It's that time of year again, time for big family gatherings around the holiday table. No no, it's not the Christmas / Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or the New Year, it's the Spring "superbowl" of holidays -- Easter and Passover.
This year, my celebration of Passover was different than many years previous, I did not attend a proper Seder but I like to think I assumed the role of Eliyahu in two different seders separated by the Atlantic Ocean -- one in Lenox, Massachusetts and one in Juan les Pins, France. Instead, I managed to see both sides of my family over the course of the day, coming together over two very different meals -- one at an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side and one at a Vietnamese restaurant in Chelsea. I like to think of holidays as a time to bring family far and wide together over food and drink and I certainly succeeded at that goal. I tend to think that the best times of bringing family together are when there's the least pomp and circumstance, just quality time ensemble.
So which meal do we think I'll be discussing in my blog about CHEESE....hmmm, tough right?? Italian or Vietnamese? Of course Italian.
Today's luncheon was at one of my grandmother's tried and true restos -- Petaluma, a simple, no frills, Upper East Side Italian joint that's been around forever and always produces reliable Italian favorites. For lunch, I had their special salad -- sauteed and shreeded artichokes over a bed of mache topped with shaved parmesan with a basil vinaigrette. A delish savory mixture of greens, vegetables, cheese, herbs and deliciousness. The reason this salad stood out is because of the fact that instead of serving the artichokes whole and breaded and fried or steamed or sauteed and quartered, these babies were shredded, definitely not the usual artichoke preparation, a delish different way to serve artichokes. Following that, I had a side of sauteed brocooli di rabe - a perfect and nutritious lunch, plenty of greens, just the way I like it!
However the food was not the star at this lunch, it was the opportunity to bring four generations of my family together to catch up and chat and enjoy each other's company -- the best thing about holidays. Happy Passover ladies and gents!
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