Real Housewives of NY star shares Passover tips

Pass the matzo, it’s almost Passover!

Former “Real Housewives of New York” star Jill Zarin made her way out to Whole Foods in Gowanus on Monday, March 23 to take “Housewives” and matzo fans alike on a Passover shopping tour – an afternoon of recipe sharing, matzo ball shopping, and tips for finding essential Passover products.

The reality starlet is the new face and recipe blogger for Streit’s Matzo, a 90-year-old family owned kosher food brand, which is stepping into the future with its first-ever website.

“It feels really surreal to, first of all, represent Streit’s Matzo, which has been around since 1925,” said Zarin. “I was just on the phone with my aunt Cookie, talking of course about Passover and what we need and everything else, and she said to me how proud she was of me. And I said well ‘why are you proud of me?’ And she said ‘because you own and are happy to share your Judaism.’

The native New Yorker, who grew up on Long Island, said she felt very proud to be representing “one of the world’s most famous Jewish brands” and felt “really good” about making her family proud.

Having co-written a book with her mother, Gloria Kamen, and her sister Lisa Wexler, entitled Secrets of a Jewish Mother, it’s no secret that Zarin is big on family, even chatting it up with fans, who drove all the way out from North Carolina to meet her, as if she had known them for years.

As for her own Passover celebration, Zarin said she would be cooking for 29 of her family members in the Hamptons this year.

“It’s a big event,” said Zarin of the celebration that lasts from Friday, April 3 to Saturday, April 11 this year. “The most important thing for the meal, for me, is the matzo ball. Matzo balls [are a] key ingredient in the Passover meal. I’m already stressing over how many I’m going to need.

“Sometimes, people think ‘kosher’ or ‘kosher for Passover, it can’t taste good.’ That’s absolutely not true, especially in today’s day and age. They even have stuffing,” added Zarin.

The “Housewives” star will be sharing her own weekly recipes and tips year-round on her blog affiliated with the Streit’s Matzo website. To check out her recipes, the first one being her “world famous matzo ball chicken soup,” visit www.streitsmatzos.com.