The Great Seder Adventure

Passover is my favorite Jewish holiday. I love the story and the ritual, the family gathering, and food. I even don't mind Matzah (the first few days). However, this year, with the seders being Monday and Tuesday, I couldn't make it back home. So I decided to host my very first seder myself. The guest list was 10 people - an almost even split between Jews and the uninitiated, who would be subjected to our singing.

The preparation began with a Saturday morning grocery trip. It took the cabbie and I two trips to get everything out of the trunk into the entry hall

I spent the next few hours chopping, mixing and bundling into assorted cooking dishes.  First up was the brisket -6.5 pounds of meat marinated in an eclectic mix of sweet and sour. The lack of a food processor in the house meant that my guests would be able to admire my onion and garlic chopping skills.


 While the brisket was in the oven, I started the chicken soup.  Despite my aversion to high school Biology, and a month spent dissecting every formaldehyde-soaked carcass in the supply room, I handled breaking down the chicken with aplomb. And I even remembered the bayleaf!

Saturday was not without incident, however. A bit of spilled gravy in the oven led to a smoky apartment and a loud smoke alarm.  However, this time we opened the window, not the door, and avoided evacuating the whole building (see the Great Popcorn Embarrassment of 2009).

Sunday was a much lighter cooking day - charoset, asparagus, matzah balls, potatoes and berry compote.  And of course, re-arranging furniture for my beautiful seder table:

We had a nice little seder, passing the haggadah, using printed transliterations for the Four Questions, and barely remembering two verses of Dayenu.  But we did drink all 4 glasses of wine, and hide the afikomen! Hat tip to H. for his inventive use of dixie cups on the seder plate:

Next year in Jerusalem! (or at least in an apartment with a dishwasher...)

The Menu:
Charoset
Chicken Soup w/ Matzah Balls
Brisket
Arugula Salad
Roasted Asparagus
Potatoes
Berries, Ice Cream, Macaroons