Here we are, just a few days away from the start of Passover. Of course matzah (matza? matzoh?), no matter how you spell it, is central to the Passover holiday. Try as we may, it seems impossible to buy just the right amount that is Kosher for Passover. So what do you do when you have too much? Rather than fill this page with stories about the holiday and that flat bread we’re all preparing to eat, I’ve chosen to fill it with what you really want — recipes. Hopefully at least a few will be new to you. These recipes will help you use up matzah, farfel, matzah meal and matzah cake meal. Options include sweet, savory, main dish, sides and dessert. You’ll have all the bases covered! Here’s a helpful tip for you if you don’t have matzah cake meal — you can use matzah meal and pulse it in a blender or food processer until it’s the consistency of cake meal. Just make sure it’s fine enough to sift and be sure you measure it after it’s been processed. This will insure you get the right amount for your recipe. I send you all warm wishes for a meaningful Passover, from my kitchen to yours!
Matzah lasagna with spinach and roasted butternut squash
Makes 8 to 10 servings. The original recipe for this came from the cookbook “The Cook and The Rabbi”, but I made a few small modifications to simplify it.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 4 to 4 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup olive oil plus some for the pan
Salt
8 ounces spinach, washed and tough stems removed
1 pound ricotta
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Black pepper
6 matzahs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
For the sauce*:
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes
28 ounce can peeled plum tomatoes (may need to be thickened with 1 tablespoon of tomato paste)
*If you’re short on time, use your favorite pre-made marinara instead of these last 4 ingredients.
Directions
• Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
• Place butternut squash chunks in a large bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix until evenly coated. Arrange the squash in a single layer on the pan. Bake about 30 minutes, flipping at least once, until all sides are golden. Remove from the oven but don’t turn the oven off. Place squash back in the large bowl and mash.
• Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot add the still wet spinach and a pinch of salt. Toss to completely coat the spinach. Lower the heat to medium and cook until just welted, five to eight minutes. Remove from the heat and place in the bowl with the cooked squash.
• (*Skip this step if you are using pre-made marinara.) Place the remaining five tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper flakes to the pan and sauté until the onion is translucent. Use your hands to crush the tomatoes before adding to the pan along with all of the can’s liquid. Simmer for 20 minutes. (If the sauce is watery, thicken with a tablespoon of tomato paste.)
• While the sauce is simmering, in the bowl with the spinach and squash, add ricotta, nutmeg, pepper and salt. Stir to combine thoroughly.
• Use a teaspoon of olive oil to oil a 9×13 inch baking dish.
• Assemble the lasagna: Cover the bottom of the dish with 1 1/2 matzahs. Spread half of the vegetable and cheese mixture over the top. Then cover with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Top the sauce with another 1 1/2 matzahs. Spread the rest of the vegetable mixture over the top. Top that with a thin layer of the tomato sauce and then cover with the last 1 1/2 matzahs. Evenly spread the remaining tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle Parmesan over the sauce and parsley over the Parmesan.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes until the filling is bubbling.
Matzah mac & cheese
While our daughter was attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, she worked in the kitchen at the Hillel there. This is a recipe they used during Passover. The original version was large enough to serve a dining room full of hungry students, but she modified it into a smaller, family-sized dish with 6 servings.
Ingredients
3 cups matzah farfel or broken matzah
8 ounces cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons melted butter
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups sour cream
Salt and pepper
Directions
These are the very simple instructions my daughter wrote: “Mix everything together, throw it in a casserole dish, bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes. You can also cover the top with more cheese because why not?”
Passover choco-nut mandel bread
Makes 2 loaves, about 24 pieces. The Yiddish word mandlbroyt literally means “almond bread”, so even though you can use any nuts in this, almonds would be traditional.
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 large eggs
2 3/4 cups matzah cake meal
3/4 cup potato starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon sugar
Directions
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• In a separate bowl, sift together matzah cake meal, potato starch, and salt; stir into butter mixture until just blended.
• Gently mix in walnuts and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until easy to handle, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar.
• Divide dough in half and form each half into a 5-inch-wide loaf about 1-inch thick. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture over the top of both. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, then slice into 1-inch cookies to serve.
Sweet apple matzah kugel
Makes one 8×8 pan
Ingredients
4 matzahs or 2 cups farfel
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted margarine
3 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
Directions
• Thoroughly grease an 8×8 baking dish. Break the matzah into small pieces, place in the baking dish and combine with the milk. Let soak for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a separate bowl, combine all other ingredients. Pour over matzah and stir to combine.
• Bake 45 minutes.
Savory matzah kugel
Makes one 8×8 pan
Ingredients
4 sheets of matzah or 2 cups farfel
1 1/2 cups chicken, vegetable or beef stock
1 medium onion, diced
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 tablespoon za’atar or dried thyme
3 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 medium carrot shredded (about 1/2 cup)
Directions
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, pour the stock over the farfel and let it sit.
• Put a bit of olive oil in an 8×8 pan and put it in the oven while it’s heating. This helps the crust become extra crispy.
• Sauté the onions with the za’atar or thyme and olive oil.
• While the onions are sautéing, lightly beat the egg yolks. Whip the egg whites to firm peaks. Chop the parsley and shred the carrot.
• Add the salt and pepper, egg yolks, chopped parsley, shredded carrot and sautéed onion to the farfel and mix well. Then fold in the egg whites.
• Carefully pour the farfel mixture into the hot olive-oil-coated pan. You can also brush the top with a bit of olive oil before baking to give it an extra bit of crispiness.
• Bake about 30 minutes until desired crispness is achieved.
You can customize which vegetables you’d like to add, just be careful of those that have high water content (like mushrooms or zucchini.) Do your best to keep the ratio of matzo to liquid constant.
