Serve this version as a weeknight Passover entree, with a simple crisp salad of shredded cabbage dressed with apple cider vinegar, canola oil and a pinch of kosher salt.

Mina de carne, Sephardi meat and matzo pie

Recipe by Vered GuttmanCourse: MainCuisine: Israeli, Jewish, SephardiDifficulty: Medium

serves

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

hour

minutes

Mina is a Jewish Sephardi Passover pie made with matzo crust. There are many variations of minas throughout the Sephardi world, including beef or lamb minas, dairy or pareve minas with spinach and cheese, roasted eggplant and more. This one is filled with ground beef, potato, pine nuts and cinnamon.

Use a 9″ x 9″ or 8” x 8” pan

INGREDIENTS

2 to 3 medium golden potatoes (8 to 10 oz. total)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
5 tablespoons olive or
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 pound lean ground beef (chuck)
1¾ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
5 large eggs
2 cups chicken broth, heated
8 plain matzah (7-by-7-inch squares)

DIRECTIONS

Put potatoes in a small pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife. Drain, cool and peel the potatoes and mash them in a mixing bowl.
Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in a large skillet over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes until fragrant and golden, shaking the skillet often to keep them from burning. Add to the mashed potato.
Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the same (empty) skillet; increase the heat to medium-high. Add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring several times, until golden but not browned. Add the beef and cook until it’s no longer pink, using a fork to break up any clumps. Stir in 1½ teaspoon of the salt and all of the black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Remove from the heat; add to the mashed potato bowl and mix well.
Lightly beat 2 of the eggs, then stir them into the mashed potato mixture until well incorporated.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking dish with cooking oil spray.
Put the heated broth in a container wide enough to hold a couple of the matzah, stacked. Soak them in the broth for at least 30 seconds and up to 1 minute, until they are very flexible, yet still firm enough to hold their shape, shaking off any excess broth. Line the bottom of the baking dish with a double layer of matzah. Use 1 soaked matzah to line each side of the baking dish. (They will be folded over the filling.)
Spread the potato-meat mixture over the bottom matzah, then fold the matzah from the sides over it. Soak the remaining 2 matzah in the broth and use them to create a double top layer.
Combine ⅓ cup of the broth you used for soaking the matzah, the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, the remaining 3 eggs and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt in a liquid measuring cup, stirring until well blended. (Discard any remaining broth.) Pour the mixture over the top matzah, tilting the baking dish slightly to make sure the egg mixture covers evenly and soaks into the sides and corners. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and somewhat firm.
Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.