Passover Around the World

Mina de Pesach

Sephardi Jewish communities enjoy layered pies on Passover, called minas. The fillings of these vary widely; here is a luscious version with chicken and mushrooms that can be served as a main course.

• 12 oz cooked chicken (or 1 lb. raw)
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• ½ medium onion
• 1 oz margarine
• 1 ¼ cup button mushrooms
• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or coriander
• 1 ¼ cup chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 6 sheets matzo

Preheat oven to 375˚. Have ready a baking dish approximately 10 x 8 x 2 inches—a foil one is excellent. Cook chicken until tender. Cut the chicken into strips about ½ x 1 ½ inches.

Sauté the finely chopped onion in the fat until soft and golden, then add the thinly sliced mushrooms and sauté until tender for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool while you beat the eggs until blended, then stir in the mushroom and chicken mixture, ½ teaspoon of the salt and the pepper and chopped herbs.

Make up 1¼ cups of chicken stock. Heat the oil in a small pan for 3 minutes, then pour 2 teaspoons into the baking dish and swirl it round to coat both the bottom and sides. Dip 2 of the matzot into the stock until well moistened, then lay side by side in the baking dish. Spoon half the egg mixture on top, cover with 2 more moistened matzot, then the remaining egg mixture and finally the 2 remaining matzot, also moistened.

Pour half the remaining oil over the top and bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with the remaining oil and bake a further 10 to 15 minutes until a rich crisp brown. Cool for 10 minutes, then serve in squares. Serves 4 or 5.

Megina

Jewish communities in Turkey, Greece and Rhodes cooked their own version of matzo pies, called Megina.

• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 lbs ground beef or veal
• 1 cup minced dill leaves and parsley
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• 6 eggs
• 5 matzos

Preheat the oven to 375˚. With a little of the oil, grease a 13 inch baking dish with a capacity of about 3 ½ quarts.

Heat the remaining oil in a skillet and sauté the onions until they soften. Add the meat and, stirring, sauté until it is browned and all the clumps have broken up. Remove from the heat and pour off some of the accumulated fat. Add the herbs and salt and pepper to taste.

Beat 2 of the eggs, combine the yolks and whites and add them to the meat. In a pie plate or the skillet in which you cooked the meat, soak the whole matzos briefly in warm water, just until they soften and before they fall apart. Drain on paper towels.

Beat the remaining eggs just to combine. Place in the wiped-dry pie plate. Carefully dip 2 softened matzos into the eggs. Line the prepared pan with them, breaking the matzos into pieces to fit. Evenly spread the meat mixture over the matzos.

Soak the remaining matzos in the eggs and cover the meat with them. Pour any remaining egg over the matzos. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until a rich brown crust forms. Cut into wedges and serve hot. Serves 6 to 8.

Masalachi Mutton

The ancient Bene Israel Jewish community living in Cochin, India, traces its origin to a shipwreck that left seven Jews stranded on the Indian coast two thousand years ago. They kept their Jewish traditions, though their cooking picked up a distinctly Indian flavor through the millennia.

This Bene Israel Passover dish incorporates lamb, recalling the original Passover sacrifice in ancient Egypt.

• 1 cup cilantro
• 1 2 inch piece peeled ginger root
• 4 hot green chilies, seeded and chopped
• ¼ cup oil
• 2 cups finely chopped onions
• 3 medium tomatoes, pureed with skin
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 or 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 lbs. boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1 inch pieces
• Kosher for Passover salt

Finely mince cilantro, ginger and green chilies, using a food processor. Heat oil in a large, heavy pan over medium-high heat. Sauté onions until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add cilantro mixture and tomato puree and continue cooking until tomatoes lose raw fragrance, about 5 minutes.

Stir in bay leaves, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Add lamb and salt, mix well and bring contents to a boil.

Lower heat, cover and simmer gently until fork-tender, about 1 ½ hours, stirring frequently. Add water as necessary. Makes 8 servings.