Entertaining on Passover

Entertaining on Passover is definitely not easy. Cooking for Passover is probably the hardest Jewish holiday to cook for out of all of them. Since you can’t have any bread at all, it makes it pretty difficult. And, to top it off, there are a bunch of restrictions that we have, that nobody in their right minds would ever think of. Like for example, you can’t have peanuts. Who would ever think you can’t have peanuts?!  And then there’s the debate about rice. Some people have it, some people don’t. Personally, I find myself so limited in what I can make for Passover that I just say screw it and make rice. 

The nice thing about my family is that we rotate who does Passover every year, since it’s such a hard holiday to do. This year it’s my turn to do the first night, since my sister did it last year. And, on the second night, we go to my husband’s side of the family anyways, and his mom likes to have it every year! We always offer but she insists on it being at her house.

To entertain your family on Passover you have to plan it far in advance, especially if you have a big family like mine. You have to scour the Kosher-for-Passover websites, cookbooks and blogs to find new and creative recipes, so that you’re not making the same thing each year! Then you have to buy all the ingredients, but you can only buy them last minute since the Kosher-for-Passover stuff doesn’t come to the stores until close to the holiday! Then there’s the cleaning of the house. In my house, we do a thorough cleaning of the main floor, and that’s it. Some people clean the entire house, upstairs and the basement, but I figure we’re not eating up there anyways. And we’re not exactly strictly Kosher.

Since I’ve hosted Passover dinner a number of times, I thought I would give three  important pieces of advice.

1. When you’re entertaining for Passover, it’s important to know how Kosher your guests are. If it’s just family, and you know how strict they are, then it’s easy. However, if you’re inviting guests that you’ve never spent Passover with, or you don’t know them as well, make sure to find out how strictly Kosher they are. Sometimes people if they are less strict tend to cheat, but if someone comes over that is stricter than you, make sure you are respectful of their wishes. Making something that they can’t eat will put them in an awkward situation, and you’ll feel uncomfortable as well.
2. If you’re planning on trying out some new recipes so that you don’t make the same things every year, test them out before entertaining. Passover recipes are pretty finicky and can often fail. And, let’s face it, sometimes they’re just downright awful tasting. It’s way better to practice making it and try it out first before you go and serve something terrible to your guests.
3. Don’t do everything yourself! Passover is a holiday that we share with family, and there is no reason that other people cannot help with some of the cooking. Obviously you carry the most responsibility if you’re having it at your house, but it’s okay to accept a little bit of help!