by Marisa Fox-Bevilacqua

When it comes to this classic Passover dish, there’s a heated debate brewing: to soak or not to soak. What I’m referring to, of course, is whether to soak the matzoh sheets in water or just run them under the tap. I present a third alternative–soaking them purely in eggs. I find skipping water altogether yields just the light and crispy texture I love. The longer you soak, the fluffier the brei, but don’t exceed 10 minutes. If you prefer your brei crunchy, only soak it for about 5 minutes. If you don’t have leeks, try onions–and feel free to add mushrooms, red peppers and/or tomatoes, as well as fresh herbs, depending on the cheese you use. Mozzarella always tastes good with oregano and/or basil. Gruyere and goat cheese goes well with rosemary, thyme and chives. And parsley seems to enhance anything. Whichever herb you use, make sure it’s fresh and finely chopped.

Ingredients:

4 matzoh sheets

4 large eggs, beaten

Canola oil for frying

2 leeks, washed well, trimmed and chopped (or 1 medium onion)

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

Garlic

3/4 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella, goat, gruyere, swiss or cheddar)

Fresh herbs to taste (basil, oregano, chives, rosemary or parsley)

Directions:

1. Break matzoh into two-inch pieces and soak in beaten eggs for 5 minutes.

2. Heat greased frying pan and sautee leeks until they start to turn translucent.

3. Add in the matzoh and pour the eggs over the mixture, sprinkling in salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and herbs, and stirring with a spatula until golden. Add cheese and continue stirring, scrambled egg style, until it starts to brown at the edges. Turn off the flame and serve.