Matzo Brei

Dear Friends,
 
The latest posts, in anticipation of Pesach, concerning matzo brei made me stop and chuckle. As a newlywed, over 30 years ago, I was eager to please my husband with his favorite dishes. (Well, sometimes I still do!)

In those years, we always spent Pesach at my parents' home, in Massachusetts, and matzo brei was a great family favorite, my father being the best matzo brei maker. I still have not ever been able to duplicate his "way" with it, though there was never any secret ingredient, just the standard recipe. (The love, I guess.)

Anyway, my husband kept insisting that, tho it was good, it wasn't like his mother's. Well, I asked, how does your mother make it? He didn't know exactly, but he was "sure" that she didn't use eggs!

So, eager to oblige, while dad mixed up a ton of matzo brei for the family, I made a special portion for my hubby as he directed: soak the matzo in water, squeeze out, and fry!! I figured they were a poor family, maybe eggs were a luxury? So, while we ate my dad's luscious and rich matzo brei, my husband dutifully ate his specially made version and declared it perfect. When we returned home after the holiday, I called my mother-in-law to confirm her recipe. She roared with laughter. "What a na'ar! What does he know from matzo brei! Of course I use eggs."

I guess the special 'mother's love' ingredient was what he missed. We still laugh about this after all these years, and I've never trusted his like-mom's recipes since. (For this reason, I requested some authentic recipes for potatonik a few weeks ago, and got some helpful advice.)

Anyway, matzo brei is truly a "comfort food" for Pesach, and so quick and easy that we love it as a breakfast, lunch, or quick dinner.

And why is it that it NEVER tastes as good the rest of the year? 

A few years ago, while doing our pre-Pesach shopping, I inspected the myriad of new items, and conveniences for Pesach. When I saw the boxes of packaged matzo brei mix, I stopped dead in my tracks!  This has got to be a joke, I thought. All they have done is broken up the matzo for you. You still have to soak, squeeze, add the eggs, and fry! Can anyone possibly need this simple-to-make dish pre-boxed? It is to laugh.

Apologies for going on so long.