Press Releases
Project Passover: Morse Geriatric Center Serves Seder Meals to Nearly 2,500
Reprinted from The Palm Beach Daily News
Two weeks before Passover, Cochava Feilich was busy koshering her meat and dairy kitchens for the coming eight-day holiday. Jews are required to remove chametz (meaning all grains or any of their derivatives, such as leavened bread, cakes, crackers and cereals) from their home or property.
Cochava Feilich is director of food services at Morse Geriatric Center, which is preparing 2,200 seder meals for homebound Jewish residents in the area.
In addition, pots, pans and utensils were placed in boiling water so that they could be used for food preparation throughout the holiday. Passover dishes and glassware were unpacked and readied for the seder.
As director of culinary and nutritional services for Morse Geriatric Center, Feilich is charged with preparing 290 meals for residents and their guests for the first and second seder at the center and 2,200 seder meals for the homebound Jewish population in the area. The seder meals-on-wheels include a DVD, a Passover Haggadah, candles, a complete seder plate, matzos and wine.
Feilich loves to cook and even after five years of preparing meals for hundreds of people every day at MorseLife she still is brimming with enthusiasm. Her kitchen, with a staff of 25, runs like clockwork and passes the mandatory monthly health inspections with five stars.
Among the items in the seder kit are two meals, wine, matzo, seder plate and a memorial candle.
Her office is filled with cookbooks in several languages. Recipes are stored in a computer and can be called up with the touch of a button. A good example is a recipe for Zucchini Kugel (serves 280), which begins with 40 pounds of zucchini (shredded), 20 pounds of potatoes (shredded) and 45 large eggs.
Feilich's creativity stems from life experience and a passionate curiosity about the culinary world.
"I was born in the north of Israel. My parents were from Tunisia, just outside of Tunis," Feilich said. "My mother prepared the traditional cuisine of North Africa Jews. Friday nights welcomed the Sabbath with couscous served with chicken, vegetables and boulette, meat-stuffed fried vegetable balls."
At 18, Freilich began her mandatory military service and that is where she met her future American-born husband, Ian. After the couple married, they lived in Israel, had three children and eventually came to the United States.
Palm Beacher Phillip Bayer, a volunteer at Morse Geriatric Center, helps assemble meals for seder kits.
Freilich got a job working in a bakery in Boca Raton and eventually managed the food service in a nursing home. At the same time she took courses to become a Certified Dietary Manager.
This is Feilich's fifth Passover at the Morse Geriatric Center. Her Passover shopping list included 1,000 pounds of chicken, 900 pounds of brisket, 3,000 pounds of matzo and 95 cases of sweet kosher wine.
The rest of the year, Feilich meets with the food committee of the center, two people from each of the seven floors, to plan the menus for the following week.
There is a pantry and dining room on each floor. Meals are served on china, with the proper silver, glassware and cloth napkins.
"Whatever they want, they get," Feilich said. "It is all about maintaining the quality of life."
The South Florida area (Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties )represents the second-largest Jewish community in the United States after New York.
The seder kit for Passover includes a Passover Hagaddah, two meals - chicken and brisket - wine, matzo and a memorial candle.
By itself, Palm Beach County has a Jewish population of 255,850 and 59 percent are 65 and older. This makes the county the fourth-largest Jewish community in the country.
The center prepares 800 kosher meals-on-wheels a week. Volunteers deliver the meals. There is a menu that is sent to clients with 12 entrée selections. Each nutritional meal consists of 3 ounces of meat or fish, 4 ounces of vegetables, 4 ounces of starch and bread.
The Morse Geriatric Center cafeteria is open to the public for lunch daily and includes specials that range from $4.50 to $5.65. There is also a selection of soups and sandwiches.
The center also does catering for synagogues and private parties. It can be reached at 471-5111 or at www.morselife.org.
THE SEDER PLATE
The first part of the seder is the reading of the Haggadah, the story of Passover. A seder plate with the following items is always on the table.
- Zeroa: The roasted shank bone or roasted wing of a fowl, representing the sacrifice of the Paschal lamb.
- Beitza: Roasted hard-cooked eggs, symbolizing the festival offering brought to the temple.
- Moror: Horseradish, the bitter herbs that represent the bitterness of slavery.
- Karpas: Parsley or celery, used to symbolize spring, which brings rebirth and redemption. These leaves are dipped in salt water to recall the sweat and tears of slavery.
- Chazereth: Another form of bitter herbs, such as a piece of horseradish root or watercress.
- Charoset: A mixture of nuts, fruits, wine and spices that represents the mortar used by the Hebrews in making bricks while they were slaves in Egypt.
Jewish communities throughout the world have a variety of recipes for charoset. Before the age of food processors, ingredients were put into grinders or pounded with a mortar and pestle. The following selections are from Cochava Feilich's archives.
- ROBERTA SABBAN
Venetian
1 1/2 cups chestnut purée
10 ounces dates, chopped
12 ounces figs, chopped
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 orange rinds, grated
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup brandy
2 tablespoons honey
Combine all ingredients and mix into a chunky paste. Keep refrigerated. Makes 2 to 21/2 cups.
Yemenite
12 dried figs
12 dates, pitted
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Grind figs and dates in a food processor into a paste. Add the rest of the ingredients to the paste and roll into balls. Refrigerate.
Makes 1 to 1 1/2 cups.
Iraqi
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup raisins, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
Juice of one lemon and grated rind
1 apple, grated
Combine all ingredients into a paste and refrigerate.
Makes 1 cup.
Greek
4 apples, peeled, cored and quartered
1 pound dates, pitted
2 cups ground almonds
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1/2 cup Passover wine
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cook apples and dates in 1/2 cup water for 15 minutes. Mash fruit and stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate.
Makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups.
Moroccan
1 pound dates, pitted
2 cups walnuts
1/4 teaspoon rose water
1/2 cup Passover wine
Grind dates and nuts in food processor. Add rose water. Roll into balls and place in a shallow pan or bowl. Pour on the wine, cover and refrigerate. At the table, mash balls in wine and serve.
Makes 30 to 40 tablespoon-size balls.
Egyptian
1 pound raisins
1/2 pound dates, pitted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup pistachios
Soak raisins and dates in water for one hour. Add sugar and whirl in a food processor. Transfer to a heavy saucepan and cook over low heat for 20 minutes or until fluids are absorbed. Put in a bowl.
When cool, stir in nuts & refrigerate.
Makes 1 1/2 to 2 cups.
RECIPES
If you ever have to whip up a little kugel for 280 people, this recipe should come in handy. Kosher for Passover baking powder and baking soda, made from potato starch, is available from Gefen Foods.
Zucchini Kugel
40 pounds zucchini, shredded
20 pounds potatoes, peeled and shredded
8 large onions, chopped
10 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons pepper
2 1/2 pounds matzo meal
45 large eggs
1 quart vegetable oil
1/2 cup baking powder
1/4 cup baking soda
4 tablespoons chicken stock base
Place zucchini, potatoes and onions in a large bowl. Mix well. Add salt, pepper, matzo meal, eggs, oil, baking powder, baking soda and chicken stock base. Mix thoroughly. Bake in five to six full sheet pans at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. To serve, cut into squares.
Makes 280 servings.
Lamb with Prunes
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 pounds lamb shoulder, cut in cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon saffron
1 pound pitted prunes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/4 cup almonds
Fry the onion with the garlic and oil. Add meat and fry until brown. Add salt, pepper nutmeg and saffron, and cover with water. Stir well until the meat is tender. Add prunes and cinnamon. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. In a separate pan, toast the sesame seeds and almonds until golden brown and add to the meat before serving.
Makes 4 servings.
Meat and Potato Croquettes
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
1 pound lean ground beef
3 hard-boiled eggs
1 large egg
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup matzo meal
Cook potatoes until tender. Place meat in a pot with enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Drain meat. Place potatoes in a bowl and mash with hard-boiled eggs. Add chopped meat, egg, parsley, onion, salt, black pepper and turmeric. Shape into croquettes. Heat the vegetable oil. Roll the croquettes in egg and then matzo meal until well-coated. Fry until golden brown.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
This recipe comes from North Africa. It is best when whole fish is used. You can use snapper, yellowtail, mackerel, tuna or carp. It may be served hot or cold.
Chrimee (Hot and Spicy Baked Fish)
1 whole fish, about 3 pounds
4 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons hot paprika
1/4 cup fish broth
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
Juice from 1 lemon
Slice fish into 11/2-inch pieces and dry with a paper towel. Heat oil in a large skillet, add garlic, onion, tomato paste and paprika and fry for three to four minutes. Add pieces of fish in one layer. Add broth and cover. Lower the heat and add cumin, coriander and lemon juice. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Daily News Photo by Lee Hershfield