The Pesachdik Kitchen: A Culinary Adventure in Seasonal and Local Eating

The first Yom Tov days of Pesach have come and gone. I got to attend a seder on each of the first two nights, and to share a table with some old friends, some new ones, and some friends who are like family at this point when my own family live 3,000 miles across the country. The holiday was preceded by the usual angst of “how will I get everything done?” made just a little more challenging by a stubborn sinus infection, a 2-week jury duty term and, and of course the usual business of teaching and being a student myself. I’d read somewhere that you should stop and take a break from cleaning and preparing for Pesach as soon as you stop smiling and I tried to adhere to that philosophy. Since taking on a stricter practice of kashrut in my home this past fall, my preparations were a little more involved this year. This was exciting, but in a rented apartment definitely required some creativity and ingenuity!


This vinyl liner was by far my best find this year. I bought it at my local dollar store, along with many of the other kitchenware items I needed. Between all the tinfoil and disposable plastic and paper-ware I am using this week, I am aware that this is not the most eco-friendly time of year in my home. I am also aware there are ways to limit the amount of waste on Pesach, but since I am planning a cross-country move after this summer, I did not want to make too many permanent investments this year.

Another unique challenge that I’ve grown to embrace over the last several years is living in an area without access to many Kosher foods. In fact, up until the recent arrival of a Trader Joe's here, the only way to get Kosher meat was through friends who order and ship it from New York City or friends who had brought it back from Seattle. Many of the grocery stores here actually do have small Kosher for Passover displays with the basics—matzo, grape juice, wine, and even some specialty products, but nothing to the extent of what I was able to get when living in Massachusetts and New York. However, even though I grew up eating Kosher for Pesach cereal, pasta, crackers, cookies, etc., many of these things were not so tasty and I’d imagine they were also quite expensive and not very nutritious. So being in Spokane for Pesach has become a culinary adventure in local and seasonal eating!

It’s now midway through Chol Hamoed (the interim days of Pesach), and aside from the return of this stubborn sinus infection and the introduction of some stronger antibiotics, I feel great! I am enjoying all the fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season now. Most of my protein is coming from fish, eggs, and a wonderful citrus chicken recipe I created last night. I’m having fun preparing salads, kugels and other creative concoctions with only a few very basic seasonings: extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, kosher salt and fresh herbs. Much of the flavor in my food comes from freshly squeezed citrus juice (I’m really glad I bought a citrus reamer!), onions, garlic, shallots, or—gasp—the actual ingredients I am preparing.

Many of my recipes during the rest of the year are heavily flavored by spices, sauces and seasonings that I don’t have access to during Pesach. I enjoy these recipes, but I am also not feeling at all deprived by using fewer ingredients right now. In fact, I am remembering how much I love the flavor of roasted beets, baked sweet potatoes, local eggs, as well as a variety of fresh fruits and veggies! I am even inspired to let some of this simplicity seep over into my year-round culinary routine.

If you are also observing, I wish you a chag v'kasher sameach. May your Pesach be filled with joy, meaning and delicious meals shared with family and friends. And in case you menu needs a tangy little addition, here are the juicy details of my invented recipe for Pesach Savory Citrus Chicken Cutlets:

Ingredients:

· Juice from 1 pink grapefruit, 1 honey tangerine, 1 Cara Orange, ½ a lime and ½ a lemon*

· 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into smaller cutlets

· 3 cloves of garlic, minced

· About 1 ½ tsp kosher salt

· 1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2*. I used the 5 citrus fruits listed above, but you could really use any combination of citrus fruits. Meyer lemons would be delicious, I think! I used a citrus reamer to juice them and didn’t strain the pulp. I did reserve about ½ a cup of the juice, strained for a baked sweet potato mash I was preparing on the side. I added the minced garlic to the juice as well as the salt and let the chicken cutlets marinate for about half an hour.

3. Put the marinated chicken, juice mixture and all into a baking pan along with the onion. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until cooked through. My oven is a little wonky, especially when I have a lot of things baking (and I was also roasting some beets and baking a sweet potato casserole), so my cooking time may be off. However, the chicken should come out very moist and flavorful, having baked in the excess marinade. The onions also acquire a nice tangy, caramelized flavor. Enjoy!

Also on this week's menu: fresh halibut baked in lemon juice & dill with sauteed onions and garlic

Roasted beet & cucumber salad with tangerine dressing & pickled red onion

Traditional Israeli salad with an nontraditional flare: pickled red onion & fresh dill