Alternative dishes to serve at your Passover Seder

Are you looking for some Passover alternatives to the usual Seder fare?

Tradition has you eating items such as gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, and a number of other “same old, same old” items, but why not change the menu options to tantalize your palate, especially since there are two consecutive Seder dinners to enjoy?

A tuna and salmon tartare could be an alternative to gefilte fish. For this, you must purchase “sushi grade” fish. You can get this at any fish market, including Crossbay Seashell Seafood in Howard Beach. Call ahead to make sure they have it available. Add chopped avocado, cucumbers, and a bit of vinegar. You can also top it with julienned mangoes.

Fish filets of salmon and either sea bass or scrod can prove to be really tasty for both the taste buds and the eyes by decorating the plate. Prepare an avocado mash and place chopped red peppers and red onions in between the dollops, position it alongside the fish.

Rather than spend the day preparing chicken soup and matzo balls, how about a zucchini soup, instead? A red onion, two chopped potatoes, four chopped zucchinis and five cups of vegetable broth will do. Use an immersion blender or puree in a food processor after it’s cooked. You can always top it with some shredded chicken.

Crepes are great to have for either a savory part of your main meal or dessert. For that, you will need eggs, potato starch, water, sugar and oil for frying. You can prepare and refrigerate for about five days or freeze for about two months. After they are cooled, place between layers of wax paper and paper towel inside a heavy duty zip-top plastic bag.

Gnocchi is another prep-and-freeze idea for either a dairy or meat dish. Potatoes, potato starch and an egg are all you will need. Check out a recipe book for directions. How about gnocchi with wild mushroom or meat sauce? If you are cooking dairy, top the mushrooms with grated cheese. You can also use the gnocchi in a soup as a substitute for the matzo balls.

Jewish people from Spain, Italy, North Africa, Portugal and the Middle East, who are considered Sephardic, are open to using different grains than those who are Ashkenazic, from Eastern Europe. Rice, corn, millet, dried beans, lentil, peas, and peanuts are some ingredients that can be used in Sephardic Passover meals.

Chicken fricassee is a great main dish for a family Seder and the leftovers can be enjoyed a few days after. It is a combination of meatballs and chicken wings. Be creative in the herbs and spices to give it a different country flavor. Serve it over a tasty rice, such as jasmine.

Here is another one for you: lamb kebab in tahini sauce and tomato salsa. Lamb is fine as long as it is not roasted. Marinate the lamb with garlic, olive oil and sumac. Refrigerate for a few hours or even overnight. Prepare tahini sauce by combining the tahini paste with garlic, cold water, lemon juice and chopped mint. For the salsa, use chopped tomatoes, jalapeno pepper (seeded and finely chopped), lemon juice and cilantro. Place the cooked kebab over rice, drizzle the tahini sauce and top with the salsa.

If you are preparing a dairy meal, how about quiche? There are a number of cheeses that are kosher for Passover — including mozzarella for an eggplant parmesan. Cream up your vegetable soups or add some potatoes and sour cream to a bottle of borscht.

How about a Greek salad with grape tomatoes, diced cucumbers, thinly sliced red onions, yellow bell peppers, Kalamata olives, and feta cheese?

Now we come to desserts. If you want to avoid dairy, there is a dessert where you beat egg whites with a sugar until stiff peaks form. Then you beat the yolks in a second bowl with oil, ground almonds, dissolved instant coffee and potato starch. old in the egg white mixture, place in a pan and bake. It will certainly melt in your mouth.

And don’t forget the mandatory four cups of wine.

L’Chiam!

*Some food ideas were taken from the book, “A Taste of Pesach 2.”

LATKES AND LAUGHS LEAVE AUDIENCE LIGHT-HEARTED

What can be better than having that craved deli meal at Ben’s Kosher Deli followed by a performance by three comics (and guest comic as well)?  David Dczegledi, manager of the location at the Bay Terrace Shopping Center, decided to incorporate the comedians with a short choice menu that began with three latkes per person (accompanied by apple sauce).  

It was a sell-out crowd for this second event of dinner and a show that even had former Manager, Hal Simon attending.  Dinner began at 7 pm with the usual rye bread, sour and half sour pickles and cole slaw.  Entrée choices were: brisket of beef, turkey or half of a roasted chicken. Perfect for the crowd attending.  Brisket was quite moist and did not need the gravy.  You then had a choice of a “side” of: kasha varnishkes, mushroom and barley, vegetables, mashed or French fried potatoes. Having attended with another person, we ordered the kasha and mushroom sharing he two.  Unlimited soda or coffee, I just had to have the cream soda, not drinking it since I lived in the Bronx back in the 50’s.  Dessert was rugalach. We each got one chocolate and one raspberry.  

Czegedi did not have to audition the comedians as he employed a company called The Wilshire Comedy Group, run by comic Alan Streisfeld, who hosts comedy shows such as this at restaurants in Long Island.

Upon reading this review, it is important that I share that I have a background of being a comedian, singer, and actress many years ago with theatre, films, and night clubs. I have also taught comedy workshops.  

First up was Alan Kimbarow, who was also introducing the acts.  With his large physique, he began talking about his nickname of “Big Al.”  He apparently was not getting the laughs that he expected and kept mentioning his nickname.  When that didn’t work, he went straight for the sex humor after pausing long enough to figure out what to say.  What is it about male comics not having enough material to not degrade their wives (whether they have them or not) or mother-in-law?  I was personally bored with him and did not find anything he said as being humorous. 

Next came Les Bayer who plays the banjo and delivers one-liners. It was like hearing a less professional version of Henny Youngman without the perfectly timed delivery.  Bayer was only a bit more humorous and still needed to poke fun of his ex-wife and dating with emphasis on the female looking badly.  Get with the times, guys. Women are fighting back this year!  I hope the two of you change your underwear more than you change your material! 

Did the trend end?  At this point I thought I was attending a “showcase” rather than a show. Thank goodness for Peter Bales, who is an Associate Professor of History and Political Science at Queensborough Community College as his “day job.”  In addition Bales teaches comedy with Stand-Up University at the Brokerage Comedy Club in Bellmore. 

Bales was given the longest amount of time and the audience loved him so much that they were not shy in throwing out their own funny lines. He not only had a great rapport but a pretty funny (but not hilarious) act without having to degrade anyone, taking every opportunity to engage the audience.  It all boils down to the response from the attendees and whether their time proved to be more than just “light-hearted.” 

Dinner goers left happy and with doggy bags. No one cried, “Where’s the beef!” Dczegledi said that he will be scheduling another dinner/show in a few months. I certainly encourage him to do so. We need this type of local evening activity.  Hey, and parking is free.   

 

PETA protests UniverSoul Circus at Roy Wilkins Park

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals gave an unfriendly welcome to the UniverSoul Circus last Friday on its opening night in Jamaica.

PETA protesters greeted the crowd as patrons entered the gates at Roy Wilkins Park to encourage them to boycott the circus for its treatment of animals.

One protester dressed up in an elephant costume with a face of tears and a sign that read “UniverSoul: End Cruel Acts to Animals.”

John Di Leonardo, an anthrozoologist and president of Long Island Orchestrating for Nature who manages PETA, stood beside the “elephant” holding a bullhook, a sharp heavy baton with a hook used to train the animal.

“I have seen past shows where the elephants are doing cruel tricks. These instruments are used to intimidate and threaten the animal into performing,” Di Leonardo said. “A lot of these tricks that elephants do in the circus are confusing to them and many times painful.”

UniverSoul declined to comment on PETA’s allegations, instead relaying its Animal Rights Policy Statement.

“The UniverSoul Circus believes that all animals are entitled to humane treatment and should never be mistreated or abused in any way. All our animal vendors are subject to regulation by federal, state, and local animal welfare authorities. We care about the well-being of each of the animals that travels with and performs in our shows, and we regard all of them as valued members of our performing cast delivering high quality, family friendly entertainment that brings joy, happiness and laughter to audiences around the world.”

Di Leonardo said that one of the leading causes of death for elephants are foot infections, which could occur when elephants are unable to roam around, instead rocking back and forth, as well as standing on their hind legs and lying in unnatural positions often used in circuses.

You won’t see trainer Larry Carden actually applying the bull hook to the elephant’s body or view the holes in their ears, but Di Leonardo said that just the sight of the bullhook can trigger the fear of what comes from not being obedient.

“You may notice that when they set up a photo shoot for the kids to have their picture taken with the elephant, Carden carries the bull hook but tends to keep his hand over the hook so that it is not in the public’s view. They want to disguise it and make it look as if it is a baton just used for ‘show’.”

Di Leonardo said that Carden was once arrested for allegedly shoving the bull hook into the mouth of an elephant when she wouldn’t walk off the stage.

He also talked about the tigers that are seen spinning in their cages.

“Although the tigers are not presently touring in New York, they are in Florida. Children would run kicking and screaming if they knew how these animals were threatened with bullhooks and whips,” he said. “Parents would never bring them to the circus if they knew about the history of these exotic animals that have attacked their trainers and escaped from the circus.”

Di Leonardo said UniverSoul has had several zebra escapes in recent years.

“There are definitely public safety violations, in addition to animal welfare violations that we are concerned with.”

He said PETA is not protesting the circus itself, just UniverSoul’s alleged treatment of the animals.

“We are encouraging UniverSoul to concentrate on their willing human performers who can retire when they want to. They could have a phenomenal show if they just took out the animals and we would support it,” he said. “The future is animal-free.”

Asked for comment about Peta’s complaint about UniverSoul, the ASPCA issued a general statement saying it “rejects the claim that there is educational value in seeing wild animals perform unnatural or dangerous behaviors, as well as the claim that large, wild animals such as elephants, bears, lions and tigers can be trained without cruelty to perform these behaviors.” It contended that many of these animals suffer from extended confinement and being on the road.

Di Leonardo said PETA will continue to protest outside UniverSoul performances.

The show is heading to Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field next month.

Posted 12:00 am, March 30, 2018

©2018 COMMUNITY NEWS GROUP

‘Nature in Art’ opens at Rainforest Art Foundation in Long Island City

For many artists putting their works on display in Long Island City, art and protecting the planet are inseparable.

Marlene and James Yu own and manage the Rainforest Art Foundation in LIC and part of their mission to feature artists who support their cause.

Marlene, originally from Taiwan, is an internationally-known artist. While traveling around the world exhibiting her own paintings, Marlene has had the opportunity to meet fellow artists, many of whom have works pertaining to environmentalism.

Six artists from across the globe were featured at the 3rd Annual exhibition, “Nature in Art,” including: Maria Faba Fouret, Grace Ge, Eva Csanyi-Hurskin, Silke Konschak, Ilse Schreiber-Noll, and Helga Schuhr. Four of the artists attended the March 2 opening reception.

Over four decades ago Marlene had a one-person art display at the Musee d’art et d’Histoire in Neuchatel, Switzerland, where she met a local artist, Helga Schuhr, and visited her studio. Schuhr introduced Marlene to Galerie Wilde in Frankfurt, Germany, where Marlene had three one-person shows in 1996, 1997 and 2014. Last year, Helga had a presentation in Beacon, N.Y., and she invited Schuhr to participate in the “Nature in Art” exhibition.

Three of her paintings, “Blurry Roots,” “Lakeside I II,” and “Sandbanks III, flaunt Schur’s passion for the subject matter.

“I work with blue and green because I live in a part of the country close to the lake, an area that is a force of nature,” Schuhr said. “This is a way of translating my feelings.”

Schuhr, who also paints in 3-D, said that having many styles directs her talent toward the particular art exhibits.

“I hope that with viewing these paintings it will help people think about preserving the planet,” she said.

Ge, a Queens resident, had five paintings on display under the title, “Water Color on Paper.”

“Painting is a sacred task that can cleanse one’s soul: it is a universal act that belongs to the people,” Ge said. “It helps me prevail over difficulties in life, and with cleansed eyes, learn to discover and find the beauty of natural life.”

Working in this field, she couples her love of nature with her talent for painting flowers using watercolor.

“I am inspired by the shapes of the flowers and how they bloom,” she said, adding that much of her inspiration comes from places like the Queens Botanical Garden.

German-born Schrieber-Noll, who lives and works in Peekskill, N.Y., presented two paintings at the event. “Trees Are Sanctuaries,” is a three-piece mixed media displayed on linen. “The Storm,” is a mixed-media piece displayed on canvas.

She has a Langston Hughes poem, “Save The Dream/Save our Planet,” painted on the linen as a motto for “Trees Are Sanctuaries.”

“I am a deeply committed advocate for peace,” she said.

Her other work depicts the “terrors of war and the threat of ecological disaster.”

Konschak, also from Germany, had two series of artwork on display.

One group of paintings is entitled, “Water.” Of these she writes, “The rain scans through the woods near the Amazon deep soil, leaf and earth. Water falls out of the clouds brightly. Trunk by trunk it runs towards the darkness. Secret of existence. Fathomed , Studied, Experience, Eternity. A kiss of the elixir. Within a heart of the world Protection. Finding. I remain forever green in place.”

An X-ray installation of “Under And Up the Ground,” is displayed on another wall. Konschak used X-ray film as her canvas. Some years back, friends in Germany brought her a stack of X-rays as a possible idea for her artwork. Konschak said she decided to paint them in order to turn a possible negative into a positive.

“Now, I do the X-rays as part of nature,” she said. “I test them with different pigments and painting materials, including oils and acrylics.” She has also written four books that include both her art and poems.

Fouret, from France, used oil on canvas for her stunning piece, “Rainforest 2006.” At first glance, the painting appears to be the top of someone’s head with a background of a forest. The hair, however, is composed of hundreds of long-stemmed flowers and each eye depicts a frog in a pond.

“The idea is to present a vision and modern materials,” Fouret said. “Without these materials, we wouldn’t be able to express ourselves, imagine a world without a rainforest.”

Csanyi-Hurskin is an Australian transplant whose paintings focus on birds from around the world, including sulphur-crested cockatoos and blue gold macaws, both using colored pencil. Her works stem from her life-long love and appreciation of animals.

“During the process, I develop an intimacy with my subjects and grant them new status, giving the viewer a very different and new perspective on everyday objects, events and people, which are mostly overlooked,” Huskin said.

The exhibition will remain on display at the Rainforest Art Foundation, located at 36-58 37th Ave., through April 4. Those interested in attending can stop by Tuesdays through Fridays, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Posted 12:00 am, March 24, 2018