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April 6, 2001
Passover edition
Prepare to cook - and to eat
Cleveland meal maven Joan Kekst pens a new cookbook for Passover.
LOUISE HOUTA SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Yes, it's that time of year again. Time to dig out
the Passover cookbooks and do your seder planning. One of this year's
cookbook contributions comes from Joan Kekst, who has written the
food column for the Cleveland Jewish News for 20 years. She
inherited the job of Passover preparation and presentation when
her mother-in-law presented her with the family Passover pots, pans
and dishes. She has also developed a series of kosher cooking classes,
she teaches, lectures and gives demonstrations.
Passover Cookery: In the Kitchen with Joan Kekst (Five Star
Publications) is a visual treat. The cover and sample photos are
sharp, bright and colorful. The presentation of the actual recipes
is easy to read, with the ingredients highlighted and accompanied
with easy-to-follow instructions. It would be a very appropriate
shower or wedding gift for a novice cook as it contains everything
you wanted to know about Passover. Kekst has the credentials: she
holds a degree in home economic education from Notre Dame College,
a master's of Judaic studies from the Cleveland College of Jewish
Studies and graduated from La Varenne Paris and the New York Cooking
School.
Kekst seems to have thought of everything. She has included a countdown
to Passover guide with easy-to-follow steps for advance preparation.
The book's introduction includes an explanation of customs, symbolic
foods, ingredients and requirements. She has tried to encompass
all of the latest food trends, including vegetarian and low-fat.
If I had a criticism of this book, it would be that the vegetarian
and fish sections were "skimpy" (as in skimpy portions).
However, I cannot wait to try the Pavlova with strawberry sauce
or the carrot and ginger soup.
I don't know how many of you actually eat the eggs on the seder
plate which symbolize the Temple sacrifices and life, however, in
our family we do and I am including a recipe for seven day Passover
eggs (it looks like a variation on a Sephardic hamin or cholent
recipe called huebos haminos). Our trial produced a colorful and
tasty egg, fit for your seder plate.
Seven Day Passover Eggs
12 or more eggs
1/4 lb red onion skins
6 to 8 medium bay leaves
1 tbsp dry basil
1 tbsp black
peppercorns
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp kosher salt
Place half the red onion skins in a heavy pot large enough to hold
eggs. Add eggs, black pepper, bay leaves, basil and olive oil. Cover
generously with cold water and let steep one hour.
Add the remaining red onion skins. Slowly bring to a boil over low
heat. Reduce to the lowest setting. Cover, only allow to simmer.
Add warm water as needed. Eggs may be simmered up to seven days,
however 36 hours is adequate. Chill until ready to use.
Other Passover recipes come our way from chef Dvorah
Buhr, a student in the Jewish Theological Seminary's H.L. Miller
Cantorial School, who is also an award-winning, certified pastry
chef with a specialty in chocolate and candy production.
Matzah Taco Chips
1 box of matzah
1 1/2 cups salad oil
3 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp paprika
Kosher salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350 F. Break matzah into taco chip-size pieces in
large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients except salt and pour over
"chips" in bowl. Toss until all the pieces are evenly
covered with the spice mixture. Spread out on cookie sheet and sprinkle
with kosher salt. Place in oven. Bake until crisp and beginning
to brown (about 15 minutes). Stir often to prevent scorching. Remove
from oven and allow to cool before storing in an airtight container.
Matzah Strudel
12 sheets of matzah
8-9 apples, cored and sliced
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup potato starch or matzah cake meal
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 stick butter or
margarine
2 cups applesauce
Sauce:
2 cups apple juice
1 cup applesauce
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or
margarine
2 tbsp potato starch
Preheat oven to 350 F. Wet the matzah sheets under running water
and set aside. Divide stick of butter into 12 equal portions and
set aside. Toss apple slices with sugar, cinnamon and potato starch
(or matzah meal).
Lay a matzah sheet on a clean work surface and place about 2/3 cup
of the apple mixture in a line down the centre of the matzah parallel
to the lines in the matzah. Place one pat of butter or margarine
on the top in the middle of the line of apples and roll up the matzah,
placing it seam side down in a greased 9x13 baking dish. (When dish
is full, the finished strudels should look like manicotti.)
Spread two cups of applesauce on the tops of the strudels after
they have been put into the pan, and place in oven for about 30-40
minutes. If areas of the matzah darken too fast, you may place foil
over the pan lightly, not sealing the edges.
Sauce: Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Boil for one minute and set aside. Ladle over finished strudels
as desired. Serve warm or cold. Try it hot a la mode!
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