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.

Golden Chicken Broth with Turmeric and Garlic by Alison Roman

For several months, I’ve been saving chicken bones. I’d come to save several backbones from spatchcocked chickens, a couple of wings from recipes that just wanted thighs and breasts, and cooked, uneaten scraps that no one wanted. I was saving them all to make my very first homemade chicken broth. 

What better occasion to make this broth than in preparation for my second Covid-19 vaccine. We knew from friends and family that the second Moderna vaccine could warrant some less than desirable symptoms. The alleged window to appear was 8-12 hours post shot. So as soon as I returned home from my early morning vaccine, I got to work making this broth. 

First step is to place an onion, cut in half crosswise, and two heads of garlic, cut the same way, and a large piece of peeled ginger, cut-side down in the stockpot over shimmering canola oil. The goal is to get these ingredients a bit toasty, which takes only a few minutes. Alison specifies that she likes to keep the onion skins on for the added color they provide. 

Next, the other vegetables and spices are thrown in for softening: celery, chopped fennel bulb, bay leaves, whole star anise, and turmeric. Once these are slightly softened and equally coated in oil, the water and chicken bones get added. 12 cups of water and 3 lbs. of chicken bones to be exact. My bones were all frozen, so they were rather bulky at first, and I was afraid they wouldn’t fit in the stock pot. After several minutes of thawing, they eventually got unglued from one another, and sank to fit nicely in the pot. 

Since some of my bones still had meat left, I removed them after 30 minutes of simmering to pull the meat off so it didn’t dry out. I saved these little scraps for the chicken noodle soup I’d make next. Bones, fat, and cartilage all go back in the pot, and the stock simmers for another 2-2.5 hours, or until it’s reduced by about a third. 

The final step is to strain the broth. I used a large colander at first, just to catch all the chunky vegetables and bones. And then I used a smaller fine mesh strainer to catch any bits of bone or garlic that made it past the colander. 

The broth was indeed a golden yellow, and had a really pleasant taste. There was certainly a layer of oily fat on top, which in hindsight I would probably try to scoop away partially. But the flavor of that fat is important, too. And all the rumors are true, you can definitely tell the difference between a homemade broth and a store bought box of broth. 

Once the broth was ready, I made a simple chicken noodle soup, using Ali Slagle’s NYT recipe as a guideline, utilizing the broth and chicken scraps leftover from the bones. All of this was done by about 7 hours after my vaccine. 

At hour 12, things got real. I suddenly had a high fever, terrible body aches, chills and sweats, and a throbbing headache. This lasted through the night (I didn’t sleep much) and I had a milder version of it throughout the next day. I spent that whole second day on the couch, and at one point fell asleep for four hours in the afternoon. I’m so grateful for the privilege of gaining immunity, but it sure wasn’t all smooth sailing. The chicken broth and noodle soup sure came in handy. 

46 recipes cooked, 179 to go.

oh, she glows

Frizzled Chickpeas with Onions and Feta by Alison Roman

They’re not sizzled. They’re not fried. They’re frizzled. And they’re delicious. 

There are so many recipes for crispy chickpeas in the world. Even Alison has more than one. Most of them use oven roasting as the crisping method. A few use the pan fry. But Alison has declared, with reasonable assurance, that the way to cook chickpeas is the frizzle. (And all the Magic School Bus fans say, AMEN.) A cooking method of frying chickpeas in sizzling oil. 

The best feature of this dish--the crispiness of the chickpeas-- is only rivaled by the crispiness of the sliced red onion. Who doesn’t love crispy onions? 

The process is straightforward. A half cup of olive oil (yes, you need that much) is heated over medium-hight in a large skillet. First the onions and garlic get sizzly and soft, before the sprigs of fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, and two cans of chickpeas join the party. The frizzle method still takes a bit of time. I probably left them on the skillet for at least 15 minutes, shaking frequently so they didn’t burn. The final touch is my favorite dairy topping, feta cheese. 

I’ve made this dish twice now, once with Alison’s One-Pot Chicken with Lemon and Dates and the other time with Alison’s Skillet Chicken with Olives and Sumac. It’s a reliable side that would go well with pretty much anything. And I usually have the ingredients on hand, so it’s an easy fix if I need one more piece to a meal. I also think it would make a lovely snack.

38 recipes cooked, 187 to go.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Onions and Parsley by Alison Roman

I have something to admit. I made this recipe twice before writing about it. The first time, I failed. The potatoes weren’t boiled long enough and when I tried smashing them, they fell apart. (Alison suggests using a steamer basket but I don’t have one of those.) I still went to the effort of frying the broken potato bits, but they looked pretty sad and were not the right texture. 

The second time around I had better success. A few of the potatoes still fell apart during the smashing, but the majority held together. This time, I chose potatoes that were no larger than a golf ball, no exceptions. I let the potatoes boil for closer to 20 minutes, instead of 10-15, and let them cool for 3-4 minutes before smashing. I used the bottom of a wide water glass to flatten the potatoes, not a fork. Then I left the potatoes alone for longer while frying, and they thanked me for it - getting crispier than before. 

These potatoes are topped with parsley and sliced onions fried in butter. You can’t go wrong with onions fried in butter. You just can’t. Except if you burn them, but don’t do that! 

This dish can be served with just about anything. I made mine with Soy-Brined Halibut (post to come).

20 recipes cooked, 205 to go.

Also, how cute is this tiny potato!