[Shai's Mom]

With Pesach around the corner, I thought I'd start a new thread: What's your trick to make Matza more palatable?

For my kids - Matza with peanut butter and honey, Matza pizza are the biggest hits.

DH loves matza with sour cream, or with butter and jam.

My in-laws swear on matza slightly wetted and left wrapped in a cheese cloth to soften, supposedly easier to digest.

I don't really mind Matza, but am always glad when Pesach is over and I can use the leftovers for home improvements: Matza Accoustical ceiling tiles, roof shingles, or even floor covering.

[yehudit]

Hi,
My husband loves matzah lasgne. You make it just like regular lasagne, but use matza instead of pasta. I have not yet acquired this taste.

[Shai's Mom]

Originally Posted by yehudit

Hi,
My husband loves matzah lasgne. You make it just like regular lasagne, but use matza instead of pasta. I have not yet acquired this taste.

Ugh - I am with you.

My mother in law makes a sort of matza fritters that my husband and his brother adore. It's crumbled up Matza made into a lumpy, sticky dough, formed into kind of thick patties and deep fried. I consider it one of the plagues..

Oh, well, we survived Pharao, we'll also survive this..

[yehudit]

Do you have the great maztah balll debate? sinkers vs. floaters. Husband insists the best matzah balls are heavy and chewy and sink to the bottom (yuck). I like them light and fluffy, floating to the top.

What do you like?

[HeidiK]

Floaters...no question!

[Howdy]

I like egg salad on matzah. And pesach chocolate frosting on matzah. Salami slices on matzah (they don't stay on tho).

I like heavy sinker matzo balls. I remember a joke about them. A newlywed wife made matza balls for her new husband. He told her they were yummy, but (with a sigh of regret), not like his mother's.
She wanted to please her new husband so she kept trying different recipes trying to make matza balls like he remembered. Always the same result, he said they were nice but not like his mothers'.
Several months later she was making matza balls and the bottom fell open and the whole box of matza meal fell in the bowl. She wasn't such a newlywed at that point and she said 'eh, he'll eat these'.
When they had dinner he was ecstatic and told her that finally these were like his mothers'!

[Shai's Mom]

Alas.. there are many stories about my husband's Aunt Shoshana's Matza Balls: "firm" enough to be used as a weapon.

In soup I like fluffy matza balls, as a side dish for a roast, or something like it I like them with a chewy texture. So, I guess I'm straddling the fence here..

Tuna salad is good on Matza.

And my husband LOVES to dip sour cream with bits of Matza.

[yehudit]

LOL! Love the matzah ball stories! My mother swears the only way to make them turn out well is to drop them into the soup from as high as possible. She actually stands on a ladder to drop them in the soup! Also, she says you should cover the soup and DO NOT OPEN THE LID until they are ready. If you do: diaster.

We also like matzah brittle -- caramel baked on matzah.

My husband is very strict about keeping K for P, but he eats shrimp at every opportunity.

Best,
J

[Shai's Mom]

An elderly aunt of mine "goes to town" when it comes to Pesach cleaning. She works like a fiend, starting about 2 to 3 weeks or so before the holiday, cleaning EVERYTHING in her house, lest a small crumb of hametz is in hiding in the deepest darkest corner of the dresser she keeps in her attic.

Then, when she is finished, all is done and the house is sparkling clean, all the dishes switched out, without a hint of hametz anywhere, she pours herself a shot of whisky.

No one has had the heart to tell her what whiskey is made out of..

[Kellster]

Shai's mom, THAT is hilarious!

For breakfast or lunch, we like Matza Brei (crumbled, soaked matza miked into scrambled egg and fried) or "Bubeleh" (Passover pancakes). For dinner, I make "Minas" which is like a shepherd's pie- made with a mixture of ground beef and seasoned tomato sauce between layers of matza. Other than those dishes, I dread Passover!

Kelly

[Shai's Mom]

For breakfast or lunch, we like Matza Brei (crumbled, soaked matza miked into scrambled egg and fried) or "Bubeleh" (Passover pancakes). For dinner, I make "Minas" which is like a shepherd's pie- made with a mixture of ground beef and seasoned tomato sauce between layers of matza. Other than those dishes, I dread Passover!

Kelly[/quote]

Kelly, I'd love the recipe for your "Minas". It sounds yummy!

My aunt is funny!

[Kellster]

Happy to share. Here it is:


Passover Minas (Sephardic Meat Pie)

(Serves 8)

1 large onion, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2” pieces
2 celery stalks, peeled and cut into 2” pieces
2 cloves garlic
2 tbs. oil, divided
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp pepper
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp sugar
½ c. tomato sauce
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. chopped Italian parsley
1 10 oz. box of matzah (10 sheets)


1. Heat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a 13” x 9” baking dish and set aside. In food processor fitted with metal blade, process onion, carrots, celery and garlic until evenly chopped, using on-off pulses.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetable mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add beef to skillet, breaking up larger pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook for 5 minutes or until browned.

3. Mix in salt, pepper, oregano, sugar, and tomato sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

4. Add eggs and parsley to beef mixture and mix well. Soak matzot, 2-3 at a time, in a pan of warm water, until they are well moistened, but not falling apart. Place 2-3 matzot on the bottom of the baking dish (break them so that they fit) and cover with half the meat mixture. Repeat layers, ending with a layer of matzah. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tbsp of oil.

5. Bake 30-35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes to firm slightly, then cut into portions. If desired, heat up some extra tomato sauce to spoon over the top.

Chag Sameach- ENJOY!!!

Kelly

[yehudit]

Kellster, that sounds delicious! I'm going to use it this year

(I love the banana)

[Kellster]

It is one of the few Pesach dishes that I actually look forward to eating!

[Shai's Mom]

Originally Posted by Kellster

It is one of the few Pesach dishes that I actually look forward to eating!

Wow, that sounds yummy! Thanks for posting it!!