Passover was always my favorite holiday as a child. As a day school kid, spring break always coincided with Passover and allowed me the chance to spend a lot of time preparing with my mom.
While I could have done without moving dishes, pots and pans, glasses and what seemed like service ware for an army, I loved my time in the kitchen with my mom.
I remember the massive large soup pot that had chicken soup simmering on the stove for hours. I would help roll out the matzah balls as we discussed the merits of “sinkers or swimmers” (describing whether the matzah ball would be like a golf ball and “sink” in the soup or fluffy and light which would therefore “swim”). The carrots would be prepared for tzimmes, the classic dish on our seder table.
I remember one particular year that my mom had trouble finding walnut pieces for her amazing “heart-attack” cake.
Rather than find another recipe, she recruited three of my friends to sit at the kitchen table and crack nuts for hours on end. While my hand still hurts thinking about it, the cake that night tasted that much better.
Classic Passover cooking, just like mom used to make, does not fit with the new healthy lifestyles that we strive to follow. A little bit of the past with a little bit of the modern is the perfect combination to our seder tables.
I recently returned from a Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center staff mission to Israel. There, I had the privilege to eat extraordinarily well and experienced the newest in Israeli Mediterranean cuisine.
I met with chefs from our Partnership 2000 region in the Sovev Kinneret including Peleg Bech, chef/owner of Ktsy Hanahal, a Lebanese restaurant outside of Tiberius. There I was introduced to meze, a selection of small Mediterranean dishes common in Israel.
The table was filled with such things as hummus, labaneh, Arab salad (known also as Israeli salad), Majadra made of bulgur and lentils, spinach kibeh, and more. A mustard greens salad with lemon, olive oil, and sumac had an incredible flavor and freshness that I had never tasted before.
My goal for this Passover is to bring a little of Israel home to my seder table. Utilizing the freshest spring vegetables and fruits, I hope to create a selection of meze on my table.
Utilizing fresh herbs, and Mediterranean spices, I urge you to think outside the box to create fresh and healthy choices for your table. While I hope to carry some of the tradition my mom taught me, I hope to create new traditions for my own family.
Prepare the dressing by pureeing the herbs and sour cream in a food processor. Add the mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper.
Assemble the salad by mixing the vegetables, lettuce, rocket, and herbs, and transfer to a large, shallow bowl. Spoon dressing over the salad before serving. Serves four to six.
To store, add to jar and cover with olive oil. Add rosemary and seal tightly. Serve at room temperature with infused olive oil.
Chef Jonah Levenberg is director of food services at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center.
Loading ...
