Cooking Up a Storm for The Kiddies

We set up a second table in order to accommodate the clan yesterday. There were chairs out for all but the youngest, who's under a month old. Just because I'm no longer in the Passover Seder business doesn't mean that I'm neither hosting nor cooking for them. Not only did I have everyone over for our traditional family Pesach food, but I served on real plates. And I even washed up all the dishes, pots and pans afterwards.

Photo by Yisrael Medad,
Yes, the husband

The highlight of the menu was Savta Brei, a calorie laden dish that can be described as "latke-coated matzah" fried in olive oil. Basically, it's just a matter of taking onions and potatoes, grating (you can use a blender or food-processor) them together, mix with eggs, matzah meal, salt and pepper. Yes, just like classic raw potato latkes. Heat some oil in the frying pan, then take matzah, coat with the mush and fry well on both sides. Serve it with applesauce and/or sour cream, just like you'd do with potato latkes.

I'm not quite sure that anyone ate them besides my children. Since the frying went really slowly due to the lack of a good gas stove, I baked up some of the mush as oven latkes. But my husband was overjoyed to have the traditional holiday food of his family. The latkes were more popular with the younger generation and the in-laws.

For my children, I decided to serve one of their childhood Passover treats,  Instant Chocolate Pudding. It had been decades since such a dish had graced our table. As an extra adventure, the grandkids were introduced to what was once the most necessary Passover kitchen tool, the eggbeater. Some of the older ones took turns trying to mix the chocolate pudding with it.

I think everyone had a good time. There was just one almost disaster. The folding table began spontaneously folding mid-meal. Luckily I was sitting at the end and held it up until my son-in-law reopened it. Nothing was lost, especially not weight. We will have to resume our diets after Pesach.

The farewell blessing was:

"Next year in a new kitchen."

Gd willing, speedily in our days...

Last Chance to Use Up Last Year's Matzah!

There's a custom not to eat matzah or matzah products/foods for a month before Passover, and since Purim is a month before Passover, and Purim is in a few days...

I checked the matzah box, which lives from year to year, and it's changed from year to year, on a shelf between the kitchen and dining area. There were only six pieces left, so I made my husband two matzah breis. One was for Seudat Shlishit, the third Shabbat meal, and the other he'll take to work for lunch tomorrow.

Over the year, I gradually try to use up the matzah by making matzah brei, and I must admit that this almost empty giant box shows that we've done a good job this year. Israeli matzah comes in 2 1/2 kilo, that's over five 5 pounds boxes. They are boxes, and I say that because there used to be paper wrapping which got holey very quickly.

Matzah Brei Recipe (serves 1 or 2, depending on whom)

• 2 pieces of Israeli matzah, which is a bit 1/3 smaller than American I think
• 2 eggs (3 if you're using the larger American matzah)
• medium size bowl
• 1/2 cup of water, though I've never really measured
• oil for frying
• covered frying pan

Directions

• break the matzah into the bowl
• add water
• add eggs
• mix and let sit for at least 10 minutes
• heat oil in frying pan
• add matzah mush, spread out on hot oil
• cover, then lower flame
• when it looks solid, flip over to cook the other side
• turn off heat after 3-5 minutes
• wait another 5 minutes before serving
• "travels well" if wrapped in foil and cooled in fridge. 

Most people like it served with something sweet, like jam or honey or spreading cheese or cut fruit.

Finish That Matzah!

Matzah is one of those products that lasts forever; yes, in two ways.

1. It never spoils.  Properly sealed, it stays edible for years.
2. If you overbuy the amount of matzah you really need for Passover, something we frequently do, it's easy to forget to eat/cook/serve it. So you end up suddenly discovering that very expensive simple food when preparing  (cleaning) for the next Pesach.

I've discovered that I can give my husband perfectly good matzah brei during the year as his "lunch sandwich."  He generally gets two peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, plus a couple of fruit and yogurt for breakfast when he goes to work.  With this eating regime, he has lost, and kept off, even more weight than I've banished.

Last night, since I realized that we were out of bread, making him matzah brei was the perfect solution.

I wrap it in foil and keep a piece of matzah dry for him to use to make the bracha blessing on bread.

The recipe is very simple.
Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of matzah
• 2 eggs
• water (milk or both) to moisten the matzah
• oil for frying
• honey or jam optional to sweeten it

Instructions:

• break matzah in pieces and put in bowl
• add water or milk or combination, about 1/4 cup
• add the eggs
• mix and then leave for at least 10 minutes
• heat the oil in the frying pan
• add the mixture and cover
• start on high and quickly turn to low flame
• when you can see that the matzah brei is solid, turn over and cook another couple of minutes
• leave covered on flame for a bit
• then serve or pack, with optional honey or jam

This is very easy and wonderful for traveling.

Passover Cooking and a Present

What's your most reliable, filling Passover food staple?

For us it's the classic "Ashkenaz" Matzah Brei. I just made a nice big one for my husband to take to work. It's a day's worth of food for him. It's one dish we can't live without on Pesach. OK, this isn't diet food, and I doubt if I'll eat one this year. I'm not planning on traveling, so I can make my usual low carb goodies.



Matzah Brei is easy, simple to make and includes ingredients and equipment everyone (and if you don't have, they're worth buying) has at home:

• matzah
• eggs
• water (milk optional)
• margarine or oil for frying
• something sweet to spread on it, honey or jam (optional)

The necessary equipment:

• a large bowl
• a spoon
• covered frying pan (you can cover with a plate or foil)
• spatula (or knife and spoon used in tandem)

Yes, that's it.

• take a few matzot and break them up in a large bowl
• add some water, half way unless you want milk, too, then the combination should be half way up the matzah
• add eggs, at least one per matzah
• mix
• let sit for awhile, so the liquids can be absorbed by the matzot
• heat oil/margarine in the frying pan
• spoon the mixture onto the hot, greased pan
• lower the heat and cover
• when you can see that the top is cooked/solid/not eggy-runny, then turn over and cover
• wait a minute and turn off the flame and let it sit for at least five minutes
• That's it!
  
  

My Pesach Present

My son-in-law saw this for sale and knew he had to buy one. He and my daughter decided that it was just perfect for me. It's a well-made wooden cutting board, constructed like a "table." Underneath is a "bowl." It's for cutting salad.

The ironic thing is that a number of years ago, I also saw one of those and bought it... for my mother.

Yes, we had visitors!

Yes, we did, and I even took them to a Hebrew-language shiur by Rachel Ehrlich, who is in charge of Development and Tourism of Tel Shiloh. The famous blogger tnspr569 understood it well. He wants to know Hebrew and makes an effort. I hope he blogs about the issue. He and his friend both admitted that Hebrew is not a required subjects in the yeshivot.

Now I can also tell you what I cooked.

Well, I needed to empty the freezer and still do. There were two things I don't normally use. Turkey necks and chicken schnitzel.

I used the turkey necks in the chulent with potatoes, beans and barley, plus spices. Very easy to make and no exact ingredients. Remember to use a lot of water. The ingredients shouldn't go more than 2/3 or max 3/4 the pot. Then add as much water as you can. Before Shabbat there may be a need to add more, so check early enough so you have time for it to boil.

Besides the chicken schnitzels, actually just expensive chicken breasts, I had lasagna noodles, so I made chicken lasagna! I bet you have never heard of it. Well, until I made invented it, I hadn't either.

• line the pan with a layer of the noodles
• a layer of sliced vegetables; I used eggplant
• layer the chicken
• then sliced onions
• pour lots of diluted tomato sauce on it, but leave some over
• and top it with another layer of noodles
• pour the rest of the sauce and some water

You're better off with more liquid than less, so if in doubt, don't be stingy. Cover with foil and then bake until ready. What's ready? When the noodles are soft and the food seems cooked inside.

I'm glad the boys had volunteered to eat our food.

ps They started off Friday afternoon with lunch, Matzah Brei! We have to finish the matzah before Purim!