Matzo Brei 101

Here’s another classic resurrected for the Chosen People… Foodies. Enjoy.

— Jason

Matzo Brei — some people like to eat it just during Passover, but I like it all year round. To me, it’s the ultimate breakfast food. Both savory and sweet, it combines both aspects of French Toast and scrambled eggs in one package.

The version we are going to do is a savory version which we’ll top with syrup. You can also do a strictly sweet version, but I think the whole notion of that is insipid — you really want the contrast of the savory and sweet together.

The first thing you’ll need to do is take half a box of plain matzos (which you can buy year round), crack them in half, and then half again, and soak them in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes.

Then you want to drain them in a colander so they are just soaked and a little soggy, but not swimming in water.

Are you ready to make the greatest Hebrew contribution to breakfast and brunch cuisine? Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link for more.

Next, you need to make a conscious decision about what kind of frying fat you intend to use. Schmaltz, or rendered chicken fat, will lend a poultry and strong savory flavor to the Matzo Brei — this is usually chosen for “Meat” meals if you are keeping Kosher. Vegetable Oil will keep the meal “Pareve” or neutral and it doesn’t lend extra flavor to the Brei. Butter, which we will be using here, is going to lend a rich dairy taste to the meal and is chosen for “Dairy” Kosher meals.

You’re also going to need a onion, some mushrooms, and six or seven eggs (only one shown here). Figure for each matzah, you’ll need somewhat less than one egg. A half a package of matzos is like seven or eight matzos.

Slice up your mushrooms.

Begin sauteing them in a pan with your chosen fat.

If its a big onion, you’ll need about 1/4 worth.

Chop the onion nice and fine.

Throw it in with the mushrooms.

When the mushrooms and onions are cooked, take it off the heat and set it aside for a few minutes to cool down. You don’t want to add hot mushrooms and onions directly to eggs.

In a large bowl, crack seven or eight eggs, a teaspoon (or 1/2, depending on how salty you want it) of salt and a nice amount of freshly cracked black pepper. Beat them up real good to fully incorporate the yolks with the whites.

Gently incorporate the wet matzos. Toss up and try not to break them down any further.

Matzos incorporated with eggs.

Put in your mushroom and onion mixture, and mix gently.

Mushrooms and onions incorporated.

Melt butter in pan on medium heat.

By now, the poodles are very hungry.

Spoon Matzo/Mushroom/Onion/Egg mixture into hot pan and form into loose pancakes.

Fry on each side until golden brown.

Serve hot with your choice of toppings. I’m partial to the Shagbark Hickory Syrup from Hickoryworks. It lends a nice smoky flavor and is not as cloyingly sweet as Maple Syrup.

Bon Appetit.