A Guide for a Hassle Free Pesach

The Voice of Lakewood

BY: Yitti Berkovic

Few things fly off the shelves in the pre-Pesach panic as quickly as the handheld notepad.

Though they sit inauspiciously in the school-supply aisle, these collections of crisp white sheets are must-haves and veritable life savers for those planning their Pesach prep. Buying notepads by the dozen is as much a time-honored tradition as is stocking up on cheese snacks and lebens for chol hamoed trips.

Which Jewish homemaker is brave enough to attempt an attack on Pesach prep without a trusty to-do list in her arsenal? And which true balabusta doesn’t delight in every opportunity to scratch one more thing off the pages-long list?

If you’re anything like me, your list still seems dauntingly long.

Though Pesach creeps ever closer, your “to-dos” far outnumber your “already –dones.” (Though I must admit that I occasionally write things as mundane as “eat lunch” on my list, just so I can have the pleasure of crossing something off ).

We are all trying to organize (clean the closet or line the fridge?) and prioritize (fill the freezer or shop for shoes?), and we’ve begun to feel anxious that some items on our lists may never be checked off. Fear not. I have consulted with some of the best in the business to help you (and me) tackle two of the largest hurdles obstructing the way to Pesach readiness: buying the meat and selecting the wine.

So get your pen and pad ready. Hopefully, the recommendations in this article will help us make headway on the headache-inducing list, and move us ever closer to zman cheruseinu. And, when the Seder night comes, we can all gleefully discard our to-do lists together with umpteen canisters of potato starch, dozens of egg crates, and a few too many Rosemarie chocolate wrappers. (Don’t judge: chocolate relieves stress!)

Buying the Meat

Conjure up any Pesach scene, and you’re sure to recall the delicious aroma of cooking food that wafts from the kitchen. Though traditionally many families serve un-roasted chicken on the Seder nights, meat reigns supreme as the main dish for the rest of the yom tov meals. Butcher shops are chock full of delicious delicacies ready to be prepared and served, but it can be quite daunting to choose which meat will grace your yom tov table.

Tip #1: Shop early. (Well, there’s always next year iy”H).

Most butcher shops have kosher for Pesach meat and poultry as early as two days after Purim. If you hit the stores in that first week, you can choose from a bounty of cuts and meats. The aisles are not yet congested with bumper-to-bumper wagons, and the shelves are still lined with Pesach staples in abundance. Store managers are far less frazzled, and salespeople have much more time to guide and advise. Even those without Pesach kitchens can beat the rush and buy their meat early; they can clean out their freezers and store their meat until their kitchens are kashered and cleaned. Meat can even be defrosted and cooked, and then refrozen until needed. (Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for poultry or fish).

Tip#2: Knowledgably navigate the butcher’s showcase

The options available at your local butcher shop are as confusing as they are tantalizing: Beef or veal? First cut or second cut? Brisket or French roast? Rib eye or eye chuck? The prices crisscross a wide spectrum, and each meat benefits from a different mode of cooking. Even the most experienced of balabustas can be unsure as to which cut of meat best suits her family’s needs.

Mrs. Meira Halberg of Shloimy’s Kosher World helped break down the available options and offered her recommendations for each budget and palate.

“Brisket, minute roasts, and French roasts are all juicy cuts. Brisket and minute roasts slice quite nicely, but the French roast can be a bit more difficult to carve. All three roasts are guaranteed crowd pleasers, and they all fall in a similar price range.”

Silvertip roast is another option that slices as easily as the brisket and minute roasts and is much leaner than the aforementioned cuts. However, Mrs. Halberg cautions that those seeking leaner meat have to compromise a little bit of flavor. “Leaner meat is not as juicy as the other cuts, so you may not get that ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ taste. Still, the silvertip roast is quite delicious.”

For those looking to splurge l’chvod yom tov, veal is a scrumptiously satisfying choice. The veal shoulder comes tied and stays intact through cooking. Veal cutlets, cut from the veal shoulder, can be prepared before yom tov and can then be taken out of the freezer for an elegant main dish.

Still you don’t have to break the bank to please even the pickiest of palates. Tevye’s Ranch, a new line of meat currently available, offers a variety of cuts at more affordable prices. Also, delicious chicken and turkey roasts can be substituted for meat, and when they are prepared correctly, can prove to be as satisfying as their meaty counterparts.

Serving the Meat

Tip #1: Think ahead.

As soon as your kitchen has been “turned over,” it is time to begin your menu preparation. It is often quite difficult to prepare meat on yom tov because most people have to leave their oven at a temperature that is suitable for warming food instead of cooking it. Therefore, it is enormously helpful to cook your meat in the days leading up to Pesach.

Most meats freeze beautifully when prepared properly. It is advisable to slightly undercook the meat when preparing it ahead of time. Slice the meat before freezing it, and carefully label it before packing it away. Then, simply let it defrost in the refrigerator on yom tov and allow it to finish cooking before the meal.

When buying ahead it is advisable to freeze your meats in their original packaging. This will enable you to be sure of the exact poundage, critical for establishing cooking time, and prevent you from mixing up one roast with another.

Mrs. Halberg cautions that when reheating meat it is essential that the meat reaches a minimum temperature of approximately160 degrees Fahrenheit. Often, hostesses prepare so many different meal choices that their ovens are too full to cook each pan evenly. While the trays close to the fire heat up completely, other pans only warm to room temperature. If a tray of meat is not heated to its ideal temperature, it may not be safe to eat. Poultry should not be reheated more than once. Also, meat and poultry should always be allowed to defrost in the refrigerator to ensure that unwelcome bacteria not be present in the food.

Tip #2: Get out of the kitchen

Pesach is a rare opportunity that brings together families who often do not spend much quality time in each other’s company throughout the year. With children and grandchildren around to enjoy, many happy homemakers are loath to spend every waking hour in the kitchen. Good planning will enable you to prepare sumptuous meals throughout Pesach without standing over the stove for hours on end.

For a delicious chol hamoed meal you can buy chuck kalechal, a relatively inexpensive meat. It can be put up in a crock pot with spices and vegetables first thing chol hamoed morning, and it will be waiting for you – smelling and tasting absolutely delicious – when you return home in the evening from your chol hamoed outing. Also, meats like pepper steak can be prepared with ease for chol hamoed and yom tov meals; a few kosher brands have produced mock, kosher-for-Pesach “soy sauces” that taste nearly identical to their chometzdike forbearers, so you can use your favorite year-round recipes that are quick to prepare. You can satisfy the largest of appetites (ahem, yeshiva bochurim) and still have time to spend outside the kitchen.

Buying the Wine

The four cups of red wine that we drink at each Seder are one of the most enduring symbols of the nissim Klal Yisroel have experienced throughout the years. Each of the arba kosos represents a different galus that we have endured, and the Kos shel Eliyahu stands in its glory to remind us that our ultimate redemption is soon to come. The divergent paths that our nation has taken due to our exiles are well represented in the assortment of wines currently available for the Seder table. When I was growing up, each member of my extended family insisted on drinking a different wine at the Seder, and we kids made a game out of remembering who got what as we went around pouring each individual his or her wine of choice.

So how can a bulabasta preparing her first Seder determine what to buy? Though oenophiles can wax poetic about a wine’s bouquet or legs, we laymen have a hard time distinguishing between a merlot and a chardonnay. We can’t decide if we should go with the cheapest option or splurge on the wines that boast of attributes we cannot even understand. Worst of all, those of us who are not regular wine drinkers are often forced to leave the table moaning in pain after making a wine choice that just doesn’t sit well with our stomachs.

In my conversations with wine connoisseurs, I discovered that there is a wine for every budget, taste, and constitution. Simcha, from The Vineyard, revealed that his store has a vast selection of semi-sweet wines for twelve dollars and under. Well-known brands like Rashi and Baron Herzog offer affordable options that taste delicious. Each small bottle contains enough wine for four kosos, while larger bottles have enough for eight kosos.

Simcha told me that the most popular choice in his store is Kedem Matuk, which sells for around ten dollars for a large bottle. He advises less experienced wine drinkers to check the alcohol content of the wines they seek to purchase. Kedem markets a Matuk Kal, a wine with only 3% alcohol content, a friendly choice for those who do not have a high tolerance for alcohol.

Chaim, from Wine on the 9, also named Kedem Matuk as one of his customers’ most popular choices. In addition, he explained that a new wine available this year is Dolev, from Zion wines, which contains less sugar and is particularly well-suited for weak stomachs. It is a semi-sweet wine from Israel that is notably gentler for those who have difficulty drinking sweet wines.

There are also those who like to indulge in more expensive wine choices l’chvod yom tov. Chaim recommended the Baron Herzog Reserve series, which boast an array of fine wines, both sweet and dry. He also explained that wines from Eretz Yisroel have continued to earn accolades from the worldwide wine community. Thus, one can enjoy the finest in wines while knowing that he is supporting hardworking grape farmers and wine producers in Eretz Yisroel.

Even the weight conscious have diet friendly wine options. Simcha suggested Kedem’s low-carb red wine for those worrying about what the scale will read once Pesach is over. Kedem also makes a low-carb grape juice for those who are unable to drink wine.

The Final Stretch

As Pesach draws near, I hope that these tips for buying wine and meat will ease the anxiety that often comes with making these essential purchases. One last bit of advice: Many meat and wine stores offer home delivery. Choose your couch over the check-out counter and wield your cordless phone instead of the shopping cart. You can cross things off your list without breaking a sweat. So check with your at-home aficionado or consult with an in-store connoisseur, and make your meat and wine purchases – hassle free.

In a few short days, we will be able to look around and admire the plates, scraped clean, and the telltale signs of ruby-red wine droplets on our once pristine white tablecloths and kittels. And then, with thanks to Hashem, we can cross one more thing off our Pesach to-do lists: A beautiful and enjoyable Pesach? Check.

Chag Kasher V’sameach to one and all.

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