My Pre-Pessach Chametz Shabbos Menu and Recipes

My whole grain loaves look plebeian and rustic, in the traditional Sephardi/Arabic tradition, but they taste awfully GOOD!

Pre-Pessach Shabbos Menu, everyone’s mind is racing about how to make the most of our stash of goodies, the ones we dig up in our freezer, refrigerator and pantry. I had some fabulous stuff from Grow and Behold and decided to use it to the hilt. Good mother that I am, I decided to enjoy my treats in the appreciative company of my foodie children and grandchildren. I invited them and a few friends for a Pre-Pessach Shabbos, and made a thoroughly Chametz Shabbos Menu bash out of it, before everyone goes their own way for Pessach. Since we are going away for Pessach, I can afford to be a generous hostess to those friends working hard on Kashering their kitchen. I fervently pray they will brave the elements (it’s snowing hard) to be here.

I used some of the items from Grow and Behold in larger dishes (his naturally cured pastrami, rainbow lamb chops, Merguez chicken breast etc…are all unbelievable!), and the rest came from Gourmet Butcher in Crown Heights (Corner Troy and Carroll), where my buddy Yankee takes good care of me. So I am sharing my whole menu with you.

I confess I don’t often have traditional challah on my shabbos menu, which I find too rich and cake-y, and to which I prefer whole grain thin crusty loaves. I used my bread recipe to the Tee, with added sesame and anise seeds in some of the loaves, the Moroccan way, and shaped long loaves and round loaves (sorry I didn’t shape any challah! I’m a rebel) and it came out wonderful.