PASSOVER : The Meaning of Matzo

When Passover begins April 14 in the evening, observant Jews will forgo bread in favor of the large, flat, crispy cracker known as matzo.

Matzo is a symbolic reminder of those days long ago when the Jews escaped slavery in Egypt, fleeing so quickly that they had no time to let their bread rise. During the eight days of Passover, this Exodus is commemorated by various dietary restrictions, and matzo becomes a major player in most diets.

As is often the case when freedom prevails, opinions abound, and the unfettered life that matzo represents has fostered a certain amount of controversy.

Most would agree that the simple pleasure of crunching down on matzo can be a powerfully nostalgic experience for the first day or two. But by the third day of Passover, many are drowning matzo in a thick smear of sweet butter and a light sprinkling of salt. And by the fourth day, most cooks are desperately seeking imaginative ways to incorporate matzo into the meal.

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“Let’s face it,” says Dalia Carmel, a New York cookbook collector with a special interest in Jewish food, “matzo is a boring food. You eat it for eight days and leave crumbs all over the house. So you have to invent dishes that make it seem more interesting.”

Anyone who has attempted to cook with matzo is likely to agree that as an ingredient in prepared food, it presents a great gastronomic challenge. Indeed, to the uninitiated home cook, it might be described as a cross between sawdust and cardboard.

The natural inclination is to find a way to soften it, so the majority of recipes advise soaking matzo in water or egg before proceeding. However, the inexperienced Passover cook will quickly discover that soaking matzo, a cracker that seems defiantly impenetrable for a minute or so, will suddenly turn it into pap.

The good news is that centuries of Jewish cooks have not been daunted by this finicky ingredient. On the contrary, they have risen to the challenge of unleavened bread and over the years have developed a staggering repertoire of matzo recipes.

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Joan Nathan, a specialist in Jewish cooking, includes several interesting international recipes using matzo in her latest volume, “Jewish Cooking in America” (Knopf: 1994). However, when it comes right down to it, Nathan says that one of her children’s favorite Passover treats is matzo pizza.

In his just-published “New World Cuisine” (Doubleday: 1995), Allen Susser of Chef Allen’s in North Miami Beach, includes recipes for matzo pasta and matzo club sandwiches with grilled portobello mushrooms.

In my own library, Jewish cookbooks contain recipes for matzo French toast, matzana (lasagna made with you-know-what instead of broad noodles), matzo and cheese kugel, matzo fruit stuffing, matzo chicken pie, matzo cheese blintzes and matzo fu yung. And for dessert? There’s matzo strudel and matzo Napoleon.

Perhaps the most fondly remembered of all matzo recipes is matzo brei , a fried dish made of scrambled eggs and softened matzo.

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“There’s always a smile on a person’s face when you mention it,” says chef Scott Cohen, who plans to offer matzo brei morning, noon and night during Passover at his restaurant in Manhattan’s Stanhope Hotel.

Equal to the fond nostalgia that surrounds matzo brei is the fierce attachment people have to notions about how it should be prepared. Some soak the matzo in water, others in egg. Some fry it with browned onions. Others omit the onions and dust the top with cinnamon-sugar.

When I asked Carmel to share with me her best recipe for matzo brei , she responded, “There is no such thing as a good recipe. What is good for one is terrible for another. Disputes about the proper way to prepare matzo brei have been known to cause family feuds. I’m staying out of it.”

Cohen told me he plans to add bits of smoked salmon to the matzo brei he’s serving at the Stanhope.

Here are two Passover matzo recipes.

SPINACH-MUSHROOM “MINA”

Edmond Feinstein, manager of the catering company that provides in-flight meals for El Al, lovingly described this recipe for his mother’s layered matzo pie. It is a Sephardic recipe from Izmir, Turkey, traditionally served during the week of Passover. Sometimes an alternative filling is prepared with sauteed ground sirloin seasoned with cumin and coriander seeds.

I have adapted the original recipe by using frozen (instead of fresh) spinach and half the suggested number of eggs. To prepare the pie, first soften the squares of matzo in water and then briefly soak in egg. If they “break in handling,” simply set torn pieces next to each other when creating the layers.

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup coarsely chopped onions 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 pound mushrooms, trimmed and finely chopped 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed between 2 plates to release excess liquid 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 6 squares matzo 1 teaspoon margarine 3 large eggs, beaten 1 sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips 2 tablespoons finely minced parsley Oil-cured black olives * Heat oil in large skillet. Add onions and garlic and saute 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until most of liquid released by mushrooms has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat and stir in spinach, feta, salt and pepper to taste.

* Place matzos in heat-proof 7x12-inch baking dish. Pour over ample water to cover. Gently press matzos down into water just long enough to moisten surfaces, about 30 seconds. Remove matzos. Pour out water and dry out baking dish. Grease dish with margarine.

* Beat eggs in large, flat dish that has sides. Soak each matzo in beaten eggs, about 1 minute on each side. Set 2 egg-dipped matzos, side by side, in bottom of prepared baking dish, overlapping slightly. Evenly distribute half of filling on top. Add second layer of egg-dipped matzos and then remainder of filling. Top with remaining egg-dipped matzo. Reserve any remaining beaten egg.

* Tightly cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees 20 minutes. Remove foil. Brush top with any remaining egg. Continue to bake until top is lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Arrange red pepper strips on top. Sprinkle with parsley and dot with olives. To serve, cut like lasagna.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Each of 6 servings contains about:

294 calories; 724 mg sodium; 131 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams protein; 1.48 grams fiber.

CHOCOLATE MATZO ROLL

Here is a very creative use of matzo brought to my attention by Dalia Carmel, who considers it among her favorite Passover recipes. It is simple to make and requires no baking. The recipe is adapted from “A Taste of Tradition,” by Ruth Sirkis, a prolific cookbook author and teacher who is considered by many to be the “Julia Child of Israel.”

4 squares unsalted matzo 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate 1/4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons prepared black coffee 1 tablespoon brandy 1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature 3/4 cup chopped walnuts 3 tablespoons water Fresh raspberries Fresh mint leaves *

* Moisten matzo by passing each side briefly under running water. Crumble matzos into 1/2-inch pieces and set in medium bowl. Cover with kitchen towel.

* Melt 4 ounces chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water. Stir in sugar andcoffee. Remove from heat and add brandy. Set aside to cool 10 to 15 minutes.

* Beat butter in separate bowl until fluffy. Gradually add melted chocolate, beating well after each addition. Stir in crumbled matzo and chopped nuts, mixing with spoon.

* Spoon mixture onto 2-foot-long piece of wax paper, making rectangular mound about 10 incheslong. Fold wax paper around mixture, shaping into 2 1/2-inch-diameter cylinder. Gently roll under your palms on table to make smooth and evenly rounded. Twist ends of wax paper to seal. Refrigerate until firm, 4 to 6 hours.

* About 30 minutes before serving, remove from refrigerator, peel off paper and set on rectangular serving platter.

* Prepare glaze by melting remaining 2 ounces chocolate with 3 tablespoons water in top of double boiler set over simmering water. Pour glaze over roll. Garnish with raspberries and mint leaves. To serve, cut into 3/4-inch slices. Garnish each plate with few raspberries and mint leaf.

* Note: Instead of glazing roll and presenting whole, arrange slices on individual plates anddrizzle with glaze.

Makes 12 servings.

Each serving contains about:

306 calories; 4 mg sodium; 41 mg cholesterol; 26 grams fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.63 gram fiber.