Nontraditional Matzah Brei Recipes

Spice up the classic Passover dish with these sweet and savory variations

I always approach conversations about matzah brei with care. Holding an important place in Bubbe's Greatest Hits, discussions around the dish can get downright emotional. Never really getting the appeal of this Passover specialty, I was always surprised when people of great taste would rhapsodize about it. I mean, it's just eggs and matzah. Bland-on-bland to my mind …and tastebuds. But then I read the chapter on matzah brei in Jayne Cohen's Jewish Holiday Cooking, and I began to think of it as a blank canvas food, a dish to be built upon, as you would an omelette, or for my sweet tooth, french toast.

Looking back to another one of Bubbe's Greatest Hits, salami and eggs, and merging the flavors into matzah brei made the dish over for me, and gave it personal significance, bringing me back to Sunday night dinners at our kitchen table.

Oven-baked Matzah Brei Pudding takes this classic dish into dessert territory, and the chocolate doesn't hurt one bit either. Allowing time for the matzah to soak up the eggy chocolate pudding in the fridge will yield a moist and, ironically, bread pudding-like consistency. It's easy to take this dish over-the-top. Throw in nuts or coconut for texture, serve fresh from the oven with a scoop of ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream for a heart-meltingly yummy treat. It's matzah brei as a year-round comfort dish.

Here are my recipes for Salami & Eggs Matzah Brei and Chocolate Matzah Brei Pudding.

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