1 week Ago
Matzo brei is traditional for Passover. The version here adds smoked salmon and onions. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald Honestly, once you’ve made it a few times, you really don’t need a recipe for matzo brei.
Still, since I foolishly limit myself to making the breakfast dish just a few times a year during the week of Passover, this year April 12-20, it can be useful to give myself a refresher before I break out the bowls and pans. For that, I always turn to my friend Mitchell Davis’ cookbook “The Mensch Chef.” A quick plug: The book has no photos, practically unheard of today, but the recipes are wonderful and they always work; Mitchell is the smartest cook I know.
If you’re unfamiliar with it, matzo brei is basically scrambled eggs, or sometimes eggs formed into a frittata, with broken shards of matzo mixed in — it’s oddly like Mexican migas. But that simple description doesn’t begin to capture how very easy it is to make and very delicious it is to eat. As with many egg dishes, you can dress matzo brei up however you like.
I’ve seen versions with creme fraiche, horseradish, salami, caramelized banana and ricotta cheese. “The Mensch Chef” gives two versions, one sweet and one savory, and, frankly, it’s always hard for me to pick which one I like best. I solve that by making both — after all, you’ve got a whole week.
The sweet version adds chopped sautéed apples, pears or pineapple to the eggs and matzo and dusts the finished frittata with cinnamon-sugar. The savory one incorporates onion and smoked salmon. Is 2025 (5785 in the Jewish calendar) the year I will remember to enjoy this wonderful dish the other 51 weeks of the year? To make matzo brei, the matzo is broken up into pieces and soaked briefly in water.
Then you drain off the excess water, add the smoked salmon, sautéed onions and beaten eggs and fry the mixture. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald SAVORY MATZO BREI WITH ONIONS The recipe is from “The Mensch Chef” by Mitchell Davis. Start with 1/4 teaspoon salt to season the eggs, bearing in mind that smoked salmon is salty.
Add more, if you like. Serves 2 (or 1 especially hungry person) 3 tablespoons butter 1/2 medium onion (3 ounces), thinly sliced 2 1⁄2 matzos, broken into 1-inch pieces 2 large eggs, beaten 2 ounces smoked salmon, cut into small pieces 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt Pinch of freshly ground pepper Heat 1 1⁄2 tablespoons of the butter in a nonstick frying pan. Add the onions and sauté until they are light golden brown, about 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the broken matzos in a medium-size bowl and pour 3/4 cup cold water over them. Let them absorb the water for a minute or two, then drain off excess water. Add the eggs, salmon, salt and pepper and sautéed onions to the bowl.
Stir to combine. Heat the remaining 1 1⁄2 tablespoons of butter in the pan you used to fry the onions. Pour in the egg mixture.
You can let it form into a pancake over medium heat until it’s an even brown, then flip it onto a plate and slide it back into the pan, cooked side up, to let the second side cook to an even brown. To serve, cut into large wedges. Or you can cook the matzo brie into a scramble of sorts, with big curds of egg.
Either way, eat it immediately. We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way.
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