Passover Roast Lamb

Passover in 2008 will start on Sunday, the 20th of April and will continue for 7 days until Saturday, the 26th of April.


1 shoulder of lamb -- 7 lbs
salt and pepper -- to taste
1 clove garlic -- minced
1/2 c shredded celery leaves
1/3 c cubed green pepper
2 tbsp tomato sauce -- or to taste

Preheat oven to 325F. Rub the meat all over with salt and pepper. Place slivers of garlic between the bone and flesh. Place meat on a rack in a roasting pan, surrounded by celery leaves and green pepper. Allowing 20 min per lb, roast in oven. About 1 hr before it is done, smooth tomato sauce over top of lamb. This will make a crusty skin and add flavor to the gravy.

To make the gravy, drain off all the fat, and remove lamb to a warm place. Add a little water to the pan, leaving in the vegetables, and boil down on top of stove.

Serving Ideas : with asparagus, roasted new potatoes and mint jelly.

NOTES : From _The Jewish Holiday Kitchen_ by Joan Nathan. Schocken Books, New York: 1988


Pesach or Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Shavu'ot and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it represents the beginning of the harvest season in Israel, but little attention is paid to this aspect of the holiday. The primary observances of Pesach are related to the Exodus from Egypt after generations of slavery. This story is told in Exodus, Ch. 1-15. Many of the Pesach observances are instituted in Chs. 12-15..