Few food substitutions are as maligned at the annual exchanging of breads and baked goods for matzo during the two weeks of Passover. But the unleavened cracker is getting some creative love from chefs around the city. Vegan food became a lot more, well, edible in the hands of chef Chloe Coscarelli atBy Chloe(185 Bleecker St.) The chef reimagined her mom’s traditional matzo brei, creating an eggless version using silken tofu, fresh spinach and mushrooms, topped with a drizzle of maple syrup for the perfect mix of sweet and savory.
Sneak peek of matzo flavor coming this Friday to a scoop shop near you. pic.twitter.com/P6hN5dY9dt
— Ample Hills Creamery (@amplehills) April 18, 2016
Matzo hasn’t had a glamorous run, but Brooklyn’sThe Matzo Projectis out to change that. The factory opened just in time for Passover, but supplies of their hand-rolled, coconut oil-kissed matzo in flavors like sea salt and “everything” are tight. One place to find it is atAmple Hills Creamery, in a honey ice cream with “matzo crack cookies” (their description). The Land of Milk & Honey is already available online, and will arrive in shops on Friday.
Vic’s(31 Great Jones St., NoHo) is reprising its “secret Passover meal” from last year. With the Seder Hamishi, chef Hillary Sterling is recreating a Spanish Inquisition-era secret meal that Christians would prepare for their Jewish neighbors when they couldn’t observe the holiday. Among the mains is braised goat with cous-cous made of matzo, topped with almonds and dill. The a la carte menu will be served on Tuesday, the fifth day of Passover. People are already loving the house special avocado toast just the way it is at NoMad’s new upscaleBlank Slate Coffee + Kitchen(121 Madison Ave.), run by husband-and-wife team Ashley Jaffe and Zach Israel. Their smashed avocado, spicy honey and smoked salt combo on toasted matzoh ($9) is a thoroughly modern Passover treat. Chef Julian Medina came from Mexico to New York in 1996, where he met his wife and converted to Judaism for her. At his 24/7 Cuban-Caribbean spotCoppelia(207 W. 14th St.)in Chelsea, he’s serving several dishes from April 25-29 (or get it delivered via Seamless) that combine their cultures, including braised brisket tacos with avocado and chipotle salsa on matzo tortillas.
