![]() March 25th, 2013
05:00 PM ET
5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. The week-long Passover holiday kicks off at sundown tonight with the ritual Seder meal. The centerpiece of the feast is the Seder plate, brimming with symbolic foods that commemorate the exodus of Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The plate includes:
Founder Nick Wiseman and chef Barry Koslow of DGS Delicatessen in Washington, D.C., have a few tips to help freshen up the traditional Passover Seder menu without upsetting your bubbe too much. Five Ways to Modernize Your Seder: Barry Koslow 1. Go beyond chicken 2. Don't drink Manischewitz Matzo ball soup is tricky to pair because you're putting liquid up against liquid. Try something that isn't too dry, but can stand up to bold flavors, like a sherry, which has a bit more alcohol and body than wine. Rosé wines or even a stout are also good options. Bodegas Hidalgo Oloroso Faraon Sherry is very dry and will complement your duck fat matzo balls nicely. If you're having a sacrificial lamb, go with a full-bodied red like an Israeli Cabernet from Teperberg Winery. For dessert, play off the apple flavors in the haroset and serve an heirloom cider, like Eden's Vermont Heirloom Blend Ice Cider. 3. Embrace the season 4. Don't be bound by tradition Try encrusting halibut in a bitter herb crust with parsley and garnish it with a spicy beet chrain (relish). Traditionally, you would dip the parsley in salted water and serve and eat the horseradish straight. Haroset is a paste that’s traditionally made with nuts and apples and is supposed to resemble the mortar that the Jews used as slaves to build with in Egypt. Have some fun and reinterpret it as a dessert like an apple and rhubarb crumble. 5. Make Your Own Matzo Roll it with a pasta machine, or you can roll it thinly by hand. Cut the dough into squares, brush it with some olive oil, sprinkle it with a little sea salt and pierce the surface with a fork. Flip a sheet tray upside down in the oven, or you can use a pizza stone. Crank the heat up as high as possible and throw the dough on the tray. Watch the matzo blister; it'll be ready in about 4-5 minutes depending on how hot your oven is. They taste even better hot, and it takes almost no time. Passover horseradish – rooted in tradition Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down. |
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I'm pretty sure making matzo using a pasta machine defeats the whole purpose, fun or not! And eating lamb on Seder night is a definite no no
Really – has anyone told these folks that bread and beer (recommended to accompany the matzo ball soup) are not allowed during Passover – that's the whole point! It's not supposed to be a fancy meal just like you'd have all year – it's supposed to make us think – and to be different ("Why is this night different from all other nights?") AAGH . . .
Ummmm, the picture has leavened bread???
It is always difficult at this time of year to find a good Kosher ham...
*chuckle*
Nothing like being high end and fancy about a meal that should be bringing us back to our impoverished roots. Fanciness,cleverness, cuteness or whatever in Seder meals is not a real meal in my eyes. Some of these photo's of plates made by obviously professionals makes me roll my eyes.
Funny how there is a meal to celebrate the passover of God's Angel of Death that killed the first born male of non-believers.
I bet parents don't teach their kids that fact.
Yeah, we do. Considering that part of the seder dinner is mourning all of the Egyptians who died, you will see that us Jews go out of our way to acknowledge that part.
Like ^^^
Fun matzo is a bit of an oxymoron. It is supposed to be the bread of affliction
Also, I'm pretty sure there are rules about just using any old flour. . . but I was pretty skeptical of this article when I saw that the top photo had a bunch of bread lying around the plate. Way to go, guys.