Laniado Hospital launches gourmet meals for Passover

The Laniado Hospital in Netanya has teamed up with chef Meir Adoni to create gourmet meals for the workers and patients of the hospital during Passover, the hospital announced earlier this week.

The new menu, launched on the Passover Seder, features among among others, roast beef in wine sauce, confit carrots and mushrooms; lamb meatballs; spring chicken in date honey, garlic and various citrus, sweet potato cream, and roasted portobello mushrooms.

The 51-year-old chef explained the duality of the challenge in creating the menu. First granting every dish the "touch" and "high standard" it deserved was especially difficult in the environment of a hospital where large kitchens are supposed to provide thousands of meals per day. 

Creative ways of providing kosher meals for Passover 

However, according to him "the real challenge" was that of the Kosher observations, "since the hospital adheres to a particularly strict and high level of kashrut during Passover, so I had to be extremely creative without compromising on visibility and above all on taste," he said. 

He further noted that "Planning holiday meals, of such a magnitude and under the strictest kosher conditions, is a complete culinary journey and a professional challenge that I am glad I took on - I was able to produce dishes that respect tradition and, together with it, provide additional layers and uniqueness that I believe will surprise and excite the staff and patients."

Indeed, the chef came up with creative ways of creating Kneidlach without kitniyot (the interdict of eating grains or legumes, such as corn) or gebrochts (the ban against eating matzah which has been in contact with liquid).

CEO of Laniado Hospital, Nadav Chen commented on the venture. "With the growth and development of the hospital, there are many patients during Passover, so we chose to invest a special effort and give them a feeling of the holiday.

"It is not an easy task, but I am proud to say that together we managed to formulate an innovative variety of kosher, tasty and high-quality meals. So if you thought that Passover was only potato and chicken - then prepare to be surprised."