Matzoh Brei

Pesach is one of my favorite Jewish holidays. It has a great story, deep tradition, and the food is always good.

Dan gets excited because Pesach means someone (me) will make him matzoh brei. (Pronounced Mat-zo brI)

I've tried matzoh brei two ways - both are good. Dan prefers one way, which turns out matzoh brei like scrambled eggs, since that is how his parents made it when he was a kid. I like it because it is fast. The second way, which makes little pancake-like rounds, has a little more texture and flavor.

You will need:

2.5 - 3 sheets of matzoh, broken into tiny bits - you can do this by wrapping the matzoh in a towel or cloth napkin and rolling it with a rolling pin, or you can buy matzoh farfel.

2 eggs, beaten

salt & pepper

water

EVOO or salted butter


Whichever type of brei you want, you start with the same base. Put your broken matzoh in a large bowl. If you have a little while, as in you want to eat in 20-30 minutes, add about 2 TBS of water to the crushed matzoh, mix, and then add the egg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let the egg and matzoh sit for 15-20 minutes. This gives the matzoh a little more flavor than the fast way. You could also choose to cook this after 5 minutes, which leaves the matzoh a little more crunchy.

If you are in a hurry and do not want to have crunchy matzoh, cover the bits with water. Let it sit for 5-8 minutes (get out your skillet and start heating it over medium-high heat). Take the matzoh by handfuls and squeeze out the water. This is very mushy and somewhat fun. Mix in the eggs and some salt and pepper.

Whichever you choose, you now have a bowl with egg, matzoh, and some seasoning. Excellent. Moving on.

If you want scrambled matzoh, heat your pan to medium-high and put in a little EVOO. Cook as you would scrambled eggs, stirring and flipping frequently.

If you want crispy rounds, melt about 1/6- 1/4 inch of a butter stick into your pan over medium-high heat... the bottom of the pan should be coated. (You can use EVOO or vegetable oil as well, but butter is tastier, and requires less heat.) Do not burn the butter. Drop the brei into the pan by heaping tablespoonfuls into the hot butter. Flatten the rounds out slightly. When they are golden and crispy (about 2-3 minutes, depending on your pan and heat) on one side, flip and repeat.
Remove to a plate lined with paper towel.

Serve both ways hot with tobasco or ketchup.