Gefilte Fish

     Page Two Hundred Twenty-Five.
     'Tis the season for Gefilte Fish. I think I've covered this already in this blog, but in case I haven't, here's what gefilte fish is: finely chopped fish, onions, spices and other stuff all mixed up and turned into "fish loaves" smaller than a child's fist, then boiled to cook. Traditionally eaten with horseradish.
     It's an acquired taste I think. Though I LOVE the stuff myself, I will admit that it is an oval, gray food which could be very intimidating to the uneducated palate. Most gefilte fish comes from a somewhat expensive can or jar. Few people actually make the stuff anymore, though some butchers and old ladies still do. It tends to run slightly sweet and salty, which may be why the hot/bitter horseradish goes so well with it; all the flavors balance each other out. It's extraordinarily healthy, running very high on the protein content and low on the fat.
     It has turned into a traditional Jewish food though that's not how it started. According to tradition, centuries ago it was a Polish, seaside food which was then adopted by the Polish Jewish population. It's likely still found in the Polish seaside. Because we see so so much of it at Passover time, some non-Jews tend to think that it's a traditional Passover food. Not so. Traditional Jewish food, yes; traditional Passover food, no. Try it sometime. You may like it.  

Home made gefilte fish with horseradish on a bed of greens

  

A Chocolate Fountain Recipe

     Page Fifty-Nine.
     A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I held a community Passover Seder at a local church. It was very successful. Final head count was, I think, about two hundred sixty people. The meal itself was large, hearty and filling. It was mostly traditional fare. We started with green salad with tomatoes, peppers, egg and gefilte fish. After salad, we had the matzo ball soup. Then, our main course was beef brisket, roasted root vegetables and green beans. Dinner was followed by a dessert of chocolate fountains with, as dippers: fresh fruit (strawberries, pineapple and bananas), many varieties of macaroons, egg matzo, walnuts, pretzels and potato chips.
     People were just thrilled with the food, which made me very happy. But I'll tell you what's gross: the recipe for the chocolate fountain. Your chocolate has to be deceptively thin to work properly. After you've melted the chocolate chips, say, a few pounds, you then have to add to it 1/4 - 1/2 cup of pure vegetable oil. Once you've mixed the oil and chocolate thoroughly in a bowl with a spoon, you can pour it into the fountain and off you go. But I'm telling you, the chocolate has got to be really thin. Just don't tell anybody what you've just done because they'll get sick. I'll tell you what though. If you don't add enough oil, the fountain simply won't work. The chocolate will clog the feeder tube and you'll have one serious mess on your hands.
     Chocolate fondue doesn't require so much oil, just a little bit of butter, but with 260 people, fondue isn't a viable alternative either. So next year, if I do another Seder, it'll be tons of chocolate with tons of vegetable oil. Oh, well.