VIP Passover draws chef to Phoenix

ALISA SLOAN
Special Sections Editor

Chef Jeffrey Nathan is in town to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for 1,000 people. For a week.

"It is mind-boggling to cook Passover meals for 1,000 people. It's a tremendous amount of planning," says Nathan.

He got in touch with Stuart Morganstein, who has been doing the VIP Passover at the Arizona Biltmore hotel for five years. Nathan will be this year's guest chef. Nathan calls Morganstein's program "the Rolls Royce of Passover vacations."

"Stuart is a class act," says Nathan. "He spares no expense. It's like a food orgy. ... And to be paired up with a hotel like this - it's a win-win for everyone. It's the best of all worlds."

But it's also a lot of work. With six tractor-trailers bringing in equipment, platters, plates and even food and wine from New York and Chicago, Nathan says it's like setting up their own hotel. "Transforming this area for 1,000 people while the hotel is still open for everything else, it's mind-boggling for the chefs in the kitchen, trying to get everything together logistically," he explains.

Known for his innovative cuisine, Nathan cooks, as he says, "modern American food that just happens to be kosher."

He has kept kosher at home for more than a year.

For the holidays, however, he enjoys traditional foods - with a twist. "If you've seen my cookbook you'd notice that I really don't cook traditional food," he asserts. "I'm more into 'new Jewish-style' cooking. So for the holidays I like to get back to tradition." However, adds Nathan, "I do jazz it up just a little bit."

Jazzing it up results in innovative dishes such as Sephardic Chicken Soup with Sofrito and Saffron Matzo Balls, Mango-Date Haroset, Rack of Veal with Wild Mushroom-Farfel Dressing, Gefilte Fish Terrine with Carrot and Beet Salads, and Matzo Napoleon with White Chocolate Mousse.

"Traditionally what you have for Passover is matzo ball soup and gefilte fish, so my matzo ball soup is a little more interesting," he says. "It's Latin-inspired with sofrito and cilantro. ... I serve a beautiful gefilte fish terrine with beet and carrot salad with a balsamic vinaigrette."

Admitting that gefilte fish isn't something he goes out of his way to eat year-round, Nathan's approach to Passover is about what he can't do, rather than what he can. For instance, he asks himself, 'What am I not allowed to do for Passover?'

"The key to me is, always saying to myself, what are my restrictions, and then I can go everywhere," explains Nathan. "For Passover I know what my restrictions are.

"Passover food to me is just regular food, and that's what the people are looking for, they really are," he says. "And for the seders, they're looking for tradition. They're looking for the chicken soup and their gefilte fish and their brisket. But after that for the entire time of Passover, they want everyday food. They want great-tasting stuff."

This is Nathan's first visit to Phoenix, though he hasn't seen anything outside the hotel because he has been waking up at 5 a.m. to prepare for the VIP Passover. However, he will be able to relax a bit before he heads home.

"After Passover I'll have a day or two to myself. Get a massage. Go to the pool," says Nathan. "But for now it's strictly work."

Nathan is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and has worked at New York restaurants Luchow's, The Company, and the New Deal Restaurant & Garden.

He established his own restaurant, Abigael's, in New York in 1995. He has hosted "New Jewish Cuisine" on PBS and has appeared regularly on "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee," the "Joan Rivers Show," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," and the Food Network show "The Best of Holidays." He published "Adventures in Jewish Cooking" (Clarkson Potter, $32.50 hardcover) and has been featured in Time, Food Arts and Saveur magazines.

Call (800) 883-5702 for tickets to next year's VIP Passover at the Biltmore.

Following are two of Nathan's Passover recipes.

Smoked Trout and Orange Salad
(Serves 8)
Pareve

Orange-Cilantro Vinaigrette:

2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. honey
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

6 skinless and boneless smoked trout fillets, broken into large flakes
4 large seedless oranges (cut off tops and bottoms, remove peel with knife, cut between membranes to release the sections)
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
8 large cup-shaped radicchio leaves
Pea shoots, cilantro sprigs or celery leaves for garnish

To make vinaigrette, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice and honey in a medium bowl. Add the cilantro and gradually whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper.
In another bowl, combine the smoked fish, orange segments and onion. Gently mix in the orange vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 and up to 4 hours.
To serve, place radicchio cup on a plate and fill each cup with the salad. Serve immediately on a bed of the pea shoots. (Can replace gefilte fish.)

Mango-Date Haroset
(Makes 3 1/2 cups)
Pareve

1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/3 cup pecan halves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. peeled, shredded and minced fresh ginger (use the large holes on a box grater)
2 ripe mangos, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2/3 cup seedless red grapes, quartered
1/2 cup pitted dates, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup sweet white wine
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Roughly chop the walnuts, pecans and cinnamon in a food processor along with the sugar and ginger. Transfer the chopped nut mixture to a medium bowl.
Stir in the mangos, grapes and dates. Gently stir in the wine and lemon juice. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to blend the flavors, about 2 hours. (Can be made up to 1 day ahead.)

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