Around the Passover Table (16 page)

IN
a large skillet, sauté the minced garlic in 3 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat until pale gold, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chard and spinach. Cook, stirring, over medium heat, until the liquid is evaporated and the garlic is thoroughly distributed, 5 to 7 minutes. The greens should be very tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

PREHEAT
the oven to 375°F.

SAUTÉ
the onion in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat in 3 tablespoons of the oil until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with the onions. In another saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Add the broth to the rice a few spoonfuls at a time, as if making risotto. Keep the heat medium-low, and stir, waiting until the broth is nearly absorbed before adding another spoonful. Cook the rice until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes in all. If you finish adding the broth and the rice is not yet tender, add a tablespoon or two of hot water, as needed. Season the rice with salt and pepper (taking into account the saltiness of the broth you are using), add it to the chard and spinach, and set aside to cool.

PREPARE
the garlic head: break the head into single cloves and put them, unpeeled, into a small baking dish in which they fit snugly (I use a 5-inch-square porcelain ramekin). Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the oil and 1 teaspoon of the thyme. Cover tightly (use foil if you don't have a lid), and roast for 30 to 45 minutes, until a soft puree is formed when you squeeze a clove. Avoid overcooking, which turns the garlic bitter. Squeeze the puree out by hand or run the unpeeled cloves through a food mill to trap the peels. Put the roasted garlic puree in a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the rosemary and the lemon juice. Stir well and set aside. Turn off the oven—you will be pan-braising the meat.

WHILE
the garlic is roasting, finish the stuffing: in a food processor, pulse the remaining 1 tablespoon each of rosemary and thyme, the parsley, mint, and lemon zest until finely chopped. Add to the rice mixture. Stir in the egg until well combined.

TRIM
the veal of gristle and as much fat as possible. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over, including the inside pocket. Fill the pocket with the stuffing, pushing the mixture as far in as possible, but don't overfill—it will expand somewhat while cooking. Sew the pocket closed. (A large embroidery needle and strong cotton thread or unwaxed dental floss work very well here. Or use a trussing needle and kitchen twine. I find skewering not as successful here—the stuffing is more likely to ooze out into the pan gravy.)

IN
a 6-quart Dutch oven or heavy casserole just large enough to accommodate the veal, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil until hot, but not smoking. Add the veal and brown it slowly on all sides, turning carefully with wooden spoons so you don't pierce the meat. When it is thoroughly browned, arrange the meat so that the fat side is up. Spread the roasted garlic mixture all over the top. Add the wine and bring to a slow bubble. Place the lid slightly askew, and braise at a slow simmer over very low heat for 2
¹
⁄
₂
to 3 hours, or longer, if necessary, until the meat is very tender. Use a flame tamer
(blech)
or stack two stove burner grates, if you must, to keep the flame very low. Every 20 minutes or so, baste with the pan juices. If possible, turn the meat a few times; don't worry about losing the roasted garlic coating on top—it will add delicious flavor to the cooking juices.

TRANSFER
the veal to a platter, and let it stand for 10 minutes, tented with foil to keep warm. Boil up the cooking juices for a few minutes to concentrate the flavors, taste for seasoning, then transfer to a sauce boat.

SLICE
the veal about
¹
⁄
₂
-inch thick, making sure that the slices enclose some of the filling. Nap with some of the juices. Pass remaining sauce separately.

Ashkenazi Mashed Potato Stuffing
Prepare the stuffing according to the directions above, omitting rice and broth. Sauté the onion until rich gold and set aside. Simmer 3
¹
⁄
₂
cups russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed, in cold, salted water to cover, until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash the potatoes until smooth. Stir in the reserved sautéed onion (along with any oil remaining in the pan), and 1 additional tablespoon olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the potato mixture to the chard and spinach, set aside to cool, and continue with the recipe.

Slow-Braised Lemon Veal with Leeks

yield:
About 6 servings

“Even if you had supplied our needs in the desert for forty years, but did not send us manna from heaven, dayenu, it would have been enough.”

The rousing seder song “Dayenu” is about gratitude, but this ninth stanza might remind us that sometimes the Israelites, like us, were anything but appreciative. “Nothing but this manna to look at,” they kvetched, recalling with longing the slave food they ate: “The fish that we used to eat in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.”

Throughout the Diaspora, Jews have created rituals to concretize the story of the Exodus; Iranian and Afghani Jews seem to bring home the themes of oppression, freedom, and redemption of this excerpt by beating each other with leeks on their backs and shoulders every time they sing the refrain “dayenu” beginning with that ninth verse. A symbol of the taskmasters' whips and a potent reminder to appreciate our freedom, this fun custom, now adopted by many Ashkenazi families, too, is a highlight for adults and children alike. If leeks are too costly to provide one for each seder participant, use scallions instead.

Plentiful in the spring, fresh leeks also figure in many seder recipes. Here a hillock of them melt slowly with the braising veal to form a rich gravy. Since veal shoulder is so lean, there is no need to skim the fat: just puree the pan sauce and you're good to go.

10 fat garlic cloves, peeled

3 tablespoons packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

About 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt

One 3
¹
⁄
₂
-pound boneless shoulder of veal, rolled and tied

About 4 large or 6 medium leeks

4 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Optional accompaniment: lemon quarters

PREPARE
the flavor paste: process four of the garlic cloves, the parsley, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt in a blender or mini food processor to a coarse puree, stopping to stir down as necessary. Make a slit in the veal with the point of a small, sharp knife. Insert a little of the paste into the slit, using your fingers and the knife tip to push it in as far as possible. In the same way, insert some of the paste all over the top, bottom, and sides of the veal, spacing them out as evenly as you can, and slip the paste in between the rolled layers of the tied meat. (If you are tying the veal yourself, spread a little paste on the boned side of the meat before you roll and tie it.) Place the veal in a large, plastic resealable bag or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 1 to 2 hours, so the flavorings can penetrate the meat.

REMOVE
the meat from the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature, and pat it dry.

WASH
and thinly slice enough white and pale green parts of the leeks to make 5 cups. Dry the leeks well, using a salad spinner or patting well with paper towels.

PREHEAT
the oven to 325°F.

IN
a heavy flameproof lidded casserole (oval enameled cast iron is ideal) just large enough to hold the meat, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat and brown it well on all sides. Transfer it to a platter and set aside.

WIPE
out the pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and heat until hot. Add the leeks, salt generously, and stir to coat well. Cover the pan, turn heat down to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender and wilted, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the remaining 6 garlic cloves and 4 tablespoons lemon juice, and stir well. Sprinkle the veal with salt and pepper to taste on all sides. Place the veal in the pan and spoon some of the leek sauce over it. Cover tightly and oven-braise until fork-tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes, turning every 15 to 20 minutes and basting with the leeks and pan juices. Transfer the veal to a cutting board and tent it loosely with foil.

PREPARE
the leek sauce: since the veal is quite lean, there is really no need to defat the gravy. Working in batches, if necessary, puree the braising mixture, including the leeks and garlic cloves, in a blender or food processor. If desired, return the pureed sauce to the pan to rewarm and reduce it slightly over high heat, uncovered. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. I like to add a drop or two of fresh lemon juice to the finished meat and sauce—more lemony than most diners, perhaps—so I serve the veal with lemon quarters.

CUT
the veal into thin slices and arrange on a serving platter. Spoon some of the warm gravy all over the meat and pass the rest in a separate sauce boat.

COOK'S NOTE
: Great for plan-ahead menus because this is even better the next day. The recipe makes quite a lot of gravy—delicious on mashed potatoes or
Potato-Leek Matzoh Balls
.

Braised Lamb with Artichokes, Lemon, and Fresh Herbs

yield:
8 to 10 servings

Rubbed first with wild bitter herbs, tender young lamb was roasted, often over fragrant pomegranate wood, to mark each Passover in the Second Temple period. The Jewish historian Josephus estimated that 255,600 animals were sacrificed for the Passover celebratory feasts during the reign of Nero.

With the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, the custom lost favor as it evoked sorrowful memories of the Temple sacrifices that were no more. Eventually, Ashkenazi Orthodox and many Conservative Jews began to refrain from eating any roasted meat at the seder meals.