Blood, Frogs, and Lice, Oh My!

Ten Plagues and One Prophet

It’s that time of the year again when we open the door for Elijah the prophet and ask this question: why is this night different from all other nights? The answer rests in yet more questions—the four questions—a Passover requirement. These four ask the Seder participants why is it that on this night do we eat Matzah, do we eat bitter herbs, do we dip them twice, and do we eat in a reclined position. Anyone who has read a Haggadah can tell you that these seemingly inscrutable answers embody the moment of Jewish history when Moses and the Israelites fled Egypt for freedom.

History aside, the reason why this night is different for me is that I sit down with my whole family (or three loud Israeli families) and eat amazing food and drink wine! As with any Jewish holiday, the food is incredible, and as with every holiday there is always one specific food you can’t wait to eat. This holiday it’s Charoset, the chopped-up mixture of wine, nuts and fruits meant to represent the mortar that held together the stones of Egyptian temples.

Since I won’t be with my parents this Passover, I’ll be spending it with my cousins and close friends here in New York. In preparation for this holiday I called my mom and asked her for her recipe for Charoset, my favorite Passover treat; our conversation went something like this.

“Hi Ima (mom in Hebrew), can I have your recipe for your Charoset? I want to make it for seder”

“You want MY recipe or you just want a recipe?”

“I want your recipe, just like you make it”

Then she said something in a language I don’t speak, most likely in Hungarian, something that probably meant something like “Oh you.”

My mom’s recipe is very simple and very traditional: 2 cups of chopped red apples, ½ cup of pitted dates, ½ cup of walnuts, 1 tsp of cinnamon and some sweet red wine; this year I’ll be using Sentieri Ebraici 2008 Del Vecchio Vino Rosso. Put all these ingredients in a food processor and chop it to your liking. Although it’s an easy dish to prepare the flavors come together in a sweet way that always brings me home, if not physically then at least emotionally.

A very happy Passover to all of our Jewish friends, and may you all enjoy your families, your food, your wine and your traditions.