Customer Reviews

Passover Seders Made Simple

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had this book for a year or two before I really tried out the recipes one year. They are excellent!

Zell Shulman organizes her book into numerous Pesach menus, such as Ashkenazic, Sephardic, Health-Conscious, Easy to Prepare, and Ecumenical Potluck. There are grocery lists and timelines accompanying each menu and they really help to streamline the task of pulling together a Seder meal.

Even though the layout and organization was impressive, I wasn't sure I would find the recipes to be as good as promised. When I served the Sephardic menu, it was really good! Everyone devoured the food and it felt wonderful to present such a lavish meal that still allowed me to enjoy the holiday and my friends and family in a relaxed fashion.

One other plus: the author includes many additional recipes that help round out the eight day holiday. My reason for four stars: her "Easy to Prepare" seder scares me a little, although in fairness I haven't tried the recipes.

Excerpted from The Orange County Register
April 10, 2003
by Judy Bart Kancigor, author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

Some good things deserve repeating. Zell Schulman's exhaustive Passover
guide, "Let My People Eat," is now in paperback, renamed "Passover Seders
Made Simple" (Wiley). It contains everything you ever wanted to know
or thought to ask about the Seder, the traditional meal that commemorates the deliverance of the Jews from slavery in Egypt.

Calling herself an "ecumenical Jewess" - "I'm a Reform Jew with an
Orthodox heart and a Conservative way of life," she said - Schulman offers
lists for everything from pantry supplies to prohibited foods to Passover
substitutions. She explains the significance of ceremonial items, gives
shopping resources, and offers six Seder menus as well as additional recipes for the eight-day celebration.

Even the novice need not be intimidated under Grandma Zell's encouraging
tutelage. "Don't push the panic button," she advised.

The recipes are keepers: Passover Pizza with a zucchini crust, Shiitake
Mushroom-Bell Pepper Matzo Kugel, Roast Lamb with Garlic Rosemary Sauce,
Chocolate Mousse Tort. All are delivered in her breezy style that reveals her upbeat outlook. "Life is a gift," Schulman told me. "You open the package, and you deal with it."

This carrot salad makes a delicious starter. "It's the best appetizer that you can use for the rest of the year too," she said.

ALLEGRIA COHEN'S CHIZU SALADA (CARROT SALAD)
2 lbs. peeled baby carrots
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes or ground red pepper
juice of 1 large lemon
2 TBS. olive oil
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Place the carrots in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water and cook over
medium heat until the tip of a knife can pierce them, about 15 minutes. Do
not overcook. Drain and let cool. In a small bowl, mix cumin, paprika, salt,red pepper flakes, lemon juice and olive oil together. Add this to the cooked carrots and gently coat them. Let cool for 20 minutes. Garnish with the parsley. These may be prepared up to 1 week before the Seder. Serve at room temperature. Makes 8 servings.

This book is a tremendous resource for those who are not familiar with Kosher food preparation. I was in charge of a Seder Dinner at a Catholic Church and although I had a Jewish mentor, was so glad to also have this book, since it guided us through even the proper table settings for this beautiful meal. VERY GOOD!

I used this book to help me set the table as well as for the recipes inside. I couldn't have had my Seder without it.