Letters From My Kitchen: U is for Unleavened Bread: Matzah Farfel Granola (Jessica)

Happy April Fools' Day!

I never really do much to celebrate this holiday, as I'm not big on pranks, so I'll just gloss over the date and get straight to the good stuff. Passover is coming up next week! Ok, we definitely did sedars when I was a kid, filled with horseradish, parsley, and matzah ball soup (the best part). It was always a bummer to have to wait through the long sedar to eat dinner. Can you guess? I was never the most patient kid :)

Now that I'm an adult, I wish this Passover granola recipe had been part of my childhood experience. I only discovered it last year on Passover, but I think it will become a staple every year. It's a great snack!

Passover Granola
Makes about 3 1/2 cups
Recipe from my grandmother or maybe originally my aunt, I'm not sure!

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups matzah farfel
1 cup shredded coconut (optional, and omitted by me...)
1 cup blanched almonds (chopped coarsely, if desired)
2 oz (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup each of raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots, and/or dried apples (cut bite size)

YUM...

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325. Combine farfel, coconut (if using), and nuts in a bowl and spread on a lightly greased jellyroll pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, tossing several times until lightly toasted. Watch carefully and do not burn.

2. In a saucepan, combine butter, sugar, honey, and salt. Bring to a simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add to the farfel mixture. Mix well so all is coated.

3. Spread the coated farfel mixture on baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.

4. Remove from oven and put in large bowl. Break up mixture into small pieces.

Once mixture has cooled completely, add dried fruit and stir. Store in an airtight container or in the fridge.

You can serve this plain (as candy) or over yogurt or vanilla ice cream as a dessert! Looks pretty in glass stemware.

Review:
This is irresistible! It's got a great crunch and is salty and sweet. I baked mine longer and at a little higher temperature, and I think it was a little overdone. Still good, but I've reduced the temperature and time a bit in this version of the recipe. Of course, that could just be due to my oven, so feel free to experiment. Happy Passover!