28 | MARCH 18 • 2021 

P

assover is a long holi-
day. And it feels longer 
because the menu is so 
limited. Or is it? Don’t let food 
worries color your cooking 
creativity. These days there 
are other ingredients such as 
quinoa (not 
a grain at all, 
but seeds) and 
tapioca flour, 
for example to 
cook with.
Growing up, 
my mother 
made matzah 
brei during 
Passover. It was a dish her 
Polish parents prepared for her 
family. It was almost the only 
“traditional” food she made 
for our family during Passover. 
She would serve it salty or 
sweet, sprinkled with cinna-
mon and sugar or spread with 
fruit jam. It was our tradition. 
Basically, it is moistened 
matzah (use water), drained 
and mixed with eggs (1 pound 
matzah, 4 large eggs and a tea-
spoon of salt, mixed together). 
She fried it in a skillet with oil 
and it was heavenly. 
Sure, you can avoid any 
floury foods (many of us do it 
anyway), or you can embrace 
your inner bubbie and look 
for fun and creative ways to 
add matzah to your favorite 
entrees. Breakfast, lunch or 
dinner, take your Passover 

food to a different level — not 
gourmet, just interesting and 
pleasing.
Go ahead — think inside 
the box (of matzah, of course). 
Use some newer ingredients 
and have some fun. Start some 
new traditions.

QUINOA WITH 
VEGETABLES
What makes this dish extra 
luxurious are the oodles 
of sauteed vegetables you 
can customize to your own 
tastes — super versatile. 
You also use it as a stuffing 
for vegetables, such as bell 
peppers, zucchini boats or 
my favorite, semi-hollowed 
eggplant halves. If you 
feel like adding a handful 
of dried fruits or nuts to 
the mix, feel free. I didn’t 
include them in the recipe 
because Passover food 
already has so many reci-
pes with fruits and nuts.

Ingredients
½ cup dry quinoa
1 cup water
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 cup chopped mushrooms (about 
4 ounces)
1 cup ¼-inch diced carrots
1 cup ¼-inch diced zucchini, 
unpeeled
Kosher salt and black pepper to 
taste

Optional: Fresh herbs, such as 
sage, dill, basil
Optional: Splash Balsamic vinegar

Directions
Preheat oven to 425º. Line 
a rimmed baking sheet with 
parchment. Set aside.
Combine the quinoa and 
water in a small saucepan 
and bring the water to a 
boil over medium-high heat. 
Remove the saucepan from 
the heat and place a lid on 
the pan. Allow the quinoa to 
cool in the pan. 
In the meantime, com-
bine the oil, onion, garlic, 
mushrooms, carrots and 
zucchini in a bowl and toss 
well. Season lightly with 
salt and pepper and spread 
on the baking sheet. Cook 
for 10-15 minutes until the 
vegetables are just tender. 
Transfer back to the bowl 
and add the quinoa and 
toss well. Adjust seasoning 
to taste. Makes 4-6 serv-
ings. 

BRAZILIAN CHEESE 
BREAD (PAO DE QUEIJO)

As many of you know, my 
family is Brazilian, and this 
is one of our favorite treats. 
They have a sort of gummy 
texture on the inside, which 
is what I love about them 
most. You can purchase 
these, uncooked, frozen in 
many groceries or you can 
make yourself with this easy 
recipe. 

Ingredients
1 cup milk
½ cup butter
1 tsp. salt
2 cups tapioca flour
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan 
cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400º. 
Brush a 12-cup muffin tin or 
24 cup mini-muffin tin with 
vegetable oil. Set aside
Combine milk, salt and 
butter in a large saucepan 
over medium-high heat. 
Whisk the mixture constant-
ly until it comes to a boil. 
Remove from heat immedi-
ately and stir in tapioca flour 
until smooth. Add the eggs 
and cheese and stir until 
smooth. Set aside to cool. 
Divide among the muffin 
tins and bake until puffy 
and golden, 15-20 minutes. 
Makes 12 large or 24 mini 
cheese breads. Eat imme-
diately or reheat in a 300º 
oven for about 5 minutes.

BARBARA’S 
MATZAH BALLS

My friend makes matzah 
balls from, guess what, 
actual matzah! She uses 
schmaltz (chicken fat) to 
make these glorious. She’s 
made them without it and 
says it’s just not the same. 
These make sturdy, dense 
orbs, just as her family likes. 

Annabel 
Cohen
Contributing writer

Creative Cooking for Passover

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