Two versions of this Passover favorite – Sweet Matzo Brei with Apple-Walnut Charoset and Savory Matzo Brei with Gruyere Cheese and Caramelized Onions
Growing up, spring break from school always fell during the week up Passover, and me and my brother would take a trip up to Connecticut to stay with my grandma “Nana.” Never having gone to Hebrew school or grown up in a very religious Jewish household, what this really meant in my 7-year-old mind was a week without any bread (or cookies, or cake) and for a kid that can be pretty rough. But what it also meant was that instead of pancakes or cereal for breakfast, we had Matzo Brei. (And occasionally Kosher for Passover cereal, which I HIGHLY discourage you from trying – Matzo Brei is much better!)
Let’s go over a few basics for anyone out there (and I’m sure there are a lot of you) who doesn’t know what Matzo Brei, or even Matzo, is. Matzo is kind of like a big, flat, dry cracker. What makes it special is that it is unlevened, meaning it doesn’t have any yeast or other leavening agent, and it hasn’t had any time to rise at all. When the Jews were escaping slavery in Egypt – which is what the Passover celebration is all about (see: What is Passover) – they were in a pretty big rush to get themselves together and get outta there (I’m sure you would have been too!) Of course they needed bread for the 40-year trip through the desert, but they didn’t have any time to let the dough rise. So they just baked it as-is, and alas, Matzo was born.
I know it might sound kind of gross to anyone who hasn’t had it before (who wants bread without all the delicious crusty outside and warm squishy inside) but Matzo is a fantastic snack with butter, jelly, cream cheese, nutella, or really anything smeared all over the top. For those who keep Kosher during Passover, Matzo is the only thing even remotely close to bread that you can eat. I am not one of those people, but I truly commend those who are!
Ok, now on to Matzo Brei! Matzo Brei is sort of like a cross between french toast and a fritata, only using matzo instead of bread. You can have it either sweet or savory, and you can cook it similar to a fritata, or more like scrambled eggs. My mom and grandma always made the sweet version for breakfast. The basic premise of Matzo Brei is that you soak the Matzo in water or milk just enough so it starts to get slightly soft, and then you mix it with eggs and fry it up in butter. I know you’re probably thinking this sounds kind of weird, but believe me it’s delicious.
My cheesy savory matzo brie still sizzling in the pan.
Feeling nostalgic for one of my childhood favorites and still in the Passover mood from our seder the night before (and with a lot of leftover matzo), I decided that Matzo Brei would be a perfect dinner this past Saturday night. I cooked mine more like a fritata, crumbling my soaked matzo into a bunch of beaten eggs and letting the mixture fry in a deep pan until totally browned before flipping it to the other side. It came out of the pan as the perfect vessel for any soft of toppings. I chose to do a sweet version as well as a savory version.
I topped my sweet Matzo Brei with maple syrup and apple walnut charoset, a traditional passover food made up of finely chopped apples and walnuts, with lots of honey and a dash of sweet red wine. Instead of sweet red wine in mine, I added a tiny bit of grape jelly. For anyone wondering more about charoset, check out this article about the two traditional types of charoset, one Ashkenazi (as mine is) and one Sephardic, as well as the symbolism of the charoset in the Passover story as the mortar between the bricks used by the enslaved Jews in Egypt.
As for my savory Matzo Brei, I melted a big handful of shredded gruyere cheese over each individual portion, and topped it with slowly caramelized onions and a balsamic vinegar glaze. The Matzo Brei itself has a tendency to be a bit dry on the inside, so the juices from the caramelized onions and the reduced balsamic glaze combined to make the perfect sweet and savory sauce to offset the sharpness of the gruyere cheese.
Either way you want to eat it (I recommend both), definetly try your hand at Matzo Brei for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And don’t limit yourself to the toppings I have here! Matzo Brei is the perfect vessel for any sort of topping, sweet or savory, and I promise that you’ll have a great time experimenting with this Passover treat!
- 6 sheets of matzo
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup warm milk or water
- Crumble the matzo (still leaving a few bigger pieces) into the warm milk or water, and allow to soak for about a minute, until the matzo is slightly soft but still has so texture to it.
- Drain the milk/water, and add 4 beaten eggs to the matzo. Mix to combine.
- Melt butter in a a pan over medium heat, and add the matzo/egg mixture. Allow to cook until golden brown and slightly set. Then flip, and brown the other side.
- Remove the matzo brei and cut into servings. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
- 1 serving Matzo Brei
- Maple syrup to taste
- 3 red apples (I used granny smith)
- 1 cup roasted and chopped walnuts
- 3 tablespoons honey (more or less to taste)
- 1 tablespoon grape jam (more or less to taste)
- dash of salt
- For the Charoset: peel and dice apples into small pieces, about ⅛ of an inch. Mix in walnuts, honey, and grape jam. I like to let this mixture sit for at least 30 minutes for all the flavors to combine.
- Top the Matzo Brei with as much charoset as you like and a drizzle of maple syrup.
- Matzo Brei (see recipe above)
- 2 cups grated gruyere cheese
- 2 large onions
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- Slice the onions into half-rings and allow them to caramelize in a pan with olive oil over low heat until they are totally softened and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Add the vinegar to a small sauce pan over low heat and allow it to thicken to a glaze, about 5-10 minutes.
- Top the Matzo Brei with the shredded gruyere cheese and cook in the oven under the broiler until the cheese and bubbly and brown, about 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the Matzo Brei and top with caramelized onions and balsamic glaze. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply