Last night I enjoyed an easy Friday night of eating dinner at home and watching movies. Before we turned in, at around 11, I laid out my running clothes and set my alarm for the 10K that I had signed up to run in the morning. 

I desperately wanted to be pumped for this race. The problem is, I’ve been having a lot of trouble getting excited by running these days. I used to go out for runs and enjoy being outside, letting my mind wander and my feet move as the carefully selected tunes shuffled through my playlist. But so far this spring, it’s just been a hassle. My head races, and there’s no meditative rhythm. I spend the entire time arguing with myself in my head to keep going.

This morning, post alarm, I lay in bed and psyched myself up. Yes, I will have a good run today. No, I will not fear the endless hills on Central Park North. I will run like the wind. Bring on the pain. I will sweat! I will love running again! 

Minutes later, I saw just how hard it was raining. I stepped out on to the balcony and felt the chill. That pretty much killed it for me. I’d have to wait in the rain for an hour before I even left the starting line. This was the cold, miserable, wet-footed thought that broke the camel’s back as I headed back to bed.

Later on, when I woke up for the second time, Brian made us Matzo Brei. If you don’t know what that is, think of it as french toast made from matzo that is eaten during Passover. You soak the matzo in water for a bit to soften it up, then squeeze out the water and mix with eggs and, if you have it (we didn’t), rendered chicken fat (or melted butter). 

I’ve seen it cooked two ways, although Brian swears that his (which is really his mother’s via his grandmother) method of forming it into a big pancake and frying it in a little butter (or chicken fat) is the only acceptable method. I’ve also had it cooked the way one might cook scrambled eggs. I enjoy matzo brei with maple suryp, but brian likes to section his off into a bunch of different flavor quadrants – one for salt, one for sugar, one for apricot preserves, one for raspberry jam. It was totally delicious and so filling that I’m now, for the second time today, psyching myself up for (treadmill) running.

Matzo Brei
The Weisenthal way

4 unsalted matzo

2 eggs

Pinch of kosher salt

water

3 tablespoons chicken fat (or butter)

(suggested toppings) maple syrup, sugar, salt, applesauce, jelly, jam, preserves, nutella, and/or peanut butter

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of chicken fat or butter and cook until fully melted. Remove from heat.

Break the matzo into roughly 1/2 – 1 inch pieces in a large bowl. Cover the matzo pieces in water until completely covered for 15 seconds. Drain the water and squeeze out the matzo so it is damp but not dripping. Return the matzo to the bowl. Add eggs, the fat in the pan, and the pinch of salt. Use a fork to mix, until all of the pieces are uniformly covered.

Return the non-stick pan to medium heat and melt the remaining chicken fat or butter. Spoon the mixture in the bowl onto the pan, and form it into a pancake, filling the bottom of the pan. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and crispy. Flip and cook until both sides are golden brown and crispy. Remove from heat and serve immediately with desired condiments.