A
different kind of holiday dinner:
When
thinking about a holiday dinner, slave wondered what did they eat in
the time of Jesus? Many today do not understand the kind of “Kosher”
meal the Last Supper was.
Here
is the saga of the different kind of holiday meal slave put together
for his neighbors.
If
you have never cooked lamb, let me urge you to try it sometime as a
treat. Be warned it is expensive meat that needs to be roasted low
and slow. It is appropriate to serve lamb for Passover, but rules
govern the preparation, and are subject to various interpretations.
Here
are the recipes used for this event. It gives an idea how to plan and
put one of these together!
Slowly
Braised Lamb
Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 5 1/2 Hours
Ingredients:
1
boned shoulder of spring lamb, about 4½ pounds, rolled and tied
Salt
and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3
tablespoons vegetable oil
1
cup finely chopped onions
½
cup finely chopped leeks
¼
cup scallions, sliced
3
cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1
cup beef stock low sodium
1
cup wine, kosher for Passover
2
tablespoons lemon juice
3
sprigs fresh rosemary
1.Season
the lamb with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to
250 degrees.
2.Heat
the oil in a large skillet. Brown the lamb on all sides over medium
heat; it should take at least 15
minutes.
Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside.
3.Add
the onions and leeks to the pan and saute over medium-low
heat until they are tender and just turning golden. Stir in the
garlic.
Add
the stock, wine, lemon juice, and scallions. Bring to a simmer.
Place
lamb on a rack in a large roasting pan that has been sprayed. Pour
the stock mixture over the meat and lay a couple of sprigs of
rosemary on top. Cover
and place in oven for about 5 hours. By
then it should be extremely tender. Remove the lamb from the roaster
and cover with foil.
6.Strain
the sauce into a heavy saucepan. Skim off as much fat as possible.
Place the solids in a blender or food processor or just use an
immersion bleeder. Puree, adding a little of the sauce if necessary.
Heat and check seasonings.
7.Remove
the strings from the lamb. Slice the roast down the middle the long
way, then cut it into chunks. Layer the meat into a bowl or loaf pan
that holds 5
to 6 cups,
then un-mold onto a warm serving platter. Sprinkle the remaining
minced parsley over the top, garnish the platter with parsley sprigs
and serve, with the sauce on the side.
==================================
Deviled
Eggs
While
there are many ways to hard cook an egg, cooks usually find one and
swear by it! Wither you prefer to put eggs in water, heat to boiling
then cover and let sit off the heat for 10 minutes or let boil what
ever length of time, here is an idea that helps with appearance.
The
night before: slip a rubber band around the carton and sit it on its
side overnight. This positions the yolk into the center of the egg.
It gives more of a “wall” around the yolk mixture and looks
prettier. Also as soon as the eggs are cooked, put them in cold
water and bring down the temperature quickly. When the eggs cool
slowly, the sulfur in the yolks form a green “skin”. Doesn't
affect the taste, just the appearance.
Slave
found a small tool that lets the microwave boil water while
protecting the egg. This lets the steam do the cooking. Most of the
time (maybe 10 out of 12 eggs) this makes them easier to peel for me.
==========================
Hillel
sandwiches
The
leading rabbi of the day, Hillel
mixed elements of the ritual food. So that celebrants could eat
several parts in a single bite. Since he died in 10 AD we know that
his guidelines would have been followed by Jesus.
Ingredients:
flat
bread
Horsey
sauce ( courtesy of local Arby's)
Romaine
lettuce
Salt
water
Directions:
(Hillel
of course used Matzah
an un-leavend bread. (Israelites had no time to wait for the bread to
“rise”). We substituted a flat bread for our meal.
He
spread it with a horseradish (bitter herb – symbol of slavery)
Next
was the Karpas (a flat green vegetable dipped into saltwater) This
symbolized the lowly origins of the Jewish people and the tears of
slavery. Here we used Romaine lettuce.
Then
a fruit compote is added (charoset
-
symbolizing the mortar the slaves used to build the Egyptian
pyramids) thus making a kind of sandwich.
These
are the appetizers! I made them small in case you don't care for the
blend of flavors. Still you will have the taste behind the symbolism.
=================================
Warm Cherry Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes, rinsed and stems removed
- 6 scallions, sliced on an angle
- 2 tablespoons kosher for Passover red wine vinegar, a generous splash
- Salt and pepper
Directions
Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and garlic and cook 2 minutes.Add tomatoes and scallions and cook until skins begin to burst. Add vinegar and remove from heat.
Add salt and pepper, toss and serve.
==============================
My
neighbors enjoyed a unique experience. But most of all it was fun!
Slave
read some notes about what had been learned. The whole building was
talking about it as the event of the year!
The
meal was topped off by Chef Rodney's signature dish - a decadent New
York Style cheesecake made with 18 eggs, 1.5 cups heavy cream, sugar,
etc!
Now
you might think this kind of meal is to much for you to try. Slave
says: “Believe in yourself”. There will be mistakes, so what, as
long as you make your mind up to have FUN!
Serving
is what we love to do!
socialslave
To
satisfy and restore.
To
nourish, support and maintain.
To
gratify, spoil, comfort and please,
to
nurture, assist, and sustain
…..I
cook!
Please
buy slave's cookbook:
The
Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes
by
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