Happy Passover Menu Inspiration
For those that may not be familiar with Passover, it is a Jewish celebration that occurs in the spring to commemorate the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. It is observed for seven days and has one main dinner, the seder (shown below). The menu for a Passover dinner tends to be strictly traditional according to family traditions. Every item of food has a historical representation dating back centuries.
We did a little additional research on the deeper meanings to the dishes served during Passover seder and found a blog by Tori Avey which stated: “Symbolic foods eaten at the seder are: maror (bitter herbs, usually horseradish, a reminder of the bitterness of slavery), salt water (symbolizing the tears of the slaves), charoset (sweet paste made of fruit and nuts, symbolizing the mortar the slaves used to build the Egyptian pyramids), zeroah (shank bone, representing the Passover sacrifice), beitzah (hard-boiled egg, symbolic of life and birth associated with the spring season), and karpas (a leafy green vegetable, usually a piece of lettuce, symbolizing hope and redemption).”
Wendy celebrates this holiday with her closest friends and family. They all gather to share stories and her husband Michael reads the Seder. Because Wendy’s guests are a mix of Jewish and Non-Jewish friends, she re-invents her traditional family dinner and in doing so, modernizes and creates new family traditions around food and family.
Here is the Passover menu planned for this year:
Seder Plate
Traditional with These Added Elements
Orange for Solidarity with Marginalized (LGBTQ)
Olives: Olive Branch, Peace between Israel and Palestine
hard boiled egg, shank bone, horseradish, haroset and parsley
Appetizers
Vegetables and Dip
hummus, caramelized onion dip and eggplant pomegranate dip
matzoh crackers
~
Gefilte Fish
on skewers
Entree
Grilled Salmon, Lemon Sauce
fresh herbs and charred lemon wheel garnish
~
St. Peter’s Fish (Tilapia)
~
Indian Style Spring Lamb Stew
sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash
~
Short Ribs (on the Bones)
Horseradish Gremolata
~
Moroccan Fish Stew
Tomato and Cilantro
~
Matzoh Crusted Chicken Breast Milanese
roast tomato, olives, garlic and artichoke sauce
~
Persian Vegetarian Tagine
stuffed into individual baby eggplant
topped with fried quinoa
~
Baby Kale Salad
shaved pecorino, pomegranate seeds and sweet and spicy pecans
pomegranate vinaigrette
~
Bitter Herbs and Torn Salad
Fresh Spring Fennel and Orange Supreme
~
Matzoh Kugel
crumbled matzoh, cinnamon, tart apples, citrus zest and plump raisins
~
Grilled Spring Vegetables
Grilled green and white asparagus,
Charred lemon wheel garnish, sea salt
Desserts
Served to Table Family Style
Rich Dark Chocolate Flourless Passover Torte
accompanied by: raspberry sauce
~
Passover Apple Cake
~
Fresh Sliced Fruit and Berries
~
Decadent Passover Brownies
Enjoy!!
-Wendy