4 - Matzo Brei

I re-invent this dish every-time I make it. I use one piece of matzo per egg.

For four people:

Immerse eight pieces of matzo in water--or hold them under running water. When you crumble or tear them, you should have a pile of limp little crackers, not a mountain of mush.

Sauté one or two finely chopped onions in butter--then add the matzo pieces--stirring until they are lightly browned. While they are cooking--separate eight eggs (you don't have to do this--I often don't--but Laura and I both remember our mother doing it. It would certainly make for a lighter more exciting dish.) Beat the yolks until light and frothy. Add salt and pepper. Beat the whites until they are thick. They don't have to be stiff. Add the yolks gently to the whites. Mix them together while keeping as much bulk as possible. You can then either add the matzo and onion mixture to the eggs--stir together--and after adding more butter to the pan (if you think it's necessary)--gently return everything and cook, stirring as you would scrambled eggs, until eggs are done. Or you could just add the egg mixture to the matzo and onion in the pan, and take it from there.

You can see it's much quicker if you don't separate the eggs--and you might actually prefer that straightforward variation. Or you could soak the matzo quickly in milk--then add to the eggs without cooking (in this variant--only the onions would be browned first).