Recipe: Matzo Brei with Bananas and Pecans
Matzoh brei is just the comforting, homey dish you want to eat the morning after your Passover Seder. My grandmother would never have added pecans, bananas and maple syrup (she was more of a salt and pepper gal), but I believe she would have surprised herself, raised an eyebrow, and enjoyed this delightful variation.
A few months ago, I caught up with a blogger who spoke to me of her
grandmother’s matzoh brei
“Kosher migas” one commenter noted, an inverted casserole, a mixture of egg and starch, matzoh brei is elemental in its flavor and scope. I see it as the perfect canvas in which to add tid bits.
It was this spirit of innovation and riffing on a classic that led me to add bananas, cinnamon, vanilla, pecans and a dash of maple syrup to the classic matzoh brei recipe. I take a lot of culinary mis-steps, especially with my sense of “try anything once” cooking style, but I’m happy to report that this version of matzoh brei is a winner. It’s basically your favorite coffee-shop muffin meets your Granny’s simplest breakfast dish. It’s absolutely traif and absolutely marvelous. Just make it and see!
Matzo Brei with Bananas and Pecans
Serves 2
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 1/2
matzo crackers (I like lightly salted), crushed into smallish pieces
- 2
large eggs
- 1/2 cup
whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon
cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon
vanilla
- 1/4 cup
maple syrup
Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup
pecans, chopped
- 1
medium banana, split in half and sliced
- 1 tablespoon
butter
Dollop of yogurt, optional to serve
Instructions
Crush matzo crackers into a large bowl. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk milk, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and syrup until combined. Pour liquid mixture over crackers. Let stand for about 5 minutes (the crackers will absorb much of the liquid). Cut the banana into slices, add half to the matzoh-egg mixture, reserve other half for garnish.
Heat the butter in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Pour matzoh-egg mixture into the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, until lightly golden and egg is cooked through. Serve with reserved banana slices, pecan pieces, a dash of cinnamon and extra maple syrup, if desired. A dab of whole yogurt is a nice garnish too, although not required.
This recipe was originally published April 2011.