Matzo Brei by Alison Roman

Even though I’ve read most of the Old Testament, I still have very little knowledge of Jewish culture, much less Jewish food. But I do have much admiration for Jewish culture, particularly its veneration of tradition. I often wish I grew up in a culture that placed more value on traditions and rituals. I imagine that feels very grounding. Matzo is made of unleavened bread, which is why matzo brei is commonly eaten during Passover (talk about tradition!). Matzo crackers (or “boards,” as Alison calls them) seem to be available in most grocery stores and usually come in a pack of ten or so. They resemble a giant saltine. 

Earlier this year, Alison published her matzo brei recipe in A Newsletter and A Home Movie. There are some differences, particularly in the instructions, between her recipe online and in the book. The one online gives more specifics about how long to let the matzo boards soak in water and in the eggs. It also tells us to break the boards into quarters before soaking, whereas the book tells us to soak them whole. After reading through both side by side, I chose to mostly follow the online version. My guess is that the online version is more refined, giving us more specific instructions for success. Ultimately, I have zero frame of reference for what matzo brei should look or taste like, so I went with my gut here. The first step is to pseudo-caramelize and frizzle thinly sliced onions. I say “pseudo” because we seem to be aiming for something both tender, browned, and slightly crunchy around the edges. I found it necessary to continually lower the heat of my stove to achieve this. Setting the cooked onion aside, I then broke the matzos into quarters and soaked them in hot tap water for about 40 seconds. Alison’s book instructions tell us to soak them for “a few seconds” and her newsletter instructions say “60 to 90 seconds.” I split the difference, and let the texture guide me. I found this newsletter description most helpful in judging when to remove the boards: “They should feel pliable and soft without feeling soggy— like they were caught in the rain, not drowned in the ocean.”

After soaking in water, the matzos soak in beaten eggs. And this time, both recipes agree to let them soak for 2 to 3 minutes. Then, the whole mixture joins the onions over medium-low heat until the eggs are just cooked through, another 2 to 3 minutes. 

Following the book’s recommendations, I topped both plates with sour cream and applesauce, instead of sour cream and chives. Both, I’m sure, are delicious. Like I said, I have absolutely nothing to compare with this matzo brei. But I enjoyed it! It’s hard not to like eggs, onions and crackers (though I would never have thought to combine those three things before). The apple sauce was surprisingly pleasant, balancing out the saltiness of everything else. 

198 recipes cooked, 27 to go.

Savory Barley Porridge with Parmesan and Soy by Alison Roman

Jordan and I spent our first two years of marriage living in Berkeley, CA. We rented an apartment that was approximately 400 square feet, which we lovingly called “the shoebox.” It should have been a studio, but in classic Bay Area fashion, they put a wall in the middle so they could call it a one-bedroom and charge more rent. The kitchen had a small stove and oven with one rack that couldn’t fit standard-sized baking sheets. Cooking took longer with less oven space to work with, but we made do. We shared one tiny closet, had no heating or air conditioning, and still, loved living there. 

Most Saturday mornings, Jordan could be found at his desk (it took up a third of our living room) studying. These were some of my favorite mornings because I could spend them any way I liked. Sometimes I’d go to the farmer’s market, sometimes Philz Coffee, but more often than not, I walked over to Acme Bread. Acme is primarily a bakery with a constantly long line of people waiting to purchase bread, no matter the day of the week. They converted a small room off the side of the bakery into a coffee bar where you can order from a very short, locally-sourced food and drink menu. Most weekends, I ordered coffee and sweet porridge, a blend of various grains, cooked in whole milk with housemade jam and shaved almonds on top. I ate it slowly and read a book or people-watched after the many characters that came to stand in the bakery line. 

a polaroid of me at Acme Bread

Acme also served a savory porridge, but I never had the guts to try it. I just couldn’t get behind eating salty grains for breakfast. Which is why it took me eleven months to finally cook Alison’s savory porridge. Of course, I’m going to say that (surprise) it’s actually really good, and I wouldn’t mind making it again. But you knew that was coming. To me, savory porridge is the right breakfast for mornings when you don’t want to eat right away, but you have the energy and the time to stand by the stove for a while. Personally speaking, I don’t have many mornings like that, so porridge will have to be a rarer occasion. 

Alison provides us with many topping options for this porridge, most of which I followed to great contentment. While the barley and millet cooked, I assembled the toppings. I had leftover mushrooms on hand from Alison’s Chicken Soup, which I sauteed. I had an extra leaf of swiss chard from re-making Alison’s Harissa-Rubbed Pork (a true winner). I tossed in some leftover scallions and some briefly toasted buckwheat groats. I tried to poach an egg, to great failure. I salvaged the yolk, but most of the egg whites were scattered about in the water. Someday I’ll figure out how to properly poach an egg, but this day was not that day. 

Parmesan and soy sauce are what make this porridge from a flavor standpoint. I even found myself adding more soy sauce than is called for to my bowl. All in all, it was a delightful breakfast, not to mention a filling one. I felt very “Bay Area” while eating it. 

Pro tip: If porridge leftovers aren’t exactly something you want to eat, then I recommend dividing the recipe by the exact amount of people who will eat it. I.e. If you’re going to eat this by yourself, I think it’s safe to make a fourth recipe. 

195 recipes cooked, 30 to go.

Luckiest Biscuits in America by Alison Roman

These biscuits mark a really lucky moment in Alison’s life. A moment that changed everything. A moment made by the convergence of hard work, years of training and preparation, courageous risk taking, and a bowl of lucky biscuit dough. A moment you can hope for, prepare for, but never plan. 

These biscuits got me thinking about my own lucky moments, where my hard work paid off in an unexpected way. Though I can’t think of any one significant biscuit moment, I can remember many smaller instances where my work paid off in a way I didn’t foresee. Like the time I decided to order a few extra bottles of product for a photoshoot, just in case, and we ended up needing them because the original product got damaged. Or that time I decided to make two batches of chili instead of one in case more people showed up, and what do you know, they did. 

One lucky moment happened this week that had nothing to do with me. Just two nights ago on Thanksgiving, my mom got up from the couch where my dad and brother were sitting and went into her bedroom. After a bit of time, my brother had the lucky instinct to go check on her. He found her in extreme pain, lying in fetal position on her bed. She wasn’t sure what to make of the pain, and was waiting to see what would happen next. As the pain quickly spread from her chest to her right arm, they decided to drive her to the ER. They had the lucky hunch that this wasn’t indigestion. She was having a mild heart attack. 

It’s lucky that they went in when they did. The doctor said if they had waited another hour, things could have ended up much worse. She’s in the hospital now, waiting for various enzymes and chemicals to go back down. But luckily there seems to be no permanent damage done to her heart. No plaque or clogged arteries. We’re lucky it wasn’t something more. We feel like the luckiest family in America. 

With my family far away in California, and myself living in Chicago, there’s nothing I can do but pray and answer the phone when someone calls. It’s in these “useless” moments when I’m most thankful for cooking. Something to do with my hands that feels nurturing and productive. This morning, I didn’t know what else to do but make lucky biscuits. 

Though I’ve only made biscuits a handful of times, the process is largely similar to pie crust, and therefore quite familiar to me now. I used gluten-free flour and xanthan gum, but regular butter and buttermilk. I broke down the cold butter between my thumbs and forefingers, like rubbing a dog’s ear (thanks for the tips, Margaret). I drizzled the buttermilk in and kneaded the dough a few times, then patted it into a square to be cut. The squares sat on a parchment-lined baking sheet as I drizzled more buttermilk and flaky sea salt on top. They spent a total of 27 minutes in the oven, rotating once halfway through. 

These biscuits were fluffy, buttery, layered, with crispy edges - just as Alison promised. And given all that’s happening today, these biscuits sure felt lucky to me. 

175 recipes cooked, 50 to go.

Cripsy Kimchi and Cheddar Omelette by Alison Roman

Lately, I’ve come home from long days at work and felt like I have very little energy left to cook, much less write about my cooking. It has nothing to do with a lack of desire – I’m genuinely interested in cooking. I long to do it! And yet, my body, my mind, my heart feel so tired. It’s true that cooking often gives me energy and life; but not in this season. I just want to sit on my couch and feel mesmerized by the cars that fly by on the Dan Ryan Expressway. 

Last night, I came home from the train station, got dressed in my workout clothes, and walked to an exercise class. I know I just said I don’t have energy, but sometimes my mind can forget that and override feelings of exhaustion for just the amount of minutes it takes to get from my apartment to the gym. Once I’m at the gym, I might as well take the class. You get it. 

After I returned home, I had even less energy to cook dinner. So what did I make? Breakfast food. An omelette with cheddar and kimchi. All it took was beating several eggs, topping them with shredded goat’s milk cheddar and chopped quick kimchi, and then frying it in an even layer in a large pan. Since I made the kimchi the night before, the whole process took a total of ten minutes. And wow, it was delicious. 

Alison nails the ratio of egg to cheese to kimchi, so none of the ingredients dominates the dish. Each one plays an equally important role in flavor and texture. As I mentioned before, the quick kimchi is rather mild. Which in this recipe, works well so as not to overpower. I love a good runny egg, and Alison suggests frying the bottom while keeping it runny on top. You can cook it longer if you want to, but the eggs could quickly turn hard and rubbery. This omelette paired really well with ketchup. The heat from the kimchi makes hot sauce unnecessary. 

142 recipes cooked, 83 to go.

Smashed Cucumbers and Scallions over Garlicky Yogurt by Alison Roman

There are a handful of Alison’s recipes that I’m just not looking forward to eating. I don’t mind making them, but eating them is another story. It’s either the flavor combinations that don’t sound appealing or some kind of stew involving lots of different seafoods (she has more than one recipe like this!). I’ve said before that I am committed to trusting Alison. I’m committed to making the recipes I doubt. But just because I make them, doesn’t mean I have to like them. 

I doubted this recipe – hardcore. I did not like the sound of savory yogurt and cucumbers with a salty granola for breakfast. If I’m going to eat a savory breakfast, it absolutely must have eggs. It’s a personal principle. So I made this for lunch – a great decision! 

The recipe contains 3 core elements: 

1. Plain yogurt mixed with raw grated garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. The ratio of garlic and lemon to yogurt kept this from tasting too much like a dip. 

2. Cucumbers, smashed with scallions and more lemon juice. I didn’t have scallions so I substituted them with chives. I put my cut cucumbers, chives and lemon juice in a ziploc and pounded them with the bottom of a skillet. By the fifth or sixth hammer, the bag split open and the cucumber pieces spread out over the counter. That was my signal to quit annoying my neighbors. 

3. Decidedly Not-Sweet Granola - Read all about it in that link. 

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I genuinely enjoyed this meal! The cucumbers bathed in lemon juices and chopped chive were a really nice crunchy counterpoint to the toasted granola. And mixed altogether with the savory yogurt, it was both filling and flavorful. It was a great post-workout meal, one that I’ll make again. 

84 recipes cooked, 141 to go.