Food

Can Matzo Ever Taste Good? An Interview With The Queen Of Passover Prep

Image by Courtesy of Vicki Jakubovic

By Shira Feder March 15, 2018

Nine million views isn’t too shabby for a website that’s just over a year old. That’s more Kosher.com views than there are Jews in the world! Kosher.com exploded into the digital stratosphere a year ago, quickly wrapping up views and becoming a mainstay of the Jewish community. The website is chock full of recipes, video cooking demos and tablescape ideas, not to mention their robust Passover section.

I spoke with Danielle Renov, head of Kosher.com’s Passsover Prep Headquarters, to get the inside scoop on the cooking sensation.

Any advice for people struggling to get organized for Passover?

I think it’s really important to remember that although it’s nice to spring clean, it is not really necessary. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stop, take 30 minutes, make a list of everything that needs to be done (cleaning, food shopping, toiveling (the process of making dishes kosher)) and then head over to kosher.com to print out a calendar to help you plan out what to do on each day. It’s easier to compartmentalize tasks this way.

Kosher.com has had over 9 million views to date and the site is just one year old. What do you think that says about the changing way the Jewish world approaches the Internet?

I think in general social media is connecting people from all over the world, in a way like never before. Since cooking is such a big part of our lives, it only makes sense that we love to have a place where we can all get together (even virtually) to exchange ideas, tips and tricks to help each other out.

What is your go-to Passover recipe?

BBQ, every single night of Chol Hamoed (the intermediary days of Passover). Tons of different proteins like chicken wings, chicken drumsticks, pargiyot, chicken cutlets, salami, skirt steak, London broil, hamburgers, lamb chops, brick roast, veal chops… you name it, we grill it. We pile everything high on a huge platter, serve with tons of salatim and salads and sit around and have the best time!

Hamburger kabobs with an herb lime dipping sauce. Summer time = bbq for dinner. Every night. It’s easy, fast, totally delicious and the possibilities are endless. I had some left over herb lime salad dressing from my grilled chicken and peach salad so I paired it with, really #yummy hamburger kabobs. Even if you don’t have leftover dressing bc you didn’t make my salad yesterday, it’s worth it to make it just to dip these super flavor packed hamburger kabobs into. (For the dressing recipe, see yesterday’s post). The hamburger recipe makes a lot, so half it if your just making for a few people. #recipe ??1&1/2k ground beef(3lbs) ??1 large onion, peeled ?? 1/4 c Dijon mustard ?? 4 cloves garlic ?? 2 tbsp white vinegar ?? 1 tbsp salt ?? 2 tsp black pepper ?? skewers soaked in water for at least 40 min. Put everything besides meat in a food processor. Mix until it forms a smooth paste. Add to meat mixture, and gently mix in. (If you over handle the meat, it will toughen). Either shape into patties or form onto sticks. Refrigerate until your ready to grill so that they don’t fall off the stick. #enjoy #summer #bbq #barbecue #hamburger #burger #meat #grill #food #eeeeeats #nomnom #foodie #foodies #instayum #instagood #delicious #foodlover #foodphoto #foodphotography #goodfood #feedfeed #gloobyfood #f52grams #healthyeating #dinner #kids #buzzfeedfood #healthy

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What is one food you’re most looking forward to eating in 2018?

I look forward to eating ALL food. Besides raisins. Never raisins.

Can matzo taste good? We’ve been debating it a lot at the office.

Maybe if you add some yeast and a few more hours to the cooking process 🙂

Shira Feder is a writer for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected]

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