Passover is coming! Don’t panic! Believe it or not you may even enjoy this crazy week. I actually like to stay home specifically because of the delicious, special and unique dishes. After the house is crispy clean, the peculiar Passover paraphernalia in place, the shleppy shopping is done, the fun begins. Matzo brei with strawberry jam and matzo pizza are basics. Why I don’t prepare them all year round is a wonder.
Cooking can be brought down to the absolute minimum by eating matzo with butter and salt, matzo with hard cheese and tomato, matzo with cottage cheese and finally matzo with cream cheese and jam. That will satisfy you for two days and then you will be craving for some delicious muffins, pizza, matzo brei, potatoes with fried onions, latkes, vegetable pancakes, brownies etc. If cooking must be done anyway it might as well be the easiest and most delicious dishes possible.
The day before Passover prepare the basics: tomato sauce, borscht, apple sauce, muffins, brownies and mayonnaise. (Don’t panic! Before I started making my own mayonnaise I thought the idea was crazy, but it only takes a minute, and it’s much more delicious that bought. Try it!)
All-year-round recipes can be adapted for Passover by using matzo meal in recipes which call for thickenings such as breadcrumbs, wheat germ, oatmeal, corn flakes crumbs etc. Legumes, seeds, corn and rice are considered Kosher for Passover by Sephardic Jews. So check recipes if they adhere to your cultural principles.