boudreaulicious wrote:Most of the info I've read indicate they coconut is safe for those allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. I would think that you could make a "crust" from a combo of matzo meal "flour" and ground coconut-- a lemon cheesecake garnished with toasted coconut would be delicious.

Manischewitz sells a premade Passover pie crust which is essentially a macaroon base shaped in a pan. Not bad. But it's made on equipment that also processes nuts:

http://bakingbites.com/2011/04/manische ... -reviewed/

spinynorman99 wrote:How about a rice pudding substituting quinoa for the rice (depending on how observant the crowd is)? You can use coconut milk and diced mango to liven it up.

My family is weird. I will double-check to see if any observance levels have changed recently, but my memory is that although they won't touch pork ever, they will happily eat shellfish (except on Jewish holidays), mix milk and meat, and I hope I am remembering correctly that they have given up on Manischewitz, or even kosher wine. But I think they will avoid grains of any kind that are not kosher for Passover to Ashkenazi Conservative standards, which means no rice or quinoa.

I think I will do some intel - I seem to remember another nut-allergic friend telling me there is a fair bit of overlap between tree nut allergies and coconut allergies. Or heck, I may decide not to bother cooking at all and offer to bring the wine. That way at least I know it will be drinkable!

Go to foodgawker.com and search under "Passover" and "dessert." You'll get a bunch of ideas. I still think a pavlova of some sort would be a total hit. On Smitten Kitchen, the woman says, "Why had I not thought to make this [pavlova] for Passover before?" http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/04/ ... -of-sorts/ And you could really go in any direction with the type of fruit/topping for the pavlova. Anyway, I'm sure that whatever your food contribution is, it will be most appreciated!

Thanks, all - the Smitten Kitchen Passover entries are mostly desserts, all fabulous, and just about all involve chocolate, nuts, or both. (Though the blackberry/macaroon tart was intriguing if coconut works, and wouldn't require a mixer.) I have to think a bit and do some more recon with my aunt.

Check out the Elana's Pantry blog. It's billed as a "paleo" site but she has a lot of recipes catering to many different food issues.

She has a rather large collection of Passover recipes: http://www.elanaspantry.com/passover-recipes/

Does anyone know where to find horseradish root at the moment, preferable near Lincoln Square or as far south as Lincoln Park? Just visited the Peterson/Cicero Whole Foods, the new Lawrence/Ravenswood Mariano's, and the Jewel at Foster/Pulaski . . . no luck at any of those places. Will try Harvestime tomorrow but would prefer a sure thing before continuing with this scavenger hunt.

Haven't looked myself, but I'd be very surprised if Fresh Farms didn't have it.

stevez wrote:Haven't looked myself, but I'd be very surprised if Fresh Farms didn't have it.

They do. Today they were in a bin outside the store.

to answer the question, I'm not cooking anything for Passover Seder this year but I offered to cook this Seder Meal menu from Saveur for next year's Seder.

the folks I offered it to gladly took me up on my offer.

BR wrote:Does anyone know where to find horseradish root at the moment, preferable near Lincoln Square or as far south as Lincoln Park? Just visited the Peterson/Cicero Whole Foods, the new Lawrence/Ravenswood Mariano's, and the Jewel at Foster/Pulaski . . . no luck at any of those places. Will try Harvestime tomorrow but would prefer a sure thing before continuing with this scavenger hunt.

I realize that this doesn't fit the geographic confines you want but FYI I've seen horseradish root recently at Caputo's Des Plaines and Shop & Save Des Plaines.

EvA wrote:

Darren72 wrote:Yeah, smoked brisket kind of took over our seder and high holidays.

I stopped at Dirk's yesterday and noticed a big sign that advertises that they will grind fish (and veg) for gefilte fish. http://www.dirksfish.com/

I usually buy fish for gefilte fish from Roberts on Devon, but I'm going to give Dirk's -- my regular fishmonger - a try this year.

I just ordered my fish from Robert's. They always do a good job and the place is so wonderfully basic. And it's very close to my house.

Hopefully, you received your quota - http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 5866.story

Dave148 wrote:

EvA wrote:

Darren72 wrote:Yeah, smoked brisket kind of took over our seder and high holidays.

I stopped at Dirk's yesterday and noticed a big sign that advertises that they will grind fish (and veg) for gefilte fish. http://www.dirksfish.com/

I usually buy fish for gefilte fish from Roberts on Devon, but I'm going to give Dirk's -- my regular fishmonger - a try this year.

I just ordered my fish from Robert's. They always do a good job and the place is so wonderfully basic. And it's very close to my house.

Hopefully, you received your quota - http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 5866.story

Oy! I am picking the fish up tomorrow. Will let you know!

After striking out at another Whole Foods, I finally found horseradish at another Mariano's. Crisis averted, tears awaiting.

BR wrote:Does anyone know where to find horseradish root at the moment, preferable near Lincoln Square or as far south as Lincoln Park? Just visited the Peterson/Cicero Whole Foods, the new Lawrence/Ravenswood Mariano's, and the Jewel at Foster/Pulaski . . . no luck at any of those places. Will try Harvestime tomorrow but would prefer a sure thing before continuing with this scavenger hunt.

Glad you finally found horseradish. I also live in Lincoln Square and also had more difficulty than usual this year. My experience, however, might be irrelevant to others, as places both sell out and restock quickly. I struck out at Harvestime and Mariano's on Lawrence today (although Mariano's told me they receive shipments nightly and expect to have more on the shelves Sunday morning), succeeded at Whole Foods on Ashland & School (bought two, left about five), then when I stopped at Jewel on Lincoln I checked and there was none. That last stop was because I also had difficulty finding matzoh meal this year, and bypassed the gluten free and spelt versions at Whole Foods.

BTW, to answer the original question, here is this year's menu: Syrian Meatballs (one of our guests is Syrian so my husband wants to make this as an appetizer in his honor), Salmon-Whitefish Cakes with cucumber sauce, Asian Matzoh Ball Soup, Sefardic Brisket, Potato Kugel Gratin, Sauteed Fiddleheads and Asparagus, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Charoset Sorbet, and our first try at Homemade Matzoh. Alas, there are only four of us, so it's probably a good thing I stocked up on Tupperware and Ziplocs today. Happy Passover to all!

I doubt anyone would follow this exactly, but I find the menu for the Seder in the 1949 Settlement Cookbook ("The way to a man's heart") interesting.
It is:

Salted Almonds
Matzos
Individual Charocis [Haroset] Appetizer, in half lemon shell, surrounded by a quartered hard cooked egg, thin slice of horseradish root, sprig of parsley and radishes on a bed of Watercress. Serve with Salt Water.
Soup with Matzos Balls
Roast Leg of Lamb or Spring Chicken
New Potatoes with Chopped Parsley
Fresh Asparagus
Simmered Carrots
Avocado Salad
Matzos Torte, or Matzos Sponge Cake, or Kiss Torte [Schaum Torte or Meringue]
Stuffed Prunes
Ceremonial Wine
Nuts and Raisins.

This menu is clearly not a source for very observant, kosher-keeping Jews but does allow for some observance; or it could just be a traditional holiday meal. My Aunt Louise used to put a half hard-boiled egg (more generous than Settlement) and a piece of gefilte fish on each plate similar to what the menu suggests, which meant one sat and looked at food one couldn't eat while reading the Passover story. The potato recipe calls for butter and the Kiss Torte recipe suggests filling it with whipped cream and berries or ice cream. Of course, those who don't mix milk and meat could skip the butter and do one of the other cakes for dessert.

I'm doing the new potatoes and fresh asparagus for our Seder, a decision independent of Mrs. Simon Kander and the Milwaukee Public School Kitchens, Girls Trades and Technical High School, Authoritative Dietitians, and Experienced Housewives, all of whom are credited on the title page of the cookbook.

rehorn wrote:Building on the meringue idea, what about a pavlova ...

I recently made this Pavlova from Fine Cooking and it was wonderful:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/fres ... vlova.aspx

Eton Mess with storebought meringues is also a great idea:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/stra ... -mess.aspx

Not sure if having whipped cream after dinner will be kosher if you have meat for dinner though.

Smassey wrote:

BR wrote:Does anyone know where to find horseradish root at the moment, preferable near Lincoln Square or as far south as Lincoln Park? Just visited the Peterson/Cicero Whole Foods, the new Lawrence/Ravenswood Mariano's, and the Jewel at Foster/Pulaski . . . no luck at any of those places. Will try Harvestime tomorrow but would prefer a sure thing before continuing with this scavenger hunt.

Glad you finally found horseradish. I also live in Lincoln Square and also had more difficulty than usual this year. My experience, however, might be irrelevant to others, as places both sell out and restock quickly. I struck out at Harvestime and Mariano's on Lawrence today (although Mariano's told me they receive shipments nightly and expect to have more on the shelves Sunday morning), succeeded at Whole Foods on Ashland & School (bought two, left about five), then when I stopped at Jewel on Lincoln I checked and there was none. That last stop was because I also had difficulty finding matzoh meal this year, and bypassed the gluten free and spelt versions at Whole Foods.

BTW, to answer the original question, here is this year's menu: Syrian Meatballs (one of our guests is Syrian so my husband wants to make this as an appetizer in his honor), Salmon-Whitefish Cakes with cucumber sauce, Asian Matzoh Ball Soup, Sefardic Brisket, Potato Kugel Gratin, Sauteed Fiddleheads and Asparagus, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Charoset Sorbet, and our first try at Homemade Matzoh. Alas, there are only four of us, so it's probably a good thing I stocked up on Tupperware and Ziplocs today. Happy Passover to all!

This comes a little late but Fresh Farms had plenty of horseradish and more than one variety. One was local (Illinois is the leading producer of horseradish) and the other just bore a "USA" label.

Ok--had no idea this was going to be an issue but does anyone have any leads on where I can purchase fish (whitefish, carp, pike, walleye) for Gefilte fish--apparently, yet another casualty of this winter is a lack of Great Lakes fish...nothing at Dirks, NESC or Whole Foods near me. Any suggestions will be appreciated!!

Uh...Newly Minted GNR Boston Fish Market? The largest distributor of Great Lakes whitefish in the country (according to their website)? Or perhaps Fresh Farms or Robert's fish or even The Fish Guy on Elston?

Boston Fish Market
1225 Forest Ave
Des Plaines, IL 60018
(847) 803-2100

Fresh Farms
5740 W Touhy Ave
Niles, IL 60714
(847) 779-7343

Robert's Fish
2916 W Devon Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 761-3424

The Fish Guy
4423 N Elston Ave
Chicago IL 60630
(773) 283-7400

Observing here from the safe distance of KC (where it's 28°F and snowing ) I somehow find it crushingly ironical that the largesse of the Asian carp boom cannot be harvested for the holiday...
Sheesh.

Good luck, all.

Geo

Heading to Robert's now--they have it.

spinynorman99 wrote:This comes a little late but Fresh Farms had plenty of horseradish and more than one variety. One was local (Illinois is the leading producer of horseradish) and the other just bore a "USA" label.

As of this morning, it's in one of the wooden crate thingys just to the left of the front door BEFORE you walk in the store on Touhy.

Geo wrote:Observing here from the safe distance of KC (where it's 28°F and snowing ) I somehow find it crushingly ironical that the largesse of the Asian carp boom cannot be harvested for the holiday...
Sheesh.

Good luck, all.

Geo

HI,

The Asian carp is not a carp. Bottom feeder fish like catfish and carp are not Kosher, because neither has scales ... or at least I think that is an issue.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

Geo wrote:Observing here from the safe distance of KC (where it's 28°F and snowing ) I somehow find it crushingly ironical that the largesse of the Asian carp boom cannot be harvested for the holiday...
Sheesh.

Good luck, all.

Geo

HI,

The Asian carp is not a carp. Bottom feeder fish like catfish and carp are not Kosher, because neither has scales ... or at least I think that is an issue.

Regards,

Fish which have fins and scales are kosher. Fish which only have fins are not kosher.
Here's a list from the CRC - http://www.crcweb.org/fish_list.php

OK, I've tried to verify C2's point but I haven't yet succeeded, altho' a kosher seafood site in Singapore seems to maybe say yes on the google entry but I can't find it on the site itself... You have to look under the genus name which is something like Hypophthalmiches, silver carp.

Even worse irony if the damn invasive fish were unfit for kosher use. Sheesh.

Geo

Cathy2 wrote:

Geo wrote:Observing here from the safe distance of KC (where it's 28°F and snowing ) I somehow find it crushingly ironical that the largesse of the Asian carp boom cannot be harvested for the holiday...
Sheesh.

Good luck, all.

Geo

HI,

The Asian carp is not a carp. Bottom feeder fish like catfish and carp are not Kosher, because neither has scales ... or at least I think that is an issue.

Regards,

Carp are kosher, whether all the fish that are referred to as "Asian carp" are kosher is a debatable point.

Geo wrote:Observing here from the safe distance of KC (where it's 28°F and snowing ) I somehow find it crushingly ironical that the largesse of the Asian carp boom cannot be harvested for the holiday...
Sheesh.

Good luck, all.

Geo

Dirk (of Dirk's) told me that Asian Carp is excellent in gefilte fish and other applications that call for ground fish.

Dirk (of Dirk's) told me that Asian Carp is excellent in gefilte fish and other applications that call for ground fish.

Which was exactly my first thought--but the kosher v. non-kosher issue never struck me since I knew that 'carp' were kosher, and I thought the silver carp were carp. So what do I know. zilch.

Geo

Well, it took some time, but I finally found a kosher fisheries company that's using the Asian carp (bighead, same genus as the silver) in their products. You can buy either the finished gifilte fish, or buy the ground product and make your own.

[I graduated from two of the finest anglophone research universities in the world, places which honed my research skills to a fine edge. And so what do I expend all this value upon? Huh. Oh well... at least we all now know! ]

Geo

Geo wrote:Well, it took some time, but I finally found a kosher fisheries company that's using the Asian carp (bighead, same genus as the silver) in their products. You can buy either the finished gifilte fish, or buy the ground product and make your own.

[I graduated from two of the finest anglophone research universities in the world, places which honed my research skills to a fine edge. And so what do I expend all this value upon? Huh. Oh well... at least we all now know! ]

Geo

Geo,

Sorry if I started you on a wild goose chase. After I hit send and left for a meeting, I began to have doubts about what I stated. I also knew, in good LTHforum fashion, someone would set me (us) straight!

It's always good know there are great resources out there!

Thanks!

Regards,

Actually, it wasn't at all a wild goose chase, C2! In then end, I caught my wild carp...er, wild goose, and had some fun on the hunt!

And just maybe, if someone has some entreprenural juices, they might just start up the Silver Carp Gefilte Fish Co. —everything I read said that the fish was delish!

Geo