Kosher for Easter
I always try to have a Passover Seder, and now that my daughter is getting a little bit older, I want her to be aware of her Jewish roots. If possible, more aware than I was. I wasn’t too successful with a Seder this year, but in my head, our dinner Saturday night came close enough. I am pretty sure that polenta is not kosher for passover, and the meat was seared in butter, but it will do for this family. Brisket and roasted-garlic asparagus were as close as I got, there is always next year.
It is not fair to call my husband’s brasato al Barolo a brisket, it is much more than that. Long hours of soaking, braising, 2 bottles of prized wine and a whole lot of love goes into his brasato. We used Barolo for the first time in the recipe, finding some relatively inexpensive bottles which we could justify cooking with, as opposed to pouring into our glasses. The reason that Barolo is used for braising the meat is that it has a low acid content and you could really taste the difference. The experiment and the expense were worth it.
My favorite part of Passover and Easter is that, in my pagan heart, they are simply a celebration of Spring, fertility and new life. A wonderful celebration. The markets are celebrating the advent of Spring everyday with their bounty. I am finding asparagus of all sized, wild and cultivated. Fresh peas for shelling, fava beans and greens greens greens.
We paired this lovely brasato with porcini and truffle polenta and roasted asparagus. A decadent pre-Easter / passover meal. There will be some matzo and a Seder plate at next year’s seder, maybe a few more Jews if we are lucky!
I have featured the recipe for the asparagus below, you can find the recipe for the brasato by clicking on the link and the polenta was from a mix. Happy Spring!
roasted-garlic asparagus
from epicurious
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons fresh finely chopped parsley
- 2 pounds thin asparagus, ends trimmed
- Fleur de sel or coarse sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Line a large jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small pot, heat the oil, garlic, onion powder, and parsley on medium-low heat. Cook for 3 minutes, until the garlic mixture is fragrant but not browned.
Spread the asparagus in a single layer on the prepared pan. Lightly sprinkle with coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle on the garlic-oil mixture.
Roast for 8-10 minutes, until the asparagus are bright green; do not overcook.
Transfer to a platter and serve hot.
One Year Ago: Catalogna
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