Local chefs say fresh ingredients key to Passover spread
Passover comes with a host of dietary restrictions, but that doesn't mean that holiday tables can't be packed full of fresh flavor, area chefs say.
“I think that the (Jewish) community, in general, is a bit intimidated by the thought of cooking for Passover,” said Glenn Simon of Buffalo Grove's PaNosh Catering.
That's because, for those who follow the holiday strictly, there's a lot to do, and a lot of rules to follow. Leavened grain products are forbidden, along with the usual Jewish dietary restrictions against pork, shellfish and mixing milk and meat. During Passover, many Jews also avoid beans, rice, corn and peas, as well as products made from them.
More observant Jews clean their kitchens thoroughly beforehand, and switch their dishes and cooking gear to special sets just for Passover.
Once the preparation is completed, Simon said, the cooking aspect can “be focused on fresh products, healthy ingredients and good taste — nothing different than you would do all year round.”
“There really is no need to be intimidated by the thought of cooking for Pesach,” he said.
Passover — Pesach in Hebrew — begins Friday at sundown and celebrates the Jewish people's liberation from slavery in Egypt. The highlight of the eight-day spring holiday is the seder meal, a ritual that involves eating matzo and bitter herbs, drinking wine and reciting the story of the exodus from Egypt.
The meal itself often starts with matzo ball soup and gefilte fish, with a main course of brisket, turkey or chicken, plus a host of side dishes.
Ayelet Danino, who owns Glencoe's Aviv Cafe and is chief chef of Bites of Pleasure Foods in Skokie, raves about a recipe for Middle Eastern-style gefilte fish balls bursting with flavor. They're made from pike, trout and white fish, eggs, onions and carrots, and poached in a sauce that includes lemon juice, garlic, chopped peppers, turmeric and spicy hot paprika.
Variety, Danino says, is a constant at her Passover meals. “To capture the warmth of the Jewish food traditions and link it to its cultural source, consider a change in your menu presentation every year as so to bring a fresh new sense to the holiday,” she says.
Fresh carries through to dessert as well. Danino serves fruit along with her flourless chocolate cake.
Skokie-based chef and author Laura Frankel makes a traditional beef brisket for Passover. But she has deemed produce as the star of her table this year, serving up asparagus, sliced and roasted purple radishes and different varietals of potatoes — including Yukon Golds and sweet potatoes — with parsley and thyme.
For dessert, she plans to make a large chocolate mousse with extra-virgin olive oil and Schmerling's 72 percent Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate.
“Instead of just putting it in dessert glasses,” she said, “I put (the mousse) in a loaf pan, freeze it and serve it sliced with berries.”