[Sca-cooks] FW:request for recipe(s)

[Randy Goldberg MD]

> Well, while this is more Cousin Phillipa's field of
> knowledge, I will tell you that it's my favorite
> Jewish Holiday because of the lamb that is eaten, lamb
> being my favorite red meat ;-)

AFAIK, lamb is actually NOT that common on most Seder tables in America.
The lamb shank (z'roa) appears on the Seder plate, but lamb has fallen
out of favor as a main dish at Pesach in Ashkenazic families (the
majority of American Jews) because we are unable to perform the
sacrifice it represents. Sephardim still eat lamb, however.

> My observations indicate that most Jewish recipes tend
> to be adaptations of the recipes used in the culture
> they were residing in, so I suspect that a period lamb
> recipe, for example, would be perfectly acceptable, as
> long as it had no trief ingredients or techniques
> involved- cooking in or with milk, for example.

And don't forget no legumes, corn or leavened products.

> Lamb, as you may know, is traditional in both the
> Christian Easter meal and the Jewish Passover meal
> because in Christ's time, lamb was sacrificed in the
> temple on Passover, and the Last Meal was supposed to
> be a Passover supper. (See, cuz, I really have been
> studying ;-)

Not "supposed to have been", dear - "was". I don't have a Christian
Bible handy to quote you chapter and verse, but it WAS a Seder.

By the way, did you notice that first Seder is the Wednesday night of
Holy Week this year? That means that the Jewish and Easter calendars are
in the same synchronization as they were in the year of Jesus' death.

As to the original request: you might consider some variation on
Charoset, which appears on every Seder table, but varies greatly with
your background. It represents the mortar which the Hebrews made to hold
the bricks together as they built Pharaoh's cities. It traditionally
includes fruit, nuts and a bit of wine - which choices exactly varies
from place to place. Many of these are "period-oid", especially the ones
from the Mid-East. All of these are from Claudia Roden's "The Book of
Jewish Food".

Turkish Haroset
2 sweet apples weighing a total of 1/2 lb, peeled and chopped small
1/2 lb pitted dates
1 cup raisins
juice and grated zest of one orange
1 cup sweet red Passover wine
2-4 tbsp sugar or to taste
2 oz walnuts, coarsely chopped

Cook everything except the sugar and walnuts over low heat until soft
and mushy and the liquid has reduced. Sweeten to taste. Puree to a paste
(blender, food processor or by hand) and sprinkle with walnuts.

Egyptian Haroset
1/2 lb pitted dates, chopped
1/2 lg yellow raisins or sultanas
1/2 c sweet red Passover wine
1/2 c walnuts, coarsely chopped

Heat dates, sultanas and wine over low heat, stirring occasionally,
until it becomes mushy. Cook until thickened into a soft paste. Pour
into a bowl and sprinkle with walnuts.

Italian Haroset
3 apples, sweet or tart
2 pears
2 cups sweet wine
1/3 c pignoli
2/3 c ground almonds
1/2 lb pitted dates, chopped
3/4 c yellow raisins or sultanas
4 oz prunes, pitted and chopped
1/2 c sugar or honey, or to taste
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Peel and chop apples and pears finely. Put everything in a pot and cook
over low heat, stirring occasionally, until everything is very soft. Add
water if it becomes too dry.

Piedmontese Haroset (very unusual and different)
1/2 c cooked chestnuts
2/3 c blanched almonds
2 hard-boiled egg yolks
juice and grated zest of one orange
3/4 c sweet red Passover wine
1/3 c sugar or to taste

Boil the chestnuts a minute or two and drain. Grind the almonds fine in
the food processor, the add the rest of the ingredients, including the
chestnuts, and blend to a paste.

My Grandmother's (z"lt) Haroset
3 sweet apples, peeled
1/2 c walnuts, chopped coarsely
1/2 c or more sweet red Passover wine
lots of cinnamon (to taste)

Put everything in the bowl of a mezzaluna, and chop until it's all
equally fine but not pasty.