Last year, after 30 years away from the land of his birth, Alan decided it was time to return. He decided that we would spend Passover in South Africa with his mother’s two sisters.

My son, daughter-in-law and baby granddaughter were planning to be with her parents in Paris, so it would be the five of us on this adventure. We landed in Capetown on Wednesday night and then we spent Thursday and Friday preparing for a three-day Yom Tov!

Luckily for me, Alan booked an Airbnb that had just been remodeled. Everything in the kitchen was brand new — the oven, the stovetop, the refrigerator, even the glasses and cutlery.

Luckily for us, Alan’s parents very generously paid for 14 of us to attend Seder at the President Hotel for the first night and at the Arthur’s Road Synagogue for the second night.

That only left me with six meals to cater for 14 people.

Luckily for me, the supermarkets in Sea Point have the most incredible kosher food counters. Although the Jewish population in Cape Town is only 15,000, the two main supermarkets, Checkers and Spar, have dedicated kosher food counters. The South African Jewish community descended from Orthodox Jews who immigrated from Lithuania and Latvia, beginning in the late 19th century. They are very traditional and maintain kosher homes, so it makes sense for the supermarkets to cater to their needs.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to find the most wonderful selection of kosher for Passover cooked foods—shepherd’s pie, meat pies and meatballs, rotisserie and barbecue chickens, roasted veggies and pumpkin fritters, as well as all the salatim. The meat refrigerator was huge and packed with every kind of roast, and steaks. Of course, there were huge quantities of the prized Boerewors, a traditional South African sausage. Literally “farmer’s sausage” in Afrikaans, it’s a coarse-ground, savory sausage, often made from beef mixed with lamb and highly spiced with coriander, cloves, nutmeg and black pepper.

Besides all the kosher prepared foods, the Woolworths supermarket had the most gourmet selection of fruits and vegetables.

I was in food heaven.

I will admit that I felt very, very guilty that the exchange rate was 19 rand to the American dollar, that the average wage was $1.50 per hour and that the most expensive drink at Starbucks was $2. But I was grateful that my tips made the cheerful workers even happier. (I tipped the lady doing my pedicure $5 and she was so overcome that she hugged me tight and kissed me on both cheeks.)

Despite all the prepared foods, my girls insisted that I prepare some of the foods that I always make at home: my grandmother’s special Italian parsley and vegetable frittata, my shepherd’s pie and most vehemently, my matzah ball soup. My recipe for chicken soup includes lots of dill and parsley, root vegetables like parsnip, turnip and carrots, as well as celery and garlic. I include a yellow onion in its skin, which gives the soup a most glorious golden color.

It was very emotional for us to reunite with Alan’s family: his Aunt Renee and Uncle Theo, their son Jeff, his wife Esther and their daughter Layla, who is the same age as our daughters. His Aunt Fiona and Uncle Paul, their daughter Lisa and her husband Ryan.

Nothing can prepare you for the vast rugged beauty of Cape Town. Most notable is the prominent flat-topped expanse of Table Mountain overlooking the city. There is an old harbor, many fishing towns and beautiful blue beaches. I was glad to finally see the places where Alan had spent the summers of his childhood, visiting his maternal grandparents. (One day, we’ll make it to Johannesburg, where he grew up.)

But honestly, I am mostly grateful that I was able to spend the Pesach holiday with Alan’s aunts and uncles. I can’t say I didn’t miss the Babylonian tunes and traditions of my family Seders, but I was happy to seize the joy of the moment.

I will never forget the happy twinkle in uncle Theo’s blue eyes when I served him that homemade matzah ball soup.

—Sharon

Sharon’s Chicken Soup

1 whole chicken, washed

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

4 Tbsp kosher for Passover chicken consommé powder

1 head of celery, including leafy tops, washed and chopped into 2″ pieces

1 large golden brown onion, washed and unpeeled

1 head of garlic, peeled and chopped

4 carrots, peeled and chopped into thin coins

1 whole parsnip, peeled

1 whole turnip, peeled

1 rutabaga, peeled

5 Mexican squash, chopped into 1″ rings

2 bunches dill, cleaned

2 bunches Italian parsley, cleaned 

Fill a large stockpot with 14 cups of cold water, then add the chicken and simmer to a slow boil for 30 minutes. Skim the chicken “scum” from the top of the pot.

Add the salt and pepper, chicken consommé, celery, onion, garlic, carrots, parsnip, turnip and rutabaga. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours.

Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Add the squash, dill and parsley and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Discard the dill, parsley and chicken carcasses.

Serve broth with shredded chicken, vegetables and kosher for Passover matzah balls made according to package directions.

Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them
on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. Website sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes.