Passover is by far my favorite Jewish Holiday -- a ceremony akin to Thanksgiving in many ways. It’s about sharing food with friends and family to celebrate Spring, and (as with so many Jewish Holidays), the fact that we didn’t all die, this time in ancient Egypt under the Pharaoh’s hand.
There are a set group of prayers and traditions that are said and followed, and of course food. We read from the Haggadah (a prayer book), we stay away from leavened foods, to commemorate the great speed in which Jews fled, so fast in fact that they were unable to wait for bread to rise, and we remember that while life may be hard, at least frogs aren’t falling from the sky.
It’s traditional for families to make their own Haggadah, although many choose to read from already published ones. My Mother started a makeshift Haggadah years ago that we have refined and organized over the years. It’s a happy combination of traditional Jewish prayers and stories, and speeches from Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama, and even the famous comedian George Carlin. People of all faiths and colors are welcomed at our table, and it is always a genuinely wonderful night.
Traditional Passover fare is Harosset (a sweet apple and nut mixture to represent mortar from the bricks laid in Egypt), gefilte fish (a horrifying concoction of random fish that I will never understand), Matzoh Ball Soup, Lamb, Hard Boiled eggs, and Macaroons (a kind of cookie). Never being sticklers for "traditional" we have been mixing up our meals for years.
Over the years, we have had South American, Ethiopian, French, Middle Eastern, and Indian Meals, to the delight of everyone involved. This year, we're going Greek. There was a large Jewish Community in Greece once upon a time, and since one of my Family's dearest friends is a famous Greek Cookbook author (who will just happen to be around in April), we though it would be a wonderful addition to our worldly meals.
After much research, and speaking with Jewish communities in Greece, we have a very traditional and even ancient menu that screams Greek, yet follows the rules and traditions of the Jewish Passover.
Spiced Eggs Stained with Red Onion Skins
Lettuce Leaves stuffed with Meat
Lamb Baked with Lemons
Bitter Greens (such as Dandelion)
Almond, Fig and Apricot Harosset with Cinnamon
Dessert is yet to be figured out, but I guarantee it will yummy...
More to come!
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