Matzah Brei

Picture doesn't do a justice - I could eat Matzo with Eggs 24/7, really. Done right, it's the best breakfast ever. 
Blog's Category: International, My Staple Food, USSR-era Recipes

Matzo Brei or Matzo with Eggs

Intro

I had no idea this dish exists up until got married to a nice (at the time).. ^%& kidding ^&* .. Jewish boy and one day my honey's 'granma' treated me to a simple 'matzo with eggs'. That was a love from a first sight - hah, egg is my favorite food! Since then, I have perfected in making matzo with eggs and now, at the time of all sorts of "easters and passovers" I'll share this my experience with you.

Irreplaceable ingredient of matzo brei is matzo itself. Its outrageous blandness and wonderful flakiness is a great base for soaking in the best what animal world presented to us - tender, juicy, one-of-a-kind thing - EGG.

Any grocery store in US carries matzo (look in International or kosher section).  We didn't have this luxury back there, in Ukraine. In Kiev, where I lived at the time, just a few Jewish half-legal sinagogues were baking their own and distributing it among people. But that happened just at time of Passover...

Now, having year-round access to matzo, I, strangely enough, remember about my yummy matzo brei just when spring comes and Passover and Easter come along.

Taste Description

Flaky and moist inside, crunchy and just a bit chewy on the outside, as I said before, it's the perfect breakfast.

How to Serve

Serve hot, right from a stove, or warm - it will be equally good. Pickles on a side is a great companion to it but totally optional. If you happen to have leftovers, next day, just pop it in an oven for a 7 minutes to warm and crisp up.

Matzo Brei

• 4 matzo sheets, broken into fairly large pieces (forget about healthy whole wheat stuff here, buy plain (regular - I really mean it!) matzo)
• 6 eggs
• salt
• pepper
• 5 tbs flavorless olive oil
• 1 tsp butter (for flavor)
• boiling water

- Break eggs into bowl, add salt and pepper. Whisk, just enough to break yolks, to distribute salt and pepper, and break whites into thinner strands. Set aside. 

- Break matzo into a separate bowl.

- Boil water in a kettle and then pour hot water over matzo pieces until it covered completely with water. Let it stay for no more than one minute and drain. It's OK if a little bit of water is left in.

- Combine egg mix with matzo - no need to stir it too vigorously - chunky, layered matzo brei is the texture you are looking for, not homogeneous unrecognizable blob of something... 

- Preheat non-stick frying pan to a medium hot. Add olive oil and butter. Pour matzo with eggs and cook, undisturbed, on a medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Then using spatula, divide matzo circle into quarters and turn over each quarter separately. Switch heat to the lowest setting. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Done! Enjoy!

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IN PICTURES

 Carrot and Onion Matzah Brei

If you would like to incorporate some vegetables into your matzah brei, below is an example of doing that - this Saturday I made Carrot and Onion Matzah Brei. Pictures talk the best:



Use pepper, broccoli, asparagus, green onion, fresh herbs or other vegetables/herbs of your choice instead of carrot and onion.