Passover 2013

Roast chicken with sumac, za'atar and lemons

I made the family seder again this year, for just the second time. We did it on Saturday night, not the official night, so that family members from North of Boston to Washington could all make it. I had fun cooking for a week, making a few things a day from a carefully drafted schedule. As a result there were no major mistakes and I was not too flustered despite all the work.

Here's the menu, all presented at tables magnificently set and flowered by my wife Joan:

2013 Passover Menu

Hors d'Oeuvres 

• Charred eggplant with tahini and pomegranate molasses (Ottolenghi, Plenty)
• Tapenade (Jacques Pépin, Essential Pépin)
• Matzo Flour Gougères (Clotilde Dusoulier's blog, Chocolate & Zucchini, Essential Pépin)
• Bobby Jay's sun-dried tomato and olive ricotta spread
• Lemon scented veal meatballs (Mario Batali's TV show, Molto Mario)
• Bar Nuts (Michael Romano, Union Square Cookbook)

Dinner

• Naomi’s chunky apple charoses
• Matzo ball soup (Wolfgang Puck for balls, Rosso and Lukens, The New Basics, for soup
• Gefilte fish with smoked whitefish (Bon Appétit, April 2002) with tons of Stan and Ina's homemade horseradish
• Roast chicken with sumac, za'atar and two lemons (Ottolenghi, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook)
• Quinoa with pomegranate seeds, almonds and parsley (yes, it's kosher for passover, neither a grain nor a legume)
• Ina’s incomparable brisket (Vicki's version)

Desserts

• Flourless orange and ginger cake (Chocolate & Zucchini)
• Pineapple coconut macaroons (David Lebovitz's blog, David Lebovitz)
• Vicki’s delicious assorted cookies and bars
• Various store-bought sponge cakes

Pineapple coconut macaroons

At the end of the evening, I announced that I have decided to become Sephardic for culinary purposes and that, accordingly, next year's Seder will be completely different, with Sephardic dishes from around the Middle East. This idea was met with excitement, so it's really "Next Year in (or near) Jerusalem!".

Bobby Jay