One can write shelves of books about preparing for Pesach and cooking and organizing delicious meals, especially if one hosts many times during just one week of the “holiday of our freedom.” A lady in my office just proposed that Jews are not smart because of hundreds of years learning Talmud, but because of even more years calculating many moves needed to be correctly prepared for and enjoy spending Pesach. I don’t even argue – quite possible.

For me, the Seder is not really a good time to show off my culinary skills. By the time we can start eating the egg at the beginning of שלחן עורך – the meal itself, which I don’t eat anyway, there is no real desire to eat – it’s too late. However, certain things still absolutely have to be present at the seder in my family.

Firstly, my charoset                       has to be  different every time

This time I am planning to put 

Apples

Bananas

Pears

Orange peel

Walnuts

Dates

And, of course, wine

Secondly, this year I decided to make fish quenelles instead of gefilte fish,

I did it though, almost traditional way. On the top of a cupboard in the kitchen I have a grinding machine that was used by my dad and myself only once a year – on Pesach. My father would come to my house, and the two of us would make real gefilte fish, as my grandmother used to make. He refused to allow me to buy grounded fish, and that’s why I kept the machine all these years, despite lack of room in my kitchen. This year I decided to make it as close to his way as possible. I bought three kinds of fish (salmon, whitefish and carp – about 2 lbs in total), filleted it myself and grounded with sauteed onion and lots of cilantro. I have added salt, pepper, a bit of ground ginger, an egg, and about two tbsp of matzah meal.

 I fried them on medium fire in olive oil under the cover for  just a couple of minutes on each side 

They really turned out well!

The next, will of course, be the matzo ball soup – once a year treat for my daughter and I as we do not eat soup or meat at all. This one is a real chicken soup the matzah-balls call for – we are traditional this way.

Meanwhile, I am hoping my food taste will reflect my mood as I am dancing preparing it – I am hopeful, oh so hopeful that all our lives, mine and my girls’ will turn this year for the best possible version of them.

So, here’s some pre-Pesach music for you:

May your Pesach be meaningful and joyous! May we all merit some more peace in this very turbulent world of ours!