Preparing a Passover Seder in College
Author and Photographer: Zachary Rothstein
Passover Restrictions
Growing up, I have had mixed experiences regarding food that is “kosher for passover.” During Passover, many Jews abstain from eating gluten if it is not in Matzah. Further, many Ashkenazic Jews abstain from eating legumes, rice and a whole host of other ingredients. These dietary restrictions severely limit the cook who is keeping kosher during the Passover holiday, and these foods that attempt to imitate their gluten-containing cousins are particularly susceptible to this diminishment of quality.
Nevertheless, Passover’s dietary restrictions do not need to lead to worse-tasting food. This year, I decided to challenge myself by hosting a seder for 25 friends in my Hyde Park off-campus apartment. My goal was to prepare food that would not suffer from Passover’s dietary limitations –– in addition to the normal limitations inherent to kosher cooking. The menu was wide-ranging, but I wanted to focus on a particular set of dishes: braised short ribs and mashed potatoes. In particular, I demonstrated how one can work within passover restrictions to produce food that does not suffer from lack of quality.
Braised Short Ribs
Braised Short Ribs are an excellent choice for Passover because they ordinarily do not require many ingredients prohibited by passover restrictions. The first step in preparing braised short ribs is to cut off all the excess silverskin. Secondly ––– and perhaps most importantly ––– it is vital to salt the meat at least a few hours in advance of the actual braise. It is even preferable to salt the short ribs a couple of days in advance, if possible. After salting generously with kosher salt and allowing the ribs to sit for a few hours, it is then time to apply a crust to the short ribs. One can do this by essentially frying the ribs in a pan with some vegetable oil and pressing down on the ribs for a few minutes on each side until a crust forms. Applying this crust ––– known as the Maillard reaction in more technical terms ––– adds flavor and sweetness to the ribs. So far, these instructions have only required salt, oil, and ribs ––– all of which are kosher for passover.
The final step is to build up a braising liquid. For my braising liquid, I sauteed onions and, when slightly brown, I stirred in some chopped garlic and some tomato paste, which are ingredients that none of which contain gluten, legumes, or rice! I then added in more aromatics - some celery and carrots. Then, I deglazed with around half a bottle of dry red wine as well as with some beef broth I had prepared earlier in the day. For your braise, feel free to use either a white or red wine as well in addition to chicken, beef, or vegetable broth. Finally, to give some added tartness and sweetness, I recommend including around a cup of prune juice. If you do not have prune juice on hand, feel free to either substitute with a can of Coca Cola or to skip this step entirely. After the braising liquid is complete, add it into a braising dish with the browned short ribs and let it cook at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 4 hours, or until completely tender. Before serving, I recommend separating the solids from the liquids and then allowing the liquid to reduce into a delicious barbecue-like sauce which you can then pour over the short ribs before serving.
The braised short ribs I served were incredibly tender, savory, and flavorful. They form the perfect main dish and not just on Passover but also during the year. They contain no gluten and are completely kosher for Passover. Overall, if you plan to host a seder or Passover meal, braised short ribs are a reliable way to impress your guests.
Mashed Potatoes: The Best Non-Dairy Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are the perfect companion to braised short ribs. Done properly, mashed potatoes offer a creamy base to balance out the savory –– and often heavy –– short ribs. Kosher dietary restrictions, however, prohibit the mixture of meat and dairy products. This poses a direct challenge to preparing mashed potatoes, where butter, milk, and cheese give mashed potatoes their characteristically creamy texture. So, we face the major question: how can the kosher-keeping chef pair mashed potatoes with short ribs while also ensuring the mashed potatoes are up to par?
In experimenting with this issue, I discovered that there are two non-dairy ingredients that offer mashed potatoes the chance to remain delicious without containing any dairy. These ingredients are eggs and schmaltz: rendered chicken fat. For the eggs, I found that adding approximately 5 or 6 eggs to a batch of around 12lbs (uncooked) potatoes made the mashed potatoes significantly creamier than a batch of potatoes without eggs. However, the mashed potatoes were unfortunately still less creamy and less rich than regular, dairy-containing mashed potatoes.
To remedy this creaminess-deficiency, I introduced rendered chicken fat into the mashed potatoes. After adding the schmaltz, the potatoes were noticeably more rich and creamy. While not a direct substitute for butter and whole milk ––– the mashed potatoes had a noticeable chicken flavor ––– the addition of schmaltz significantly enriched the mashed potatoes.
The main mistake I made, however, was overboiling the potatoes before mashing. This caused the starch cells in the potatoes to rupture, which ultimately led to a thicker and gluier consistency for the mashed potatoes than I had hoped for. Nevertheless, the addition of eggs and schmaltz to the mashed potatoes allowed them to punch well above the original non-egg and non-schmaltz-containing batch of mashed potatoes.
Down below, I have included recipes for both the mashed potatoes and the braised short ribs. Keep in mind that I was cooking for a lot of people, so the batch sizes are large and you may need to adjust the serving sizes. I prepared enough short ribs and mashed potatoes for around 10 people.
Recipe: Braised Short Ribs
Ingredients
8lbs of short ribs
Kosher Salt
3 tbsp of Vegetable Oil
Two medium onions (or 1.5 large onions)
8 oz of tomato paste
Half a bottle of dry red (or white) wine
10 cups of beef broth (or as much as you have, can substitute with water)
1 cup of prune juice
5 large carrots
5 large stalks of celery
Instructions
At least a few hours before cooking (but up to two days before), remove all of the silver skin that sits atop the short ribs. Further, slice the ribs in between the ribs so that they form blocks of a rib with some meat on top. Finally, generously salt each side of the ribs. Place into the fridge and allow to rest for a few hours
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit
Pour the vegetable oil into a large pot or braising dish and turn flame onto medium heat. Place short ribs into the pot and press down until a crust forms on each side. Continue until all short ribs have a crust on each side. If the last batch exposes some fond on unused portions of the pot, cover the exposed portions of the pot with onions to prevent the fond from burning
Saute the onions until lightly browned, and then pour in the tomato paste until fully combined.
Place the largely-cut carrots and celery into the pot and allow them to sweat until slightly softened.
Switching the heat to a low heat, deglaze with half a bottle of dry red (or white) wine and allow it to sit on low heat for 3 to 4 more minutes. Then, pour in the beef broth and prune juice and allow to sit on low heat for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season the braising liquid with any additional spices and salt to taste.
Then, in a braising dish or in 9x13 sheet pans, place the short ribs in and pour the braising liquid in until mostly submerged, but with some portions of the ribs sticking out of the water. Wrap tightly with aluminum foil and place into the 275 degree oven for at least four hours, but potentially up to 6 hours. The ribs are done when they give no resistance to the poke of a fork.
Allow the braise to cool and then separate the ribs from the braising liquid. Next, strain the braising liquid, pour into a container, and allow to rest in the fridge for at least one hour or until cooled completely.
Remove the strained braising liquid from the fridge and remove the desired amount of excess fat that will be at the top of the container.
Then, place the remaining liquid into a pot and allow it to reduce to at least ¼ of the original amount or to the desired concentration. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Then, pour over the ribs, heat in a warm oven, and serve over a bed of mashed potatoes.
Recipe: Non-Dairy Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
10 to 12 lbs of raw Russet potatoes
Kosher Salt
Two Lemons
6 Raw Eggs
6 to 8 oz of rendered chicken fat
One large onion
3 Tbsp Garlic Powder
3 Tbsp Lemon Pepper
3 Tbsp Paprika
(Optional) 1 - 3 Tbsp of potato starch
Instructions
Peel the potatoes
Dice an onion and saute until caramelized, stirring occasionally to prevent burning
Salt a pot of water so that the water is a little less salty than the ocean. Then, place the potatoes into the pot of water, making sure that all of the potatoes are completely submerged
Boil the potatoes for around 12 minutes. You can check if the potatoes are done by poking the potatoes with a paring knife. If the knife enters the potato with minimal resistance, remove the potatoes from the water and pat dry immediately. It is important to avoid overcooking the potatoes to avoid a gluey and thick plate of mashed potatoes.
Allow the potatoes to cool and then, using either a spoon or hand-held potato masher, mash the potatoes. There may be some chunks in the final product, but this is okay as long as most of the potatoes are mashed. Some heterogeneity of texture can actually be good for the dish.
Then, pour in the various spices and salt and mix in thoroughly but gently. Taste and adjust spices accordingly.
Next, zest the lemons and squeeze the juice into the mashed potatoes and incorporate evenly into the mixture. Also, pour in the caramelized onions and stir to combine. Again, taste and adjust accordingly.
Subsequently, add in the egg yolks from the 5 to 6 eggs and incorporate evenly.
Finally, pour in the chicken fat and stir until completely incorporated. Add salt to taste and then serve!