South-of-the-Border Seder
An upscale Mexican restaurant is not the first place you'd think of to hold a seder. But walk into any of Rosa Mexicano's New York City , Washington , D.C., Atlanta , or Miami branches during the week of Passover, and you'll have your pick of dishes created just for the holiday, from tropical charoset to pears poached in cinnamon-scented red wine and served with a spicy sabayon sauce.
Why this unexpected-and inspired-pairing? "We have many Jewish friends, both in Mexico and here in the U.S. ," says culinary director Roberto Santibañez. In fact, Jews have an historic presence in his native land- Mexico City is the center of a community of more than 40,000 that dates back to the Spanish Inquisition.
Adds Lila Louli, a Mexican-Jewish food writer who gave Santibañez recipe advice, "Over the centuries, Jews have sought refuge in Mexico from many different areas, including Germany, Eastern Europe, Spain, Turkey, and Syria. You'll find both Sephardic and the Ashkenazic cooking here, often combined with Mexican influences."
Inspired by this lesser-known aspect of his country's heritage, Santibañez created colorful, spicy Passover dishes that marry Jewish and traditional Mexican flavors with contemporary innovation. Now in their third year at Rosa Mexicano, the specials have proven an enormous hit. "Some patrons have even reserved private rooms to hold their own seders at the restaurant," says Santibañez. "We're happy to cater the entire thing, seder plate and all."
We talked Santibañez into sharing his recipes and tips with readers at home. For his advice on making your seder a fiesta to remember, read on.
"In creating these dishes, I thought about Jewish communities around the world, and how their cooking has adapted wherever they've settled," says Rosa Mexicano culinary director Roberto Santibañez. "My inspiration was traditional Jewish cuisine, filtered through my own contemporary Mexican style."
Santibañez shared with Epicurious helpful tips on preparing his recipes:
Corn for Passover? A Note on Keeping Kosher
Unlike the Ashkenazi, Sephardic Jews, who make up the majority of Mexico 's Jewish population, do not avoid corn, beans, and rice on Passover. The tamales in the lamb recipe are made with masa (a treated corn meal) and corn husks. If you are avoiding corn for the holiday, simply omit the tamales when preparing the dish.
Corn aside, the recipes meet the dietary requirements of Passover. "These dishes were developed using kosher products-margarine or vegetable shortening instead of butter, nonalcoholic vanilla flavoring, etc," says Santibañez. If you do not keep kosher, feel free to substitute butter, regular vanilla extract, baking powder, etc., as noted in the recipes.
A Cooked Charoset
Charoset, which represents the mortar with which the Jewish slaves in Egypt constructed buildings for the Pharaoh, is made in Ashkenazic homes with chopped apples and walnuts. Santibañez's version, a purée of tropical fruit simmered with sweet wine and cinnamon, is even more mortarlike: a spiced spread that's delicious on matzoh or corn tortillas.
The Pascal Lamb
Originally, the Passover meal included a roasted sacrificial lamb. However, with the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70, sacrifices were deemed impossible to conduct properly, and a prohibition developed against serving at a seder anything that could be considered an imitation of the paschal sacrifice. Some Jews (in particular Ashkenazi) interpret this law to include any lamb, no matter how it's cooked. However, most scholars agree that the stricture applies only to roasted meat-therefore braised lamb, a common centerpiece of Sephardic seders, is acceptable.
Santibañez's take on this delicious dish features an ancient Mexican cooking technique called mixiote. "The lamb is steamed with sauce and flavorings in a pouch made of parchment paper," he explains. "It's a little like the French en papillote. Tamales are the traditional accompaniment-my personal touch is the combination of flavors."
The roasted vegetables that Santibañez serves alongside the lamb take their inspiration from Eastern European Jewish cooking. "But," he observes, "sweet potatoes are common in Mexican cuisine as well."
A Refined Dessert
Santibañez's poached pears are an impressive-and delicious-solution to the no-flour Passover rule. They feature an elegant French sauce-the foamy sabayon-punched up with a generous dose of red chile powder.
Mexican Matzoh Balls
Color and presentation are key elements in Santibañez's cooking. In addition to the recipes shared here, he likes to adapt Jewish classics to make them more eye-catching. "When I make matzoh balls, I mix in some puréed red guajillo or green poblano chiles," he says. "Several of the colorful balls together in a bowl of chicken broth make a fun, innovative appetizer."
Mexican Passover Menu for Six
Slow-Braised Lamb Shanks with Guajillo-Pineapple Sauce, Roasted Vegetables, and Coconut Tamales
Chocolate-Covered Poached Pears with Apricot-Pecan Stuffing and Chile Sabayon
For more information on Rosa Mexicano's Passover offerings, visit www.rosamexicano.com.
For more seder recipes, menus, and planning tips, see Epicurious's complete Passover package.
By Sarah Kagan
