Greek Salad with Grilled Pita

Greek salads are often too drenched in oil for my taste, but this version is lighter, with the ingredients more finely chopped.  The grilled pita idea came from a Greek coffee shop in Ocean City.  It is just the right addition to make the meal more solidified.

Salad greens, your choice (classic is iceberg, not very nutritious)
1 tomato, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 or 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
about a dozen olives, pitted if possible, and halved
a few oz. crumbled feta cheese
your choice: chunked cucumbers, anchovies, artichoke hearts
any Italian salad dressing

This serves 2 as a main dish.  It is really attractive served in a low flat bowl.

For the grilled pita: take 2 whole wheat pitas or naans, cut into halves or quarters, and fry in a little olive oil till browned.  So simple, really good.

This is a nice summer dinner.  Also nice for shalosh seudah guests.

Gefilte Fish for Seder

Now you know what food stylists do - they make food look good for photography.  But this is what it really looks like.  Thanks, Jo, for the picture!
I just follow the directions on the package, which is a frozen 1 lb block of gefilte fish.
Boil it in water to cover, in the parchment wrapping, for about 90 minutes, adding onion for flavor and sliced carrots.  You can just put in baby carrots and slice them afterwards.  Add about 1 T. sugar.  (Consult the package, but I think that's it!)
Each loaf makes about 10 slices.  Lay them out on romaine lettuce leaves, spoon horseradish on, and garnish with carrot slices.
People all have lots of opinions on gefilte fish.  This is as good as any I've had.  Seems like one of those foods that has limited upside, so go with what is easy and attractive.  (I can barely look at the stuff in the bottles.)

Seder Carpas a la Teutsch

Jo photographed the trays as we were putting them together - before we added the boiled potatoes.
We borrowed this idea from Sharon and Michael Strassfeld when we had a seder at their house maybe  circa 1982?

The two vegetables to prep in advance are fingerling potatoes, boiled for about 20 minutes, and asparagus.  I generally prepare 2 bunches, trimming ~ 2" off the ends. I spread them out on a flat pan with a small rim and spray them with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.  If I was able to find Kosher for Passover seasoned salt, I use that.  Then I broil them at high for about 7 minutes until they start to brown a bit.  That's it!

In 2018, I bought a big container of organic baby spinach and carpeted the tray with it. If you use lettuce, you wind up tossing it afterwards, but the spinach came through fine and can then be consumed. It's really pretty. A carpas carpet.

It is virtually the only time of year I buy endive, about 4 heads.  They are a tradition for Passover, and very pretty.  The rest of the vegies are more pedestrian - baby carrots, red peppers, cucumbers.  This year you suggested fresh peapods.  Radishes are pretty.

For dip #1 I use mayonnaise + a lot of fresh dill + seasonings.  You could use some vegie broth powder, too.
Becca likes: mayo, lemon, and dill

For dip #2: mayonnaise, grated beet horseradish, some ketchup, and some chopped dill.

Dip #3: avocado with lime and salt/pepper.

You can now find baba ghanouj ready made, another lovely dip.

Some people like plain balsamic vinegar.