Excentric
PagesFront Page
Page Two
Page Three
Page Four
Page Five
Page Six
Page Seven
Page Eight
Page Nine
Page Ten
Page Eleven
Page Twelve
Page Thirteen
Page Fourteen
Page Fifteen
Page Sixteen
Page Seventeen
Archives
Links
Web Cams
National Parks
State Parks
Hiking Maps
Sedona Shopping
Sedona Weather
Sedona Artists
Life Extension
Sedona Arts Center
RV Resort
| May I Seat You? Food and More
by Lon Walters,
Staff Food TasterPASSOVER, A Celebration of Freedom:
Who doesn’t love an old movie spectacle taking just short of a lifetime to create, costing more than the national budget of a fairly good-sized country and holding more stars than a Hollywood sidewalk. The music, sets and special effects, all without the aid of computer animation, were wondrous. Never mind visible guide wires, painted backgrounds and enough bad acting extras to fill southern California.
Usually, the historical significance of the flick paled under the luster of the big silver screen. A fine example is “Cleopatra.” The enormous sets were a sight to behold. On the other hand, Cleo’s manipulation of Anthony was a yawner. The well-known Hollywood tabloids' runs on Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylors’ real life affair were far more captivating.
But “The Ten Commandments” - now there was an epic film. As Moses, Charlton Heston had a rough time convincing his following, and eventually the Pharaoh, he was not a person to be ignored. It was many years before I ever made the connection between little frogs infesting Egypt with the celebration of Passover.
Passover (Pesach) is a Spring Festival celebrating the Exodus from Egypt and liberation of the Israelites from slavery about 1200 B.C. It is celebrated over eight days. If you saw the movie, you are well aware things did not go well for the Egyptian Pharaoh when Moses asked to depart with his flock. Attention getters included swarms of flies, plagues of locusts, a period of total darkness and, of course, the frogs. Unfortunately, the Pharaoh did not take all this too seriously; at least until the Angel of Death dropped by.
This “visitor” took the first born of homes not marked in lamb's blood, purposefully “passing over” those homes, sparing the children of Israelites. Finally, the Pharaoh had had enough and freed the slaves, instructing them to depart the area post-haste. As the story unfolded, the group wandered the lands until finally settling in what is now Israel.
This event has been remembered by Jews for over three thousand years. Foods of Passover play a significant role in the celebration, differing from other Jewish remembrances. For example, for eight days celebrants are not to eat leavened products. It includes anything made with yeast, baking powder or baking soda. As a substitute, matzos are used in remembrance of the rapidity Israelites had to leave the area taking with them products that had not risen. Matzah is a flat bread, very cracker-like, traditionally made with only flour and water and remarkably similar to Piki, a Native American bread. It is also called “the bread of poverty,” or “hasty bread.” There is much more to this use of Matzah during the Passover Seder, those of you the least bit interested in food history would find it fascinating.
Some may be disappointed, most foods of Passover are traditionally bland, lacking creativity. However, there are some wonderful combinations of delicious ingredients, regardless of your faith. This is a celebration of freedom as well as a remembrance. For those trying to lose weight, listen up.
An interesting twist for those observing Passover and those helping friends celebrate, is rather than choosing to focus on foods that are prohibited during Passover, creative cooks are concentrating on ingredients and foods they are permitted to consume. We can all learn from this, as foods we may typically adore but are high in fat, calories or whatever are being created anew.
Beef stew, pot roast and meatballs for Passover use potato starch for thickening. Matzah meal (ground up Matzah wafers) are used as bread crumbs. Matzah Farfel, dime-sized pieces of Matzah, can be used as a pasta or noodle substitute. Virtually all fruits and most vegetables are permitted, so creativity abounds with a number of combinations we don’t typically tinker with in the kitchen.
This sounds like a diet any physician on the warpath to control your fat intake would leap a tall building in a single bound, just to get you to sample it. The mere simplicity of Passover recipes and the efforts of many to punch them up in flavor could be a lesson for us all.
If you’re game, look up a few Passover recipes, pull out your creative juices and have at it. We did, and I am now a Matzah fan. Little Catholic kid makes good.
|  
 
|
