Advice & Reviews
| Battle of the Brei | |
| What to do with your leftover matzah | |
 by Amy Odell, April 16, 2007
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My father said I shouldn’t write about matzah brei because it’s just not that good. His main complaint: “It always needs salt.” In my household growing up, this was true. But after a heavy shower from the saltshaker and a long squeeze from the ketchup bottle, my mother’s matzah brei was toothsome indeed.
Mom never made it fancy: I always thought of hers as scrambled eggs more than anything else, and it didn’t take much more effort to prepare. I’d pass through the kitchen the week after Passover to find her stuffing leftover matzat into a pie dish filled with raw eggs, then weighing them down with a second plate, always careful to stay over the sink lest—GASP—spillage occur. (My mom has a knack for a spotless kitchen: messy preparations always happen over the sink or trashcan and no crumb escapes a damp Bounty.)
I always liked matzah brei and felt comforted by that overflowing pie plate. I’d even packed leftovers in Tupperware for lunch in grade school, where I was one of the few token Jews. My classmates would collectively gawk as I emptied at least six ketchup packets into the corner of my dish.
Shake it, sugar: Some like it sweetFoodies, on the other hand, tend to agree with my dad. Matzah brei is hardly regarded as the pinnacle of Jewish cuisine or culinary deftness, making it an excellent candidate for a makeover. As per Nosh-Off rules, I found a classic recipe and a new one, cooking them both in my apartment one Sunday night.
The traditional recipe comes from New York City’s Barney Greengrass, a 99-year-old restaurant and food store specializing in old-fashioned Jewish cuisine. Its challenger is an olive-and-caper pizza on matzah brei crust from Mitchell Davis of the James Beard Foundation. Both recipes met the ultimate requirement: They use up all those matzah box barnacles clinging to your shelves post-Pesach.
While I was at it, I tried to settle an old score with a bonus competition. Matzah brei toppings are a subject of much debate: Should the dish be served savory, with caramelized onions, salt, or ketchup? Or sweet, with preserves, powdered sugar, or applesauce? Barney Greengrass serves it both ways, so I did the same.
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Anonymous
What's Matzah
What's Matzah two weeks after passover...who the hell cares....why are we still thinking/talking/eating matzah...sorry odell..you missed the train...save the article for next year
JewcyCraig
"Leftovers"
Try some.
Monica Osborne
More leftovers
I love leftovers. I actually ate matzah with Dutch gouda cheese last night around 2am. Yum.
Amy Odell
Yes, Craig
Thanks, Craig for pointing out the big print.
And thanks, Anon, for the nasty comment. You've inspired me to write MORE! Two points:
1. In my household we make matzah brei with leftover matzahs,. Every year. Without fail. This might not be your family's tradition, but it's our tradition, and I was pleased to share it. I'm sure there are others who would like to be economical with their leftovers.
2. You're stuck on Passover, but people like to eat matzah brei year-round anyway-- one reason it's on so many brunch menus.
Anonymous
i have to agree with anon
because maybe people eat matzah brei all year, but writing an article about it 2 weeks after passover says that you just couldn't get your shit together to post it in time for passover. maybe a few days later when the matzah isn't completely stale, when we are all actually still eating the leftovers, but now - just seems like a mistake.
but hey, i'm sure 2 weeks after passover is exactly when your family eats the leftover food, whatever you say.
Izzy Grinspan
total transparency
The truth is that the article didn't exist during Passover. Amy conceived and wrote it over the past week. And there are two half-finished boxes of leftover matzah -- one chocolate-covered -- sitting in my kitchen right this very moment.
In fact! If either of you anons happen to be in New York City, I'm willing to prove the latter assertion with a matzah hand-off. I'd even throw in some fruit-shaped jellies, but I finished those yesterday.
Laurel Snyder
You managed to save jellies?
I ate all of mine on like, day 3!
(though I'll confess I tossed the matzoh out on day 9. I was DONE!)
xoL http://jewishyirishy.com
Anonymous
Who cares if it's two weeks after passover?!
As I'm sephardic and French, I never heard of these Matzah Brei. Therefore I found it very interesting and who cares if the article wasn't post on the exact day after the end of passover?
This is not CNN...
So thanks Amy because I learned about this tradition thanks to you (though I might not try it before another year, matzah being pretty difficult to find in Singapore where I am currently)
Avi
Amy Odell
Word
Thanks, Avi!
It's a great, easy dish. I hope you give it a try one day. I'm wondering--do you find any Jewish food in Singapore?
Anonymous
Yes
You're welcome Amy,
Actually you can find Jewish food in Singapore. There is a kosher grocery store attached to the main synagogue (there are two of them for some reason, but as we say in France, "two jews, three synagogues").
Moreover, as there are many western expats living here, you can find Australian and American brands in major supermarkets.
The community here is mostly bagdadi jews, that is jews from Iraq who then lived in India and are now all across SE Asia. Most of them have lived in the region sinced the 19th century or beginning of the 20th (Sassoon, Kadoorie...are famous bagdadi jews).
But the community is small to French standards, and even smaller to New York standards...
Avi
Anonymous
Another way to make matzah brei
My family has always made matzah brei similarly to french toast. I break the pieces of matzah in 4ths, wet them under warm water until soft, but still able to pick up in one piece, then dip in egg and fry like you would french toast. My daughter sprinkles cinnamon and sugar on them and I sprinkle salt on them, then we roll them up like a burrito and eat them. We make it during passover, of course, however, we also make it during the year. Dee-lish!
~Shayna
Anonymous
naw, just go plain. fry it
naw, just go plain. fry it up with the eggs to make it a crunchy snack. Top with a few pinches of salt and tons of sugar! Its like crackers and twice as good.
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