Matzo Mayhem

From April 8-16, Jewish kids like myself will remove all chametz (leavened treats like bread) from their home and exchange them will boxes full of matzo (unleavened bread). Throughout the entirety of Passover, chametz is un-kosher for Jewish people. Eating the matzo commemorates the time when the Jews had to escape from Egypt and didn’t have time to let their bread rise. To make the matzo the dough is cooked with lots of little holes in it to keep it from rising. While matzo is quite delicious, it can get old quickly. Imagine eating crackers for every meal (though matzo ball soup is divine). Here are two ways to breathe some new life into your matzo:

(DISCLAIMER: If you’re dedicated to keeping super kosher these obviously aren’t for you. Not all of these ingredients are kosher for Passover, but they’re about as kosher as a reform Jew needs to be around the holiday).

1) Matzo Pizza – This is an easy treat for anyone to make. First purchase a jar of your favorite tomato sauce, tomato paste and some cheese (I use mozzarella with some parmesan). In a small bowl mix a little bit of your tomato sauce with the tomato paste to thicken it up to the consistency of pizza sauce. Spread it on your matzo. Sprinkle cheese on top. Stick the matzo in either the toaster oven or the real oven and cook until the cheese melts. It usually only takes about 10 minutes. Then you have a delicious, Passover friendly pizza alternative.

2) Dessert Matzo – I love chocolate covered matzo and Passover macaroons as much as the next Jew, but sometimes you need to get creative with your Passover friendly desserts. This recipe is delicious, healthy and easy to make. You’ll need Nutella, peanut butter and whipping cream (I don’t use the pre-whipped stuff, I guess you could). Spread Nutella on a piece of matzo. On top of that, spread a layer of peanut butter (if you don’t like peanut butter this is optional). Slice up a banana into thin slices. Strawberries also work well here, or a combination of both. Spread the fruit all over the matzo. If you have an electric mixer, mix a little bit of the whipping cream until it’s the consistency of normal whipping cream. If you don’t have one, you have two options. Either pour a little of the whipping cream into a bowl and use a whisk to whip it by hand or put it in a jar and shake the jar until the cream thickens. Put a little on top of the matzo and you have dessert!