Most holiday tables consist of dishes that appear each year like clockwork. For families that celebrate Passover, the greatest hits are often chicken soup with matzo balls, brisket or roast chicken, potato kugel, I could go on. But that is a very Ashkenazi or Eastern European Jewish expression of culinary tradition. And Jews, by our nature, exist in diaspora with food traditions that span the globe.
A long time ago when my restaurant Angeli was in its early years, a wonderful woman talked her way into my kitchen to make pastries. Victoria Granof had a joie de vivre and a love of research that made working with her a delight. Now Granof is a food stylist, commercial director, and cookbook author known for her exuberant style. I can spot her work instantly for its colorful kinetic energy. It’s not surprising to me that she went on to receive a James Beard nomination and was named one of Cherry Bombe Magazine’s 100 most inspiring women in food. Her recent book, a look at the very particular world of Sicilian confections, is Sicily My Sweet.
But back in the day, I learned so much from Granof, most memorably some of the dishes her family served for Passover. As a Sephardic Jew with roots in Sicily and the Ottoman Empire, her family’s food was very different from mine. Over the years, I fed many customers at Angeli Passover dinners with Granof’s recipes, although I’m sure they morphed over time as recipes often do.
One of the big hits was our lasagne made with matzo instead of pasta. The meat and vegetable pies are called “mina” in the countries of the former Ottoman Empire and “scacchi” in Italy. On the menu, we called it “Tortino di Azzime,” “pane azzimo” being the Italian word for matzo, but the staff just referred to it as “mazzagna.” There is as much variation in these layered casseroles as there are cooks. Often they are meat-based, with ground lamb or beef cooked with leeks, tomatoes, and spices such as cinnamon, cumin, and garlic. Think of a Greek pastitso filling. Over the years, ours became a salute to vegetables, as each layer featured a different one. Obviously we weren’t a kosher kitchen. Some years, I added parmigiano to the layers. Other times, I just had it on the table for those who wanted to sprinkle it on.
Although lasagna is usually thought of as a “starchy” dish, this matzo “Tortino” couldn’t be more different. Although the technique of layering the sheets of matzo with veggies borrows heavily from the lasagna idea, the brief water soak plus the liquid of the veggies are absorbed into the matzo. And after baking, they transform the dry crackers into yielding, nearly custardy layers of unbelievable lightness. This dish is a wonderful vegetable side, as well as a delicious and satisfying vegetarian alternative entrée. It’s also unbelievably fun to put together since the square matzo boards seem like a building material.
The layers are made up of tomato sauce topped with onions (cooked to a golden brown), sauteéd mushrooms, and sauteéd spinach. Each vegetable was tucked into its own layer for textural interest.
If you’re looking for a meat-based mina, click on this link and scroll down. And if you need more inspiration for your holiday table, here are several of my Passover recipes and a few from friends.