Dinner - Passover

Passover is now over.....bread anyone?  I thought I would share with you some recipes.  What I find interesting about Judaism is the fact that the culture (language/slang, food, humor, etc.) is so entwined with the religion that a lot of people consider the culture to be the religion.  But enough about that delicate subject....onto the food......

I have my "signature" Passover dish is charoset.  Charoset is made to symbolize the mortar used to bind together the blocks of the pyramids the Jews built for the Egyptians.  I use half red delicious apples and half granny smith.  I peel the apples, but like to leave on about 25% of the peel.  This gives a nice color and texture to it.  I had a total of about 30 people eating this and had left over - I used 11 of each type of apple. The cut them up and grate them in my food processor.  Then I grind up walnuts....to about a sand texture. I add the ground walnuts to the grated apples, add some cinnamon, some Mogan David concord grape wine and for the secret ingredient that I will share with you (as symbol of my gratitude for you reading my blog).  The honey from Kurt's bees.  Our friend in Madison, WI - Kurt (and hi Rita!!) - keeps bees and harvests the honey around the start of September.  We have been there before to help in the processing of the honey.  His honey is processed with love and he keeps his bees with love...and it comes through with the honey.  Sure....any honey would be fine....but I believe this is what puts my charoset over the top.

 This is carrot souffle I buy from Dorfler's  - a butcher in our area.  Sweet with a crunchy top. Yum!!!  They just make the most delicious carrot dish that there is no need to try to even duplicate it.....if it ain't broke.....

 This is kishke.  Oh dear kishke....kishke, kishke, kishke.....how I love you.  Can't even find the words to decribe kishke.  If you have some, please add them as a comment.  I don't know how to make it but this is a "log" made mostly of vegis.  We buy it from Elegance In Meat, in Northbrook, IL.  Again....if it ain't broke.  No need to learn how to make this one either.....

Ok....this is my passover nemesis. BRISKET!  It's so easy - I hear that from all my customers at Sunset.  Each person has their own version.  This is my mom's.  I will write about my own brisket adventures lower down here....but let me share this one with you....so you see what works.

Her recipes was based on "Divorce Settlement Brisket".  I kid you not.....she told me that name, I goggled it, and here it was.  OK....here's the recipe, but with her changes......

1 brisket, 7 pounds

3 cloves garlic, sliced in slivers

salt

Freshly ground pepper

Paprika

1 3/4 cup chili sauce

1 c honey

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 T soy sauce

2 pounds potatoes (Russet, Yukon Gold) peeled, halved

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Trim some fat from the brisket. Make small slits with a sharp paring knife all over the brisket; insert the garlic slivers. Season all over with salt, pepper and paprika to taste. Place in a roasting pan.

Heat chili sauce, honey, soup mix, and soy sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. Pour over brisket in the roasting pan. Seal tightly with aluminum foil.

Cook 4 hours. Add potatoes for last hour;remove foil for last 30 minutes.

So here was my brisket....tough as shoe leather my family said.  What I did.....

2.75 pound brisket

5 cubes of garlic (the frozen Dorat kind I like) - pressing into slits on the meat

All these next ones sprinkled on top of the meat -

1 packet of dried onion soup

1/4 cp brown sugar

10 shakes of Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup of ketchup

In the pan....1/2 cup water

yukon gold potatoes - whole

cut up sweet potatoes

Sealed with tin foil and baked at 350 degrees for 2 hours....and AWFUL.  Sure the potatoes were delicious....but that's it.

And now time for full confession - this was my second attempt.  My first attempt to make brisket got SO burnt that if I broke (yes broke) it apart, I probably would have found a diamond in there.

Conclusion....I was not meant to make brisket. Period. End of story.