H EADLINES
Passover Continued from Page 14
skillet lid that is a little larger
than the skillet that you are
using and cover the skillet with
it. Quickly fl ip the babka on
the platter and slide it back
carefully onto the skillet again.

You should have a nice crust
on top.

Lower the heat and cover
it with a lid for additional 5-7
minutes, until the eggs cook
through. Slide the cooked babka on a
serving platter. Let it cool for a
few minutes, slice it into trian-
gles and serve warm or cold.

We serve this with a fresh
cucumber, radish, green onion
and chopped dill salad. It can
be served with dairy, parve or
meat dishes.

SOUR CHERRY MATZAH
BABKA (SWEET)
8 pieces of matzah, broken
into quarter-size pieces.

2 cups hot water
4 extra-large eggs, cracked
separately, one by one to
check for blood spots
¼ cup oil
½ teaspoon vanilla
Optional: ½ teaspoon
cinnamon ½ cup sour cherry preserves
Matzah babka is a Mirskiy family recipe.

(can be substituted for
any fruit preserves or
honey) Optional: ½ cup pine nuts or
chopped nuts of choice
(for best fl avor, heat up
the nuts on a small skillet
without oil, constantly
mixing for a few minutes
and being careful not to
burn them)
2-3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar and more of
the preserves for topping
Break the matzah into a
large bowl and pour the hot
water on it. Let it soak for two
minutes. While the matzah is
soaking, break and whisk the
M elrose B’ nai i srael e Manu -e l
Invites the Greater Philadelphia Community and Virtual World
Why is This Night Different
From All Other Nights?
Join Us in Explanation, Discovery, Prayer & Song
https://www.facebook.com/groups/mbiee.org First Seder
Second Seder
Saturday, March 27
at 6:30pm
Sunday, March 28
at 6:30pm
Rabbi Charles S. Sherman
Dynamic Speaker, Celebrated Author,
The Broken And The Whole
Cantor Stephen Freedman
Gifted Composer,
A Welcoming Sweet Lyric Tenor
Traditional “Upbeat” Sedarim - With All Your “Favorites”
215-635-1505 • www.MBIEE.org
16 MARCH 18, 2021
The Mirskiy family remembers Moldovan traditions.

eggs in a separate bowl.

Add the sugar, cinnamon,
vanilla, preserves, pine nuts
and salt into the egg mixture.

Mix everything with a spatula.

Preheat a medium-size
skillet (10 inches), add the oil
and gradually add the matzah/
egg mixture. Flatten the
mixture with the spatula to be
even. Let it brown on one side
on medium heat for about 5-7
minutes. Oil a large plate or fl at skillet
lid that is a little larger than
the skillet that you are using
and cover the skillet with it.

Quickly fl ip the babka on the
platter and slide back carefully
onto the skillet again. You
should have a nice crust on top.

Lower the heat and cover
it with a lid for additional 5-7
minutes, until the eggs cook
through. Slide the cooked babka on
a serving platter. Let it cool
for a few minutes, slice it into
triangles, drizzle with some
more of the cherry preserves,
sprinkle some powdered sugar
and more of the nuts and enjoy.

We serve it warm or cold
with a side of fresh berries. It
tastes delicious with honey as
well. Brazilian-style Baking
for Passover
Describing herself
as Afro-Latina, Brazilian and
Jewish, LT Ladino Bryson of
Tempe, Arizona, values her
heritage and wants to ensure
that her sons do too.

JEWISH EXPONENT
“Continuity is
so important,” she said. “You
learn from your past and
create your own traditions to
pass down. But I want them to
understand their legacy, and
it’s a fi ght to do that.”
Her sons, both 6-foot-4 and
Black, “are going to be diff erent
no matter where they go,” she
said. Anything she can do to
help them “stay close to their
roots and feel special about it,”
is worthwhile.

And Passover represents the
perfect time to refl ect on the
past and connect with family
traditions. Just smelling the
pao de queijo, cheese puff balls
and Brazilian Passover cake
invokes memories of family
seders. Bryson remembers the fi rst
time her family shared a seder
with an Ashkenazi family where
chicken was served. Growing up
Sephardic, her sons had never
experienced a seder meal without
roast lamb. Th ey were not fans,
she said, and feels pretty confi -
dent that once they’re married
with families of their own, lamb
will remain a staple. But it’s the
specifi cally Brazilian favorites
she hopes they’ll keep baking,
always remembering, “Mama
did it best.”
Brazilians have it a little
easier during the holiday when
it comes to baking, she said.

Yuca fl our is common in Brazil
given that it comes from the
storage roots of the cassava
plant, a native species. Pão de
queijo is light and fl uff y — “this
Photos by David Stuck
round golden goodness,” she
said. “It is so light and crisps
so well.” Brazilians love to
incorporate fruit into desserts,
and she advises choosing a few
favorites to add to the cake
recipe. Both recipes here are fast,
simple and quintessentially
Brazilian. — Shannon Levitt
PÃO DE QUEIJO
(CHEESE PUFFS)
3 eggs
1½ cups oil
1½ cups milk
3 cups tapioca fl our
(Yuca fl our)
2 cups grated Parmesan,
cheddar and/or
mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
F. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix all ingredients with a
blender or food processor until
smooth. Th e resulting batter
should be sticky.

Use a tablespoon to separate
the dough and roll it into balls.

Put them into baking cups or a
muffi n tin.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or
until the balls become puff y
and just lightly browned.

Remove it from the oven
and let it cool before removing
them from the tin and eating.

Serve during the seder and
at any time during Passover.

See Passover, Page 27
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM