March 24, 2010

By Manya A. Brachear for Tribune Newspapers
Religious tradition can anchor us positively and negatively. It can keep us from drifting too far from our roots. It also can weigh us down when we want the freedom to define what's meaningful for ourselves.

For years, invitations to other Passover Seders had always saved me from hosting my own. But when my family's keeper of the Passover tradition died last year, duty called me to take the plunge. I enlisted in the Spertus Institute's Passover Boot Camp, led by chef Laura Frankel, and soon discovered that a successful Seder is much like an entertaining night of dinner theater.

All I needed was a script, a few props and some culinary characters.

Script

The script is none other than the Haggadah, the Jewish religious text that recounts the biblical tale of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt and dictates the order of the Passover Seder. While Orthodox Jews often stick to the traditional text passed down through the centuries, many families now customize the Haggadah to express Passover's personal significance.

Using a traditional Haggadah as my guide, I wrote my own, paying tribute to my late grandparents and my recently departed uncle who always hosted the family Seders. I also incorporated a sense of irreverence to lighten the mood, setting traditional songs to Beyonce tunes (imagine "Let My People Go" to "All the Single Ladies") and occasionally calling on guests to improvise portions of the Exodus saga.

Props

Remember when setting the table was the easy chore? Not this time. Setting the Seder table correctly is as important as the cooking. After laying the basic groundwork (tablecloth, dishes, silver, glasses and napkins), I followed a checklist.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread can't take place without the matzo — a reminder that even though the Israelites didn't have time for the dough to rise before they fled, everything worked out in the end. This message was encouraging as I accidentally blackened vegetables and switched on the blender without a lid in the last-minute throes of Seder preparation.

The Seder plate holds up to six symbols: the beitzah, or roasted egg; karpas, or fresh parsley; maror, or bitter herb often represented by a dollop of horseradish; charoset, or a fruit and nut paste to symbolize the mortar Israelites used to cement bricks in slavery; salt water to symbolize sweat and tears; and zero'a, or roasted shank bone to symbolize the mighty arm of God — an easy acquisition at the local meat market. Just call a day ahead.

Many Orthodox families have a separate set of dishes, glassware and silver used only during the eight days of Passover, cleansed of bread crumbs, purified by natural waters and blessed for that purpose. Others just break out the same fine china used at Thanksgiving. I compromised.

For sentimental significance, I used my grandparents' dishes and silver. For more sacred significance, I served the bitter herb and charoset in dishes I symbolically dunked in Lake Michigan while reciting a blessing. (Tip: Think ahead, consult an Orthodox rabbi and purify your dishes during the warm summer months. Wading into the lake in mid-March was not fun. My friend was smart. She stood on dry land and took pictures.)

In addition to candles lit at the start of the Seder, two glasses stood at the center of the table. Traditionally, a goblet of wine awaits the prophet Elijah whom we invited inside near the end of the Seder to announce the coming of redemption. We added a cup of spring water to honor Miriam, the prophet who made sure the Israelites always had water to drink — a symbol of much-needed healing and renewal. Before welcoming Elijah, guests passed Miriam's cup around the table, took a drop of water and made a wish for the coming year.

Dinner

You obviously can't have a decent night of dinner theater without a decent dinner. Not that my mother's cooking lacks in any way, but taking lessons from one of the city's top kosher chefs seemed like a surefire way to deliver a fabulous meal. That's why my friend and I signed up for the Passover Boot Camp.

Frankel introduced options — one of my favorite words in the world. While my mother can recommend the best matzo ball mix and advise me how long to leave a roast in the oven, Frankel demonstrated three variations of charoset, unusual entrees, and sides and recipes that included seasonal fruits and vegetables.

In the end, my menu included recipes culled from a variety of Passover cookbooks, Frankel and a book my mother received on the occasion of her confirmation, "A Treasure for My Daughter," later passed down to me. The goal was to provide sufficient vegetarian options, a few traditional favorites and creative twists on those traditions.

"As long as there's wine, everything will be fine," I said to myself when the first doorbell rang. And in the spirit of Passover, there was plenty.

At the appointed time, family members in Texas raised their glasses as my friends in Chicago raised theirs. We toasted my uncle, my friends and my first successful Seder. #

mbrachear@tribune.com

Southwestern Braised Beef Brisket

Prep: 25 minutes Cook: 3 hours Makes: 12 servings

Adapted from " The New York Times Passover Cookbook." Use a prepared spice rub for this recipe, or make your own, using ginger, black and red pepper, cinnamon, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, dried basil, dried oregano, chili powder and cumin.

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 boneless beef brisket, about 6 pounds, trimmed
• 1/4 cup Southwestern rub 3 onions, chopped
• 2 each, chopped: large carrots, ribs celery
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cups chicken stock, about
• 1 tablespoon margarine

Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. Coat beef on both sides with the rub, patting well. Add to Dutch oven; cook until browned on one side, 5 minutes. Turn; cook until browned, 5 minutes. Transfer meat to a platter.

Add onions, carrots and celery to the Dutch oven; cook, stirring, until the onions are golden brown, 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Return beef to Dutch oven; add bay leaves and enough chicken stock to just cover the beef. Heat to a boil; cover. Reduce the heat to low; simmer until very tender, 2 1/2-3 hours.

Remove the beef to a cutting board; cover with foil. Skim the excess fat from the liquid; strain the liquid. (Or make the brisket a day in advance, refrigerate it and remove the fat after it congeals.) Cook the sauce over high heat until it reduces to half its volume, about 10 minutes. Slowly whisk in margarine. Adjust seasoning. Slice brisket; serve with sauce.

Nutrition information: Per serving: 399 calories, 39% of calories from fat, 17 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 100 mg cholesterol, 10 g carbohydrates, 50 g protein, 362 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

Yemenite Charoset

Prep: 10 minutes Steep: 1 hour Cook: 5 minutes Makes: 12 servings

Adapted from a recipe by chef Laura Frankel, Spertus Institute.

• 1 cup each: stemmed dried black figs, pitted dried dates, dried apricots
• 3 cups dry red wine or apple juice
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
• Ground almonds, optional

Place the dried fruit in a large bowl. Heat the wine or apple juice to a simmer. Pour over the fruit; steep 1 hour.

Squeeze all the liquid out of the fruit, reserving the liquid. Place the fruit in a food processor; pulse until the mixture is slightly chunky. You may need to add some of the reserved soaking liquid to help the fruit stick together.

Add the almonds, sugar, cinnamon and ginger; stir to combine. Roll the charoset into walnut-size balls; roll in ground almonds, if desired.

Nutrition information: Per serving: 141 calories, 15% of calories from fat, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 30 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 10 mg sodium, 4 g fiber