Ask A DFW Expert: Best Matzo Recipes For Passover

The Passover holiday commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. This major Jewish festival is celebrated with family, along with special foods. Here are a few tasty traditional and nontraditional recipes to add your recipe file.

Tina Wasserman
www.cookingandmore.comTina Wasserman is a cooking instructor in Dallas and author of two cookbooks: "Entrée to Judaism, A Culinary Exploration of the Jewish Diaspora" and "Entrée to Judaism for Families, Jewish Cooking and Kitchen Conversations with Children." Wasserman is trained in nutrition and education, and she received her master's degree from New York University. She is a Judaic food historian and brings a knowledgeable and Kosher approach to teaching.

Passover Granola

• 3 cups matzo farfel
• 2/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup sweetened or unsweetened coconut
• 2/3 cup pecans broken into large pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter or parve margarine
• 1/3 cup wildflower or clover honey
• 1 1/2 cups chopped dried mixed fruit of your choice, including raisins, or a 7 oz. bag of dried fruit pieces.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
   
2. Combine the farfel, almonds, coconut, pecans, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a 3 quart mixing bowl.
   
3. Melt the butter and honey in a small glass bowl in a microwave for 1 minute until butter is melted and honey is more fluid.
   
4. Stir the butter mixture into the farfel mixture until all farfel is lightly coated with the butter.
5. Spread mixture over a large jellyroll pan with 1-inch sides and bake for 15 minutes. Halfway through baking, stir to brown evenly.
6. Remove from oven. Cool slightly and then toss with the dried fruit.
7. When totally cooled, store in a ziplock bag or airtight storage container.

Matzah Brie

• 2 sheets of plain matzah (egg matzah may be used, but it falls apart pretty fast)
  
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar, according to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Fill a 2 quart bowl with very warm tap water. Break each matzah into roughly 4 pieces and place in bowl. Press down so water covers matzah.
2. Mix egg, milk, salt, sugar and vanilla in a 1 quart mixing bowl.
3. Drain matzah in a colander and gently press down on the matzah to remove water. Add matzah to eggs and stir carefully with a fork so that egg coats all of the matzah.
4. Heat an 8-inch non-stick frying pan for 10 seconds. Add the butter and swirl about in the pan until melted. Add the egg/matzah and gently press to form one large pancake.
5. Cook until bottom is golden, and then turn over with a wide metal spatula or turner. It is easiest to flip the half-cooked brie by using two spatulas or flipping the pancake over onto a plate and then sliding it back into the pan, uncooked side down. When the bottom is crisp, remove from pan, cut into wedges and serve with topping of your choice.

Burmolikos-Bulgarian Matzo Puffs

• 2 sheets plain matzo
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Canola or cottonseed oil
• Honey or 1/2 cup sugar mixed ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1. Break the matzos into large pieces and soak in a bowl of cold water until soft, about 15 minutes.
2. Drain the matzo and squeeze handfuls until almost all of the water is removed. Place in a 1-quart bowl.
3. Add the eggs, egg yolk and salt to the clumps of matzo, and combine well with a fork.
   
4. Heat the oil in a small saucepan or deep fryer to a depth of 2 inches.
5. When the oil is hot, drop the mixture by oval soup spoons into the fat, and fry on one side until golden, about 1-2 minutes. Turn over, puff and fry on the other side until golden, another minute. Drain on paper towel and drizzle with honey or coat with granulated sugar or sugar that has been mixed with cinnamon.
6. Burmolikos can also be served with jam or honey.

Jaroset-Panamanian Halek

• 4 oz. dried figs
• 4 oz. raisins
• 4 oz. prunes
• 4 oz. pitted dates
• 1 1/2 cups peanut butter or almond butter (peanuts are often excluded for Pesach)
• 2-3 cups brown sugar, according to taste
• 1/2 cup sweet Kosher wine, as needed
• Cinnamon, enough to cover balls of Charoset (approximately 1 1/2 oz.)

Directions:

1. Place the dried fruits in a processor work bowl, and process the dried fruits until a relatively smooth paste is formed.
2. Add the peanut butter and brown sugar to the processor work bowl and pulse on and off a few times to begin to combine the ingredients. The machine will only begin the process as the mixture will be thick.
   
3. Remove mixture to a bowl and continue to combine the ingredients kneading with your hands.
4. Little by little, add the wine to the mixture until you obtain a firm ball of fruit. This mixture will be quite sticky. If necessary, refrigerate for ½ hour until mixture firms up a little.
5. Wet your hands periodically with cold water and form small balls of Charoset about the size of a small walnut.
6. Place balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and put in the freezer until frozen.
7. Once the balls are hard, you can remove them to a freezer bag until needed.
8. Just before serving, defrost and roll each ball in cinnamon.

Special note: Do not double this recipe unless you have a very large food processor, or the mixture will be too difficult to combine thoroughly.

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