Passover During A Pandemic

The holidays are entirely different this year, especially Passover. There are on line and streaming seders. Families are apart. It's certainly a strange time.

Amelia Nierenberg and Emma Goldberg both regular contributors  wrote this informative and interesting piece in yesterday's New York Food section. Passover means a time of ridding the house of unleavened bread along with other items. Vital pantry staples such as beans, bread and pasta fall into this category. Breads, cakes and cookies that are leavened with yeast are called chametz and are forbidden during this period. Usually a household's bread is either donated, eaten burned or sold to a non-Jewish person for a small fee and then bought back at the end of Passover. However bread is an important ingredient in today's kitchen and in high demand world wide. In Zichron Yaakov, a town north of Tel Aviv a Christian buyer told Rabbi Yair Silverman that he would actually keep the breads. The rabbi considered it a true sale then. Other items include foods like oatmeal and breads made with barley or kityinot. This also includes legumes and even corn and rice.

Many are adapting to this new holiday normal. One, Rachel Ringler,a food blogger, and challah baking instructor, had a Zoom seder in her Bridgehampton second home instead of her Manhattan apartment. She is serving rice and lentils a, custom of her half -Syrian son-in-law, who being a Sephardic Jew, can have corn, rice, and millet. This has been sanctioned by the Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of Conservative Rabbis. They have also offered suggestion for the Passover plate too. Try a roasted beet and rice instead of a shank bone and egg along with any fruit or vegetable that can bring a tear to the eye instead of horseradish. Use ginger which is just as sharp or hot peppers. Most home chefs have usually cooked brisket in the past to accommodate huge numbers of guests. Now families have roasted chicken. There are Seder to go boxes , supplied by Chabad.org. a worldwide Jewish organization. These have matzah, wine, grape juice, and even a plastic frog to symbolize the ten plagues along with a Haggadah, the telling of the Exodus from Egypt. One thing that is forbidden in some areas is the burning of the chametz. Some fires have gone out of control in the past and fire departments have been called in. Since they're needed  now , fires are banned.

Passover will certainly be different .  this year as Jews recite "next year in Jerusalem" there is also that hope that they will be there or at a seder with all their loved ones in the next  year. That's the best hope for this holiday.

Winter Storm Basics

January usually brings a whole host of weather problems. There's either blizzards, Nor'easters or just bone-numbing frigid cold. That means stocking up and staying in. What to get? basics? Fun stuff? Or a mix of both? A balanced mix is the answer.

Many home chefs freak out when they hear blizzard. They rush to the store and get the necessary, bread milk and eggs. This is great , These are the staples that you'll need, whether on their own or used as ingredients. Yet, you'll need more protein than just eggs/What you can do is buy a roast a day or two before a predicted monster snowstorm. Make it along with hearty sides such as mashed potatoes and broccoli au gratin. These leftovers will keep the family happy and fed until you can dig out. Also, a cold roast can be sliced into sandwiches for a couple of days afterward. Also, have cold cuts ready if there's a blackout  - which does happen during a heavy windstorm. Canned goods are a must. There's a lot you can do with canned veggies turning them into main dishes or sides. Try not to get fresh breads which either get moldy quick .  If the bread gets stale, don;t fret.They can be repurposed into breadcrumbs, stuffing or bread pudding A snow day in is also a good time to bake homemade loaves and rolls. You can also get those canisters of biscuits,  and breadsticks too. They're a nice side with a bowl of homemade soup. Save the cinnamon buns for a breakfast or brunch with the family.

Fun stuff can also be bought too. A snowy or blustery day inside can mean a fun baking or even candy making day. A day off can be spent making homemade pizzas. Be sure to have a can or two  of pizza sauce and mozzarella,,whether balls or shredded for topping. The kids will get a kick out of  baking cupcakes or cookies. Have confectioners sugar, butter,and food coloring handy to make colorful icings, along with sprinkles and  icing gels for writing., Buy a few tubes of slice and bake cookies  for   a nice, fresh from the oven batch. Candy making is a great way to keep tweens occupied during a day in. . Keep the pantry stocked with a bag of unshelled peanuts, granulated sugar and corn syrup to make peanut brittle and condensed milk and chocolate chips for making microwave fudge Flavored honeys are great in hot teas and for sore throats.  They can also be used to make tasty lollipops.Another must is having hot cocoa,the perfect warm up for after shoveling. Stock up on the premade mixes or tins of Drostes. Cut back on sodas but definitely have a pantry full of juices, especially orange. It's not only refreshing but gives the  family an extra boost of Vitamin C.

The pantry and fridge should be well stocked during a winter storm. Keep it balanced with nutritious and fun foods. It's a nice blend for a few days inside.