Our family seder meal

Posted by Margalit

Every family has a certain meal that they eat for each holiday. For Passover, my family has always had turkey on the first seder of Passover, and brisket on the second seder. I don't really know why, we just do. But I try to add a bit of variety to the rest of the meal, if only different recipes for the same thing. Our typical menu for the first seder goes like this:

Home made gefilte fish
Clear chicken soup with matzoh balls
Chopped liver on lettuce leaves
Roasted herbed turkey
Honey roasted new potatos
Fresh Asparagus with sliced almonds
Vegetable kugel
Various desserts

The second seder usually goes like this:

More Gefilte fish
More Chicken soup with matzoh balls
Brisket Tsimmes
Potato kugel
Green salad
Various desserts

As you can see, we're talking heavy heavy meals. Passover isn't for the feint of heart or stomach. But the food, oy! The food is so good. So I'm going to post a few more recipes that my family traditionally prepares. Sorry for the lack of photos, we haven't cooked anything yet!

Brisket Tsimmes

4 to 5 lb flat cut brisket (for larger cuts, just increase all the other ingredients exponentially)
1 TBS salt
3 medium oniouns, sliced into rings
2 large sweet potatos, peeled and sliced into 1/2" circles
5-6 large carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Water to cover
1/2 pound large prunes
1/2 pound dried apricots
1/4 pound golden raisins
1/2 cup brown sugar
Dash of nutmeg
1/2 TSP cinnamon
Rind and juice of 1 large orange
Salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle the meat with salt and brown, with the onions, in EVOO in a large dutch oven.
Add water to cover, and simmer, uncovered for one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Pull the meat out of the dutch oven, layer half the onions, fruits, and potatos on the bottom of the pot, then place the meat back into pot.
Place all other ingredients over the meat.
Add the orange juice and rind.
Cover with water.
Cover pot, place into oven and bake for at least 1 hour.
Uncover pot, put back into oven and bake at least 2 additional hours, preferably more, or until the liquid disappears and the top turns crusty. The more it bakes, the more delicious the brisket.
Pull meat out of pot and let rest for at least 15 to 30 minutes before slicing.

Tsimmes, which is a fruit and vegetable stew, in Yiddish means "to make a big fuss over someone". Your guests will feel that you've made a big fuss over them when you plate this dish and serve it to your friends and family.

Serves 6 generously.

TAGS: Brisket, Passover, Pesach, Tsimmes
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