The minute Purim is over, I start thinking about Passover.
Who am I kidding? I start thinking about Pesach right after Tu b’Shvat, but I try not to DO anything about it until after Purim. There’s no getting around it. Cleaning your kitchen from top to bottom, switching dishes, shopping, and cooking add up to quite a bit of work. Let’s tackle it one job at a time. With these tips, the month between the two holidays is enough time to prepare everything.
Plan. The first thing I do is review my notes from last year. Oh, you didn’t make notes at the end of Pesach? My Number One Tip is to do that this year. How many boxes of matzo did you use? How many dozens of eggs? Bottles of wine? Keep your shopping lists. Note what you bought and never used. I like to have small vases of tulips on my seder table. Last year, I couldn’t find them at the last minute, so I made a note to order them ahead of time this year.
If you hosted a seder, make notes about what worked and what didn’t. Keep in mind how many people attended and who they were. Did everyone know the songs? How long did the first part of the seder take? Did extra readings enhance the experience, or did they fall flat?
Clean. You don’t have to get rid of all your chametz (food that isn’t kosher for Pesach). Your rabbi will symbolically sell it for you. Ask for a form that you sign to give them the authority to do this on your behalf; it’s customary to make a small donation to the rabbi’s fund.
Still, now is a great time to clear out your cabinets, fridge, and freezer. Toss anything that’s expired. Give away unopened products that you’ll never use. Focus on using as much chametz as you can, especially anything that’s already open. Plan some pasta dinners. Use up frozen rolls and bread, pizza, and waffles. Make tiny sandwiches on crackers. I always joke that I know we’re ready for Pesach when dinner is macaroni and cheese, waffles, and garlic bread.
I’m not going to tell you how much to clean or how far to go making your home kosher for Passover. Do as much as you’re comfortable with. You can leave everyday dishes and utensils in your kitchen; tape or tie the cabinets shut for the week. Bring in something to hold your Pesach stuff – a folding shelf or baker’s rack, some baskets…even a little red wagon will do. The point is, move as little as possible out. And please – you don’t have to power clean the whole house to meet the requirements of Pesach. Going through your kid’s toy box can wait until later; there shouldn’t be any food there anyway.
Switch Dishes. Over the years, I have collected Pesach versions of my most necessary utensils, which frankly aren’t that many. Keep gadgets to a minimum. In the kitchen, you only need room to store what you need for your family. Put service for 20 away after the seders; you don’t need them all week. I have collected glass dishes, so I don’t use disposables. If you must, look for sturdy paper or even bamboo dishes instead of plastic. If you must use plastic, look for items that can be recycled or reused.
Shop. Pesach is the perfect opportunity to get back to eating real food. Most of your shopping list should be fresh fish, chicken and beef; lots and lots of fresh produce, including fresh herbs; eggs, oil, nuts, sugar, and dairy. One of the names for Pesach is Chag ha’Aviv – Holiday of Spring – so your menus should celebrate new spring produce represented by parsley on the seder plate – asparagus, greens, artichokes, beets, and leeks. Leave the brussels sprouts and squash for fall.
You don’t need packaged, processed facsimiles of chametz. They are crazy expensive and don’t taste anything like the real thing. I’m talking about things like cereal and fake mustard. Of course, you need matzo and matzo meal. Other than those two, I buy only a select few specialty kosher for Passover items. I always bake so I need potato starch or matzo cake meal. And in spite of the high prices, I love Israeli pickles and olives, and maybe one box of chocolate or fruit slices. For single ingredient items that do not inherently contain chametz, I buy new packages that will be freshly opened for the holiday, including coffee, sugar, spices, dried fruit, and nuts.
Cook. Don’t go overboard for the seders. You don’t need chicken AND brisket. You don’t need kugel AND potatoes. If you make too much, your family ends up eating leftovers, which grow increasingly browner, the entire week. On the third day, get together with other families to share seder leftovers and finish them. Chol ha mo’ed meals (the in-between days) should be simple, easy, and fresh. A beautiful piece of pan-seared fish, asparagus, and a piece of matzo. Steak, baked potato, and a green salad with lemon juice and olive oil. Baked egg frittata loaded with veggies. Plain yogurt with fresh fruit and a little honey. Cheese plate with sliced apples and grapes.
Keep it simple. Make a plan and a schedule. Lay out your menus, not just for seders, but for the whole week. Then go over your menus and simplify. For every one thing that is time consuming and complicated, make sure two other things are quick and easy. For dessert, I serve sponge cake, which takes time, and fresh fruit sorbet, which doesn’t. And notice, only one cake.
The Seder Itself. My family adapts the seder to tell the story in a way that’s meaningful for us and our guests of all ages and backgrounds. Using the Haggadah as an example of HOW to teach – with drama, stories, song, and symbols – we select a theme on which to focus. This year because of the chaos and uncertainty around us, we will focus on the Zen proverb, “Chop Wood. Carry Water,” that tells us to focus on small actions.
We like to take our time at seder and I know folks arrive hungry, so I offer plentiful snacks to keep everyone happy during the telling. We do not eat matzo until we say motzi (blessing for bread) to begin the meal, but small matzo meal rolls, fresh veggies, salsas, dips, and schmears travel around the table, letting everyone stay engaged without being too hungry. In fact, we are so full of snacks, that after the egg, fish and soup, we go straight to dessert.
Most of my family is Ashkenazi, but I love to remind myself and my guests that Jews have lived almost everywhere around the world. From the centuries-old Italian Jewish community to Iran, Spain, North Africa, and Mexico, we adapted our cuisine to use locally available ingredients. In Eastern Europe, by the time Pesach arrived, the only fruit available were some shriveled apples stored away from the fall. So charoset was made from those plus walnuts, sweet wine, and maybe honey or cinnamon, if they were available. In other places, Jews used whatever they had, including dates, apricots, or mangoes plus almonds or pistachios, citrus, and honey. I like to offer a selection of different charosets, to incorporate something about the Jewish diaspora experience.
The following Egyptian Charoset is adapted from Joan Nathan’s recipe in The Jewish Holiday Kitchen. It is always everybody’s favorite.
Egyptian Charoset
Makes 4 cups, which leaves plenty to enjoy on matzo with cream cheese all week. It makes a great addition to a fruit plate too.
This is a great charoset to serve if you have any folks with nut allergies. The nuts are not incorporated; they are more of a garnish and the charoset is delicious without them.
Ingredients
1 lb dried raisins
8 oz pitted dates, chopped
About 2 C water
¼ C sugar (or less to taste)
½ ground walnuts
Directions
- Place raisins and dates in a bowl with enough water to cover. Let stand for at least 1 hour.
- Add sugar and whirl in a food processor or blender, until mixture is uniform throughout.
- Transfer the mixture to a heavy saucepan over medium heat. When it starts to bubble, turn down to low and cook until fruit is cooked, and water is absorbed. It should take about 20 minutes. Keep your eye on it and stir frequently so it doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Store in an airtight container. Serve in small bowl topped with ground walnuts.
