Man Oh Manischewitz!

Passover begins tonight. And that means eating lots of eggs, meat, vegetables (that don’t fall into the legume category) and of course, matzah.

For the uninitiated matzah is supposed to be the modern-day version of unleavened bread. During biblical times the Jews, in their haste to leave Egypt after 400 years of slavery, did not  have the time to let their bread rise before baking it. They ended up with what look like over-sized crackers that are, in my opinion, devoid of any redeeming flavour.

Today, these oversized crackers, made under the strict supervision of a rabbi, come in a number of varieties. Plain, whole wheat, egg, spelt, even chocolate dipped. My husband and I are partial to egg matzah which is made with “matzah flour,” sweet apple cider and eggs.

Matzah is also “repurposed” into a flour, a “cake meal” or straight up “meal,” which I often use for matzah ball soup, in meatloaf, meatballs and hamburgers. I actually think it’s better than using bread crumbs because for a product that isn’t suppose to encourage leavening, matzah meal has the astonishing ability to add fluffiness and fullness to my meat dishes.

As I write this entry I have a dozen matzah bagels baking in the oven. I, like my ancestors, was distracted by my two young “Pharaohs” and in a rush when I was making them, so the bagels look more like pancakes. I’ve made these before so I know something’s amiss. I followed the recipe in my cook book, Second Helpings, Please! This cook book was originally published in 1967 as a compilation of recipes by the Montreal-based Mt. Sinai Chapter of Jewish Women International of Canada. My grandmother first gave me this book when I moved in with my husband (then boyfriend). I misplaced the book in my many moves back and forth across the country. I was crestfallen by this loss because that book was very special to me. So when my mom gave me a new copy two years ago with an inscription on the inside of the cover with a sentimental note, I was very touched.

My first attempt at the matzah bagels aren’t worthy enough for a picture, but thankfully I have eight WHOLE days to try this recipe again and get it right. And when I do, OH! when I do….I will be sure and put a picture of the tasty morsels up on the site along with the recipe. Unlike me, you will no doubt have the time to let the bagels cook properly. Right now my modern-day Pharaohs are ordering me out of the house and into the car to take them to their grandmother’s Seder. So in that vein I will say see you in Jerusalem….Happy Passover!