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A Seder to Savor
By Faye Levy
When it comes to getting ready for Pessah, there’s always plenty to do, between cleaning, shopping, setting a festive table and often rounding up some extra chairs.
Over the years I’ve learned some ways to make Pessah preparation easier. The most important is to prepare a potluck Seder — to share the cooking with friends and family. Most people are happy to participate.
Part of the pleasure of the Seder meal itself is savoring a variety of flavors. Unlike many other meals, we take time to have appetizers, one or more main courses, several side dishes and a selection of sweets.
One way to keep the cooking and slicing from being an overwhelming amount of work is to choose simple recipes that don’t require too many ingredients.
The variety of tastes on the menu will come not from the complexity of each dish but rather from the array of dishes. Instead of serving one big salad of lots of vegetables, you can put out several small salads of individual vegetables, each dressed simply with oil and vinegar.
If your family likes an entree of chicken with stuffing, you can roast the chicken unstuffed and bake the stuffing in a separate dish. The chicken will roast more quickly this way, and the stuffing will be ready to serve from its dish like a kugel.
With so many good bakery desserts available, it’s easy to serve an enticing assortment of sweets. Most people appreciate having at least one dessert that is homemade. If several guests are bringing cakes or cookies, I often make a big fruit salad. After all, Pessah is a celebration of springtime, and what better way to welcome the season than with luscious fresh fruit.
EASY BEET SALAD
From the French kitchen, this salad features sliced steamed beets drizzled with a simple vinaigrette. If you like, sprinkle the salad with chopped chives for garnish. Use small beets if you find them; if using larger ones, increase the cooking time.
10 small beets (about 4 cm in diameter)
2 Tbsp. wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper
5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2-3 tsp. sliced chives
Rinse beets, taking care not to pierce skin. Put 3 cm. of water in a steamer and bring to a boil. Place beets on steamer rack or on another rack or in a colander above boiling water.
Cover tightly and steam 50-60 minutes or until tender, adding boiling water occasionally if water evaporates. Let cool. Rinse beets with cold water and slip off skins.
In a small bowl whisk vinegar with salt, pepper and oil. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Slice beets. Put in a bowl and add enough dressing to moisten. Toss gently. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve sprinkled with chives. (Makes 6 servings).
ROSEMARY ROAST CHICKEN
This simple, Italian-style roast chicken is great for Pessah or for Shabbat. The rosemary gives the chicken and its juices a wonderful aroma. Serve the chicken with a separately baked stuffing, such as farfel stuffing with leeks and carrots.
A 1.3-1.5-kg. chicken
6 fresh rosemary sprigs, plus a few more for garnish
1 or 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
salt (optional) and freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 200û. Pull out fat from inside chicken. Set chicken in a small roasting pan. Stuff chicken with 3 rosemary sprigs. Pour oil over chicken and sprinkle it with salt if desired and with a little pepper. Rub oil and pepper into chicken. Add 3 more rosemary sprigs to pan and tuck them under chicken.
Roast chicken uncovered, basting once or twice, about 1 hour or until chicken juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with a thin knife or skewer.
Carve chicken and put on platter. Garnish with rosemary sprigs.
Remove cooked rosemary from chicken and from pan. Skim excess fat from roasting juices.
Taste juices and adjust seasoning. When serving, spoon a little of pan juices over chicken. (Makes 4 servings).
FARFEL STUFFING WITH LEEKS AND CARROTS
This delicate farfel stuffing is delicious with roast chicken, roast lamb or veal. For a meatless dinner, I also like it as a side dish with fish or as an accompaniment for baked eggplant.
1 large or 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts
11/2 cups hot vegetable stock
5 cups matzo farfel, or matzo broken in about 2.5-cm pieces
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large carrots, coarsely grated
2 large eggs, beaten
pinch of paprika (for sprin kling)
Preheat oven to 175û. Split leeks twice lengthwise and dip them repeatedly in a large bowl of water to rinse. Cut leeks in thin slices.
Pour vegetable stock over farfel in a large bowl. Let stand to soften while sauteing leeks.
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet. Add leeks, salt and pepper and saute over medium heat, stirring often, 5 minutes. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring often, 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and stir in carrots.
Add vegetable mixture to bowl of farfel and let cool. Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in eggs.
Lightly oil an 8-cup casserole. Spoon stuffing into casserole.
Sprinkle with remaining oil, then with paprika. Bake for 45 minutes or until firm.
(Makes 6-8 servings).
STRAWBERRY AND PEAR SALAD WITH MINT
You can substitute bananas for the pears if you prefer. Equal amounts of lemon juice and sugar make a tasty, fat-free dressing for just about any fruit salad.
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 large ripe pears
2 cups strawberries, caps removed,
quartered lengthwise
11/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
In a small cup mix lemon juice and sugar. Halve and core pears and cut in 12 lengthwise wedges. In a shallow serving bowl, gently mix pears with strawberries. Add lemon dressing and mix gently. Serve cold, sprinkled with mint.
(Makes 4 servings)
Faye Levy is the author of Faye Levy’s International Jewish Cookbook (Warner Books).
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