Jewish Holidays

A Hawaiʻi Jewish Sukkah

Celebrations of Hanukkah Coincide with Christmas

Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, typically starts a week before Christmas, but this year falls on Christmas Eve. The foremost Hanukkah tradition involves lighting eight candles on a menorah every evening over eight days to celebrate religious freedom. The last time Hanukkah and the actual day of Christmas coincided was 11 years ago in 2005. This year’s unusual occurrence of Christmas Eve and Hanukkah falling on the same night resonates with Sandra Armstrong, a teacher and spokeswoman for Oʻahu’s Congregation Sof Ma’arav, who wrote a memoir about balancing Christian and Jewish faith traditions, called A Jewish Girl and a Not-So-Jewish Boy. Her husband, Don, has been the longtime president of Sof Ma’arav.

“I sit today writing both Hanukkah and Christmas cards to family and friends. I understand how these holidays are similar in our need for peace and love in the world. It is at this time that we stop and think of how grateful we are for what we have in our lives and realize that there is so much more we can do to help to repair the world (Tikkun Olam) in our search for God,” she said in an email. “So as my neighbors have been busily decorating their homes for Christmas with anticipation and lots of hope for the future, so do we take out our Hanukkah menorahs. When the Christmas tree lights are lit at the same time as the Hanukkah lights, we will experience the pure joy of light coming through corners of darkness to brighten all our spirits as our ancestors did before us.” Sof Ma’arav is celebrating Hanukkah with live music by the Ruach (“spirit”) Band and a party at a private home at 6 p.m. Thursday. 

Passover with Sandra

Passover’s staple starch can be used in myriad ways — you don’t have to stop at matzo balls in soup

For the eight days of Passover that begin today, Armstrong has purged her home of every single morsel or smidgen of leavened bread or related products — which also meant deep-cleaning her kitchen and everything in it. She replaced those starches with matzo, the bland, cracker-like bread specially prepared by kosher bakeries so that it has not been given time to rise.

“Eating matzo is a re-enactment of our journey from slavery to freedom,” a reminder of how the Jews had to flee Egypt before their bread had a chance to rise, said Armstrong, president of Congregation Sof Ma’arav. She and her husband, Don, a longtime leader of the group, have hosted many a Seder dinner in their Kailua home, highlighted by symbolic foods and religious rituals. Their Seders normally include some 20 people, but this year, as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus, only her family will be present, and she’s saddened that many will be alone on this meaningful occasion.

Although matzo ball soup is one of the best known dishes traditionally served during Passover, matzo also can be transformed into appetizers, sandwiches, kugels (casseroles),
pizza, even desserts. For example, “my kids make me chocolate covered matzo,” Armstrong says, and she makes pancakes with matzo all through the year. Recently she tried a new recipe for a dessert, similar to a bread pudding that wasn’t overly sweet, and could also be served as a side dish. Made with just flour and water, matzo still carries carbohydrates, but can be the base of dishes incorporating lots of fruits and vegetables, and using less fat and sugar, to suit people’s dietary needs. For Armstrong, Passover means far fewer carbs, of which, perhaps, we eat too much anyway.

“What cuts the carbs is the inability to eat your usual sandwiches with rolls or two pieces of bread, or that nice plate of pasta, or pancakes and French toast,” Armstrong said. “You learn to adapt to a different way of eating, and you realize you no longer have to eat a lot of bread or pasta.” Removing leavened bread products from the home is also symbolic of purging negative factors hampering your life, so it’s an eye-opening process, she said, “You alter yourself spiritually.”

Filled with the aroma of simmering chicken soup, Armstrong’s kitchen was warm and welcoming the day she demonstrated how to make the matzo balls to go with her soup.

“I love it: I make it all year-round,” she said, stirring a pot of stock afloat with pieces of carrots, onions, and celery. While she always makes the chicken soup from scratch, Armstrong takes a shortcut with the matzo balls, using Streit’s brand mix, which comes seasoned with onion and garlic powders, salt, and pepper. (Manischewitz also makes a good mix, and can be found easily in most grocery stores, she added.) All she has to do is add eggs and a little oil, then refrigerate the dough at least 15 minutes to get it cold enough to shape more easily.

“It makes a really nice ball, nice and firm,” she said as she rolled the balls between her palms. “Then we plop it into boiling water.” Once they’re cooked, she puts them into the soup, where they absorb more flavor. Precooking the balls keeps their shape and texture consistent: “The soup already has vegetables in it and this might obstruct the (cooking) process; and occasionally a matzo ball might fall apart, so it’s better in the hot water than the soup,” she said. “I always ask people if they want one or two balls when I serve the soup, and often people come back for more.”

By Pat Gee. Originally printed in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Wednesday 4/8/2020, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/04/07/food/matzo-can-be-used-in-many-ways-not-just-in-soup/

Sandra Armstrong with her matzo ball chicken soup, back right, farfel pudding, front, and matzo brei, a pancake topped with fruit.

Recipes

Easy Matzo Ball Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken carcass, preferably from kosher chicken
• 4 quarts water
• 3 cups chopped carrots
• 3 cups chopped celery
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 medium to large onion (chopped or left whole)
• Matzo Balls
  • 1 packet Streit’s Matzo Ball Mix (or other brand, about 2 ounces
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 8 cups boiling water

Directions:

• Place chicken carcass in a big pot with water; bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 2 hours. Strain broth, removing bones.
• Return broth to pot on stove. Bring to boil; add carrots, celery, bouillon cubes and onion. Simmer 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make matzo balls:
  • In a small bowl, mix matzo meal with eggs; add oil and combine. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes, until easy to handle.
  • Bring a pot of water to boil. Roll matzo dough into balls of about an inch in diameter (about 8 balls). Drop into boiling water, then reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes with cover on.
• When balls are firm, drop into chicken soup; simmer 15 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (based on 4 servings with 2 matzo balls each): 250 calories, 10g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 95mg cholesterol, at least 1,400 mg sodium, 28g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, 9g sugar, 14g protein.

Matzo Brei (Pancakes)

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces matzo (about 7-by-7 inches)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• Garnish: Fresh bananas or other fruit and maple syrup

Directions:

• Soak matzo in water until soft. Drain and press out water. Mix in eggs and milk.
• Heat a 12-inch frying pan over medium. Melt butter in pan. Pour batter into pan to edges; fry until golden brown and the edges start to curl. Flip and fry the other side. Cut into 4 wedges. Serve with fruit and syrup. Serves 2.

Rachael’s Farfel Pudding

This year Armstrong made this dessert for the first time, which brought back memories of her friend Bernice Freeman, who named the recipe after her granddaughter. It was published in “The When You Live in Hawai’i, You Get Very Creative During Passover Cookbook,” issued by Sof Maʻarav members and friends in 1989. It is now out of print.

Ingredients:

• 2 rounded cups matzo farfel (see note)
• 4 eggs, separated
• 2 to 3 ounces frozen orange juice, undiluted
• 4 tart apples, peeled and grated
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Grated rind of 1 orange
• 2 ounces butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-by-11 inch pan with melted butter.
• Rinse farfel in cold water and drain; set aside.
• In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks, mix in orange juice, apples, sugar, salt and orange rind. Combine with farfel.
• Beat egg whites separately until stiff but not dry; gently fold into egg and farfel mixture.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Top with sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Serves 8 to 10.

Note: Farfel is matzo broken into uniform pieces about the size of a dime. Armstrong ordered hers online, but it would be simple enough to crumble it yourself.