New Jersey Jewish News
Life and Times with Chef Jeff

Orange you glad it’s Passover?

by Jeffrey Nathan
co-owner and head chef of Abigael’s on Broadway, a glatt kosher restaurant in New York City. He is the author of Adventures in Jewish Cooking and Jeff Nathan’s Family Suppers: More Than 125 Simple Kosher Recipes. He welcomes readers’ comments.

with Kelly Siegel-Ritchie,
a freelance writer who lives in Virginia

It’s an odd sight to walk into an all-kosher grocery store during Passover. Drop cloths and big sheets cover the non-kosher-for-Passover products, and the yes-kosher-for-Passover products are on shelves lined with paper towels, newspapers, and brightly colored contact paper. In general grocery stores, one or two aisles are filled with kosher-for-Passover foods. No matter where you go shopping for your holiday fare, the shelves will include matza, borscht, gefilte fish, and horseradish.

Look past these familiar items and you’ll find new attempts at kosher-for-Passover foods such as roll mixes, breakfast cereal, and pasta! Manufacturers try hard to cash in on the buying frenzy and produce food items they hope people can’t live without — even if it is for just one week. It amazes me that manufacturers actually take the time to produce such unnecessary items. Surely, we can think of other things to eat, even with Passover’s restrictions.

There is a way to avoid having to buy packaged cereals and desserts. Once you’ve filled your shopping cart with the items from the temporary kosher-for-Passover aisle, continue your shopping in the section that is always kosher-for-Passover — the produce aisle. Filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, it will offer many options for meals on all eight days. The citrus section alone can add plenty of variety to your holiday menu.

The cost of citrus fruits (and other produce) is low compared to the exorbitant prices of many Passover items. The fact that grapefruits, oranges, lemons, and limes can last in the fridge for weeks at a time is an added bonus. The citron — which gives this family of fruits its name — is more frequently found in the Mediterranean countries than in the States. A smaller variety of the citron is the etrog — our Sukkot ritual fruit.

The orange is the most popular citrus fruit, and, as you know, there are many varieties to choose from. The navel orange is seedless and good for eating. Other oranges are best for juicing. As for grapefruits — I could pucker up from its tart flavor just thinking about them! (By the way, it got its name because it grows in bunches, like huge grapes.) Do yourself a favor and add grapefruit to your diet; Israeli researchers just issued a claim that eating it lowers cholesterol.

Although the grapefruit gets a bad rap for its sourness, lemons and limes really hit the high numbers on the pucker scale. In the 1700s, a British Navy doctor found that the juice of lemons and limes would cure sailors who were sick with scurvy, a common disease of the time. So many limes were used at sea that the sailors came to be called “limeys.” Years later, it was found that all citrus fruits contain vitamin C, the actual cure for scurvy.

Tangerines (also called “kid-glove oranges”) look like small oranges but have a milder taste and are easy to peel — perfect for the little ones. You may be surprised to learn that the kumquat is also a citrus fruit. I already mentioned the citron, which, while classified as a citrus fruit, is not for eating. Its peel, however, is delicious when candied. Other less familiar citrus fruits are the pummelo, similar to big grapefruits and with very thick skin, and the calamondin, comparable but smaller than tangerines. Some of these less popular fruits are more expensive, but it’s a treat to indulge in them either as an ingredient in recipes or as a stand-alone dessert.

The produce aisle holds the fixings for more creative dishes than you can imagine! But for starters, try an arugula salad with grilled portobello mushrooms and grapefruit with a citrus-honey vinaigrette. Or serve thin slivers of papaya drizzled with lime. Salsas aren’t just about tomatoes anymore — with the customary red onion, cilantro, and lime, try a homemade mango or pineapple salsa to serve with grilled chicken or fish. Pan-fried or grilled fish can be brightened up with a lemon butter and fresh herb sauce. But for a real special treat, just perfect for Passover, try this Smoked Trout Salad.

SMOKED TROUT SALAD

1 large head radicchio
4 boneless smoked trout fillets
1 red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
4 oranges, peeled and sectioned, (reserve juice)
1/3 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp. honey
1 lime, juiced
3 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
sea salt, or kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Separate the leaves of radicchio to make individual cups. Set aside.

Remove skin from trout and flake into a medium-sized bowl. Add red onion and orange sections. Lightly toss to evenly combine.

In a small bowl, combine orange juice, honey, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine. Slowly add oil while whisking vigorously. Pour vinaigrette over prepared salad and gently toss. Place each portion of salad into the individual radicchio cups. Serve chilled. Yield: eight servings

Note: This dish can be prepared up to four hours ahead of time.

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