?

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The day after Rosh Hashana (Sept) my aunt called to invite us to her Seder. I'd say that may be a little early for some.. late for others.

The people that order from us are starting to put together their menus now and calling to see if our order sheets are ready.

Because this is our business, we're probably a little ahead of people in terms of actually planning the food. We have to order all of our meats/cheeses and kosher-for Passover baking/cooking supplies from Toronto - so today we spent a few hours putting together our supply order list and tomorrow we'll finish it. If we order in the next couple of days we'll get the order by next week (or the week after - depending on whether all of the things we order have come in from Israel/NY yet).

[bloviatrix]

How's this for a sign that Passover is officially around the corner....

I was in Shop-Rite (supermarket) in Englewood, NJ this morning and they were in the midst of the converting the entire kosher aisle to Passover products.

[Barbara Moss]

How's this for a sign that Passover is officially around the corner....

I was in Shop-Rite (supermarket) in Englewood, NJ this morning and they were in the midst of the converting the entire kosher aisle to Passover products.

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That sounds about right. I haven't checked here in Chicago but i suspect that some people buy a little at a time because of the price of Passover foods.

I am thinking about Marcy Goldman's matzoh butter crunch. i wonder how far in advance i can make it. I will have my soup stock in the freezer by the end of the month. For me, it is just one less thing to think about.

[Jason Perlow]

How can we be talking about Passover if its not even Purim yet? We should be reviving the hamentashen thread!

Hamentashen (click)

[Pam R]

How can we be talking about Passover if its not even Purim yet?

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Because Purim is some cookies and alcohol.... Passover is the whole megilla

[Jason Perlow]

How's this for a sign that Passover is officially around the corner....

I was in Shop-Rite (supermarket) in Englewood, NJ this morning and they were in the midst of the converting the entire kosher aisle to Passover products.

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Did they have anything new and interesting on display yet?

I love the Englewood store... great stuff. Major pain to park there during normal business hours, though.

They carry the full Abeles and Heymann product line, too.

[JFLinLA]

Yes, yes. I've completed my major hamantashen baking "assembly line" for the temple and preparing to do my own this coming weekend. However, I picked up some of the crappy, sugary Passover cereals at the market last Sunday. The kids love these as it's the only time of year I let them have this kind of drek. Oh yeah, and there's my daughters Misloach Manot project in preparation for her upcoming Bat Mitzvah -- but that's mostly done. And of course, my baby brother is getting married next week, and I'm baking for the Brit Bat for our rabbi's new daughter.

My SIL usually does Passover so I'm waiting to hear from her. Otherwise, it's going to be really, really simple this year.

(Blov -- I'll PM you later on the Mitzvah project.)

Edited March 16, 2005 by JFLinLA (log)

[bloviatrix]

How's this for a sign that Passover is officially around the corner....

I was in Shop-Rite (supermarket) in Englewood, NJ this morning and they were in the midst of the converting the entire kosher aisle to Passover products.

←

Did they have anything new and interesting on display yet?

I love the Englewood store... great stuff. Major pain to park there during normal business hours, though.

They carry the full Abeles and Heymann product line, too.

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I couldn't get down the aisle it was so crowded with people working -- they had a bunch of distributors there trying to get prime spots for their products. From what I could tell, it was still mostly empty shelves.

I hit the store at about 11:15am yesterday Was done by noon. No problems with parking. Plus, I found a short line for check-out and there was no wait for my EZ pass reimbursement.

[cakewalk]

How can we be talking about Passover if its not even Purim yet?

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That's the basic answer to your question, Soba. After Purim, Pesach/Seder planning takes over. Competely and totally.

Except in supermarkets. They've started already, and it's quite startling.

[Cleo]

Oh yes, and my grandmother's traditional matzah farfel muffins.

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I'm making my first seder this year and I would love a tried and true recipe for matzah farfel muffins! JFLinLA, would you be so kind as to give me a hint how to make them?

I'm not looking for anything with raisins or fruit in them, but something more of a savory farfel muffin. Thanks!

[Gifted Gourmet]

Oh yes, and my grandmother's traditional matzah farfel muffins.

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I'm making my first seder this year and I would love a tried and true recipe for matzah farfel muffins! JFLinLA, would you be so kind as to give me a hint how to make them?

I'm not looking for anything with raisins or fruit in them, but something more of a savory farfel muffin. Thanks!

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How about this? It is not sweet at all:

the farfel muffins .. enjoy!

[JFLinLA]

Oh yes, and my grandmother's traditional matzah farfel muffins.

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I'm making my first seder this year and I would love a tried and true recipe for matzah farfel muffins! JFLinLA, would you be so kind as to give me a hint how to make them?

I'm not looking for anything with raisins or fruit in them, but something more of a savory farfel muffin. Thanks!

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Cleo -- Would love to share Grandma Yetta's muffins. Crunched for time now and since Pesach is a little ways off, please be patient. I'll get back to you. (The one provided by Gifted Gourmet probably isn't bad but mine are a little different and I'll provide all the hints that aren't usually in a recipe.)

[Cleo]

Thanks so much! I look forward to it.

And thanks, Gifted Gourmet. I had actually googled Farfel Muffins and came across that recipe, but as I said in my earlier post, I'd really love something that's tried and true.

The only other thing that I would love suggestions on is a potato kugel, or something with potatoes. Any suggestions?

I'm having between 13 and 16 people for dinner and I'm more or less set on my menu. I'm just trying to plan it all now, since it is my first seder, I work full time, and I have a 5 month old daughter. For some reason I'm feeling very confident that this is going to be easy!

[JFLinLA]

Matzah Farfel Muffins from Grandma Yetta (z" l)

This recipe has been handed down through the generations and while I give amounts, they are approximate. Baking time and temps are too. You will need to taste and adjust as you like and baking will depend on your own oven. One important note -- these do make a mess so a self-cleaning oven is helpful though Grandma managed forever without one. The recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc. These are great on the table on their own or spread with some chopped liver.

1/2 box (1/2 pound) matzah farfel (this is 3 - 3 1/2 cups)

salt to taste -- don't be shy.

2 cups (about) water -- enough to just cover farfel

4 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

dried minced onions - to taste -- a good handful, again, don't be shy

optional -- pepper - to taste - not much

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray.

Put farfel in a large bowl and sprinkle salt on top. Cover with water. In a separate bowl mix eggs and oil together and stir this into the farfel mixture. Add onions and pepper. Taste batter and correct seasonings. (I always end up adding more salt and onions at this point.) Uncooked batter should have a good oniony and slightly salty flavor. The onion flavor especially will mellow a bit while baking. Spoon into muffin tins, about 3/4 full. Fill any muffin tins with water. Bake for 50-60 minutes -- sometimes more.

Muffins will sizzel while baking and likely make a mess of your oven. When done, they should be golden brown and crispy on the outside with some spots of dark brown. They should be moist, but not wet or soggy on the inside. If they are browning too quickly, reduce oven heat a bit and bake longer till cooked on the inside.

A few times of practice and you should get these down.

Makes about 15-18 muffins.

[Cleo]

Thank you so much! Maybe I will give them a try next weekend. Again, thanks.

[jaynesb]

I'm also trying out the farfel muffins from Grandma Yetta (z''l)

I have a question. Since they're a family tradition, I realize that storage is probably not a consideration or an issue for you. However, I was wondering how far ahead of time I'd be able to make them and how best to store them. (Do you think they'd be able to be frozen?)

jayne

[JFLinLA]

I'm also trying out the farfel muffins from Grandma Yetta (z''l)

I have a question. Since they're a family tradition, I realize that storage is probably not a consideration or an issue for you. However, I was wondering how far ahead of time I'd be able to make them and how best to store them. (Do you think they'd be able to be frozen?)

jayne

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Typically, I make a big batch no more than 2 days before the first seder. The day of or the day before is better. Then I make one or two smaller batches during the week. My husband likes to have them for breakfast (when we're not having matza brei) or as a snack when he gets home at night and the kids like to snack on them. They last for a few days in a big air tight (tupperware) container.

If I were to freeze them, I would initially let them cool completely. Then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment underneath to prevent sticking. Then you could pop them in a zip lock bag. If you allow them to defrost before serving they might get soggy so I would put them back in a hot oven on a baking sheet to recrisp. Alternatively, I would re-heat them directly from the freezer on the baking sheet. If you reheat them covered with foil, you may need to remove the foil for a few minutes at the end to re-crisp. If you do this experiment, let me know what you find out.

[Cleo]

So I’ve had a change of plans and decided to make potato “kugelettes” instead of the farfel muffins, but I look forward to trying the farfel muffins next year.

But, I need help with my menu!!! As I said earlier, I’m having 16 people (including an 8-year old and two 3-year olds) and I can’t figure out just how many side dishes I need to make.

Here’s the basic plan so far:

Hard Boiled Eggs

Gefilte Fish

Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls (my mother makes the soup)

Haroset (I’m gonna try KatieLoeb’s recipe)

Brisket (my mother makes excellent brisket)

Chicken Marbella

Potato Kugelettes

Cauliflower-Leek Kugel (from April's Bon Appetit)

Carrot Ring (the only decent thing that my mother-in-law knows how to make)

Sauteed Asparagus with Shallots

Maybes:

Some sort of Farfel Kugel/Pudding

Spinach Cheese Bake (my friend made this last year and it was great and easy!)

I don’t want to go completely overboard, but then again, it wouldn’t be a Jewish holiday without too much food!

Am I okay with the 4 side dishes? Do I need more? Less? Different variety?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Pam R]

All I'd add is a salad - you're menu sounds great - don't make yourself crazy by doing too much, just make sure there's enough of each thing.

I'm assuming the dairy isn't an issue for you, otherwise I would suggest something simple like roasted herbed potatoes or a spinach/matzo meal kugle since you're already doing the potato kuglettes.

What about desserts?