Kosher For Passover originally published on Food and Fond Memories on April 13, 2011 by sandyaxelrod 4 Comments (Edit)
Kosher For Passover
Me with some of my family circa 1963 at my Bubie and Zeyda’s for Passover Seder
The celebration of the Jews exodus from Pharaoh’s oppression in Egypt Passover or Pesach begins at sundown on Monday, April 18 and lasts for 8 days. Each year at this time I reminisce about my grandparents busily getting ready for Pesach. My Zeyda (grandfather) would go down the basement and grate fresh horseradish so my Bubie (grandmother) wouldn’t be bothered by the fumes. Then she would add some vinegar, a little sugar and some beet juice to make the condiment that we loved to put on her Gefilte Fish, Roast Chicken or Pot Roast. Bubie made Matzoh Balls for soup that were lighter than air. And her “fish potatoes” cooked with the gefilte fish were fought over by everyone at the seder table. No matter how much of it she made we gobbled up every last savory morsel. They kept a Kosher home which meant two sets of dishes and silverware but it also meant an additional two sets of everything for Pesach. In a Kosher home you do not mix dairy and meat. For some reason it is considered to be unhealthy and therefore not done. In addition you don’t eat pork or shellfish. Although I am a relatively observant Jew I do not follow the laws of Kashrath because I don’t feel that the reasons they were developed are necessary today. And besides I am too much of a foodie to be so strict with my eating habits after all lobster is my favorite food. I do however “keep Pesach”. This means that I will throw away everything in my pantry and refrigerator that is hametz, meaning that it contains some kind of leavening. So I will toss all bread, cake, crackers, pretzels etc. During Pesach we will eat only matzoh but that is not a hardship. I know it looks like a sheet of cardboard but with a little butter and salt it tastes quite good indeed. In fact I look forward to the change each year. My favorite thing to make using the matzoh is Matzoh Brei or as we call it Fried Matzoh. I unfortunately have no pictures to show you but it is very easy to make. First you soak two sheets of broken matzoh in cold water for a moment just to soften it and then drain off the water. Next mix with a slightly beaten egg and a good amount of salt and pepper. Heat some butter or olive oil, or even a combination of both as I sometimes do, in a large skillet over medium-high heat and fry the mixture until golden brown and crispy on each side. This serves one person so multiply accordingly for the number of servings you wish to make just don’t crowd the pan too much. It would be best to make it in batches for more that two or three servings.
