2 minute read
PESACH GAME PLAN
PLAN GAME
Naomi Nachman got her start in the kosher food industry as a private Pesach chef. After years of cooking for Pesach, Naomi has a tremendous amount of insight into everything you need to know to prep for Pesach without breaking a sweat. Here is her basic game plan.
BY CHANA Z. WEISS
1-2 Weeks Before:
Many dishes can be cooked in advance and frozen immediately after cooling. Some people may be hesitant, because they associate the freezer with old or leftover food, but when frozen immediately and defrosted properly, the food will taste freshly cooked. Soup, meatballs, roast, braised lamb, chicken and kugel are all freezer-friendly options. Start two weeks ahead of time and make one or two dishes each day. Naomi recommends starting with soups, then moving along to braised meat dishes, meatballs, chicken nuggets and kugels. By the time Pesach arrives, you will have everything prepped and ready to go.
HOW TO FREEZE: 1. Make sure to cover tightly with heavy-duty foil or double wrap with regular foil. 2. Seal in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag and label with the item name and date. 3. Double check that your freezer door is tightly closed, with nothing blocking the seal that would allow cold air to escape.
3-5 Days Before P repare some basic components a few days ahead of time to make your Pesach cooking much easier. This can include making salad dressings, a large batch of sautéed onions (you can never have enough!), crushed garlic and crêpes. Wash and cut vegetables to have on hand and coat schnitzel in advance — just freeze between sheets of parchment paper for an easy and quick dinner. All of the components of the Seder plate can be made now too, except for the charoset; make that on erev Pesach. Don’t forget to wrap your 10 pieces of chometz and put them aside somewhere safe!
FROM FREEZER TO OVEN:
•Meat should be defrosted in the refrigerator for a day and then reheated gently (still covered) in the oven at 250°-275°F. Keep an eye on it, because fully cooked food can easily dry out if reheated for too long. •Chicken and kugel can go straight from the freezer into the oven so they don’t get too soggy. Keep covered for the first half hour to warm through, then uncover to re-crisp the top. Baste chicken every so often while reheating to ensure that it doesn’t dry out. •Defrost soup or meatballs in the refrigerator about 12 hours before you plan to serve it, then reheat in a pot over a low flame, stirring occasionally as it comes to a boil.
EREV The only things left to do at this point should be items that absolutely need to be prepared fresh, such as charoset and salads. Make sure to plan ahead so you know when to start defrosting the food you’ll serve. Pesach:
