Congratulations! You’ve gotten past the Passover Seder meal(s) and lived to tell the tale. The pressure’s off and it’s just you and your nuclear family. But it’s only Day 2 of the 8-day holiday and you’ve still gotta eat. Time to start thinking of some more casual meals, and maybe using up those leftover matzo balls.

If the kids are back in school and you’re back to work, you’ve probably prepared a couple of batches of these Passover Rolls for your lunches. You might remember that I adapted that recipe from a 1960′s Manischewitz recipe folder that they used to give out around the holiday. One of those folders included a recipe for a meatball “stew” which used your leftover matzo balls and included a can of their Tomato Mushroom sauce. Well, if your grocery store is anything like mine, if you can find the product at all, the price has gone right through the roof (yeah, they know they’ve got you!).

I make my version of this Meatball/Matzo Ball Stew every year, but lost the actual recipe quite a long time ago, and stopped using the commercial tomato mushroom sauce even longer ago than that. You know what? You don’t need it. No leftover matzo balls? Well, if you don’t want to make a fresh batch, just cut up a couple of potatoes. It’s all good.

Passover Meatball Matzo Ball Stew
(serves 4-6)

For the Meatballs:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup matzo meal
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbs. ketchup
1 Tbs. vegetable or peanut oil

Combine everything, except the oil, in a medium bowl until well-mixed.

Heat the oil in a large (about 6 quart) pot over medium-high heat. Form the meat mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball and brown in the oil gently, turning occasionally.

For the Sauce:

1 medium onion, peeled & coarsely chopped
3-4 carrots, scraped & sliced into 1/2″ – 1″ pieces
2 ribs celery, sliced into 1/2″ pieces
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
Water
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Salt & Pepper

Matzo balls or 2 – 3 medium potatoes, cut into roughly 1″ pieces

Add the vegetables to the pot with the meatballs, lower heat to medium and stir occasionally, cooking until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add the diced tomatoes, fill the empty can with water and add that to the pot, as well. Season with the garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine well.

Add the matzo balls or potatoes, and bring to a boil. If your matzo balls are very large, cut them in half or quarters.

Cover the pot tightly and simmer for about 30 minutes. Uncover, stir, and simmer uncovered for about another 10 minutes to reduce the liquid.

This is one of my favorite Passover dishes, and like all stews, it tastes even better the next day!

Continuing yesterday’s discussion, I said that we’re not permitted to eat any yeast-raised breads during Passover. But we all still have to go to work and the kids have to go to school, so what are we supposed to do about lunch?

I remember, as a kid, having to go to school with sandwiches made out of a couple of pieces of matzo with some of last night’s leftovers in between. You ever try to eat a slice of meatloaf sandwiched in matzo? Not a pretty picture. Not to mention, messy.

Manischewitz, the kosher foods company, used to put out a collection of Passover recipes every year. You’d get this big, fold-out flyer containing a list of recipes and suggested menus, for free with your Passover foods order from your local grocery store. My mom collected those things religiously every year. In fact, I think she still has the originals.

One year, appeared a recipe for Passover Rolls. They were made with matzo meal and eggs, and the answer to every Jewish kid’s lunchbox prayers! I still make them every year, but now that whole wheat matzo meal has become available, I use it half-and-half with regular matzo meal, trying to offset a little bit all that fat from the eggs and oil. Still, for the one week, a darned acceptable substitute for bread.

Passover Rolls (adapted from a 1960′s Manischewitz recipe)

Ingredients:

1 cup matzo meal
1 cup whole wheat matzo meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs

Method:

Preheat oven to 375º F (190º C). Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with a silicone baking mat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine matzo meal, salt, and sugar. Mix well.

Bring water and oil to a boil. Pour the boiling water over the matzo meal mixture, and stir until blended. Beat one egg at a time into the mixture. Let stand 15 minutes.

Shape the dough into rolls with oiled hands. Arrange rolls on the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until golden brown and delicious.

Notes:

I’m not mentioning yield here, because you can make these into any size or shape you please, from dinner roll size to hamburger roll size. The baking time indicated is for roughly in between, but is a good guide. Adjust accordingly.

As with all breads, they’re done when they sound hollow when you tap the bottoms with your fingers.

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