Gale Gand is the author of Brunch!: 100 Fantastic Recipes for the Weekend's Best Meal. She is an award winning pastry chef living in Chicago.
Matzoh is a flatbread, traditionally eaten during Passover.
Fried Matzoh
Serves 4
4 sheets matzoh, preferably unsalted
4 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
5 grinds freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp unsalted butter
Maple syrup, for serving
Break the matzoh sheets into pieces about the size of Saltine crackers or smaller (irregular shapes are fine), and place them in a large bowl. Pour enough water over the pieces to cover them. Let soak for 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, 2 teaspoons water, the salt, and the pepper with a fork.
Place your hand, fingers stretched out wide, over the broken matzoh pieces and hold them in the bowl while you tip the bowl to let the excess water drain out; press on the matzoh to squeeze out some of the water. Add the egg mixture to the matzoh and use a fork to stir it in.
Heat the butter in a frying pan until it foams. Add the matzoh mixture and cook it on one side until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Then break up the mixture into 1-inch pieces, stir the pieces to cook them on the other side, and cook until they are are done all the way through, 5 to 10 more minutes. Spoon onto plates and serve hot, with maple syrup.
Evan's Ultimate Savory Kugel
1 12 oz box Egg Matzos or leftover Passover Matzos
Milk, water, or broth for soaking
½ stick of butter, or ¼ cup Olive Oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
Portabella mushroom, diced
Washed spinach
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Soak matzos in milk until soft. Drain in colander then put in mixing bowl.
Meanwhile, saute onion in butter until very soft and slightly caramelized. Add the mushrooms and saute until done. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Season the veggies with salt and pepper to taste. Add to the softened matzos and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Put in oiled baking dish that will just accommodate the mixture. Bake
covered at 375 degres until dish puffs (about 30 minutes). Remove foil
and let top get golden brown. Serve as side dish or vegetarian entrée.
David Lebovitz's Chocolate-Covered Caramelized Matzoh Crunch
Makes approximately 30 pieces of candy
This recipe is adapted from Marcy Goldman of Betterbaking.com, whose latest book is A Passion For Baking. It's super-simple and requires no fancy thermometer, equipment, or ingredients. If you can't get matzoh, use plain crackers such as saltines instead and omit the additional salt in the recipe. For passover or vegans, Marcy advises that it works well with margarine. And for our gluten-free friends, this would be superb made with any gluten-free cracker. I'd love to hear about any variations you might try with it.
4 to 6 sheets unsalted matzohs
1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup (215g) firmly-packed light brown sugar
Big pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (160g) semisweet chocolate chips (or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate)
1 cup (80g) toasted sliced almonds (optional)
1. Line a rimmed baking sheet (approximately 11 x 17", 28 x 42cm) completely with foil, making sure the foil goes up and over the edges. Cover the foil with a sheet of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
2. Line the bottom of the sheet with matzoh, breaking extra pieces as necessary to fill in any spaces.
3. In a 3-4 quart (3-4l) heavy duty saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter is melted and the mixture is beginning to boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add the salt and vanilla, and pour over matzoh, spreading with a heatproof spatula.
4. Put the pan in the oven and reduce the heat to 350F (175C) degrees. Bake for 15 minutes. As it bakes, it will bubble up but make sure it's not burning every once in a while. If it is in spots, remove from oven and reduce the heat to 325F (160C), then replace the pan.
5. Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes, then spread with an offset spatula.
6. If you wish, sprinkle with toasted almonds (or another favorite nut, toasted and coarsely-chopped), a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, or roasted cocoa nibs.
Let cool completely, the break into pieces and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. It should keep well for about one week.