Thursday, April 05, 2007

First Seder Menu


First Seder Menu
Originally uploaded by mennu.

"Southern Fried Seder"

Meat Stuffed Matza Balls
Fennel Salad
Broccoli Kugel
Brussel Sprouts
Coleslaw
Mashed Potatoes
Fried Chicken
Lamb Roast with White Wine and Dried Fruit Reduction Sauce
Roast Beef

When I arrived home from work, I found that the fried chicken was prepared, and the lamb was roasted. Unfortunately, my sister, who was supposed to be the "lead chef" fell ill. She had contracted all 10 plagues. I looked at the clock, surveyed the kitchen, and sat down to have some coffee with my two kichen volunteers. Taking a page from Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba, I wrote out my menu, thought through the timing of everything and got to work.

The rest of the production was performed in a calm that had been absent for the weeks preceeding the holiday.

One of my more interesting dishes was the sauce I made for the lamb. I sauteed some shallots in grapeseed oil and spiced it with nutmeg, cinnamon and clove. Then I added white wine, raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots, some apricot jam, and fresh mint.

Second Seder Menu


Second Seder Menu
Originally uploaded by mennu.
Here's the menu from the second seder:

Meat Stuffed Matza Balls
Seder Salad
Fennel Salad
Coleslaw
Brined Citrus Herbed Turkey with Mushroom Gravy
Garlic Zuccini
Asparagus with Shallots
Indian Spring Festival Rice

I brined the turkey for 5 days. On the day day of the seder, I prepared all the food listed above in three hours.

Monday, April 02, 2007

Meat Stuffed Matza Balls


Today I will speak with Leonard Lopate and Joan Nathan about my meat stuffed matza balls. So I made a nice batch of them this weekend, took pictures, and wrote out step by step instructions. Click here for the slideshow. Or here for the step by step instructions.
To listen to a podcast of the show, click here.