Marzipan – Masapan – a beautiful additional for Pesah

“Masapan”……marzipan….that delicious sweet that our mothers lovingly make for engagements, weddings, a brit milan or a Bar (and today even a Bat) Mitzvah.  Basically a homemade almond confection made with ground almonds and sugar, Marzipan traces it’s origin to …..well….that depends.  Some say the Persian empire, introduced to Europe by the Turks;  others claim the origin to be Spain.  In any case, it got to us, was a delicacy on our beloved Island of Rhodes, and our grandmothers brought it here with them when they came to these shores.  

While some in Eastern Europe talk of marzipan being colored and fashioned into miniature fruit-like shapes, our variation is kept in it’s white, pure state, made into a simple design  –    A very special variety is shaped into a ‘pastelico’ like  cup and filled with rosewater or orange blossom scented ‘shroupe’, capped and artfully edged….a treat for the senses!

My mother, Kaye Hasson Israel, uses a recipe shared with her by Rebecca Levy. I’ve watched her make it. It’s a lovely addition to a Pesah sweet table.

Here is the recipe and photos. This recipe makes about 125 pieces of masapan.

6 C almonds

3 C sugar

4 C water

Start with raw almonds.    To blanche, bring a pot of water to a boil. ( enough water to cover the almonds).  When water boils, add almonds and leave them in for 4 to 5 minutes (until skin is loose).

Rinse in a colander with cold water.  Remove the skins from the almonds and place almonds into a bowl of cold water ( to prevent discoloration).

Take a clean towel and dry almonds thoroughly.

Put almonds into food processor with blade.

Grind to a fine texture.

In the meantime, mix sugar and water and heat over medium/high flame. Make sure sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. This is to make a sticky syrup. Stir and watch carefully so it does not discolor or burn.

Test for correct stickiness by removing spoon from pot, allow it to cool a bit, placing a drop on your fingers and noting a ‘thread’ of sugar when pressing then pulling apart finger and thumb.

At this point, lower the heat and add ground almonds.  Thoroughly  blend and constantly stir mixture.   Cook and stir masapan until it reaches a dough-like consistency. ( it will cleanly leave the sides and bottom of the pan).   Remove from heat and allow to thoroughly cool

Once cooled, knead on your rolling surface to create a smooth dough.  Pinch off small portions and roll into a long strip.  (Perhaps cut into 10 – 12 portions before rolling).

Keep a bowl of water handy.  Dampen your rolling surface and hands, as it will make it easier to roll out.  Cut at an angle into diamond shaped pieces.

Our tradition has been to top with a decorative silver ball ( dragees ). These are for decoration and not to be consumed.

For engagements, our tradition has been to make a “mano” (hand) fashioned out of masapan, with silver dragees across the ring finger.  This is fashioned on a tray, surrounded by cut pieces of masapan, jordan almonds and often, a gold leafed piece of ‘aruda’ ( the rue plant).

Like all our delicacies, masapan takes a bit of practice.  And the results are divine!  Enjoy for your special celebrations…and for a special Passover treat!

Bendichas manos!

Masa di Vino (Passover Wine Cookies)

Each holiday has it’s special flavors and textures.  One of the special treats we prepare for Pesah is “masa di vino”, a wine cookie with a delightful and unique taste and texture.  They are easy to make and freeze well.  My cousin, Leon Hasson, has become our ‘Go To’ guy for these treats……he has the recipe down pat to produce a crispy, flavorful cookie. Give them a try!

Ingredients:

1 C oil

3/4 C sweet wine

3/4 C sugar

1 egg

2 C Passover cake meal

1 C chopped nuts (optional)

1/2 C Passover potato starch

Mix sugar, oil and wine well.  Add egg and dry ingredients.

Take walnut sized pieces of dough. Roll into a ball.  Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Flatten by hand. With tines of a fork, press each cookie to produce a design.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Bendichas Manos!!!!

The Blessing of Bibhilu….in the Moroccan Tradition

My cousin Avi introduced the ‘Bibhilu’ to our Passover Seder, a beautiful Moroccan tradition which Rabbi Daniel Bouskila explains in an article in the Jewish Journal a few years ago.  It is so deep and rich with meaning, so beautiful, that I am printing that story here (the link no longer seems to work.)

How beautiful and woven with richness is our tradition!   May we all have opportunities to share these traditions and always add new ones to our families, as well!

Pesah blessings, my friends!

The Jewish Journal
April 21, 2005
The Blessing of Bibhilu

A Sephardic ritual calls attention to God’s place at the seder table.

BY RABBI DANIEL BOUSKILA

http://www.jewishjournal.com/articles/item/the_blessing_of_bibhilu_20050422/
A book’s opening chapter is crucial to setting the mood and aura for the remainder of the book’s journey. Likewise, the opening scene of a film usually helps set the tone for what will ensue.

The Passover seder is both a reader’s experience and a moviegoer’s. We sit around the table and read the haggadah, and we also witness a host of rituals. But how does the seder leader creatively capture an audience and draw it into the experience from the beginning?

My father is neither novelist nor screenwriter, but from childhood he exposed me to a Moroccan seder ritual that immediately drew all those around the table into the full experience of a seder. This ritual is affectionately known amongst Moroccans as Bibhilu.

Following the kiddush, the karpas, and the yahatz (division of the matzah), the leader takes the brass seder plate, adorned with all of the ritual items, and he begins to walk around the table, waving the seder plate over each person’s head. As the plate is being waved, the entire gathering at the seder chants in unison: “Bibhilu yatsanu mimitsrayim” (“In a hurry we left Egypt”). When my father did this, each of us wondered whether he would simply wave the plate above our heads or knock us over the head with it. This ritual created lots of positive energy — between the anticipation of your turn under the plate and the chanting in unison of Bibhilu.

Yes, it’s a lot of fun. But is there a deeper spiritual meaning, or is this ritual simply some gimmick meant to create excitement among those who might be otherwise bored?

Throughout my life, I have always celebrated the seder in Moroccan fashion, Bibhilu and all. But only a few years ago did I first see a Moroccan haggadah.

At the beginning, there was, as in all haggadot, a drawing of the seder plate, illustrating the placement of each ritual item, which generally followed the Sephardic tradition. I had always known that Sephardic Jews arrange the seder plate differently than Ashkenazim, but again, I never knew why.

The Sephardic pattern, I knew, derives from tradition attributed to the great kabbalist from Safed known as the Ari (Rabbi Isaac Luria). In this haggadah, the drawing not only reflected the Ari’s Sephardic arrangement, but it added something that I had never seen, something which suddenly tied together for me the logic behind the Sephardic arrangement, and the reason behind the Moroccan Bibhilu ritual. Next to each ritual item on the plate was written one of the 10 kabbalistic sefirot, the mystical dimensions describing the sacred attributes of God. The three matzahs correspond to keter (crown), chochmah (wisdom) and binah (understanding); the shank bone corresponds to hesed (kindness); the egg corresponds to gevurah (strength); the bitter herbs correspond to tiferet (beauty); the charoset corresponds to netzach (victory), the karpas corresponds to hod (splendor), the hazeret corresponds to yesod (foundation); and the seder plate itself represents malchut (kingship).

It suddenly dawned upon me that, with this mystical arrangement, the seder plate is no longer just a platter carrying a selection of ritual items. The Ari’s Sephardic arrangement transformed the seder plate into a sacred representation of God, which means that when the seder plate is waved above your head during Bibhilu, you are being blessed by the spiritual strength of the Shekhina. The body of God, as represented by the sefirot, is now being waved above your head, and for the rest of the evening, the presence of the seder plate on the table represents the presence of the Shekhina in your midst.

From then on the Bibhilu ritual suddenly meant a lot more to me, because I now understood that, in addition to drawing in the audience, the Bibhilu ritual also represented a spiritual blessing for each participant as he or she prepares to set off on the haggadah’s storytelling journey from slavery to freedom.

As an American Jew raised in a Moroccan Jewish home, the Bibhilu ritual will always be part of my life. Having experienced it from childhood, and now coming full circle to understand its meaning, I will always look at the seder plate as a source of blessing and sanctity throughout the evening. Whether you are Moroccan or not, this ritual can become a powerful way to help infuse your seder with a newfound spiritual depth.

As it turns out, my father is now in a wheelchair, so he has transferred this privilege and responsibility to me. And yes, after all of those years under the seder plate, it’s lots of fun banging my father over the head while we all chant Bibhilu.

Daniel Bouskila is rabbi at Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel.
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Our Family’s Haroset

My cousin Sarita (Hasson Fields) is a great cook! She has learned our traditional family recipes and often adds a new and novel twist to update a dish and make it her own. She just finished making Haroset for our family Seder……a gathering of about 35+ at our cousin Leon’s home this year. 

I always enjoy cooking with Sarita. On occasion, we’ve cooked with my mom and pass the time telling family stories of days gone by, reflecting, remembering and laughing. At times, she and I have cooked and try adapting recipes…..sometimes more successfully than others! Always a good time together. I wish we lived closer…especially when she was cooking today, so I could have filmed and photographed her making the Haroset.

Here is her recipe for Rhodesli Haroset, as made by her mom, Belina Beton Hasson (z’l) {*similar to the recipe in the Atlanta Sephardic Sisterhood Cookbook)…..for 35 people (with leftovers, for the many who like to take some home, and spread it on matzah for a treat!!) You can cut it in half ( or quarter), depending on the size of your crowd.

50 – 60 oz pitted dates
10 large red apples peeled and chopped
5 – 6 C finely chopped nuts (pecans and walnuts)
1 1/2 C sweet red wine
1/2 C white vinegar

Place apples and dates in a pot and cover with water. Cook until soft. Drain and let cool a bit. Place apple/date mixture in food processor and puree, a batch at a time. Add wine to mixture. Add chopped nuts. Add vinegar.
(Sarita’s note…..mixture should not be watery. If it is, add more nuts; if it seems too hard, add more wine.)

It is definitely delicious. Give it a try…..and let us know what you think! “Bendichas Manos”!

Getting Ready for Pesah…..Ashuplados!

(parve and gluten-free, year round)

Meringue clouds…..a divine confection of the Gods! A special occasion delicacy passed down by our grandmothers !

A perfect dessert to make for Passover.

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Growing up, we knew it was a very special occasion when Grandma made Ashuplados……meringue clouds! Sweet….light as a feather, a light shell on the outside. Texture, sweetness……simply….divine!!!

They look beautiful on a sweet table, and delight young and more mature and sophisticated palettes alike!

These are one of my mom’s signature delicacies.

Give them a try! And let us know how they turn out!!

Kaye (Hasson) Israel’s Ashuplados

Ingredients:

1 ¾ Cup sugar

6 eggs – (you will use the whites ONLY)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Separate eggs. Use whites ONLY. Place in a COMPLETELY dry mixing bowl. (moisture will adversely affect the creating of the meringue)

Using an electric stand mixer, begin mixing the egg whites and gradually add the sugar. Continuing beating on high for approximately 20 minutes. Mixing will be done when the mixture stands in very stiff peaks

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. ( there was a time when brown paper bags were cut and used to line these pans to ensure a very dry surface. However, parchment seems a more sanitary alternative available these days!!)

Spoon mounds of the meringue onto the lined cookie sheets. Ashuplados can be made as large or small as you wish. My mom used heaping tablespoons to create these clouds.

We sprinkle nonpareils on top for a festive look.

Before putting them in the oven, TURN HEAT DOWN to 225 degrees. Bake for one hour.

Ashuplados can be made one day before serving. They are best enjoyed for a day or two after preparation. By the third or fourth day they become dry and are not as good as when first prepared.  (* however, we have learned over the past few years that ashuplados freeze beautifully!  Package delicately and freeze within the first day they are made).

Yield: approximately 48 ashuplados

Moustachudos (nut confection) A favorite for Pesah – or a good parve dessert year round

A favorite for Pesah – or a good parve dessert year round

In our home, we have always used a variety of nuts in baking……almonds and walnuts, in particular.  Moustachudos make a good Pesah dessert. The cloves give them a special “kick”.  These treats can be made in advance and freeze well.

Ingredients for Moustachudos:

1 1/2 C pecans or walnuts, coarsely ground

1 1/2 C almonds, coarsely ground

3/4 C sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 egg

water – 1/2 eggshell full

Coarsely grind all nuts.

Add other ingredients including 1/2 eggshell filled with water.  (folks, that’s how it’s done!!)https://video.wordpress.com/embed/K3o9O2op?hd=0&autoPlay=0&permalink=1&loop=0&preloadContent=metadata&muted=0&playsinline=0&controls=1&cover=1

Shape into triangle or ball shapes about 1″ in diameter.

Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 5 or 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven until lightly brown.

Allow to cool and harden before removing from pan.  Sprinkle with confectioners’ (powered) sugar.

Marochinos (almond macaroons – a Pesah favorite)

A favorite for Pesah….delightful as a pareve dessert during the year!

Ingredients:

2 C blanched almonds

1 C sugar

2 eggs…whites only

Grind blanched almonds to near a fine consistency.

Blanched Almonds Marochinos Seph Shabbat Jan 2018
Ground Almonds Marichinos Seph Shabbat Jan 2018

Mix in a bowl with sugar.

Add egg whites to almonds and sugar.  Mix by hand until biscuit-dough consistency. Using a tablespoon or metal scoop, drop 1″ apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 10 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.

Marichinos out of Oven Seph Shabbat Jan 2018

Allow to cool completely before handling. Will harden as they cool.

A favorite during Pesah and a great parve dessert during the year.

Enjoy!

~Bendichas Manos

“Mos Abastava” – the Ladino version of ‘Daiyenu’

A few year back, my friend Murray Weiss and I were leaving a meeting and talking about the upcoming Passover holiday. Recalling our shared Sephardic backgrounds we started talking (rather singing to each other!) the various Ladino songs our families sing for this holiday.
We knew the same top choices from the Sephardic Hit Parade. Then Murray asked about “Mos Abastava”… Mos what??? Murray told me it was the Ladino version of Daiyenu. Something brand new to me!

I saw my folks later and mentioned “Mos Abastava” which they both recalled with delight, saying that it was sung at their family Seders in their youth. We have included the words in our family Haggadah for this year, hoping it will become part of our collective tradition.

Bits and pieces of our tradition….sometime hidden for a awhile, only to be uncovered, recalled, reclaimed and shared again.

Here are the words of “Mos Abastava”, from the Passover Agada ; according to the Seattle Sephardic Tradition, 1995:

Ladino Version

Kuantos grados buenos a el Kriador sovre nos:

Si mos kitava de Ayifto, i non aziya en eyos justicias, mos abastava

Si aziya en eyos justicias, i non aziya en sus dioses, mos abastava

Si aziya en sus dioses, i non matava a sus mayores, mos abastava

Si matava a sus mayors, i non dava a nos a sus aciendas, mos abastava

Si dava a nos a sus aciendas, i non rasgava a nos a la mar, mos abastava

Si rasgava a nos a la mar, i non mos aziya pasar entre eya por lo seco, mos abastava

Si mos aziya pasar entre eya por lo seco, i non afinkava muestros angustiadores entre el, mos abastava

Si afinkava muetros angustiadores entre el, i non abastesia maestro menester en el dizierto cuarenta anyos, mos abastava

Si abastecia muestro menester en el dizierto cuarenta anyos, i non mos aziya comer a la magna, mos abastava

Si mos aziya comer a la magna, i non dava a nos a el Shabbath, mos abastava

Si dava a nos a el Shabbath, i non mos ayegava delantre monte de Sinai, mos abastava

Si mos ayegava delantre monte de Sinai, i non dava a nos a la ley, mos abastava

Si dava a nos a la ley, i non mos aziya entrar en tierra de Yisrael, mos abastava

Si mos aziya entrara en tierra de Yisrael, i non fraguava a nos a cas de el Santuvario, mos abastava

***

Sharing traditions…making memories!

Pesah Alegre ~ Moadim L’Simha!!

~Bendichas Manos

Sevollas Reinados (Stuffed Onions) for Pesah *(UPDATED)

One of our family favorites is Sevollas Reinados, stuffed onions.  Savory and delicious, with a simple substitution, it can be Pesah friendly, and always appreciated as part of a holiday meal.   These are made with ground beef (although I prepare it with ground chicken which makes it a bit lighter, and my family prefers the taste.)  Another item that can be made ahead and frozen.  Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Approx 12 smaller sized onions

1 C matzah meal

1 lb ground beef

1 egg

S & P to taste

‘Handful’ of chopped parsley – I recommend 3/4 C (you can substitute or mix in cilantro for a punch)

1 beat egg  and 1 C Matzah meal or Matzah Cake Flour to use to coat top of each before browning

Sauce:

I C tomato sauce

1 C water

1 tsp sugar

Cut onions in half lengthwise.

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Separate outer layers in double thickness.  (Save inner  pieces)

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Combine ground beef, egg, parsley,  and chopped onion (from inner core saved when separating sections.)  (You knew we’d use them sonewhere!).  Add matzah meal.

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Fill onion shells with this mixture

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Dip meat side into the matzah meal or Pesah cake flour then into beaten egg before placing into frying pan with heated oil to brown.

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After browning, place meat side up in casserole pan in which bottom has been covered with remaining sliced and chopped onions.

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Cover with sauce made of tomato sauce, water and a tsp of sugar.  Cover casserole and bake in oven at 300 degrees for 1 hour.

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This is one of many stuffed vegetable dishes we frequently prepare – stuffing tomatoes, zucchinis, small eggplants, bell peppers, cabbage leaves.  During the year, instead of matzah meal we often add bread crumbs or softened slices of bread for a binder – some use potato flakes (I like to use Panko).  Often, a ‘grainiko’  (a small grain – a handful) of rice is added to the meat mixture.    { I would make a heartier sauce – tomato sauce, lemon juice, water, garlic, S & P – and simmer it while I prepare my vegetables.  Then pour it over the vegetables.  That would make much more ‘caldo’ (sauce) when the stuffed vegetables are served with rice and the sauce spooned over the rice – but that’s for another time during the year!}

So many dishes to prepare for the week!   My mom has already started!  There is megina (Meat and matzah quajado),  Keftes de prassa (Leek patties), Bamya (okra), my cousin Sarita will make our family’s Haroset – then there’s the desserts – marochinos (almond macaroons),  mustachudos (nut confections), ashuplados (meringue clouds)…… wow!

Some of the best memories are made while preparing and cooking for the holidays.  Spend time with your families.  Remember and reflect on holidays past – tell stories; remember relatives. L’dor v’dor.  This is how we keep traditions fresh – how we keep memories alive.

Which reminds me – watch the movie ‘Coco,’ the Pixar/Disney film.  Beautiful lessons on family, traditions, memory.   Nice to share other’s cultural traditions – nice to know the similarities we share – the importance of family and memory.  Beautiful film.  Perfect season to share it.

Busy time in the kitchen. We’ll share more in the days to come.  Looking forward to hearing of your menus, your traditions and your memories.

May your hands always be blessed!

~Bandichas Manos

Getting Ready for Pesah….Megina Recipe

As we begin to prepare for Pesah, it’s time to pull out the favorite family recipes, those familiar dishes that bind generations together, remind us of our connectedness…..brings us back to the familiar.  One of the staples of our seder meal is a megina, sometmes refered to as ‘mina,’ or a ‘meat quajado.’

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My mom megina is made with crumbled matzah mixed in giving it a meat casserole- like consistency once cooked and able to be cut into and served in squares. The ‘mina’ version is often made with layers of soaked and softened matzahs and constructed more like a meat lasagna. I am sharing the recipe as my mom makes it for our family and as she has taught it in community cooking classes. This is one of those dishes you can customize to your liking, adding different spices for a differnt flair ( think cumin or ‘ras el hanut,’ diced peppers or even cilantro instead of parsley, to name a few).  This version is made with ground beef, although ground turkey or ground chicken could be substituted. Let us know what you think!

My Mom’s (Kaye Israel) Recipe for Passover ‘Megina’ (meat casserole) {sometimes called Quajado de Carne or Mina}

As one of my friends points out, anytime you start with sautéed onions and meat……how can you go wrong?

2 C chopped onions
2 lbs ground meat
2 tblsp oil
1/2 tsp pepper (to taste)
1 tblsp salt
1/4 c parsley, chopped
8 – 10 eggs
1 C farfel (soaked in warm water, and squeezed dry) or 4 sheets matzah (soaked in warm water, squeezed dry and crumbled)
touch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Brown onions in oil.

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Add meat and continue to brown.

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Transfer to bowl and allow to cool. Add salt, pepper, parsley and farfel (or matzah). Add 2 beaten eggs at a time until eggs are mixed in.

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Grease 9 x 13 inch pan (pyrex type) and heat in oven for 2 – 3 minutes. Pour mixture into pan.

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Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool. Cut into squares and serve. Delish!!!!

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We serve this as part of our holiday meal.  It’s also a staple during the week.  Easy to cut a square for lunch and serve with a light salad for lunch or easy dinner.   Easy to transport for those who need to take a lunch to work or school. (I have one cousin who looks forward to megina each year with cranberry sauce on the side. I know, they didn’t have cranberries in Rhodes. That’s how we create new traditions!) Enjoy it!   Make it your own!

~Bendichas Manos