Seder With Spice

Passover commemorates the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. This year, the observance is all the more significant because it also marks the 500-year anniversary of the expulsion of the Sephardim, the Jews from Spain. King Ferdinand published the Writ of Expulsion on March 31, 1492.

Unlike the Israelites who fled Egypt, the Jews left Spain reluctantly. They had resided there for almost 2,000 years, some probably since the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C. They participated in and were identified closely with all aspects of Spanish culture. Many were prominent citizens, recognized physicians, scientists, philosophers and diplomats. Many expected their expulsion would be only temporary, that the king would relent and allow them to return to their homeland.

Those who hoped for an early and easy return went to Portugal. Others took the hop-skip-and-a-jump route across the Mediterranean to locations in North Africa, where Jewish communities were already established because of earlier persecutions in Spain. Some boarded ships headed for Genoa and Venice, leading trade cities in the world at that time. The majority went to the Ottoman Empire, where Sultan Bajasid welcomed them with open arms, proclaiming: “You call Ferdinand a wise king, he who has made his country poor and enriched ours!”

Wherever they arrived, they took their Spanish Jewish culture with them, imprinting the stamp of where they had come from on the new communities they entered. In the area of food this influence is most apparent.

The following recipes, variations on Sephardic dishes, make delicious and unusual additions to the Seder table. They are all low in cholesterol, and if you follow the menu, you will serve a holiday meal that contains only about 640 calories per person (not including matzo, charoset , moror and wine), with a mere 13% of total calories coming from fat.

PASSOVER VEGETABLE SOUP (From Morocco)

4 leeks

1 pound carrots, peeled and diced

1 pound turnips, peeled and diced

8 cups no-fat chicken stock

Generous dash saffron

Salt, pepper

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Cut tough green tops off leeks and discard. Split lengthwise. Run under water to wash out sand. Chop coarsely.

Place leeks, carrots and turnips in large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add no-fat chicken stock, saffron, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, or until vegetables are tender.

Adjust seasonings to taste. About 15 minutes prior to serving, add chopped cilantro. Simmer additional 5 minutes. Makes 10 servings.

Each serving contains about:

66 calories; 5 grams protein; 13 grams carbohydrate; 0.5 gram fat; 0.8 milligram cholesterol. 6% of total calories come from fat.

LOW-FAT, LOW-CHOLESTEROL STUFFED ARTICHOKES (From Spain)

10 medium artichokes

1 clove garlic, crushed

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon salt

Dash olive oil

Ground Turkey Filling

Spicy Tomato Sauce

Cut thorny tops off artichokes. Trim away stems and remove any discolored leaves.

Place about 4 inches water in pot large enough to hold artichokes. Add garlic, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. Cover and bring to boil. Add artichokes. Bring to boil again, then cover and lower heat. Simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until artichokes are tender but not falling apart. Drain. Set aside to cool.

When artichokes are cool enough to handle, remove thistle. First pull out center leaves. Then open remaining leaves gently, so artichoke doesn’t fall apart. With small spoon, remove fuzzy thistle at center bottom, leaving as much heart as possible.

Stuff artichokes with Ground Turkey Filling and place in oven-proof baking dish. Top each with generous spoonful Spicy Tomato Sauce. (May be prepared ahead to this point and refrigerated.)

About 1/2 hour before serving, place prepared artichokes in 350-degree oven. Bake, covered, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on whether artichokes were refrigerated or not. Remove cover and continue baking until artichokes are heated through. Makes 10 servings.

Each serving contains about:

137 calories; 13 grams protein; 15 grams carbohydrate; 0.3 gram fat; 9 milligrams cholesterol. 2% of total calories come from fat.

Ground Turkey Filling

4 tablespoons no-fat chicken stock

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 pound ground turkey breast

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Salt, pepper

1/2 cup Passover white wine

Heat no-fat chicken stock in large non-stick skillet pan. Add garlic and onion and cook until tender. Add ground turkey and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring frequently, until turkey loses pink color. Add wine. Raise heat and cook until all liquid disappears.

Spicy Tomato Sauce

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon crushed dried basil

1 bay leaf

Salt, pepper

In small saucepan combine tomato sauce, crushed hot pepper, garlic, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat thoroughly, allowing flavors to blend. Remove bay leaf before dressing tops of stuffed artichokes.

This entree is remarkable not only for its taste and appearance but also because only 12% of its total calories come from fat.

FISH TAJINE WITH TOMATOES, POTATOES AND PEPPERS (From Morocco)

10 (3 1/2-ounce) halibut or sea bass fillets

Charmoula

5 red potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

3 ripe tomatoes, sliced thick

3 sweet peppers, any combination of yellow, red and green, seeded and sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 cup water

Rinse fish in cool water and pat dry. Season with about 1/3 of Charmoula and let marinate at least 30 minutes.

Arrange bamboo skewers in lattice pattern on bottom of large glass baking dish. Place fish fillets on top of skewers. Dip potato slices in Charmoula and spread over fish. Dip tomatoes and peppers in Charmoula and spread over fish. Sprinkle with chopped garlic.

In small bowl, combine remaining Charmoula with tomato paste, lemon juice and 1 cup water. Pour over ingredients in baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees 35 minutes. Remove cover. Raise oven heat to 500 degrees and bake another 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and fish is cooked. Remove from oven and let stand up to 1/2 hour before serving. Makes 10 servings.

Each serving contains about:

174 calories; 20 grams protein; 19 grams carbohydrate; 2 grams fat (including 0.3 gram saturated fat); 27 milligrams cholesterol. 12% of total calories come from fat.

Charmoula

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup chopped parsley

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons mild vinegar

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Dash cayenne, optional

Combine cilantro, parsley, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, paprika, cumin and cayenne in food processor bowl. Process until mixture is smooth paste. Use to season fish.

HERBED ASPARAGUS

1 clove garlic, chopped

Lightly salted water

2 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

1/2 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped

Dash paprika

Freshly ground white pepper

Cook garlic in small amount lightly salted water. Add asparagus and green onions and steam until crisp. While vegetables are still hot, season to taste with basil, paprika and white pepper. Makes 10 servings.

Each serving contains about:

23 calories; 2 grams protein; 4 grams carbohydrate; 0.3 gram fat; 0 cholesterol. 12% of total calories come from fat.

Moroccan Jews serve a delicious sweet potato pudding that is made with neither flour nor egg yolks. Topped with meringue and thickened with ground almonds, the lowest fat nut, it is beautiful to look at and rich and sweet to eat.

SWEET POTATO PUDDING TOPPED WITH MERINGUE (From Morocco)

2 pounds baked sweet potatoes or yams

1/4 pound sliced almonds

1 cup sugar

2 egg whites, at room temperature

5 oranges, halved, fruit removed, optional

1 teaspoon vanilla

Place baked sweet potatoes and almonds in food processor. Process until smooth. Heat mixture in non-stick skillet.

Place 3/4 cup sugar in non-stick skillet. Turn heat up. Heat, stirring constantly, until warm brown caramel color. When sugar is properly caramelized, pour almost all into hot sweet-potato mixture. Because caramel hardens almost instantly, stir in quickly, scraping sides and bottom of pan to include all sweet-potato mixture and as much caramel as possible. Place pudding in glass pie pan, individual oven-proof baking dishes, or scooped-out orange rinds. Set aside.

Beat egg whites in small mixing bowl at highest speed until whites frothy and semi-stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. Slowly beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Continue beating until meringue is shiny and peaks are stiff. Stir in vanilla.

Top pudding mixture with meringue. Make peaks by touching meringue lightly with spatula. Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes, until peaks are golden brown. Remove from oven.

Reheat remaining caramel in pan. Drizzle over top of meringue. Makes 10 servings.

Each serving contains about:

236 calories; 5 grams protein; 44 grams carbohydrate; 6 grams fat (including 0.6 gram saturated fat); 0 cholesterol. 22% of total calories come from fat.