Passover, which this year begins at sundown next Monday, is an eight-day observance of the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. It is also a harvest festival from ancient Israel, and the grain that was celebrated was barley.
This holiday marks the time of year when Jews are perhaps most careful about what they eat and the ingredients with which they cook.
The laws of kashrut, which govern the diet in the Jewish tradition, are very strict for Passover. The most familiar restriction is the law against eating or possessing leavened bread, or chametz, based on Exodus 12: 18-20. Jews sanctify their homes for the holiday by removing forbidden foods from refrigerators and pantries and checking every corner and surface for chametz.
The constraints on food aren’t the only rules in conjunction with Passover, but they are probably the most visible. “We are commanded not to eat leavened bread products, and the way we understand that in the Jewish tradition is that we do not eat anything made of these five grains: wheat, oat, barley, spelt or rye,” said Rabbi Frederick Reeves of The Temple in Midtown Atlanta.
The only exceptions are matzo or matzo meal, which are flour from any of these five grains and water mixed together and baked in less than 18 minutes under rabbinic supervision, he said. For Ashkenazi Jews, foods that swell -- such as peanuts, rice and corn -- are also prohibited, and that eliminates foods with ingredients such as corn syrup, canola oil or lecithin.
Providing three meals a day for the eight days of Passover can present quite a challenge. Navigating ingredient lists is tricky enough the rest of the year. “Very conscientious people are only going to eat foods that are labeled ‘kosher for Passover.’ They aren’t going to take a risk that something might have contaminated the food,” said Reeves.
The Kroger at the Toco Hill Shopping Center has been working since December to be ready for the holiday. Products that come from as far away as Israel have to be ordered months in advance. By the third week of February, the dry groceries have come in. Frozen foods arrived next, followed by dairy and wine. The store will stock between 1,500 and 2,000 kosher for Passover items.
“We remove everything from the shelves that is not kosher for Passover. By the first week of April, everything on those shelves, in the dairy case and in the frozen food section is something safe to eat during the holiday,” said Gary Libowsky, the store’s manager.
Why the complete turnover of the store shelves? There are four Orthodox synagogues within walking distance of the shopping center at the intersection of LaVista and North Druid Hills roads in DeKalb County. “In addition, we get customers from Florida, Tennessee and North and South Carolina. The whole South comes this way,” said Libowsky.
Each year finds a wider variety of products on the shelves. This season, Libowsky estimates he’ll have about 200 new items, including new juices, new fruit spreads and even gluten-free cake mixes. “I’m Jewish, and growing up your choices of wine were two. Your choices of matzo were limited. We’ve come a long way,” Libowsky said.
Minding what one eats during Passover is just part of the observance of the holiday, but it’s an important part of remembering its deeper meaning.
"The most important element of Passover is that it is our festival of freedom. We were slaves, but now we are free. The matzo that we eat partakes of both because on the one hand, we call it the bread of affliction, reminding us of our time in slavery. But on the other hand, we say that there was not enough time to let it rise because we were rushing to freedom. In that way, eating matzo reminds us both that we were slaves and that God acted to free us in the same bite," said Reeves.
Chag Kasher V'Same'ach. (Wishing you a happy and kosher holiday.)
Recipes
Of all the meals that are eaten during Passover, breakfast might be the one that presents the biggest challenge. Matzo brei is the most traditional Passover breakfast dish, a combination of broken matzo softened in milk or water, then mixed with eggs and pan fried. It’s the breakfast choice of Rabbi Frederick Reeves, who serves his matzo brei with real maple syrup. If you’re ready for a change from matzo brei, here are three different takes on breakfast foods. All of them can be made ahead of time and served cold, or warmed up and served hot. And, of course, they’re delicious freshly prepared. All of these dishes are also delicious served any time of year for breakfast, brunch or even at dinner.
Quajado de Spinaca
Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Makes: 16 squares
2 (10-ounce) packages kosher for Passover frozen spinach, thawed and drained
6 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 (one and a quarter) cups grated kosher for Passover Parmesan, divided
1 cup kosher for Passover cottage cheese
1/2 (half) cup kosher for Passover farfel, soaked in warm water for 3 minutes and squeezed dry
1/2 (half) teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9-by-9-inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, mix spinach, eggs, 1 cup Parmesan, cottage cheese, farfel and salt. Pour into prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 (quarter) cup Parmesan. Bake 25 minutes or until center is firm. Cool slightly in pan and cut into 16 squares. Serve hot, warm or cold.
Adapted from a recipe provided by Clare Habif.
Per square: 76 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 6 grams protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 4 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 76 milligrams cholesterol, 238 milligrams sodium.
Potato and Cheese Tortilla
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves: 8
You may peel the potatoes for this recipe, or not. If you’d like, add chopped onions and/or peppers to the egg mixture.
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
3/4 (three-quarter) pound Yukon gold potatoes, grated (about 5 small potatoes)
3 eggs, divided
2 cups shredded kosher for Passover cheddar (about 8 ounces)
1 cup 2 percent milk
3/4 (three-quarter) cup low-fat kosher for Passover sour cream
1/2 (half) teaspoon salt
1/4 (quarter) teaspoon black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put 2 tablespoons butter into 10-inch cast-iron skillet and put it in the oven to melt. Put remaining butter in a glass measuring cup and warm in the microwave 1 minute, or just until melted. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine potatoes and 2 eggs. When butter in skillet is sizzling, about 5 minutes, remove skillet from oven and carefully press potato mixture across bottom of skillet. Return to oven.
In the same bowl, combine remaining egg with cheddar, milk, sour cream, remaining butter, salt and pepper and stir until well mixed. Remove skillet from oven and pour cheese mixture over potatoes. Return to oven and bake 30 minutes or until cheese mixture has puffed and is golden brown. Remove skillet from oven and allow to set 5 minutes before serving. Can be served cold, warm or at room temperature.
Per serving: 278 calories (percent of calories from fat, 64), 12 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 20 grams fat (12 grams saturated), 126 milligrams cholesterol, 417 milligrams sodium.
Honey Pecan Coffee Cake
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Serves 10
1/2 (half) cup vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing pan
1 1/4 (one and a quarter) cups honey, divided
1/2 (half) cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 (half) cup dried kosher for Passover cranberries
1/4 (quarter) cup kosher for Passover semisweet chocolate chips
1 small apple, peeled, cored and diced into 1/4(quarter)-inch pieces
4 eggs, separated
1/4 (quarter) cup orange juice
1 cup kosher for Passover matzo meal
1/2 (half) teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Use vegetable oil to grease a 9-inch springform pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together 1/2 (half) cup honey, pecans, cranberries, chocolate chips and apple. Set aside.
In a medium bowl using a hand mixer, beat egg whites until when you lift your beater, the egg whites form a stiff peak that holds its shape, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
In another bowl, use the hand mixer to whip the egg yolks, 1/2 (half) cup oil and orange juice until creamy and thick, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining 3/4 (three-quarter) cup honey, matzo meal and salt.
Use a rubber scraper to fold 1/4 (quarter) of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Stir together until completely mixed, then add remaining egg whites and fold gently until mixtures are just incorporated. Some streaks of egg white remaining are fine. Spread half the batter into the prepared baking dish.
Spoon half of pecan mixture on top, taking care to keep it away from the sides of the pan. Repeat with remaining batter and pecan mixture. Bake for 45 minutes, or until cake starts to pull from sides of pan. Cool 10 minutes; remove cake from pan and cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Per serving: 312 calories (percent of calories from fat, 42), 4 grams protein, 44 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 15 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 62 milligrams cholesterol, 109 milligrams sodium.
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