Passover 2002–2005

[afoodnut]

Unless he is a vegan ... then it gets more complicated ...

That's for sure...

[Gifted Gourmet]

Unless he is a vegan ... then it gets more complicated ...

That's for sure...

Could be even more difficult if he is a vegan with allergies and on a low fat diet but holds a tradition of gebroks ... oy vey!

While it may appears that I am utilizing excessive levity about this, I have a family with some vegetarians, some dieters, numerous food allergies, etc. etc .. so I am speaking from my personal experience ..

Then there is the idea of a week on Perrier which is kosher l'Pesach ...

Edited March 19, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[DrewS]

I'm mostly thinking of food for the rest of passover, not the seders.

I forgot to mention that my girlfriend is borderline vegan. She eats eggs and dairy, but not in large amounts. We'll figure out something. I was just wondering if anyone out there had done a full Ashkenazi vegetarian passover before and what they ate.

Worst case, I can live off of macaroons

[Gifted Gourmet]

I'm mostly thinking of food for the rest of passover, not the seders.

I forgot to mention that my girlfriend is borderline vegan. She eats eggs and dairy, but not in large amounts. We'll figure out something. I was just wondering if anyone out there had done a full Ashkenazi vegetarian passover before and what they ate.

Worst case, I can live off of macaroons 

Okay, okay ... don't panic and hoard macaroons for the eight days ..

like I said one can "work around" a lot of restrictions ... do you eat matzo? There are tons of ideas using matzo and building into a full recipe ....eggs, cheese, milk, yogurt ... you know about matzo "pizza"?

You do cook, right?

[Gifted Gourmet]

I used to be a kosher caterer .. just give me your street address and I will whip up some goodies and send them to you FedEx ...

don't laugh, I actually sent my husband kosher l'Pesach "care packages" in Viet Nam in 1970 ... you probably were not even born yet!

and one such package showed up by Shavuot ... whatta world ...

[bloviatrix]

I have a recipe for a pareve Cream of Watercress and Asparagus soup if you're interested (the potato gives the "creaminess).

Other thoughts - maybe an artichoke dish? Something with mushrooms? One of the Conde Nast mags did a vegetarian Passover menu a couple of years ago. You should check Epicurious.

[DrewS]

Oh yeah, I cook all the time. I know there is plenty for us to eat during passover. This is just my first year living with a vegetarian and I was interested in hearing other people's experience with doing passover as a vegetarian.

I eat meat and in the past have made a nice brisket and a bunch of chopped liver to eat over the whole eight days. That plus matzo pizza and matzo brei used to be my passover staples. This year will be a bit different, but I will still eat well.

[bloviatrix]

Will the gf be annoyed if you make fish?

[DrewS]

She's been vegetarian her whole life and really dislikes the smell of cooking fish/meat. She wouldn't forbid me from making a meat or fish dish for passover, but I prefer to make meals that we can both share. That is why we don't cook meat at home. Most nights we cook together and then sit down to enjoy the results. It would be a shame to stop that for passover, so I am going to just eat vegetarian food for the holiday.

[Gifted Gourmet]

She's been vegetarian her whole life and really dislikes the smell of cooking fish/meat. She wouldn't forbid me from making a meat or fish dish for passover, but I prefer to make meals that we can both share. That is why we don't cook meat at home. Most nights we cook together and then sit down to enjoy the results. It would be a shame to stop that for passover, so I am going to just eat vegetarian food for the holiday.

A pragmatist with 'rachmonis' for his girlfriend! Mazal tov!!

Lotsa good veg stuff out there for Pesach .. think fruits and vegetables ... it is even healthy ...

http://www.sunvalleyfinefoods.com/Jewish1.htm

Edited March 19, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[cakewalk]

I also don't eat meat during Passover (because I only have Passover dairy dishes). I make a lot of "quiches," using a grated potato crust. I quite like it. I don't really use a recipe. Coarsely grate potatoes, chop some onion, add an egg, some matzoh meal, S&P, mix together, pat into a baking dish and bake until the potatoes have browned. That's your "crust" (it's sort of like a very thin potato kugle). Add any sort of quiche filling you might normally use, and bake until set. They come out great, can be reheated or even cut up and eaten at room temperature.

[afoodnut]

If you really want "traditional Ashkenazi" for your seder:

On your seder plate use a roasted beet, or parsnip in place of the shankbone.

The whole seder ritual is vegetarian. (Eggs, maror, charoset, matzoh, salt water, horseradish, etc.) You do drink wine?

Assuming fish is not okay, leave out the gefilte fish.

Eliminate the brisket ar other meat.

Use oil instead of chicken fat in all your dishes. Now serve just about everything else you would have, even if you were eating meat.

Serve tomato soup or vegetable broth with matzoh balls.

Egg salad, made with sauteed onions. Mock chopped liver. Stuffed cabbage, stuffed with nut/dried fruit filling.

Potato kugel, tzimmes (vegetable version), other vegetables are fine.

You can make a nut loaf as a "main course." Or eggplant casserole, or roast portabello mushrooms.

All of your traditional desserts are fine.

Edited March 19, 2004 by afoodnut (log)

[aliwaks]

... you know about matzo "pizza"?

isn't that a town in Long Island? ( its what we used to call Massapequa)

Am doing a Askenashi/sephardic crossover

baba gahnoush w. Matzoh brushed with mint oil, cumin & sea salt

Brisket w. cumin, cinnamon,garlic, olives, bay leaves & preserved lemon w. mint almond gremolata

Roasted fingerlings w. harissa butter

Carrots w. cumin & honey

Need a green & could use some suggestions for my matzoh balls, wanted to do a slight variation on the original something sephardic-y

also does anyone else flavor their mazto, and how

[bloviatrix]

How about adding some cumin, corriander, and cayenne to the matzah ball mixture?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Something Sephardic strike your fancy?

http://www.recipegoldmine.com/worldjewish/jewish.html

[clothier]

Let me get this straight, Drew. You are giving up leavening AND meat for 8 days?

I think I'd starve. Well, as much as a man who could stand to lose 25 pounds would starve, anyway.

[Gifted Gourmet]

People who are in love make some very big sacrifices, clothier, very big ..

T'would appear that DrewS is a genuine 'mentsch'!! May we all be so ....

[clothier]

No doubt about it.

Nice going Drew.

[bloviatrix]

Drew, if cheese isn't a problem, how about portabello pizzas? Take a couple of portabello mushrooms, place top down and brush w/evoo. Then spread some tomato sauce and sprinkle with mozzerella. Toss in an oven and voila - dinner. That, some greens and slice of matzah should be a filling, reasonably healthy dinner.

[bloviatrix]

Just had another thought - what about the cheese latkes. Check the Chanukkah thread for those. Replace the flour with cake meal.

If you're lazy, I know you can find passover blintzes.

[aliwaks]

How about adding some cumin, corriander, and cayenne to the matzah ball mixture?

Oooh I like that, any suggestions for pea shoots? May just steam them or do a quick stir fry with ginger & garlic

Also does anyone know of a quick way to achieve something equal to preserved lemons? To late to have them ready for Pesach and nowhere in Philly sells them.

(may end up mail ordering from Kalustyans but would rather make them myself)

[aliwaks]

Is Tofu kosher for passover?

[KatieLoeb]

Is Tofu kosher for passover?

Ali:

No go. Soy is a legume. Unless you're Sephardic, in which case it might be OK depending on your family.

Need a green & could use some suggestions for my matzoh balls, wanted to do a slight variation on the original something sephardic-y

You could kill two birds with one stone and add finely chopped broccoli or spinach to the matzoh ball dough. The balls come out flecked with green and they taste really good too. I've done this as a variant several times. I also separate the eggs and beat the whites semi-stiff first. And don't forget the club soda in the matzoh ball mixture to replace the bit of water the recipe always calls for. Those two tricks make the balls light and fluffy rather than heavy and leaden.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Also does anyone know of a quick way to achieve something equal to preserved lemons? To late to have them ready for Pesach and nowhere in Philly sells them.

(may end up mail ordering from Kalustyans but would rather make them myself)

http://www.cliffordawright.com/recipes/presvd_lemons.html

Supposedly ready in a mere 2 weeks ... see what you think ...

[aliwaks]

OOOH Hi Katie,

that's too bad for Drew then