Think Outside of the Box for Passover

There are few things that Melissa Krumbein enjoys more than cooking for her large family at the holidays. Add in the challenge of not using leavened products during Passover and the Richmond, Virginia-based caterer is truly in her happy place.

“There’s no reason to have a boring meal just because it’s Passover,” says Krumbein, who teaches at the Cooking School.

Observant Jews forgo leavened bread during this festival of freedom, which begins at sunset April 22 and continues through the 30th. The act is meant to remind them of the time when Jewish slaves fled Egypt in such haste that they had no time to bake traditional breads. Instead, they made flat matzo crackers, which remain a staple of Passover celebrations around the world.

The first two nights of Passover are ushered in with solemn seders, during which several aspects of bondage are recalled. Among them is the task of eating charoset, a sweetened apple and nut mixture that symbolizes construction mortar. While delicious on matzo, it’s a tasty year-round addition to yogurt or hot cereal.

Krumbein, who owns the Richmond dessert company Let’s Nosh, relies on a recipe first made by her husband’s grandmother, Lillian Gass Nerden. Born in 1910 to a Russian Jewish family that had immigrated to Orono, Maine, she was responsible for caring for her many siblings. Their tight bond lives on today in the family’s Cousin Club, which celebrates reunions across the country and in Canada.

“I can assure you that Lil never made a small quantity of charoset, as the holiday table was always full of aunts and uncles, cousins and friends,” Krumbein says.  “Lil was a wonderful cook. Be sure to make extra, enough to last the week!”

Lil Nerden’s Charoset 

6 red delicious apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
3 cups nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
3 teaspoons sugar
1½ teaspoons Vietnamese cinnamon
6-7 tablespoons sweet red wine, such as Manischevitz (or Concord grape juice)

Hand-chop apples and nuts to a consistency like rough-cut mortar. Don’t use a food processor for this as the result will be too smooth.

Transfer apple-nut mixture and remaining ingredients, starting with 6 tablespoons wine, to a medium bowl. Stir to combine, adding more wine if needed. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing film to surface of charoset, and chill for at least an hour to let flavors blend. Bring to room temperature before serving.

This post first appeared on Southern Season.

Modern-day Isrealites: Go forth and eat Matzolah

When Moses bid the Isrealites to make bread in haste for their escape from bondage, he could not have imagined the burden he cast upon future bakers and homemakers. On the eve on Passover, we once again struggle with the unwritten fifth question: What can I make without leavened wheat that anyone in their right mind will want to eat?

Many have stepped up to the challenge, and many have failed. But lo, this year, the wise judges at the 2012 Kosherfest competition crowned Maple Nut Matzolah as the Best New Kosher for Passover Product. It is marketed by Atlanta-based Foodman LLC, which humorously dubs the “miraculously nutritious” product “The Trail Mix of the Exodus.” The New York Times similarly classified it as “observant.”

While new to the marketplace, Matzolah earns epic street cred through its association with Streit’s, the oldest kosher company still making matzo in its original New York factory. Lightly sweet and addictively crunchy, Matzolah’s ingredients also include Vermont maple syrup, California raisins, almonds, walnuts, pecans and coconut.

While currently kosher for Passover, Maztolah will be available year-round. It is an appealling nosh by the handful and a welcome topping for ice cream. Add some berries and yogurt for a well-balanced, high-fiber breakfast.

Matzolah comes packaged in the familiar cardboard tins that typically convey other Pesach-approved products, such as macaroons, to grocery store shelves. It is available in North Raleigh for $3.99 per 10-ounce package at Harris Teeter; Whole Foods offers a proprietary blend that uses whole wheat matzo for $5.39.