As the holidays approach, first Passover then Easter…. our fridge begins to fill days before.
But what we should be doing is pre-cooking and ‘prepping’ our meals 4-5 days in advance.
HOW CAN YOU DO THAT CHEF MARIAN?
Well, it’s very simple. You use a Foodsaver to suck the air out, keeping it fresh until you need it. And I cook most things 80%, so that the ‘day of’ I just pop it into the oven for a half hour or so and everything is ready!
This year, I was asked by a friend to prepare Passover. Now, we all know Chef Marian is a New York Jew. But to be honest with you, my family made one serious mistake: they gave the boys the education, thinking the girls would just get married. (Did I mention that I was part of a team that put a company on the cover of Inc. Magazine and have been running my own companies for decades)? lol
So I guess investing in a religious education for me might have served them.
I have not been to a temple since 8th grade. And I’m not religious. I’m more of a ‘do unto others’ kind of girl. A child of the universe, believing that something that made the butterflies is taking care of me too!
Anyway, I wasn’t left any family recipes, but I decided to do this meal. Since my friend isn’t religious either, we decided to do it on Sunday, when it’s more convenient for everyone (jews and non -jews alike) to attend (after all, Monday and Tuesday are work days)!
I will be ‘prepping’ (preparing food, getting all the ‘pieces’ washed, cut, mixed, etc.) and more than partially cooking, all this weekend. And by tomorrow you will have some healthier choices and some good veggie dishes I will be creating for the feast, on this blog.
And of course, I’m doing Kugel THREE ways! With wide egg noodles, with vegan noodles and with beet noodles! Unfortunately, unless I do a savory Kugel with veggies, there’s no way avoiding sour cream and cottage cheese. It just wouldn’t be the same.
So at dinner, I will have to remember my 3 bite rule: First bite, that’s good. Second bite, WOW. That is good. Third bite? Now I’m being naughty!
And I also want to report that by thinking this way, eating this way….. I am 7 pounds thinner than I have been in over a decade. And that means healthier! So I guess it pays off.
I will be back in your face with some seriously traditional Jewish food tomorrow….. trying to make healthier foods I remember from my childhood, substituting coconut oil for butter, coconut creamer for cream…. almond and coconut milk for milk, stevia and coconut sugar for sugar, etc. The good thing is this holiday is all about fruits, vegetables and nuts. Apple is in almost everything! ha!
And because I haven’t been able to find a decent Knish in California (square with potatoes and caramelized onions inside with a yummy crust), I’m making that for Passover.
BUT CHEF MARIAN! PASSOVER IS A TIME FOR MATZOH ………..UNLEAVENED BREAD!
Shhhhhhhhhh….. I won’t tell if you won’t. lol
And I will make you some world class Matzoh Brei the next morning!
(Don’t think you’re losing it…. just like Chanukah or Hanukkah…. some people spell it Matzah, or Matzo ~ but I like Matzoh). Hey! As long as you like the food, spell it any way you want!
Happy Eating,
Chef Marian