Author Archives: cookingwithcandi

Roasted Salmon with Corn and Tomatoes

Sometimes you just need to lighten up the meal and I find Salmon always does the trick . It is filling enough without that full feeling when you’re done eating . This Salmon dish is light but satisfying in every way. This is what I did and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. This will become your new favorite way to eat salmon.

*this recipe should serve 4 nicely–easy to cut in 1/2 for 2

Ingredients:

I asked for 6 oz. fillets– just make sure they are the same size and I like from the middle of the salmon not the end–you will need 4 for 4 people. One fillet for each person

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1 small container of cherry or grapes in any coloration you’d like-halved

2 cups frozen or fresh whole kernel corn

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. lime zest

1 Tbsp. Lime juice

1 tsp. honey

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion — I used a shallot this time because I didn’t have a red onion in the house or you can skip all together if you don’t like red onion — last night I added it and adds a nice little crunch and another layer of flavor

*if you love it snip some fresh cilantro in there at the end –while I love cilantro I don’t always have it to add and have to say equally as delicious

*also makes for delicious leftovers

Directions:

Pick up Salmon from your local fish store or Whole foods type of market

I rinse the salmon off and pat dry with paper towels. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 15×10 baking dish with aluminum foil or spray with your favorite cooking spray and I prefer to just spray and it’s fine but if no cooking spray then use aluminum foil.  Place fish in prepared pan. Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp. kosher salt over salmon and about 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper–you will have to eyeball it but the salmon needs salt and pepper it’s a question of how much. Lightly sprinkle.

In a medium sized bowl combine tomatoes, onion/shallot,  corn, oil , chili powder, cumin and a little more salt and pepper ( app. 1/4 -1/2 tsp. more salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper) Toss to coat. Spread tomato mixture around the fish in the baking pan. Roast uncovered, app. 15-18 minutes or until fish flakes easily and is cooked through. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fish so you should check on it after 15 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small bowl , stir together lime zest, lime juice, and honey

When fish is done to your liking remove fish to a platter. Brush fish with honey mixture. Add  cilantro to tomatoes in pan, stirring gently to combine all ingredients. Top fish with tomato mixture and if you’d like a little more cilantro this would be a good time to add it.

Blueberry Banana Bundt Cake

I had rotten bananas and I had some blueberries and I had all the other ingredients for this delicious bundt cake in the house. It took about 20 minutes to prep and another 50 minutes in the oven and it’s going into the freezer for another time and place. This cake freezes so well and the bananas were going in the garbage so there you have it –snacking cake for another time. You can freeze this cake for up to 3 months, but make sure you wrap it up carefully and mark the date you freeze it on the bag.

Enjoy!

  • when I freeze I usually cut up into sections rather than freeze the whole cake –it’s easier to freeze and takes up less space in the freezer and if I just want a small piece it works out best!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine salt (table salt)

1/2 cup butter unsalted and softened

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs — room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 bananas mashed– very ripe black bananas

1 cup blueberries — rinsed and dried

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I spray a Bundt Pan with Bakers Aid Spray– you can use other sprays but I prefer this one for baking

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Set it aside

Cream Butter and Sugar in an Electric Mixer. Add eggs one at a time and the vanilla. Beat until well combined

Add the flour Mixture to the bowl and Combine until just mixed. Fold in the Blueberries and Bananas with a spatula

Pour the batter into the sprayed Bundt Pan

Bake for 50 minutes. Check with a cake tester or toothpick till it comes out clean.

Enjoy!!

Farro Salad

This is a delicious farro salad made with arugula — this salad is similar to my take on Jennifer Aniston’s Salad but with arugula and shaved warm instead of feta. This is light and yummy and you can add a protein and make it a dinner salad if you’d like. Original recipe credit goes to the chef Charlie Bird on this one.

You can obviously add what you like and remove what you don’t like . Feel free to swap cheeses, or onions for radishes, etc and chopped up dates would be just fab.

Enjoy!

Follow me on Instagram @cookingwithcandi

Ingredients:

1 cup Farro– I use pearled farro

1 cup apple cider not apple cider vinegar

2 cups of water

2 teaspoons kosher salt, and more to your own liking

2 bay leaves

8 Tablespoons extra -virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice- I used 1 large lemon

app. 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan Cheese , I used a vegetable peeler but I do know you can buy Parmesan Cheese shaved this way ( time and mess saver)

app. 1/2 cup shelled Pistachios–I used salted pistachios and chopped them myself. You can use raw pistachios but they’re a tad tasteless.

app. 2 cups Arugula

app. 1 cup torn Basil Leaves

app. 1 cup Mint leaves-cut up into smaller pieces

2 large radishes sliced thinly or rough chopped–optional and you can use red onion here as well — sliced thinly or chopped into small pieces

Directions:

Farro:

In a medium saucepan, bring farro,  apple cider , dash of kosher salt , 2 bay leaves and 2 cups of water to a simmer. Simmer until farro is tender and liquid evaporates, about 30 minutes. If farro is cooked but there is still water I put in a colander/strainer and leave it till it cools down. If on the other hand the water evaporates before the farro is done, you’ll have to add a little more water. You can always strain it so no worries–but don’t overcook. Let farro cool down and discard the 2 bay leaves.

Salad:

In a salad bowl (large enough to fold in arugula and mix) whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice, I use a wire whisk, it’s an amazing kitchen tool. Add the cooled down farro, parmesan cheese and chopped pistachio nuts, mix well.

This salad base will sit for a few hours at room temperature. I made it that afternoon for that evening and never put it in fridge. Salad is always best at room temperature so if you do refrigerate, just bring to room temperature before serving.

Just before serving, fold in the arugula, herbs, radishes and taste for salt. If not salty enough sprinkle a little flaky sea salt or kosher salt. You’ll thank me for this recipe.IMG_1779IMG_1780

Springtime in a Bowl – Shrimp, Asparagus and Tomato Pasta

Since it is really Spring it just makes you want to lighten up the menu a bit and my mind immediately goes to asparagus!  This recipe is a variation on my Summertime Tomato Pasta. I wanted to use some of those beautiful asparagus out there. Even though I knew Joel would pick them out , I still made this dish. The asparagus are large enough for him to easily pick out and put on my plate. This dish is light and delicious and pretty quick to prepare. It is like springtime in a bowl!  There are so very many things to do with asparagus but this just appealed to me  and if you leave the shrimp out you have a lovely vegetarian pasta dish and if you leave the pasta out you have a super light dish!  I used the shrimp.  I also used linguine in this recipe because it just seems to hold on to the flavors nicely. Happy Spring and Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 lb. box linguine ( I used Fini Linguine , it was lighter than regular linguine and was just perfect)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 pint size containers of little grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or any small tomato ( app. 16-20 oz. of tomatoes)  I cut tomatoes in 1/2.

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

* crushed red pepper ( we like the heat) use your own discretion depending on how you like it, totally optional

3 large cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1/2 cup dry white wine ( I use whatever I have open)

1 lb. Asparagus , trimmed, stalks cut on a diagonal into app. 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

fresh basil chopped ( app. 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to box directions.( Fini Linguine cooks in 6 minutes perfectly) scoop out a little pasta water after cooking about 1/2 cup to 1 cup and keep it handy if pasta is too dry, you can add water to it a little bit at a time.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the tomatoes, app.  1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and app. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft , it takes at least 5 minutes . You want the tomatoes to start to burst so they make a delicious sauce.  Add the crushed red pepper and garlic. Cook for another few minutes ( don’t burn the garlic)keep on low heat and stir around. Add the wine and the asparagus. Bring to a low boil and simmer for at least 5 minutes . Taste for Salt and Pepper, if it needs more this is when I would add it, and I did. I added a bit more salt here, pepper was fine. You need to use your own discretion about the salt .

Sprinkle shrimp in a bowl with a little salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the pan and continue to simmer until the shrimp is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Shrimp needs to be firm to the touch, and opaque if cut into. Stir in the chopped basil and the oregano.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss well to combine.  You can always add more crushed red pepper when finished.

This was really delicious and light. Joel of course picked out every piece of asparagus, and put them in my bowl. That was fine with me because I love asparagus.

*this dish will easily serve 4, if you like you can always add another 1/2 lb. of shrimp for 4 people.

Sheet Pan Asian Style Chicken Meatballs and Burnt Broccoli —

This was a delicious twist on chicken meatballs. The meatballs were so amazingly moist and tasty and I served over Jasmine Rice and it was just perfect. The original recipe is from Bon Appetit and I took a few liberties with it. We like spicy food so I used some Sriracha along with the ketchup — you can make this as spicy as you like or not spicy at all depending on how much or how little Sriracha you use or use none at all. If you’re in the mood for something a little different this one’s for you. We just love meatballs and we’ll eat them any which way. Have fun with this one. And you all know that my husband absolutely still refuses to eat broccoli so it was his loss because it was delicious.

*a little note I use my mini chopper to chop ginger and garlic and I use it for onions as well . It gets it finely minced. If you don’t have one of these mini choppers I highly recommend it’s use to get garlic, ginger and onions and other vegetables finely grated when recipe calls for that.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: Sauce

2/3 cup Ketchup — I decreased the ketchup and added about 1/3 Sriracha – and it was very spicy but we like very spicy . So please either keep it 2/3 of ketchup for totally not spicy or decrease a little ketchup and add a little Sriracha.

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tbsp. Water

2 Tbsp. Honey

4 tsp. Soy Sauce

1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 garlic clove — finely grated — see note above about finely grating

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients: Meatballs and Broccoli

app. 1 lb. of Broccoli — you just want florets so if you’re starting with a head of broccoli you’ll have to trim and cut etc. I just bought a 1 lb. package of broccoli florets available in most grocery stores these days. ( not frozen)

2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil divided — 1 for broccoli and 1 for Meatballs

2 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt divided — 1 1/2 for Broccoli and 1 for Meatballs

* a pinch of Crushed red Pepper which is also optional

1 lb. ground chicken– I try to use 85/15 chicken the 90/10 tends to be very dry and really the best is ground dark meat if you can find it

1 large egg beaten to blend

4 scallions , thinly sliced

2 garlic cloved, finely grated

1 ” small piece of ginger , finely grated

1/3 cup Panko ( Japanese Breadcrumbs)

1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil — I use regular Sesame Oil but you can use Toasted as well

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Rice for Serving any kind you like , I used Jasmine this time but any kind will do

Directions:

Mix ketchup, Sriracha ( if you’re using) , Worcestershire Sauce, water, honey, soy sauce, grated ginger, and pepper in a small saucepan. I measured out about 1/4 cup mixture into a small bowl for glazing meatballs, later. Bring remaining mixture to a simmer over medium high heat stirring occasionally and reducing heat if necessary, let sauce thicken , about 5 minutes. Transfer sauce to a small bowl or leave in pan and remove from heat.

Meatball and Broccoli Assembly:

Place a rack in upper third of the oven; pre-heat to 450 degrees. I sprayed a sheet pan with cooking spray and lined it with aluminum foil. In a separate bowl I tossed florets with 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil, 1 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt, and a few pinches of crushed red pepper ( optional) I brushed the sheet pan with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of Vegetable Oil and then placed broccoli florets on the edges of the baking sheet to create space for my meatballs.

Mix chicken, egg, scallions, garlic, ginger, panko, sesame oil, pepper , 1 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt, and 4 Tbsp. Water in a medium bowl and mixed all ingredients together till just combined — don’t overmix

Using wet hands form into 12 meatballs — Probably 2 inches apiece though I didn’t measure but I got 12 beautiful sized meatballs. Arrange on baking sheet; brush with some of the reserved glaze ( 1/4 cup) ( see photo) Bake until meatballs are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven; heat broiler. Brush meatballs again with glazing mixture; broil until broccoli is charred and meatballs are browned in spots, app. 5 minutes but keep an eye on them. At the end of 5 minutes if you’re meatballs look ready but your broccoli isn’t charred enough, remove meatballs and continue to broil broccoli till it’s charred enough.

Spoon meatballs and broccoli over rice in a bowl. Drizzle with sauce and there you go!

Cinco de Mayo Salad and Green Goddess Dressing

photo (2)photo (5)photo (2) photo Happy Cinco de Mayo!!! This salad is fresh and delicious and perfect for celebrating the day. If you’d like add a protein to it — chicken , shrimp or even tofu. May is here and it brings warm weather and beautiful flowers and springtime has finally arrived here .  This is a perfect way to bring a little Cinco de Mayo into your home in a pretty healthy way.

Any excuse to celebrate a holiday with a new recipe! Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone and here is a new salad and salad dressing to help celebrate with. While I am not a vegan and don’t always cook that way,  I tried this salad dressing which I found in Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook, “It’s All Good”, and I have to say it is all good! All good ingredients. I am not talking diet food–just good, healthy food, that when eaten in moderation, yields very good results. I used * Vegenaise in making this and highly recommend it in the place of mayonnaise. You can also use yogurt in its place. This is low salt and low sugar. Delicious, fresh ingredients. I made it with the delicious salad listed below. I love love cilantro, and I have to say that if you don’t love cilantro, this one’s not for you. I used half of a jalapeno and it was not hot at all, next time I will use a little more.  I scraped the seeds out. Be very careful handling jalapenos and their seeds–make sure to wash your hands well afterwards and maybe wear gloves to prevent any problems.

*This dressing will keep well in a jar for up to a week.

*a little story about Vegenaise, which is lighter than mayonnaise and contains no eggs, milk or animal products. No GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms). Mix it with Dijon for great flavor in the place of real mayo. Extra added bonus is a great jar to store future salad dressings in.

Stay Safe Guys and Enjoy the Day!

Be in control of your ingredients as much as possible.

Ingredients:

*this will be vegan if you use Vegenaise

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup of Vegenaise, yogurt, or mayonnaise

2 scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 4 limes)

1/2 green jalapeno, roughly chopped (you can use more or less, whatever level of heat you like)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon honey

DRESSING DIRECTIONS:

Blend all ingredients in a blender except for olive oil (I open the top and pour oil in after all other ingredients are combined.) It is a beautiful light green color with specks of dark green. Joel was definitely suspicious of the color but he really loved it! Gave it a big thumbs up!

This should serve 4 nicely as a salad but adjust quantities based on how many people you are feeding.

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

About two hearts of romaine Lettuce, shredded

1/2 can of yellow corn (or 2 fresh ears of corn, shucked)

1/2 can black beans (I use organic canned beans and rinse and drain them)

4 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks

approx. 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I used delicious cherry tomatoes, halved)

1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

Green Goddess Dressing (see above)

If you’re using fresh corn, you’ll have to cook it first. I used the canned version this time. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and dress it with about 1/4 cup of the dressing, just so it’s nicely coated. I then added beans, tomatoes, scallions, avocado, cilantro and corn. Add a little more salad dressing, and serve immediately. Joel likes a lot more dressing on his salad so I served with dressing on the side.

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

IMG_7067IMG_7069More of my favorite way to cook with Chicken Fajitas made on the Sheet Pan . I made this the other night and it is the easiest and most delicious meal. I am always experimenting with making Chicken Fajitas in new ways and trying to keep the oil down. If you use too little oil they come out tasting dry and that’s no good so use the 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil that I suggest.  This is what I did and I served with small soft tortillas and you can provide any fixings you like. I also served over rice in a bowl which is how I like to eat my fajitas. Obviously what you do with them is totally up to you! A little sour cream and guacamole never hurt anyone either. And buy some tortillas and you have perfection on a plate.

*it is important that all veggies be cut up into fairly uniform sizes this will help cooking process and timing

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. of chicken breast tenders– or just cut some chicken cutlets into strips

1 yellow bell pepper –sliced into 1/4″ slices

1 red bell pepper–sliced into 1/4″ slices

1 orange bell pepper–sliced into 1/4″ slices

1 small red onion–sliced into 1/4″ slices

3-4 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Oil –now I have tried 2 Tablespoons and it was a little dry so use your own discretion here –depending on how much chicken you’re using and you’ll want a light glaze all over the chicken and veggies

1 teaspoon of kosher salt –this was enough for us but again use your own discretion

several turns of the pepper mill — freshly ground black pepper always works best

2 teaspoons of chili powder

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of onion powder

1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika

Lime for squeezing at the end

*fresh chopped cilantro for garnish and delicious flavor if you like it

*warmed tortillas–if you like

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a large bowl , combine onion, bell pepper, chicken strips, olive oil, salt and pepper and all the spices. Start with 2 Tbsp. of Olive Oil and add more . I really felt it needed more than 2 Tbsp.

Toss well and combine and allow to sit for a while before cooking. I find that the longer it sits the better it tastes. I prepped and let it sit for an hour or so.

Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray

Spread chicken and onions and everything on baking sheet

Cook at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, if you’d like to use a meat thermometer here chicken should be 165 degrees. After 20 minutes I turned the oven to broil and cooked for additional 2-4 minutes just letting the veggies get some nice color. Watch it carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.

I served in bowls over rice with warm mini tortillas and sour cream and guacamole.

*should serve 3-4 nicely with the rice and sides

Enjoy!

Lemon Couscous with Chicken and Peas

photo (11)  Lemony couscous with grilled chicken and peas!!! Love it!!! It was so easy using very few ingredients and very yummy!   I used chicken breasts and threw them on the grill pan with a little olive oil , salt and pepper. If you really want to make this easy you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. You can also substitute any grain of your choice. I happen to love the Israeli couscous ( pearl couscous), it’s not as mushy and has a better texture for this dish especially. I also like to use organic lemons when I’m using the zest of a lemon. If it’s just the juice of a lemon I don’t get as nuts but I have to say I prefer the organic ones when I know I’ll be eating the skin of the vegetable or fruit.  The flavor of the fresh lemon is just wonderful . 

Enjoy this one!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/3 cups Israeli couscous ( pearl)

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

Zest of 2 large lemons ( organic)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 – 1 teaspoon kosher salt ( start with less and you may need to add a little more) the parmesan is salty, and you’re salting the chicken.

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

4 green onions, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

1 lb. thin chicken breasts, a little olive oil and salt and pepper or use a rotisserie chicken breast

Directions:

On a baking sheet, brush chicken breasts with a little olive oil and lightly salt and pepper. The thin cutlets grill up very quickly app. 3 minutes per side. Grill and set aside . I cut chicken up into small pieces before adding them to couscous. You can also cut up thicker chicken cutlets into 2 inch pieces and using a grill pan or frying pan cook them the same way ( olive oil salt and pepper) I like to put chicken in a bowl glaze them with olive oil and s and p and then cook them.

In a large saucepan, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the couscous and cook until lightly toasted , 2-3 minutes. Add the broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until the couscous is tender but still firm to the bite, app. 8 minutes.

I then stirred parmesan cheese into couscous along with the green onions, peas and cut up chicken. Taste for salt and pepper.

I plated it up and we totally enjoyed!

Chicken Rigatoni a la Vodka

This was one delicious pasta meal made with ground chicken this time around. Pretty easy to make and the only special tool I used was an immersion stick blender but a blender will work as well. Easy ingredients and easy prep and came out just perfectly. Most perfect weeknight meal.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken

1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil plus 2 teaspoons of Oil for cooking the meat

2 Tablespoons Un-Salted Butter

1 Medium yellow onion — small dice

5 Medium Garlic Cloves minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes– use to your own liking — we like a little kick

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Vodka

12 oz. box Rigatoni or Penne

Kosher Salt and Coarse Black Pepper

Fresh Basil for garnish

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese for garnish

Directions:

Cook the ground chicken in a large saucepan with 2 teaspoons olive oil and italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Season with a bit of Salt and Pepper. Cook till crumbly and fully cooked. Remove and set aside in a bowl.

Heat the 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil and butter in the same saucepan over medium high heat . Once the butter has melted, add the onion and cook the onions down stirring frequently, until softened and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes ( 1 Teaspoon ) cook stirring for another minute or so. Add the crushed tomatoes with their juices. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low so the mixture is barely bubbling — a simmer and cook for another 1/2 hour or so. Sauce will thicken and reduce somewhat. Season to taste with Salt and Pepper.

After sauce has cooked for 1/2 hour or so I turn off the heat and add the vodka and cream and then I use my immersion stick blender to blend the sauce till I like the consistency. I blended till completely smooth . You can use the blender just let sauce cool down first and work in batches. I then let sauce simmer for about 10 minutes to cook off the vodka. Taste for Salt and Pepper. 

Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve a cup of pasta water to thin out the sauce — I did because it thickened up a lot. Add the chicken to the sauce. Stir to combine and add water if too thick, stirring frequently. Let it cook for a little bit and then I plated up pasta added sauce and topped with fresh basil and grated cheese .

I froze leftover sauce.

This would probably serve 4 nicely.

 

 

 

 

 

Matzo Brei –Savory Style

This is a delicious way to make a meal with eggs and matzo. Sometimes we eat it for dinner and it’s just sort of perfect. Real comfort food for us.  I always loved Matzo Brei since I was a little girl, and I always wondered why it is that we only eat this delicious concoction during Passover.  It’s such a delicious treat why don’t we eat it more often? In our house we usually eat it till the matzo runs out. Usually for the week of Passover, then we stop. It’s so good. Everyone has their own little special spin on it.  Before I met Joel I always ate my matzo brei sweet with maple syrup sort of a matzo french toast. Joel loves it crispy and salty with a lot of pepper and since I know him he always asks for it this way , I sort of grew to love it this way as well. What’s not to love?  You definitely don’t have to be Jewish to love Matzo Brei. This is how we make it around our house.

Ingredients:

*serves 2 just barely (can and should be doubled)

3 Sheets of Matzo broken into little pieces

2 Large Eggs

Salt and Pepper

2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil to cover bottom of pan — but usually 2 Tablespoons is about right

Directions:

Break the matzo into little pieces and place in a bowl. Cover with very hot water from tap. Let it stand for a couple of minutes, and then drain it. ( I usually put a plate over bowl and pour out all the water) Beat Eggs in another bowl, season with salt and pepper. Use your own discretion here, Joel likes it with a lot of salt and pepper. Wait a few minutes so matzo isn’t very hot before adding the eggs then combine the eggs with the drained Matzo till a batter forms. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium -high heat — make sure oil is very hot . I carefully  add the matzo mixture to the hot oil  and start to fry it up scrambling it as I go, we like it in little pieces. ( you can make this batter into small pancakes as well and just fry up until golden brown) I cook it till it is all fryed up and crispy. It should cook up pretty quickly if the oil is hot enough. You can serve it with less salt and pepper and put jam on the side, maple syrup on it, cinnamon , whatever you like! Matzo Brei is awesome even when you feel like you can’t face another piece of matzo.