“It’s not your Granny’s Seder”
— April 10, 2023 —
About 10 years ago, after graduating from culinary school, I decided to make a seder. I had new confidence in my cooking skills and wanted to explore a piece of my culture through food. I had grown up with seders, of a sort—we did acknowledge the start of Passover, have dinner, and there was matzoh. The rest was a little makeshift, but it was the semblance of a holiday, and I remember being excited for matzoh ball soup, grandma’s egg noodles, and chocolate covered macaroons.
My family didn’t practice organized religion but acknowledged the Jewish holidays. I grew up with great grandparents who had immigrated to New York from Russia and Poland and lived into their 100s. Their children, including my grandmother, had children, who then had children. Most of them lived in the Tri-State area, so holidays were a mix of four generations. My earliest memory of the seder was at my great grandparents’ house in Far Rockaway. I was the youngest and read the four questions as we sat around the expanded dining room table. There were readings, traditional foods, and some Hebrew. As I grew up, the seder moved to my childhood house, the readings lessened, and the food became more diverse. By my twenties, the seders had stopped and Passover was acknowledged with a box of matzoh and an occasional soup.
When I set out to make my first seder, I did some research and decided to put my own spin on the “best of” the traditional foods. Vegetarian matzoh ball soup (it turns out it’s very challenging to make fluffy matzoh balls without chicken fat!), cauliflower kugel—a twist on the regular potato version, shaved brussels sprout salad with Caesar dressing, vegetarian chopped liver (basically mushroom and walnut pâté), string beans almondine, and baked salmon with an orange glaze as the entrée instead of the standard brisket. I also made a traditional seder plate that included my favorite, charoset, which is diced apple, walnuts, honey, and sweet wine, for which I substituted Port instead of Manischewitz. Dessert included chocolate flourless cake with whipped cream and chocolate dipped macaroons.
I cooked for two days and did a quick study of what it all meant. I put together a cheat sheet of the meaning of Passover and summed it up for my 10 guests who were a mix of different religions, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Only two had grown up with family seders and they helped me describe the importance of the seder plate, how Passover came to be, the eight plagues, and I made the youngest guest at the table, who had grown up in China for the first half of his life, read the four questions. My guests shared their family traditions, stories of their holidays and what their heritage meant to them. We talked about the food and learned varied interpretations of the dishes. We even hid the matzoh which was discovered the next day by Astro, my french bulldog, as we had forgotten to find it. One woman remembered singing at a seder, so we pulled up the lyrics to Dayenu, the 1,000-year-old Passover traditional song of gratitude, and sang along. It was a great evening that lasted late into the night, included several bottles of wine, and was welcomed as a new tradition among my friends.
I called it, “It’s not your Granny’s Seder” and repeated it for many years. We celebrated, “It’s still not your Granny’s Seder,” “It won’t ever be your Granny’s Seder,” and so on. I kept tweaking the menu keeping some of the classics and finding new recipes. Some of the founding attendees have been regular guests and each year there are newbies. It has become a favorite event at my house and after a few missed years, I did it again last week, “It’s not your Granny’s Seder, Resurrected.”
I made all the favorites—this year the matzoh balls were a little too heavy, but the potato kugel, baked in muffin tins so they were extra crispy, and the orange honey salad dressing, made with egg yolks left over from the macaroons, were big hits! And the new recipe for flourless chocolate cake was considered the best one ever. For me the joy of this event is bringing people together, cooking for them and giving them a different experience. Vicki, who grew up with seders, explained that she “loves having somewhere special to go for the holidays—a place that feels like family and where all the food is homemade.” Michael, who had never been to a seder before, but has never missed one of mine, said “Experiencing a friend’s cultural tradition through food is one of the best ways to get closer. Hearing the symbolism of each dish, makes the meal so much more meaningful.” Angelique explained that it transcends our individual backgrounds and is a celebration of life and friends.
I always think about my grandmother and great grandmother when I’m prepping and am amazed that they actually made many more complicated dishes without the use of a food processor, KitchenAid mixer or Vitamix—for this meal, I use them all! I wish my grandmother was still around to attend. In my mind, I can hear her telling stories and enjoying the food. I’m sure she would point out what was not traditional and what was missing, but I think she would be proud.
A few favorite “Not Your Granny’s Seder” recipes:
“VEGETARIAN CHOPPED LIVER”
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of toasted walnuts, chopped
2 hard boiled eggs
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over a medium flame.
Add the onions and sauté until golden, about 6–8 minutes. Be careful not to let them burn.
Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned. Allow to cool slightly.
Toast walnuts for 7-10 minutes at 350 degrees.
In a food processor fitted with the S blade, process walnuts until medium ground, about 10 seconds. Add the onion mushroom mixture, eggs, salt, and pepper. Process with several quick pulses, until just combined.
Sprinkle with chopped scallions or parsley and serve chilled.
CHOCOLATE DIPPED MACAROONS
Ingredients:
1 bag shredded unsweetened coconut (14 oz)
½ cup of sugar
4 large egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
13 oz dark chocolate
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixer beat the egg whites, sugar, salt, and vanilla until fluffy forming peeks.
Fold the mixture into the shredded coconut.
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.
Bake for 25 minutes or until slightly golden—be sure to turn trays around and switch shelves midway through baking.
Melt the chocolate in a double burner.
When cookies are cooled, dip in the chocolate and allow to dry. Place in the refrigerator to dry chocolate faster.
Serve at room temperature. Store in an airtight container.
CHAROSET
Ingredients:
4 red apples, diced (Gala, Fuji, Lady Slippers)
1½ cups toasted walnuts chopped
2 tablespoons honey
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup Port or other sweet wine
Instructions:
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and allow to sit for at least one hour before serving.
Store in an airtight container.