Each Passover, the first bite of crisp matzo, usually topped with charoseth and horseradish at the Seder, is a welcome treat. But by the end of the holiday, after eating matzo sandwiches, matzo brei, and matzo balls for over a week, you've had enough! And if your household's anything like mine, you find yourself with a box or two in the pantry long after Pesach has come and gone. But it doesn't have to be like that. Over the years, I've come up with inventive and delicious ways to use it up.
Matzo Bark (shown above)
Everyone loves the sweet and salty punch of chocolate-dipped potato chips and pretzels — for a twist, use matzo. Zap chocolate in the microwave just until melted, then pour over a whole matzo cracker, spreading with a spatula if need be. Top with a generous pinch of sea salt and if you like, a sprinkling of chopped pistachios or other nuts and/or chopped dried fruit. Once the chocolate's firmed up, break the matzo into shards and serve as a tasty treat with milk or tea.
Middle Eastern "Bread" Salad
Break 4 matzos into bite-size pieces and toss with 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper and allow to sit for about 15 minutes. Stir in chunks of tomatoes and cucumber with sliced green onions, shredded romaine lettuce, olives, and chopped mint and parsley. If you can get your hands on it, sprinkle with sumac, a tart Mediterranean seasoning. The addition of feta cheese turns it into a main course.
Matzo Croutons
(adapted from "A Taste of Pesach" by Yeshiva Me'on Hatorah)
Mix 2 beaten eggs, 1/4 water, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 minced garlic clove and 4 crumbled matzos. Bake in a 400°F oven, shaking and stirring occasionally. When cool, break into large clumps. Makes a great salad mix-in or a TV nosh.
For the following recipe ideas, you will need to whiz matzo in the blender or food processor until it turns into crumbs. While you can use matzo meal anywhere that calls for bread crumbs — meat loaf or crumb crusts for pies, a breading for chicken cutlets, or a topping for casseroles — the dishes below have a distinctive taste you can only get from matzo meal.
Baked Veal Chops
I first tasted this at Joe's, a Viennese restaurant in Albany, New York, back when I was in college. After sprinkling thick chops with salt and pepper, coat them with matzo meal, then dip them in beaten eggs. Brown them in a little vegetable oil before baking them in a 325°F oven until cooked through and tender.
Matzo Meal Pancakes
Mix 4 egg yolks, 1/3 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a cup of matzo meal. Fold in 4 beaten egg whites. Pan fry large spoonfuls of the batter in hot melted butter and serve for breakfast topped with applesauce, powdered sugar, or strawberry jam.
Sharon Franke is the director of the Kitchen Appliances and Technology lab of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute.
This article originally appeared on GoodHousekeeping.com.
