As the 8-day holiday of Passover enters its final stretch, are you growing a little weary of matzo already, dreaming of croissants and and hot cross buns? Maybe a bagel or two?
With almost four pounds of matzo left (I always over-buy!), I’m a little worried. Can two people possibly consume that much matzo? Should we even try? Well, honestly, I’m not feeling that sorry for us.
Unlike so many who dismiss matzo as a dry-as-dust cracker with strangely mesmerizing lines of holes but almost no flavor, I actually love the blank canvas that is matzo and look forward to eating it every year—and to the challenge of coming up with creative things to do with it.
Really. I’m not kidding. I’m not talking about the seasoned and egg varieties, nor the gluten-free ones, or even whole wheat and spelt—just the plain white-bread—whoops!—well, white Passover flour matzo with no additives, the kind that you can dress up or down to suit your taste.
When it comes to what you can put on matzo to take it from ho-hum to yum, the sky’s the limit. Anything from peanut butter and jelly to chicken liver pâté. You miss pizza? Well, there’s always matzo pizza—some like it even better than the regular kind. Truly.
And, if you crave something sweet, what could be better than chocolate-covered matzo? You can buy it, of course. But if you really want to be decadent, try David Lebovitz’s Chocolate-Covered Carmelized Matzoh Crunch. You’ll want to hoard every box of matzo from here until next Passover!
But, unless you’re the type that likes dessert first, sometimes you just want something simple—like some soft salted butter and a sprinkle of cheese.
The butter has to be soft or the matzo will crumble as you spread it. The combination is unbeatable, especially if the matzo is fresh and crisp, as it is at this time of year.
Then, my next spread of choice is cream cheese, which also must be soft. It’s great on its own, or spike it with a bit of smoked salmon, and perhaps some sliced tomatoes, fresh dill and sumac—you’ll only miss bagels a little (okay, a lox!).
Another matzo topping I like: sliced hard-boiled eggs on soft cheese (I like Laughing Cow, but cream cheese, goat cheese or Brie would be delicious). Egg salad would also be excellent—or smoked white fish salad from the nearest Jewish deli, as my friend Marla suggested. Or how about smashed avocado with a sprinkle of salt? That’s my cousin Tina’s new favorite. I added a spritz of lime and thought I was in heaven.
Speaking of eggs, perhaps my favorite thing to do with matzo is to make matzo brei. A staple of Jewish delis, with Eastern European roots, it’s really a very simple preparation of matzo, eggs, salt and pepper, fried in fat. But like other traditional and beloved Jewish dishes, there are disagreements—hopefully friendly ones—about the “right” way to make matzo brie.
Some like it prepared with chicken fat (schmaltz), others with butter, oil or margarine. Some want it to be almost like scrambled eggs, others like a pancake. Some prefer a sweet version, topped with cinnamon and sugar, maple syrup and/or jam. Others—and my husband Jeff is in that number—like it savory, like an omelette, with fried onions and maybe some grated cheese.
I grew up with the sweet variety (see above), but matzo brei can easily be made savory by omitting anything sweet and adding whatever you fancy. Among my favorite additions: mushrooms, onions, feta, grated cheddar, and fresh or dried herbs. I recently made it for dinner, incorporating most of these, plus chopped red peppers and just one link of pan-fried chicken sausage, which made all the difference.
The basic matzo brei recipe comes once again from one of my go-to sources for Jewish cooking, Joan Nathan. In her introduction to the dish in The Jewish Holiday Kitchen, Nathan takes on those who would soak the matzo in milk rather than water to soften it before cooking, a preparation she considers sacrilegious.
“…Matzah brei cannot be made with milk. With milk, it is like pastrami on white bread or chicken livers with mayonnaise. How would Eastern European Jews, with only goose fat available for frying, include milk in matzah brei?”
Below is Nathan’s recipe, which calls for soaking the matzo in hot water for 15 minutes, then draining it. In another recipe from Tori Avey, the matzo is just run under hot water for a few seconds, then broken up. Some may prefer Avey’s method.
However you do it, matzo brei is a breeze to make, with few ingredients, infinite variations, and, if you have leftover matzo in a few days—or weeks—it’ll still be delicious. Or you may opt for bagels!
How do you like your matzo brei—like scrambled eggs or a pancake? Savory or sweet? Crisp or soft? And what’s your favorite topping for matzo? I’d love to hear from you!
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Hi Ruth! I love all of these matzo ideas. We have a matzo-loving family and many of these recipes made me smile. (David Leibovitz's Chocolate-Covered Caramelized Matzo Crunch is a family favorite!) If I had to vote on matzo brei, I would definitely choose pancake-style, savory, and crunchy. Does that put me in the minority here? Great to meet you today, and let's talk food again sometime soon! Cheers, Jeanne