By Susan Detwiler
With Passover coming, I thought I’d pull out some of the recipes of my paternal grandparents. They came from Ioannna, Greece, and grew up in the Judeo-Greek Romaniote tradition. Different from Ashkenazi and Sephardic Judaism, the Romaniotes spoke a language that is a mixture of Greek and Hebrew, and the recipes are different from either. After the Holocaust, only about 100 Jews survived to return to Ioannina; now, most of the Romaniote descendants live in the United States and Israel.
My grandmother stuffed many vegetables and triangle shaped tyropita (cheese pastries) and spanakopita (spinach pastries), including making her own filo dough! For Passover, lamb would have been traditional, but since my father didn’t like lamb, we’ll opt for my grandmother’s pot roast. One traditional accompaniment is a special spring salad of romaine lettuce, scallions, and dill. The haroset is different, as well. Finally, in addition to her homemade sesame candy, my grandmother would ply us with prunes stuffed with walnuts and rolled in sugar, and dates stuffed with almonds. I highly recommend both of these!
Pallas Pot Roast
Make sure you have at least a day in between making it and eating it. The key is to slice when cool, then return to finish cooking. It’s great for when you’re not sure when you’re actually going to be eating, like Passover. If there are leftovers, it freezes well.
Ingredients:
- 1 3–4 lb bottom round roast
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- Vegetable oil
- 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder
Instructions:
- In large skillet (with cover) heat oil, arrange onions on top; turn to simmer/low
- Place roast on top of the onions
- Pour tomato sauce on the roast
- Fill tomato sauce can about ½ full of vinegar; pour over the roast
- Dash liberally with Worcestershire; salt, pepper, and garlic powder
- Cover and cook for 2–3 hours
- Cool completely (refrigerate over night)
- Slice thinly—about ¼” slices—and return to the skillet; make sure the juice covers each slice
- Cook for another 1–2 hours; pot roast will be falling apart.
Salata Verde de Pesah—Green Salad for Passover (Adapted from The Cookbook of the Jews of Greece)
Great at any time of the year, this very simple salad is an excellent contrast to the meats and cooked vegetables of the usual seder meal, bringing the taste of spring to the table. Traditionally, the seder meal of the Greek Jews parallels the symbolic foods of the seder. In Greece the bitter herb is usually Romaine lettuce.
Ingredients:
- 2 large heads of Romaine lettuce (or package of 3 Romaine hearts)
- 3 large spring onions (with green stalk)
- 4 8”–10” lengths of fresh dill
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons wine vinegar
- Salt & pepper
Instructions:
Wash and trim the Romaine lettuce and onions. Tightly bundle together lengthwise the lettuce leaves, onions and dill. Note: easiest way is to take a few lettuce leaves and place them over the onions and dill, to hold them in place. Hold all the lettuce, onions, and dill together, and thinly slice across the bundle. Transfer to large salad bowl. Toss with the olive oil and vinegar; salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 6–10 (more, depending on the rest of the meal)
Haroset from Ioannina (adapted from The Cookbook of the Jews of Greece)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup black currants, finely chopped (I used dried, unsweetened cherries)
- 1 cup raisins, finely chopped
- 1 cup almonds, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup pine nuts (I used unsalted cashews)
- Cinnamon & ground cloves to taste
- Sweet red wine
Instructions:
In a food processor (which my ancestors did NOT have), chop fruit and nuts until coarsely ground. Add spices to taste. Moisten well with the wine to make a thick paste.
About the Author
SUSAN DETWILER lives in Wilmington with her husband, Mark, and is Chair of Adult Learning at Congregation Beth Emeth. Her son and four grandorables live in Newark, DE; her daughter lives with her youngest grandorable in Lisbon, Portugal.
