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A Seder like no other
28 March 2023 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Tuesday 28 March 2023, 7:30 pm UK, 2:30 pm ET, 11:30 am PT. Did you know that Yemenite Jews don’t have a Seder plate – the whole table is a Seder plate! Did you know that Karaite Jews don’t recite the Four Questions, and that the eldest single daughter in a Syrian family holds the bowl in which the wine for the ten plagues is poured, and makes a wish? Joining us in the run-up to Passover to discuss their community’s distinctive traditions are Zion Ozeri, of Yemenite background, and author of Pictures Tell: a Passover Haggadah ; David Ovadia, President of the Karaite Jews of America: and well-known writer Sarina Roffé from the Syrian-Jewish community, who has collected Haroset recipes from all over the Sephardi world. Recording here.
Karaite Maror
Ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 cups fennel bulbs, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1⁄4 cup finely chopped fennel fronds (feathery leaves attached to stalks of fennel)
- 2 cups Belgium endive, torn into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cups red leaf lettuce, torn into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups curly chicory
- 4 romaine lettuce cut or torn into 1-inch pieces
- 4 butter lettuce separated in 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup fine shopped parsley
- 1 cup fine shopped fresh dill
- 4 lemons peeled & cut in small pieces
- 2 tablespoons finely minced lemon zest
For Dressing
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1⁄2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of water
Method: Wash all the dry ingredients and mix together in a bowl.
Combine the ingredients for the dressing and mix well. Sometimes it is preferred shake in a jar until fully mixed.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and separate into portions.
Karaite Matza
Important Note: the entire process must be under 18 minutes before going in the oven.
Ingredients (for 3 backing sheets)
-
- 4 cups of flour (not self-rising or containing rising agents)
- 2 heaping tablespoons of crushed coriander seeds
- 1 level teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup sunflower oil
- 3/4 cup of water and add more as needed.
Method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and oil the baking sheet. Freshly grind coriander with blender. Mix ground coriander and salt into the flour. Add the oil and knead it into the flour.Gradually knead the water into the dough until it is no longer sticky. Flatten the dough with a roller until it is very thin; shape it to fit on the baking sheet. Place the dough on the baking sheet and cut into squares or triangles Cook for 15-20 minutes until crispy like a dry cracker.
Karaite Grape Juice
Ingredients:
- 1½ pounds of dark colored purple or black seedless grapes
(Makes about 4 glasses depending on the size of the grapes)
Method: Blend the grapes a little at a time in a blender. Then use a cheese cloth to squeeze out the juice. In the absence of a cheese cloth a strainer works fine as well. Note: The juice must be made within few hours of the passover prayers so as to not ferment. Most families prepare the grape juice within four hours of the seder. Some families make this juice out of a combination of raisins and grapes.
Haroset Egyptian
Ingredients
- 8 oz pitted dates, chopped
- 8 oz golden raisins
- ½ Cup sweet Passover wine
- ½ Cup Almonds, chopped
Directions: Over low heat, simmer dates, raisins, wine and enough water to cover. Stir occasionally until dates are mushy and thicken into a paste. Spoon into a bowl and sprinkle with almonds.
Haroset Syrian
Ingredients
- 12 large pitted dates, chopped
- ¼ Cup sweet Passover wine
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 Cup chopped walnuts
Directions: Place the dates in a saucepan with water to cover, bring to a boil, and simmer until dates are soft, about 30 minutes. Drain the dates, transfer to a food processor, and add the wine and cinnamon and process until very smooth or push through a strainer to remove any date skin. To serve: Top with chopped walnuts and serve at room temperature.
Haroset Iraqi
Ingredients
- 14 Iraqi dates, chopped and seeded
- Water
- Salt
- ½ Cup chopped walnuts or pistachios
Directions: Boil dates in lightly salted water stirring frequently until it is a thick paste. A traditional variant is to strain the pulp out of the paste producing a honey-like date syrup. This procedure uses considerably more dates and can take several days to produce sufficient syrup. To serve: Mix in finely chopped nuts.
Haroset Greek
Ingredients
- 1 orange, unpeeled cut into 8 wedges, seeds removed
- ½ Cup raisins
- ½ Cup pitted dates
- ½ Cup cherry preserves
- ½ Cup sweet Passover wine
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 TBS pine nuts
Directions
- In food processor, chop orange coarsely. Add raisins and dates and process until finely chopped.
- Transfer to medium size saucepan and stir in preserves, wine, ginger and cayenne. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over lowest heat for 8 to 10 minutes until thick, stirring often to prevent any sticking. Cool and refrigerate.
- To serve: Top with pine nuts.
Haroset Moroccan
Ingredients
8 oz pitted dates
½ Cup pecans
½ Cup almonds
3 TBS sweet Passover wine
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
1 sweet apple
Directions
Halve the dates. Finely chop pecans and almonds in a food processor and remove to a bowl. In food processor, add dates, 3 TBS wine and spices and grind until fairly smooth. Mix in nuts. Peel core and grate apple. Stir into the date mixture. If the mixture is dry, add more wine by the teaspoon.
Haroset Turkish
Ingredients
- ½ Cup pitted dates
- 2 Cups peeled and sliced apples
- ½ Cup dried apricots
- ½ Cup chopped walnuts
- 1/3 Cup walnuts, finely chopped
Directions: Place fruits in saucepan and add enough water to cover fruit. Cover and simmer until apricots and dates are tender enough to mash with a fork and mix until blended. Cool and mix in nuts.
Haroset Yemenite
Ingredients
- 1 Cup pitted chopped dates
- ½ Cup chopped dried figs
- 1/3 Cup sweet Passover wine
- 3 TBS sesame seeds
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 dash ground coriander
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 TBS matzo meal
Directions: Blend dates, figs and wine in bowl of food processor. Transfer to bowl, add sesame seeds, ginger, dash coriander, cayenne, matzo meal and mix thoroughly. The nuts and spices can be varied to suit individual tastes.
Haroset Persian/Iranian
Ingredients:
- 1 unpeeled pear, cored and finely chopped
- 1 unpeeled apple, cored and finely chopped
- 1 C finely chopped walnuts
- 1 C finely chopped almonds
- 1 C finely chopped hazelnuts
- 1 C finely chopped pistachio nuts
- 1 C chopped pitted dates
- 1 C chopped raisins
- 2 tsps ground cinnamon
- 2 tsps grated ginger root
- 1 TBS apple cider vinegar
- Sweet wine
Directions: Combine pear, apple, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachio nuts, dates and raisins in a large bowl, and blend well, being careful not to chop the mixture into a paste. Add cinnamon, ginger root, cider vinegar and enough wine to bind. Place a platter and shape into a pyramid. Cover and refrigerate.
