By Rachel Ringler
This article originally appeared on The Nosher.
Leave it to Sephardic Jews to make even a pedestrian dish — the ubiquitous matzah brei, a mash-up of fried matzah and egg — into something sublime.
In his landmark book “The Sephardic Kitchen,” Rabbi Robert Sternberg introduced many of us to the flavors and pleasures of Sephardic Jewish cuisine. Masa Tiganitas is a Passover recipe of the Greek Jews — tiganites is the Greek word for pancakes, and, according to Sephardic cook and author Jennifer Abadi, tiganitas is related to the word for “fried.” Masa Tiganitas is also a dish enjoyed by Italian Jews during Passover.
In Sternberg’s version, matzah squares are soaked in milk, dipped in a combination of egg and yogurt and then fried in oil. As opposed to matzah brei, or bumelos de masa, the matzah in Sternberg’s recipe is not crushed. They are left whole, dunked and fried before being sweetened with a drizzle of honey or arrope (a syrup made of grapes) and topped with a sprinkling of walnuts. Think fried matzah meets baklava. I am in love.
This recipe has been reprinted with permission from “The Sephardic Kitchen.”