וַאֲפִילוּ כֻּלָּנוּ חֲכָמִים כֻּלָּנוּ נְבוֹנִים כֻּלָּנוּ זְקֵנִים כֻּלָּנוּ יוֹדְעִים אֶת הַתּוֹרָה מִצְוָה עָלֵינוּ לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרָיִם. וְכָל הַמַּרְבֶּה לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח.

 First of all, to my readers who visit for the sewing and NOT the cooking. The first Seder is tonight so the cooking frenzy will come to an end.

Last Shabbat my friend Ruth asked me my recipe for the fish I had served at Kiddush the week before (that little lunch for 150 that I did with my friend Sara).  I tried to remember what I had done to the salmon. I explained to Ruth that in my frenzy to get everything done for that day I didn't exactly remember WHAT I had done. Ruth's reply made me realize that she thought that I was being coy and didn't want to share my cooking secrets. I wasn't being secretive at all...but bit by bit I remembered what I had actually done and then unspooled it for Ruth.

Today has been a similar rush of many, many cooking tasks. I made a vegetarian soup that is a vehicle for matza balls ( lots of dried mushrooms soaked in hot water fresh thyme and bay leaves simmered with sautéed carrot and onion and then strained the solids all squeezed out and then seasoned to my taste). It was actually delicious and is similar in depth of flavor to out chicken soup.

This is a photo of the solid stuff that went into the soup before I squeezed all of it into and ugly pulp and all of the juicy goodness went into the soup.

I made a leek and thyme quiche with a nut crust. I used almond mild for the custard.

I made a batch of what are known in this house as apricot turds or doodies. I know there is a politer name for them but my brain is too fried to think of it. 

It is made of apricots, dates, almonds and lime juice and orange rind.

Once ground up in my food processor I made little balls of the mixture and rolled them in a mixture of confectioner's sugar, coconut and vanilla sugar.

My friend whose family comes from Salonika makes similar treats for Pesach. My friend has a lovely Ladino name for these treats and does not call them apricot turds. They are delicious no matter what you call them. I will be making a nut free version perhaps chocolate flavored so my nut allergic guests don't suffer.

My dear friend Miriam whose firs yahrzeit is today introduced me to the making of Mario Batali's chocolate biscoti. They are a perfect thing to make with all of the egg whites that you have left over when you make meringues.

I looked at the recipe this morning and realized that I hadn't bought a can of kosher for Passover baking powder. I had a moment of panic and then just pretended that I did. I thought about this recipe while I added two whole eggs to the six egg yolks I had on hand. I used unsalted mixed nuts instead of hazelnuts. My dear friend S once said that if she doesn't have cardamom and needs it she uses cinnamon and thinks about cardamom.  Frankly, this is a recipe from poor people who need to make do...so I did and we have a tray of delicious biscotti cooling.

Frankly--I would bet this is how Italian Nonas use up extra bits of stuff that could possible be used in dessert.

Or maybe my success is a bit of divine intervention engineered by Miriam.

We have maror. Please notice that all the verbs have been left out of that sentence. 

And speaking of miracles.....

Amazing to have the real stuff for Pesach.

The service in the ancient temple in Jerusalem was not so much about words but about ritually cooking lots of food for the community. Each family brought their lamb and it got grilled on the alter. All of this insane amount of cooking is about as close as I can get to those ancient rituals.

Tonight and tomorrow night we will recite ancient words that tell our story as a people. We will also consume food that is filled with more recent history, the memory of people I love and those who died long before I was born. It seems primitive but I hope that my guests will absorb some of my memories and intentions as they join us in word, in song and in eating.

Menorah's Singing Seder for mid century nostalgia

Yehoram Gaon is wonderful. I love his dramatic reading of this Pesach Piyut  but it doesn't hold a candle to my sister recreating my father's imitation of his Kalish, Poland born grandfather.

Our rendition is more similar to this in mood---but deeply Polish as opposed to Mizrachi.

Perhaps this is what my father's grandfather was going for....

but my late father's rendition or my sister's are just way more fun.

Chag Sameach.