Growing up, my paternal grandmother would host the Passover Seder at her home. My grandparents were very generous people and we often had multiple tables pushed together to seat the 20 or more people who would join us for the service and for dinner. As a child the service seemed long and dull. Looking back on it now, it's high on the list of my favorite memories. My grandfather and later my father would lead the service from our promotional haggadahs (complete with coupons and advertisements). We would follow the script and go around the table, each reading our participants portion. I remember scanning ahead to find my section, hoping for a long one so I could show off my reading skills. I loved stealing the afikomen and relished selling it back to the highest bidder.
Of course, the main event was the dinner. My grandmother was not the greatest cook but she could turn out a mean Passover dinner. I'm pretty sure the matzo ball soup came out of a jar and she used cream of mushroom soup in her brisket but it was still great.
It means a lot to me that my family has kept up the tradition of the Passover Seder since my grandparents passed away. It's much smaller now, just immediate family, but we still read from the same haggadahs, we open our home to welcome the profit Elijah, the afikomen and stolen and sold and we eat.
Hosting Passover has fallen to me in the past few years. I feel very proud and blessed to be able to carry on the tradition. I'd like to think that my grandparents are there with us in spirit as we celebrate the heritage and traditions of our faith.
Enough of that, here's my recipes: (sorry there aren't better pictures, I was excited about eating)
This was always my favorite course. This recipe is a vast improvement on the soup my grandmother served. The matzo balls are light and fluffy. They float on the surface of the golden delicious chicken soup. I don't add and vegetables or chicken to the final soup but it is delicious with diced carrots, celery, shredded chicken or even egg noodles.
Ingredients:
Chicken Stock (homemade at least 1 day prior)
whole chicken
4-6 stalks celery chopped
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small yellow onion
3 bay leaves
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 liters cold water (plus more to maintain)
Matzo Balls
2 cups matzo meal (I used homemade matzo, pureed in my food processor)
8 eggs
6 tbsp chicken fat (or vegetable oil or mixture of the both)
1 cup club soda
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1/2 tbsp dried dill
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Method:
1. Place the whole chicken in a large stock pot. Cover with water. Add carrot, celery, onion, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
2. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 hours. Add additional water as needed to maintain level.
3. Strain out all solids (retain chicken for later use, discard veggies)
4. Refrigerate overnight.
5. Skim fat from stock for use in matzo balls.
6. In large bowl, beat eggs well. Add matzo meal, chicken fat, club soda, herbs, salt and pepper. Mix gently until well combined.
7. Cover mix with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
8. Bring stock to a low rolling boil.
9. Form matzo ball mix into golf ball sized portions and drop into boiling stock. Should make around 20-24 matzo balls. They will increase in size as they cook.
10. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until balls are cooked through. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.
Ingredients:
5 lb brisket with 80% of the fat trimmed away
stone ground dijon mustard
2 tbsp dried thyme
garlic salt
fresh cracked black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 quart beef or chicken stock (I used homemade beef stock)
1 bottle cabernet
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
6 tbsp minced garlic
1 rutabega, peeled and diced
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 small turnips, peeled and diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
8-10 small red potatoes, diced
8-10 small white potatoes, diced
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
1. Rub brisket with mustard, thyme, garlic salt and pepper on both sides.
2. In large dutch oven, heat vegetable oil. Brown brisket on both sides. About 3-4 minutes per side. Remove brisket from pot. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Deglaze pan with 2 cups beef stock. Bring to a low boil. Add 1/2 bottle of wine and brown sugar.
4. Return brisket to pot and top with onions and garlic.
5. Cover and place in preheated oven. Cook for 3 hours, turning meat after 1 1/2 hours.
6. Remove from oven, add remaining beef stock and all vegetables. Cook an additional hour or until vegetables are tender but not mush.
7. Remove from oven, let cool. Refrigerate overnight.
8. Skim fat from top and discard. Remove meat and slice thinly. Place in roasting pan. Cover with vegetables.
9. Place dutch oven with juices on stove. Add remaining 1/2 bottle of wine. Bring to a low boil and reduce volume by half. Pour over meat.
10. Cook at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. I put mine in the oven an hour before everyone is scheduled to arrive and turn off the heat when we start the service. By the time we are ready to eat it is perfect.
Thank you so much for stopping by! I really hope that you enjoy these recipes! Be sure to check out my other recipes and follow me on Pinterest for lots of great stuff.