Different Passover Planning

[teddywolf]

So, one of the traditions of Passover is to make huge, elaborate meals. Home cooks can spend all day preparing the Seder supper, sometimes even more than one day. It's supposed to be a luxurious feast.

At the same time, what we're supposed to be remembering is a bunch of ragtag people who had to leave their homes in a hurry. The story goes that they were in such a hurry to leave that they didn't have time to let their cakes leaven before they could bake them, so they baked their unleavened cakes and made matzah. According to rabbinical consensus, this means that the cakes were made and pretty much popped right into the oven, because they have determined that yeast can bloom a mere eighteen minutes after water hits the flour. I suspect the number was chosen in part because eighteen is the Hebrew number of life ("chai", with the guttural "ch").

Apparently, the way the Jews in olden times leavened their cakes was to leave them in yeast huts, doing something of a sourdough treatment. As always, [snark] I am in awe of the rabbis complete mastery of scientific and culinary phenomena [/snark].

But it got me to thinking: yes, part of Passover is telling the tale, and remembering what we ourselves have not experienced as if we'd been there. On the one hand, there's the idea of the luxurious meal, something we never could have had in those ancient hard times. The closest we had was the meal before the tenth plague. On the other hand, there's the idea of having to prepare in a hurry. But on the other hand, this would need to be tasty. But on the other hand, it shouldn't be fast-food quick'n'tasty. [/Reb Tevyeh]

I am pondering cooking a meal mostly on those principles. I will likely make exception for matzah ball soup--an old family favorite--and for pre-made gefilte fish.

So I put the question to you: what foods could you cook in eighteen minutes that would be some sort of luxurious treat? Cooking, for this purpose, means as soon as the food hits heat--or, if it's a matzah-based item, within 18 minutes of being wet. Making a cold item, like a salad dressing, is acceptable. Extra twist: the dishes need to be gluten-free or otherwise only include matzah product for anything made of wheat, oats, spelt, rye, and barley. Just for fun, let's avoid soy and corn as well, even though I'm likely not going to avoid them--no, I don't keep the kithniyot rules, but I know people with allergies. You may wash vegetables first and you may cut them first. You can use any cooking devices you like. Shelf-stable prepared foods can be used, like dried spices, wine, vinegar, oil and sweeteners. I am not yet sure if chocolate qualifies as a spice :P

So far my ideas include:
Steak or burgers
Salad with homemade dressing (have to be careful of the types of vinegar)
Fast double-fried potatoes
French-fried carrots, initially par-cooked in the microwave
Poached or fried eggs
Fried chicken cutlets
Poached fish fillets or fried fish steaks
Any sauce thickened with potato starch

It's not so easy without wheat and gluten.

This is public, so feel free to send people here.

Comments

[magid.livejournal.com]

Baked brie, with matza as crackers; a variety of omelets; broiled fish fillets (with salsa or chutney or something as a barrier to keep moisture in; rice pasta with spicy peanut sauce; many kinds of soup using a boxed soup as a base, if added veggies are diced small enough; green salad with poached chicken breasts tomato, basil, and a salsa-based dressing. Lots of other things I haven't thought of.

Oh, and all major holidays have a dual aspect, one about the journey from Egypt to Israel, and the other about the agricultural year, which ties into the large feast idea more than the exodus.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

Pressure Cookers speed up cooking time. 18 minutes of anything in a microwave oven will overcook most items, including raw meat.

[rebmommy.livejournal.com]

I am (mostly) gluten-free and use (mostly) fruit vinegars - so my optimal diet doesn't change much for Passover. Would you consider cooking quinoa within your 18 minute meal? The cooking of it would be less than 18 minutes, but the preparation would certainly take more time than that. I often add sauteed veggies to the quinoa to make a protein-rich side dish. When it is not Pesach, I also add peas or peanuts and don't use soy sauce to season it. This has been a good substitute for one of my daughters favorite recipes as a child which used bulgar or couscous.

Another favorite recipe these days is sauteed radishes. I love radishes raw, but they are too spicy for my husband. So I devised this recipe: take two bunches of medium to large radishes with the leaves / separate radishes from leaves / wash the leaves well / slice the radishes / sautee radishes in olive oil, adding leaves when radishes are softened but still crisp / serve warm

Sometimes I'll add a little butter or Earth Balance to the olive oil for a different taste. Sometimes I'll grind a little black pepper on mine, but that is too much for my husband. Good radishes are spicy enough that they don't need any seasoning, in my opinion. And they are so good for you! Especially as a gastronomical cleanser in the spring - perfect for Pesach.

You have posed a puzzle that was fun to ponder.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I'm not particularly fond of the bite in radishes, like your husband, but for me, the solution was to use them in fridge pickles, which toned down the bitter/heat (which I like in other veggies; I don't know why radishes are different), while adding some sour. And if I use watermelon radishes, the pickle juice becomes pink!

[boosette.livejournal.com]

Garlic mashed potatoes -- chop the potatoes up small, and boil in salted water with an entire head of garlic. Add fat/liquid of your choice and mash with an electric egg beater.

My choices: Olive oil, or heavy cream & butter, or almond cream. +/- herbs to taste. (because the water is pre-salted (raises the boiling temperature, too), don't salt the finished dish ... let people add more to their preference.

Chickpeas & onions with fresh herbs and olive oil -- slice the onions paper-thin and get them going with your oil for 7-10 minutes in a very hot pan. Warm the chickpeas in the microwave, and add them to the pan to continue heating all the way through/charring on the outside. Add herbs of your choice, salt/pepper/oil/citrus at the end.

Salmon steaks take 5 minutes per side for well-done, but can be eaten at various states of rare as well; I give mine a quick marinade in an oil/vinegar/herb of your choice mixture before I evacuate them to a scorching hot pan. (The thing for non-stick-fish is to not touch it for the first 5 minutes each side is cooking. This makes a very nice crust, and gives crispy fishy skin, as well. (bones might not be kid-friendly; I nearly choked on one when I was seven or so. And again at 26 -- you can do similar with fillets; just slice them into finger-shapes, and remove them from the pan as they finish cooking.)

(Chicken or) beef (or lamb?) fajitas -- season to your taste (mix of spicy/smoky/salty), and stir-fry with peppers, garlic and onions for 15-18 minutes. Beef are better for this since it can be eaten rare. Matzo tortillas are apparently a thing (http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/04/05/brisket-matzo-tacos-recipe), and if you have solid kitchen skills and a helper I bet you could fire off a batch in 18 minutes or less.

[mdyesowitch.livejournal.com]

Pickles
steamed vegetables in the microwave take about 12 minutes or less, depending on quantity, so you could do, for example, a steamed broccoli and serve with whatever sauce is appropriate.
falafel is kitniyot, but you didn't list chickpeas as an exclusion, so I'll mention it. (obviously NOT served in pita)
I'll keep thinking about this.

And I'm still going to live my Passover like I'm an indolent king with nothing to do but command my minions (aka: me) to serve rich and sumptuous foods.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

I don't have ideas yet, but I adore this post.