Haroset: The Perfect Snack or Hors d'oeuvre for Passover & Easter Time

Here’s a recipe from Biblical times, full of to-day’s favorite ingredients and perfect for light entertaining this festive weekend.

‘Rev. Steve’, the minister of our Protestant church near Ottawa, Canada just happens to also be a Swiss-trained chef.  When he contributes food to a congregational feast it’s bound to taste good.

The eggs and hot cross buns of our Easter Sunday sunrise breakfast were almost devoured a few years ago, when he emerged from the church basement kitchen carrying  a platter of what looked like hors d’oeuvres  – but why were we having them at the end of a meal?

Somewhat sheepishly he said the correct term might be left-overs. The dark red paste, now spread on matzo bread, had been sitting in the refrigerator since the Seder feast on Maundy Thursday, three days before. This was an experiment to honor our Jewish-Christian heritage and not many came. Now we know better and a full Seder feast, complete with ‘Rev. Steve’ wearing a yarmulke, and videos of the Passover and Last Supper, is one of our annual calendar feasts.

Haroset

 6 Apples, peeled and chopped

½ tsp. Cinnamon

2/3 cup Walnuts, chopped

1 Rind of a lemon or small orange, grated

3 tbsp. Sugar (to taste) or honey

4 tbsp. Sweet red wine

1-2 tbsp. Orange juice

Mix ingredients with an electric mixer until they become a dark red paste.  The traditional way of combining the ingredients is by using a mortar.

You may make the basic recipe differently from time to time, by changing your choice of apple variety or wine.  It may be eaten either as an hors d’oeuvre or in the form of a sandwich with matzo bread.

This recipe is so old it is mentioned in the Song of Solomon.  The Hebrew word charoset means clay and this dish symbolizes the mortar used by Jewish slaves to build Egyptian structures. The sweetness represents the kindness of God in making slavery more bearable.

Eating at Church: A Book of Recipes from Aylmer and Eardley Unitedwww.margaretvirany.com, www.amazon.com/author/margaretvirany