"Are we going to make latkes today?"
"Noooooo," was the response.
"How about Hamantaschen?"
"Noooooo," again.
Rabbi Yossi Brackman teased the 60 or so children from Temple Beth-El and Congregation Beth Israel who gathered Thursday at the Jewish Federation Community Building in Munster.
It wasn't the potato pancakes associated with Hanukkah or the cookies served for Purim the children would be making. And they knew it.
The hand flapping and body squirming began in earnest as if the more elaborate the contortion, the better the chance of being called on.
"We're going to make matzah," Brachman said.
Matzah is the cracker-type bread associated with Passover, which begins at sundown April 2.
"Passover is the eight-day celebration of the liberation of the Jews from bondage in Egypt over 3,300 years ago," said Rabbi Eliezer Zalmanov, director of the Chabad of Northwest Indiana.
"And matzah is the special unleavened bread Jews eat for Passover to commemorate their hasty departure from Egypt when there was no time to bake regular leavened bread."
All leavened products (chametz), including bread, cake, cookies and pretzels, or those that could become subject to leavening, are forbidden during Passover and must be removed from the home. Many people even store their everyday dishes and use cooking utensils and dishes that have never come in contact with leavened products.
Some people eat matzah out of habit, Zalmanov said, but lack the knowledge of how it is made and the extreme care required in its preparation.
That's why he invited Brackman to bring his Model Matzah Bakery to Northwest Indiana from the Chabad of Hyde Park on the campus of the University of Chicago.
"Matzah for Passover is made with water and flour. That's all," Brackman said. "No yeast, no eggs, no dairy."
It is prepared in special bakeries where the flour and water are "guarded" in separate storage rooms under lock and key so no contamination (leavening) can occur.
"The whole process takes 18 minutes from mixing to baking, no longer. Otherwise, there is a chance the flour will become leavened and start to rise. That's another reason why we poke holes in the rolled-out matzah before it is baked for 25 seconds in a 2,000-degree oven."
Matzah, bitter herbs and haroset are some of the traditional foods eaten at the Seder dinner held the first day of Passover.
"Seder literally means an order, a 15-step order of liberation. We begin with wine and matzah. One step is an actual dinner -- meat, chicken, fish -- the rest is prayer, eating matzah ritually and for enjoyment, singing songs. It can take anywhere from two hours to all night," Zalmanov said.
Francie Gerson of Dyer, the principal of the religious school for Temple Beth-El, holds a big Seder every year, inviting friends, neighbors and non-Jews.
"We try to make Passover relate to today. While we celebrate our own freedom, we remember those in other countries who are still slaves," Gerson said.
Gerson will serve chicken soup with matzah balls, gefilte fish, apricot-baked chicken, carrot ring and more (see recipes).
"But it all depends on what part of the country you're from and your family's traditions. Some people have beef brisket and chicken tzimmes (a fruit-and-meat casserole), matzah kugel pudding, and in the South, it's completely different," Gerson said.
About the Chabad
The Chabad of Northwest Indiana is an ultraorthodox movement based in Brooklyn, N.Y., but with outposts around the world. It provides educational programs for children and adults, and holds weekly Shabbat services on Saturday morning.
"We move to Jewish communities that don't have a strong orthodox presence to teach them about traditional practices, but our goal is not to convert people to orthodoxy," Zalmanov said.
To learn more about the group, visit www.chabadnwind.com.
Getting it straight
* Kosher -- Literally means "fit to be eaten" and refers to ritually edible food, that whose preparation has been supervised by a authorized kosher agency.
* Kosher for Passover -- Foods that have not been leavened or have the potential to become leavened.
* Pareve -- A neutral food product that contains neither meat nor dairy and can be used with either. The Torah states that dairy and meat should not be eaten together.
More recipes
See www.manischewitz.com for more recipes using matzah meal.
Apricot-baked Chicken
4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup soup nuts, crushed (can be found in kosher aisle of supermarket)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons pareve margarine
* Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine soup nut crumbs, ginger, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
* Dip each breast in beaten egg, then in crumb mixture. Arrange in a single layer in a baking pan.
* Combine preserves, wine, and margarine. Microwave on high setting for 5 minutes, or bring to a boil in a small saucepan.
* Pour over chicken breasts and bake for 1 hour.
Note: This may be baked a day ahead and reheated.
Makes 6 servings. Recipe can be doubled to serve 12.
SOURCE: Francie Gerson, Dyer
Carrot Ring for Passover
1-1/2 cups oil
1 cup brown sugar
3 cups shredded carrots
4 eggs, separated
2 cups matzah meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
* Heat oven to 300 degrees. Cream sugar and oil. Add egg yolks and rest of ingredients.
* Beat egg whites and fold into mixture.
* Bake in greased pan or mold for 15 minutes at 300 degrees, then 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
Makes 8 servings.
SOURCE: Francie Gerson, Dyer
No-flour Chocolate Goo Cake
1/2 pound unsalted butter
1 pound semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk
7 egg yolks
Whipped cream
* Melt butter over low heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
* Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a round of waxed paper to fit bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Butter sides of pan and one side of waxed paper.
* Place paper, butter side up, in pan.
* In a saucepan over very low heat, heat chocolate and milk, stirring constantly, just until chocolate is melted. Pour mixture into large bowl of a mixer.
* Beat on low speed. With mixer on low add about a seventh of melted butter and beat at low speed only until butter is fully absorbed. Add egg yolk and beat, at low speed, just until mixture has fully absorbed it. Continue to alternate additions of butter and egg yolk until all are used up. Pour into prepared pan.
* Set pan on a cookie sheet and put into oven. Bake for 25 minutes. It will be soupy in the middle and look like a mistake. The cake will not rise.
* When finished, allow to cool on a rack and then place in refrigerator for a few hours until firm.
* When ready to serve, cut around side of pan with a small, sharp knife and release and remove side of pan. Cover dessert with a flat plate and invert. Carefully pry up and remove bottom of pan and waxed paper.
* Serve garnished with whipped cream.
Makes 12 servings.
SOURCE: Francie Gerson, Dyer
Apricot Squares
1/2 pound margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups cake meal (can be found in kosher aisle of supermarket)
Apricot jam
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* Heat oven to 325 degrees. Cream margarine, sugars and egg yolks. Add vanilla and beat well. Add cake meal and mix well. Press 1/2 of mixture evenly in bottom of an ungreased 9-inch-by-13-inch pan. Bake 20 minutes.
* Place reserved 1/2 mixture in plastic bag and flatten. Put into freezer. Remove pan from oven and cool slightly.
* Spread jam over baked mixture and sprinkle with nuts. Grate (or crumble) frozen dough over top. Return to oven for additional 30 minutes. Cut into squares when cool.
Makes at least 24.
SOURCE: Francie Gerson, Dyer
