Dinner

[mamadeb]

We had a guest for dinner tonight, a friend from our synagogue. His wife and baby daughter are staying with his parents for the whole holiday, but he had to work, so he's home alone. And he seems to be of the helpless variety.

He's also allergic to potatoes.

This is a real problem during Pesach if you're Ashkenazi.

I made something I'm going to call cheese-matza strata.

Four onions
Four whole matzot
4 eggs
8 oz shredded cheddar/mozzarella cheese mix
Olive oil spray
Olive oil
Butter
Pepper

I sliced four onions fine and sauted them with butter and olive oil until soft and golden and then added pepper. Then I beat four eggs with a little water. I sprayed an 8x8 pan with olive oil spray, and put in a whole matza piece, which I sprinkled with hot water and then turned over and sprinkled with more hot water. I then covered the top with a thin layer of egg, then the onions and then a good amount of shredded cheddar/mozzarella mix. I covered this with another matzah, which I wet and egged on each side and then more onion and more cheese. I did this a third time, which used up the onion, and then added a fourth matzah, also wet and egged, and covered that with the remaining cheese. I put this in a 350 oven for about an hour. I cut it into six pieces, so we had seconds.

I also baked several tomatos - cutting off the top and spraying with olive oil.

First course was mesclun salad in a plain balsamic vinegar/olive oil vinaigrette. S brought walnut maccaroons. And we served a lovely Chateau Neuf that went well with the main dish.

Comments

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

You know, I rarely say this about matzah foods that are not actual balls in soup, but that sounds delicious!

[dj-clawson.livejournal.com]

I never noticed the Ashkenazi/Sephardi different until I spent Pesach in Israel. Suddenly I'm checking the packages for kinniyot EVERYWHERE. Pesach's much less complicated in the States.

[naomichana.livejournal.com]

I do a tasty matzah lasagna along much the same lines (delete the egg, adjust cheeses to include ricotta and parmesan w/mozzarella, add tomato sauce and sauteed veggies in keeping with the household principle that There Can Never Be Too Many Mushrooms). But I've never tried a layered matzah side-dish before -- I'll have to try it one of these days.

(I hope your guest isn't allergic to quinoa as well.)

[gittygiggles.livejournal.com]

how is someone allertgic to potatos?!

[gimmeahand.livejournal.com]

Potatoes are part of the nightshade family, and a lot of people are allergic to nightshades.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It came out pretty well, and not as heavy as it could have been.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

There's a big Syrian and Yeminite population in Midwood these days. They're selling hummous and rice kosher l'pesach shel sphardim.

But S would love to be able to have something besides, you know. Matza.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Most people haven't picked up on quinoa, even though everyone says it's all right. You have to find it kosher l'pesach anyway.

When I make lasagna, I tend to use long slices of eggplant in place of all or some of the matzah layers. And then the egg goes into the ricotta (more likely small curd cottage cheese as kosher l'pesach ricotta can be hard to find.)

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

It happens. Allergies can come up in the most unexpected places. He's probably allergic to one or more of the chemicals found in potatoes. Oddly enough, he eats tomatoes and eggplant, which are also nightshades.

[gittygiggles.livejournal.com]

that is so odd