Passover is rough for the kids.
I mean, being surrounded by constant reminders of untouchable favorites like pizza and mac&cheese, cookies and cakes...it can be unbearable! Matzo is just no substitute.
In many ways, Passover is a holiday of magic. We try and try to come up with new ideas of how to make "regular" foods into things that are Kosher for Passover. There's matzo cake meal and potato starch and egg noodles and all sorts of recipes that try to use these things as replacements for flour or yeast or cream of tartar.
Some people have an ideological problem with this. I don't.
I have a culinary problem with it:
For the most part, I've found that a lot of these recipe attempts are not successful. Sure, they may seem great during Passover, but that's because they are being compared with other disastrous attempts, or just the idea of being able to eat something like cake or cookies on Passover inherently makes them taste good. Oftentimes, I find that people actually try to over-Passover things: sure, Matzo Caramel Crunch is outstanding, but when made without the matzo--ie plain ol' English Toffee--is still K for P and just as good...if not better!
So, in my opinion, you just have to accept Passover for what it is and stick to the tried-and-trues. And, let me tell you, people give Passover a really bad wrap--there are lots of good Passover recipes that are good because they are good, not because they emulate something else!!
But, for the kids, sometimes that's just not going to work...and, sure, I can understand that. I mean, you get cravings even as an adult--by the end of Passover week you just want some darned spaghetti!
In those breakdown moments, I resort to the few recipes that fall into the category of Wannabes that I have found to not only be wildly successful during Passover, but are also things that I would eat any time of year.
Mostly, they are desserts: flourless chocolate cake, macaroons, meringue cookies...
Successful recipes for savory items are harder to come by, but that's usually because they aren't nearly missed as much as the sweet cakes and cookies, and so people don't focus on them. However, I do have one savory Wannabe that is one of my all time favorite Passover foods...
Today's Menu:
Matzo Pizza
I remember mom making toaster oven matzo pizza for me and The Bro. It was so good, much better than the bread based bagel bite...
When it's good, matzo pizza is great and tastes just like a good thin crust pizza. It's fast, it's easy, and it's a good way to use up some matzo. But, matzo pizza can definitely be bad and totally unsatisfying.
The key to a good matzo pizza is, in my opinion, getting the matzo crust soft. A hard, crunchy matzo pizza is bad news bears. So, my trick is to rub the matzo with some oil and let it warm in the oven for a bit before putting on the toppings. This way the matzo gets supple but doesn't fall apart into a useless mess.
Last week I served matzo pizza to 2.5 non-Jews who had never had matzo pizza before. I jazzed them up a bit, making a 3 cheese pizza and a roasted pepper-caramelized onion pizza. Served with a side of salad, it was the perfect meal for a lazy warm Friday evening in the spring.
The final verdict by the newly initiated Matzo Pizza Consumers was one of great satisfaction. Everyone went home happy, not missing normal pizza one bit!
Matzo Pizza
for crust:
3-4 plain unsalted matzo sheets
olive oil
for tomato sauce:
1 14-oz can of tomato sauce
6-8 leaves fresh basil, chopped
a few pinches of dried or fresh: oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley
salt
pepper
for 3 cheese topping:
fresh mozzarella
parmesan cheese
soft goat cheese
whole basil leaves
for roasted pepper-caramelized onion topping:
2 bell peppers
2 medium onions, sliced into thin rounds
olive oil
parmesan cheese
directions:
1. prepare the crust
a. preheat the oven to 375
b. line a baking sheet with tinfoil. cover the tinfoil with matzo, breaking up sheets to fill in gaps.
c. brush the matzo with olive oil. place the tray in the oven and let it bake a bit, about 5 minutes. make sure it doesn't burn or begin to brown.
2. make the tomato sauce
a. place tomato sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and cook until it begins to bubble. lower the heat and let cook while you prepare the toppings. stir occasionally and test for flavor.
3. prepare the toppings
a. for the cheese topping:
i. shred the mozzarella, grate the parmesan, and break the goat cheese up into clumps. put in a bowl.
ii. pick off 10-15 whole basil leaves and reserve.
b. for the roasted pepper-caramelized onion topping:
i(a). light a burner if you have a gas range. place a pepper over the flame and let cook until the side blackens. rotate the pepper until all sides are black. place the pepper in a paper bag and close it. repeat with the second pepper. let the peppers sit in the bag for 5 minutes before discarding the charred outer peel. slice the pepper in thin strips.
i (b). preheat the broiler if you don't have a gas range. slice the peppers in half and discard the seeds. put them on a broiler pan, cut side down. drizzle with oil and broil until peppers soften and begin to blacken. you can peel off the blackened skin if you'd like.
ii. heat some oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. add the onions and stir. cover and cook, over medium heat, until onions have reduced significantly and become golden in color. stir occasionally, making sure the onions don't burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. if they begin to stick, add some more oil to the pan.
4. assemble the pizzas
a. for the cheese pizza:
i. spread some of the tomato sauce on the matzo, covering it completely. sprinkle the cheese mixture over top. randomly place the whole basil leaves on top of the cheese. bake at 375F until cheese is melted.
b. for the roasted pepper-caramelized onion pizza:
i. spread some of the tomato sauce on the matzo, covering it completely. sprinkle peppers, onions, and some parmesan cheese over top. bake at 375F until cheese is melted.
perfect Passover pizza...puahahaha!
Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.
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