The Pre-Paschal Lamb

Bread and Leg of Lamb, 1866, Paul Cezanne

The paschal lamb was the ritual sacrifice commanded by God to the Jewish people during the the time of Passover, or Pesach.  In the story of the exodus from Egypt, God inflicted upon the Egyptians ten plagues, the last of which, slaying of the first born son, convinced the Pharaoh to let the Jewish slaves go free.  Prior to the tenth plague, God commanded the Jewish people to mark their doors with the blood of a lamb.  Only by this marker, would the angel of death know to pass over the Jewish homes, and spare their first born sons.  Forty years later, when the Jews were free in the land of Israel, the ordained korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice) came into practice.  On the eve of Passover, an unblemished, one-year-old, male lamb or goat was offered in the temple by each family.  It was then carried to the homes, and roasted on a spit.  The entire lamb (or goat) had to be eaten that night at the seder dinner with bitter herbs and with matzo.

The days of The Temple are long gone, and it has been ages since Jews practiced animal sacrifice.  In the modern seder, vestige of this ancient tradition is represented by the zeroa, a lamb bone, displayed on the seder plate.  Lamb and goat meat are rarely on the evening's menu. 

My family's seder at my brother's house in Los Angeles was no exception to this.  We had brisket, mashed potatoes, vegetables, matzo ball soup, egg salad - all traditional stuff.  But there was something special about our seder plate this year, and that was the lamb bone.  This bone was not purchased at a kosher butcher or grocery for the express purpose representing the korban Pesach.  No this lamb bone was just a practical application of leftovers.

Our Seder Plate

As I mentioned in my last couple of posts, my family was together in Los Angeles celebrating the birth of my nephew, Noah.  Normally, a family vacation is an excuse for a whole lot of restaurant eating, but with a newborn baby and a post caesarean-section mommy, we cooked in or took out every night.  One night we took out Thai food, another night it was pizza, one night I cooked ravioli in a tomato and mushroom sauce, and one night we had lamb.

We purchased a six pound leg of New Zealand lamb from Whole Foods.  The night before the feast, I marinated the leg in a mix of Dijon mustard and lemon juice, with a lot of salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary, marjoram and sage from Bill's lush California herb garden.

The meat marinated for a day, and the next evening, I placed it in a roasting pan on top of a bed of mixed potatoes and onion chunks, with olive oil, more seasonings, and some whole sprigs of rosemary.  An oversight from earlier, at this point I also slid some slices of garlic into incisions in the lamb. 

This is what went into the oven.

And two hours later, this is what came out.

For the rest of the menu, my brother took care of grilling some zucchini, squash and onion, while I open-flame roasted some red peppers.  Mom made a wonderful salad, with sunflower seeds, strawberries, grapes, and fresh tangerines grown from Bill's backyard, along with other goodness.  There was a challah, and I had bought a couple bottles of Bordeaux wine.

The Spread

Salad, Grilled Vegetables, Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Lamb Juice, 

Grilled Chicken (for my sister), Herbed Dijon Roast Leg of Lamb, Sesame Challah 

 The Lamb

All sliced and ready to eat

 Grilled Squash, Zucchini and Vidalia Onion and Flame-Roasted Red Peppers

Roasted Fingerling, Red and Purple Potatoes

With Rosemary and Lamb Juice

Dinner was wonderful.  I felt very proud of this meal.  It was great to have the whole family together, and we certainly had cause for celebration.  Noah lay in a bassinet next to the dinner table, and seemed equally content with his pacifier (he had been eating all day). 

A couple days later was the the next big meal, out Passover seder.  Dish preparations were delegated.  My sister-in-law's mom made the brisket.  My mom and I handled the matzo ball soup.  It was a typical week of excellent eating, made extra special by the company and the occasion.

Special thanks to Bill and Carin for the use of their awesome camera for today's pictures.  I have delicious plans for when you guys come and visit next month!  Can't wait.