I hope everyone that had or went to a seder last night enjoyed themselves. My macaroons and Mr. BT’s haroset were a hit at our family seder. Tonight I made matza balls and a Sephardic meat pie that is found in Egyptian, Turkish, Balkan, and Italian Jewish homes. One of my colleagues suggested that I make a Mina for Passover. I had never heard of it and when he sent me the recipe I knew I had to try it. It is not difficult to make and I made it this evening, but you can make it ahead and heat in the oven before serving.
I slightly adapted a recipe from Janna Gur’s The Book of New Israeli Food. It called for pine nuts, which I love, but they were 30NIS/8USD for 100 grams (3.5 ounces) at the supermarket and I couldn’t bring myself to pay that much for them. Frankly, I have never seen them priced so high. I also wanted to make it with ground lamb, but at 169NIS/46USD a kilo (2lbs), I told the butcher “thanks, but no thanks”.
I added walnuts in place of the pine nuts and ground veal in place of the lamb. It was still delicious and I think I prefer the walnuts in this dish. I will definitely make this next Passover.
- Crust:
- 8-10 matzas
- 1/2 cup olive oil for brushing
- Filling:
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 2-3 medium onions finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 700 g 1-1/2lbs ground beef or lamb
- Salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 4 eggs
- 1-2 medium new or white potatoes cooked and mashed
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts roasted
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
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Dip the matzas in a bowl of cold water for a minute. Wrap the matzas in a moistened kitchen towel and leave for 10-15 minutes.
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Fry the onions in the oil until they are golden. Add the garlic and the meat and continue to cook until the meat is cooked through. Add the salt, pepper, cinnamon and allspice and remove the pan from the burner. Cool slightly, and add the eggs, mashed potatoes, walnuts and parsley. Mix well.
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Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).
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Grease a 24cm/12inch diameter round baking dish. Brush the wet matzas on both sides with a little olive oil and arrange 4 or 5 on the bottom, draping enough over the sides to later cover the filling. Spoon half of the meat mixture into the baking dish and flatten. Cover with a layer of matzas and top with the remaining half of the meat. Fold the matza draped over the side of the dish to cover the filling and brush with oil.
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Place an additional matzo on top and brush with oil, too. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, ladle the soup over the pie, and return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Cool slightly and invert on a plate before serving.
You’re right about those prices, Baroness. The Mina looks excellent with the substitutes, though, and I’d like to copy it.
I am sure the family will enjoy it. You could also make it with leftover chicken from the soup, ground chicken or ground turkey. I even saw a decadent recipe that called for cubes of lamb shoulder.
I like matza pie! I have some matzas from Pesach, I will try this. May be with no meat (I don’t like it so much) but with all vegetables……let’s me try
Nice to see your blog!!
Ciao from Rome, Italy
Ciao Zia Elle,
Ci sono delle versioni vegetariane di questo. Come al solito con gli spinaci e con il formaggio, come il feta o il ricotta. Fatemi sapere come la sua versione esce.
Devo provare i suoi biscotti ai pistacchi. Guardano delizioso e mi ricorda di quelli ho avuto in Assisi.