What To Do With Your Leftover Farfel: Make Mom’s Granola
My personal Jewish holiday observance is usually acknowledged through the cooking of holiday-specific food: Hamantaschen for Purim, latkes for Hanukkah.
While chametz abounds in my cupboard, I have a non-traditional Passover recipe for granola that I regularly make at this time of year. It doesn’t have a place on the Seder table; it is a breakfast food or snack, at best. But I make it each year to get into the holiday spirit, and because matzo farfel is easy to find on grocery store shelves right about now.
Passover granola is seriously delicious — as good or better than regular granola varieties. And it’s incredibly simple to make. You will not long for oats. In their place is farfel, along with dried fruit and nuts smothered in oil and butter and baked crispy brown. Though we’re fast approaching the end of the Passover holiday, this granola is good anytime of year. In fact, what a perfect use for that leftover farfel. Or I suppose you could pulse your remaining matzo in the food processor to use that as a base.
This farfel-based granola is adapted from my mom’s recipe, and is a new favorite here at The Sisterhood. It’s a flexible recipe, so feel free to use any nuts or dried fruit you like. I recommend 2–3 types of each. And a good reminder from my mom, Jami: Don’t add the fruit until after the farfel and nuts have baked. Otherwise you’ll end up with burnt fruit — and that’s no fun.
Passover Granola
1 box farfel
1 cup oil (vegetable or canola work fine)
1 unsalted stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup water
2 cups nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds, whatever you have) chopped
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups dried fruit (raisins, dates, figs, cranberries, cherries, apricots, get creative); if using dates and figs, chop
1) Preheat oven to 350°.
2) Line two medium to large cookie sheets with foil and coat with cooking spray.
3) In a medium saucepan, combine oil, butter, brown sugar and water until butter melts. Stir to combine. Cool to room temperature.
4) Pour farfel, chopped nuts and coconut into large bowl.
5) Pour liquid mixture atop and stir to coat.
6) Add cinnamon and nutmeg and combine.
7) Bake for 25-30 minutes, mixing occasionally to evenly brown.
8) Remove trays from oven, allow to cool.
9) Add dried fruit and mix.
10) Store in airtight containers.
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