dish

By JANET K. KEELER

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 4, 2001

deconstructing

explanations from the inside out

the seder plate

The seder feast commemorates the exodus of Jewish slaves from Egypt and is held on the first night of Passover, which this year begins at sundown Saturday. At the seder, which means "order of the ritual" in Hebrew, several foods are used to symbolize the plight of the Jews as they escaped slavery. After the retelling of the exodus story, a full meal is served.

According to Zell Shuman's Passover Seders Made Simple (IDG Books Worldwide Inc., 2001, $16.95), the items on the Passover plate are:

1. Karpas, parsley or celery leaves. These symbolize springtime, home and renewal.

2. Chazeret, a bitter vegetable. Many people substitute salt water to represent the tears of slavery.

3. Baytzah, a roasted egg. A symbol of the offering brought to the temple; also representative of new life at springtime.

4. Zeroah, a roasted bone, usually a lamb shank. Lamb was eaten at the first Passover, and this bone represents the sacrifice of the animal.

5. Maror, bitter herbs, usually horseradish. Symbolic of the bitterness that Jewish forebears experienced as slaves.

6. Charoset, a mixture of apples, dried fruit, nuts and wine. This sweet melange represents the mortar the slaves used to make bricks for building the cities of the Egyptian pharaoh.

this web site cooks

http://www.fabulousfood.com

This site is everything to all cooks. An online cooking school answers nearly every question you might have about cooking plus offers recipes and primers about equipment. Afraid of using a pressure cooker? You'll get the information to quell your nerves here.

Plenty of seasonal ideas, too, such as 10 tips for using Easter eggs after the hunt, including how to make Scotch eggs, a popular bar food all over Britain. Color photos are a bonus.

cooking class

When buying mushrooms, whether loose or packaged, they should look fresh and be free from major blemishes or gouges. The Mushroom Council says mushrooms should be kept in paper bags or covered with paper towels in the refrigerator. Most will last about a week.

constant comment

color it kooky

Trying to be this year's green ketchup, Kool-Aid has introduced Magic Twists, drink mixes that are not exactly what they seem. For instance, Changin' Cherry powder starts out red, changes to blue when water is added and then tastes like cherry. Look for Grape Illusion, too. A small envelope costs 25 cents.

taste of louisiana

Hankering for a bayou experience? Then find your way this weekend to the Cajun/Zydeco Crawfish Festival on the waterfront behind the Times Bayfront Center Arena in downtown St. Petersburg. From 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday evening, festivalgoers will chow down on thousands of pounds of crawfish, and dance, clap and holler to continuous live music. Tickets are $10 a day or $25 for a three-day pass and can be purchased at the Bayfront box office, 400 First St. S, or by calling (727) 892-5767 or Ticketmaster at (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100.

a good egg

Rudy Stanish, 87, has made omelets for people with titles such as duchess and princess and names such as Onassis, Vanderbilt and Hearst. This year marks the 35th he's folded eggs for the annual omelet fundraiser for the Upper Pinellas Association for Retarded Citizens.

From his home in Yukon, Penn., Stanish shared the secret of the perfect omelet. "Make sure your eggs are at room temperature because that gives the omelet more volume and makes it lighter. You don't want to give the eggs or pan a fright (by mixing cold with hot)."

If you're interested in attending the fundraiser, which begins Friday with a black-tie Champagne dinner followed by Saturday's omelet brunch, both at the Belleair home of Dan and Nicole Doyle, call (727) 797-8712. Tickets are $80-$125 for the brunch and $200-$500 for the dinner.

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