3 Simple matzo recipes for Passover

Apples, cinnamon and walnuts flavor this Passover “bread” pudding, with matzo taking the place of bread. Photo Credit: Starbucks / Cadbury

All packaged ingredients in the recipes below are available with “kosher for Passover” certification.

APPLE CINNAMON MATZO “BREAD” PUDDING

4 matzos

3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

1 tablespoon canola oil

4 apples, peeled and chopped

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

6 eggs, separated

Honey for drizzling (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Break the matzos in quarters and stack them in a bowl; add cold water to cover. Soak 10 minutes; drain in a colander and press to squeeze out the water.

3. Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes; transfer to a bowl to cool. Add the oil to the skillet; heat over medium high. Add the apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; cook until softened, 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the raisins and 2 tablespoons of the sugar.

4. Beat the yolks until very smooth; add the matzos and stir to coat. Stir in the apple mixture and walnuts.

5. Beat the whites to soft peaks; add the 1/2 cup sugar in a slow stream and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the whites into the matzo mixture and transfer to the prepared pan. Bake 35 minutes. Allow to cool before serving. Serve drizzled with honey if desired. Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional analysis for each serving: 336 calories, 8 g protein, 50 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 128 mg sodium

TIP: Make the matzo “bread” pudding the day before and serve it at room temperature or warm it in a 300-350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

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MATZO BREI

Work in batches to allow the matzo brei to brown.

2 matzos

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 tablespoon butter

1. Place matzos in a bowl; run cold water over them, break into quarters to submerge them, and soak for about 30 seconds. Drain.

2. Beat the eggs lightly with salt and pepper. Add the matzos and stir gently until the egg is mostly absorbed.

3. Heat the oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high. When the butter is melted, add the matzos and cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Once the egg is set on the matzos, stop stirring and allow to brown slightly, stirring only occasionally for about 2 minutes.

4. Transfer to a plate and season with coarsely ground black pepper and additional butter if desired. Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional analysis for each serving: 267 calories, 9 g protein, 24 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 15 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 362 mg sodium

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MATZO GRANOLA

1 cup chopped dried fruit

2/3 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons almond, hazelnut or walnut oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

7 matzos, broken in ¼-inch bits

3/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts

1/4 cup brown sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet pan with cooking spray.

2. Place the fruit in a bowl with enough warm water to just cover and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the orange juice, oil, honey, vanilla, almond extract, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until the honey is dissolved. Add the matzos and toss until completely coated. Stir in the nuts and spread the mixture out on the prepared pan. Bake, tossing at 15 minutes, until the mixture is dry and crisp, about 30 minutes total.

4. Drain the fruit and reserve 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid. Sprinkle liquid over the granola, add the brown sugar and toss thoroughly. Bake 5 minutes; toss and bake until mixture is again dry, about 5 more minutes. Cool in the pan. Makes 16 servings.

Nutritional analysis for each serving: 143 calories, 2 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 152 mg sodium