Destination Anywhere

6:00 am: Put potatoes in the oven, and started sauteeing leeks, carrots, and peppers for Maakud or Mahookha, a Sephardic dish similar to an Ashkenazi potato kugel, but with more vegetables and herbs and somewhat lighter.
6:30 Made Sephardic charoset with dates, figs, apricots, pistachios, cinnamon and wine.
7:00: Sent Larry to the grocery store. Answered several phone calls from Larry about how much ground lamb, do we really need more parsley, and there are no baby red potatoes.
7:30 Peeled and mashed the baked potatoes, prepped spinach for maakud.

8:00 Finished putting together the maakud while Larry tears the house apart looking for the hagaddahs, which for reasons unknown are not in the china cabinet drawer where they belong.

8:15 Made another pot of coffee
8:30 Marinated chicken in garlic, vinegar, olive oil, oregano, olives, capers and dried fruit for Chicken Marabella.

9:00 Cleaned up Kitchen, Larry washed first round of dirty dishes. Larry escaped to the safety of his office
9:30 Started on Lemon Meringue Torts, whipping eggwhites for meringue "crust", filled pans, put pans in oven.

10:30 Started cleaning house. Still no hagaddahs. And I've managed to jam the garbage disposal. *curtsies*

Maakud, or Mahookha, Sephardic Potato-Leek Dish--serves 12

olive oil
8 large potatoes
2 Tbs. butter or olive oil
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
4 leeks
1 sweet red pepper
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry (important!)
6 eggs
2 tsp. salt
ground pepper
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 cup matzoh meal
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/4 cup minced dill

Bake the potatoes in a 350 oven until very soft.
While the potatoes are baking, clean and slice the leeks, and finely dice the pepper. Saute the leeks in a skillet with some oil until tender, then add the pepper and carrots and continue to cook until they're also tender.
Using an oven mitt to protect your hands, peel the potatoes. Mash in a large bowl with the butter or oil, and broth. Stir in the dry spinach, mix to combine. Add to the potatoes, and mix well. Beat the eggs, and add the salt, pepper, cumin, parsley and dill. Mix, then add to the potato mixture. Add the matzoh meal, and stir very well to combine everything. Put into an oiled 9x13 pan, and smooth the top. Before baking, drizle the top with olive oil to prevent drying out. Bake in a 350 oven till puffed and brown on top, about 40 minutes.