After The Seder
•
•
1:3
&
-
What to eat
the rest of the
week during
Passover.
64 April 2 • 2015
p
assover is a long holiday.
Eight days of celebrat-
ing. Eight days of a
special (or restricted, if you're a
cup-is-half-empty thinker) eating
regime. But don't let food worries
color your cooking creativity.
As I was growing up, my
mother made matzah brei dur-
ing Passover. It was a dish her
Polish parents prepared for her
family, and it was almost the only
"traditional" food she made for
our family during Passover. She
would serve it salty or sweet,
sprinkled with cinnamon and
sugar or spread with fruit jam. It
was our tradition.
Sure, you can avoid any floury
foods (many of us do anyway), or
embrace your inner bubbie and
look for fun and creative ways
to add matzah to your favorite
entrees. Breakfast, lunch or din-
ner, take your Passover food to
a different level — not gourmet,
just interesting and pleasing.
For breakfast, pancakes
or matzah brei are favorites.
Lunch — pizza and vegetable
lakes. Dinner can be chicken
or a vegan lasagne that always
garners repeat requests (in fact,
I published this recipe last year
as well).
Go ahead — think inside the
box (of matzah, of course). Have
some fun. Start some new
traditions.
MATZAH PIZZA WITH
EGGPLANT AND
SUNDRIED-TOMATO
SAUCE
The key to matzah pizza is to pre-
toast the matzah (for crunch) and
to add the sauce last (to prevent
matzah mush). To make a sim-
pler version of this recipe, substi-
tute your favorite marinara sauce
for the eggplant sauce. Preparing
the sauce in a skillet will make it
cook quicker.
Sauce:
Y4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1'/2 cups chopped onions
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 medium eggplant (about 1
pound), cut into'/2-inch dice
1 cup red wine, any kind
4 cups chopped tomatoes (or
one 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
with juice)
12 sundried tomatoes packed
in oil, cut into thin strips
Salt and pepper to taste
Pizza:
6 matzah sheets
3-4 cups shredded cheese (your
favorite variety), or mozzarella
Fresh basil leaves
Other toppings as desired:
mushrooms, bell peppers, olives,
anchovies, etc.
Olive oil for drizzling
Prepare sauce: Heat oil, onions
and garlic together in a large skil-
let over medium-high heat. Cook,
stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
Add the eggplant and cook, stir-
ring frequently for 5 minutes
more. Add the wine, tomatoes
and sundried tomatoes and cook
for 10 minutes more, until thick-
ened. Season the sauce to taste
with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 350°E Place
matzahs on a rimmed bak-
ing sheet. Bake for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool.
Raise heat to 450°F.
Sprinkle half of the cheese
evenly over matzahs and bake
until it is melted, about 3 min-
utes. Spread sauce (as desired)
over the cheese. Add fresh basil
leaves and sprinkle with remain-
ing cheese and other toppings as
desired. Season with kosher salt.
Return to oven and bake until
bubbly, about 10 minutes.
Makes 6 servings.
MATZAH CHICKEN
BREASTS WITH
CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
The chicken is good on its own
and the sauce is good on any-
thing — which makes it great for
mixing and matching.
Chimichurri Sauce:
1 cup (packed) fresh parsley
leaves
8 garlic cloves
1 /4 cup red-wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. salt
tsp. red-pepper flakes, or
more to taste
Y2 tsp. fresh ground black pep-
per
Y3 cup olive oil
Y2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Y2
Chicken:
2 large eggs
8-9 matzahs (any flavor),
pulsed in a food processor until
almost crumbs (about 4 cups)
2 tsp. kosher coarse salt
Y4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying
11/2 pounds boneless, skinless
chicken breasts
Prepare the chimichurri:
Combine all ingredients in the
bowl of a food processor and
pulse until combined (it should
be almost smooth, but not a
paste). Makes 1 cup of chimi-
churri.
Prepare the chicken: Beat eggs
in a medium bowl.
Mix crushed matzahs, salt and
pepper in another bowl or dish.
Working one at a time, dip
breasts into egg, then into mat-
zah, pressing the crushed matzah
to the breasts.
Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large
skillet until very hot.
Place 1-2 breasts in skillet (do
not crowd the pan), and cook
until golden on each side, about
2 minutes per side. Transfer to a