{"id":13603,"date":"2011-04-13T15:00:45","date_gmt":"2011-04-13T15:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/uncharted_territory\/"},"modified":"2017-04-16T04:09:35","modified_gmt":"2017-04-16T09:09:35","slug":"uncharted_territory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/food\/recipes\/uncharted_territory\/","title":{"rendered":"Uncharted Territory"},"content":{"rendered":"

Please note: Jamie Geller is a freelance kosher food writer. The Orthodox Union makes no endorsements or representations regarding kashrut certification of various products\/vendors referred to in her articles, blog, or web site.
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Most Jewish cookbooks and Passover articles assume that we all have very special memories of our family\u2019s Passover Seder. They prattle about how all 50 members of your extended family will happily converge in your home, where you will be waiting with a Seder meal replete with heirloom recipes and china that\u2019s been handed down from your Great GrandBubbie from Mezibozh, or some other unpronounceable Old World location. Moreover, your house will be spotlessly clean (after months of scrubbing) and you will have successfully sorted out your Passover dishes in all three categories: meat, dairy, and that dubious entity \u2013 pareve.<\/p>\n

Puhleeze! What if your family is like the majority of Jews today? Grandma is from Santa Barbara, and has no treasured recipes. Every year, you decide which friend\u2019s Seder to crash, or you go to one of those events sponsored by some well-meaning organization that serves you gefilte fish from a jar and matzah that actually tastes like it was baked 3,000 years ago.<\/p>\n

This year, you want it to be different. You decided to create a real Seder, right in your own home. But your Blackberry is devoid of Passover 911 personnel to help you! Where do you start?<\/p>\n

I feel your pain. In fact, the first and only Seder I actually hosted was about two years ago. You don\u2019t just stand on a chair and sing the Four Questions. There\u2019s a lot more to it, but I discovered that it\u2019s not as mysterious or complicated as I first thought. The experience rendered valuable tips and strategies that I can share with you.<\/p>\n

But first, a word from our Sponsor \u2013 the One who made all this possible. Before we get caught up in the \u201chow,\u201d we need to think \u201cwhy.\u201d Most people regard Passover as the festival of freedom from bondage, yet ironically view it as the ultimate holiday of restrictions. After all, the mandate not to eat \u201cleavened\u201d foods seems to saddle us with a lot of prohibitions: no bread, no pasta, no pizza\u2026 But to me, the opposite is true. Passover teaches us that freedom means exercising our G-d-given ability to choose. Although there is no Egyptian taskmaster standing over us, we may still be enslaved, feeling the pressures that society, fashion and the media foist on us either blatantly or through our subconscious need to be like everyone else. To be truly free, we must decide what kind of lifestyle we really want, not just be dragged along with whatever is popular.<\/p>\n

When it comes to Passover, all those \u201crestrictions\u201d help us prove that we have the self-control to forego what is convenient and familiar. The idea is not to suffer through eight breadless days and then pat ourselves on the back for making it through. It\u2019s taking a beautiful holiday and making it your own \u2013 bringing meaning to the preparations and celebrating our freedom to consciously choose a path.<\/p>\n

Of course, creating a meaningful Seder and a memorable holiday takes planning. So let\u2019s talk about the Seder meal, keeping in mind that its purpose is to reinforce the spiritual messages of Passover and create the kind of memories your family will cherish.<\/p>\n

First, there is the question of what kind of menu to prepare \u2013 exotic or traditional? Personally, I\u2019m all for innovative meals most of the time. But for Passover, I lean toward familiar Jewish fare. One of the mitzvot of the Seder is to tell your children the ancient story of the Jews\u2019 exodus from Egypt. I figure that since the object is to hand down this bit of our history from generation to generation, it\u2019s proper for the food accompanying the storytelling to have a similar intergenerational charm.<\/p>\n

Classics are called that for a reason: they have withstood the test of time and countless taste buds for generations. There are quintessential Passover dishes that are traditional, such as matzah ball soup, as well as foods that are simply \u201cJewish,\u201d like gefilte fish. These may have no underlying symbolism, meaning, or connection to Passover, but we\u2019ve come to expect them at our Seder.<\/p>\n

If you want to go for striking new recipes, you have my support and envy for both the search and the find \u2013 but the fussing that usually goes along with their preparation can create pressure on you when you least need it. If you want the time and peace of mind to focus on the meaning of the actual Seder and the holiday, don\u2019t go for a recipe that will overwhelm you. Make it your business to find the best recipes you can easily handle, and these are usually the tried and true classics. Simple can be delicious and elegant. Remember \u2013 we left slavery behind, and that includes the kitchen!<\/p>\n

Stay relaxed during the Seder too. Your guests are not food critics from the New York Times, here to write an expos\u00e9 of your menu. Never apologize or critique your own food in front of others — even if it didn’t turn out the way you planned. Just sit back and enjoy the experience of your own Seder.<\/p>\n

Spiced Gefilte Fish<\/b><\/u><\/h3>\n
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Gefilte fish, \u201cthe\u201d Jewish food for Shabbos and holiday festivities, was invented by some ingenious Jewish women many generations ago to help diners avoid tangling with bones while they ate. The word itself means \u201cfilled\u201d in Yiddish, referring to the original practice of filling the fish\u2019s skin with ground fish.\u00a0This original recipe comes straight from my recipe tester, Joy\u2019s father-in law, a Philly native like me. It offers an interesting, unexpected flavor.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/span>:<\/h4>\n