Sweet visit

Our Seder plate, and above Merwin's right shoulder the image of
Harvey and Sandy's Seder table
Harvey took this photo from his side of the Internet connection

Dear family and friends,

Yesterday's highlight was the arrival late in the evening of Jesús, our dear friend, from Valencia. I could not travel by car to be with him for the hour drive home from the airport, so I did not see him till about 9 p.m. Then I learned that he had to leave for Chicago quite early today: 8 a.m. Merwin has already dropped him off at the airport. All his and our plans were made so we could have the maximum amount of time together, beginning and ending with time in Glen Head, sandwiching within the Shakespeare conference, which Merwin and I are not attending.

He is going to see if he can change his return to Long Island from Chicago to Saturday instead of Sunday, to give us at least about 24 hours together before he returns to Spain. The love flows among us: he is so dear. Having him here, looking at him, relishing his presence, it's almost as if we were together only yesterday. It's a precious friendship and for me is especially rich because of the Hamlet work we do together and separately. Another benefit of a discipline that requires—who knew?—nation-wide as well as international collaborations in addition to the ones all over the USA! And these friendships are particularly sweet for us when Merwin and I both enjoy them, as is so often the case.

I rose early yesterday and began the Passover rolls that are a favorite of this season for us. They came out very nice: I made them with part whole wheat, part white matzo meal; part peanut oil and part olive oil. The recipe is at the bottom. I wanted to get the rolls in the oven so I could start on the gefrüschte matzo (refreshed matzo) or whatever it is called in your tradition to have it ready for Merwin when he got up. Recipe below.

It was a rainy, rainy day: an amazing amount of rain fell. But in this bright room it is still possible to feel that the sun is out there somewhere. And the buds continue to unfold, the birds to visit the feeder, and all things say SPRING. A very peaceful day.

Lincoln came to have dinner with me (brought from Sylvia and Marty's Seder the evening before) and to watch over me while Merwin was at the airport (he left here at 6:30 p.m.). Jesús was the last of the 500 + passengers to come through the gate! And I suppose it was a good thing Lincoln was here: I dropped a bowl of strawberries trying to remove it from the refrigerator, and Linc was there to pick it up. Also, our power went off briefly, and Lincoln readied candles and flashlights in case it happened again, but it didn't.

Merwin finally came home, and he, Jesús, and I had about 2 hours together before bedtime; then about an hour this morning. Too little. But more to come, however brief.

Love to all,
Bernice

Gefrüschte matzo recipe:

Place a large frying pan on the stove top: heat it and then add sweet oil (i.e. canola or peanut, not a flavorful oilive oil). keep warm or slightly hot; the other prep will not take long.
Using 2 sheets of Matzo per person, more or less, run the matzo under the faucet to wet somewhat, not so much that it falls apart.
In a bowl, break the sheets into pieces, not crumbs, but big bite-sized pieces
Add 1 or 2 eggs or egg beaters per serving, and mix thoroughly, enough to coat the matzo thoroughly.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Bring the oil in the pan to a higher temperature and add the matzo.
Fry until crisp, turning frequently to brown all surfaces. but don't let them dry out. There should be packets of softer matzo within each crisp bundle.

Dave made a sweet version of this with cinnamon and other sweeteners, but no sugar. I like mine savory. If I were to add anything it would be sauteed onions.

Passover rolls

I like this recipe because it is easy to remember: every mesurement is related to .5 or 1/2 (in my mnd)

Pre-prep: Take 5 eggs out of the refrigerator so they will be room temperature. Preheat oven to 500 (yes, 500; it gives the dough a quick shock into rising). Boil 2 cups of water; when the kettle whistle sounds (if you use one) turn off the burner and hold for the few minutes it will take you to prepare the dough. Prepare a cookie sheet by sprinkling with matzo meal.
The rolls:
Place in a large bowl 2 C matzo meal: I used part whole wheat and part white.
With a large fork, mix in 1/2 C oil until the dough looks a bit crumbly: I used part olive oil and part peanut oil.
Add and mix in salt and pepper to taste. In general I use very little salt, more pepper, and for this batch I used a tiny amount of cumin (1/2 t perhaps).
Add eggs one at a time, from the shell right into the batter, and mix in thoroughly, You are not beating the eggs or whipping them: just mix them until they blend in.

Using a large spoon, scoop out a portion of batter and place onto the crumbs on the cookie sheet. You should have about 12 rolls. Place in hot oven and turn heat down to 475. Bake for 45 minutes or so; ovens vary as you know. Peak at them at 45 minutes and if they are not brown enough, give them another 5-10 minutes. They should be light (well, not VERY light). Try picking one up carefully. Heaviness means there is more liquid within that needs to be incorporated better.

This batch came out very well. A good bread for any occasion, but extra nice for Passover.