Very Picky Eaters

I used to think there was no one as picky as my brother when it came to Pesach food. 

Here was a guy whose ideal meal consists of chicken breast, thinly sliced, well beaten and cooked to the consistency of drywall; potatoes (any way you make them); Israeli salad and plenty of chocolate for dessert. Yet, whenever he comes to our house on Pesach, he never stops complaining that the food is disgusting and tastes terrible and "who came up with this idiotic idea anyway?". And no amount of reassurance to the effect that "but I use the exact same ingredients that I use every day for your food" will change his mind. I think he is under the impression that it is my Pesach dishes that are at fault. It is a well known scientific fact that Pesach dishes impart a Pesachdik flavor onto any dish made in them.

But all that was before my oldest child turned vegetarian. The Seder meal is bad enough for someone who does not eat fish, chicken, beef or eggs (Thank G-d for dessert) but Pesach lasts 7 days and that is way too long for a pizza-tarian (the acceptable term for one who would live on nothing but pizza, if only her mother was reasonable) to go without food. My poor baby used to live on chocolate covered matzah, plenty of cheese and the occasional fruit. (Veggie? did you say "veggie"? hear that hollow laughter).

Being a proper Jewish mother, I naturally cannot stand by and watch my child starve to death (all 5'7" of her) and so I have learned to be even more creative than usual. 

First, I prayed. And G-d has answered my prayers and sent me quinoa. For the uninitiated, quinoa looks, feels, cooks and tastes like a grain but is, botanically, a berry. And as such, it is permitted on Pesach. And to make things even better, it is very versatile. You can serve it warm or cold, you can mix it with fruits or veggies, meat or dairy, sweet flavors or savory. G-d was really showing off when He created it, wasn't He?


Now we all know that we are G-d's partners, so I felt compelled to do my share with regard to creative Pesach food.

So now my oldest daughter can have Pesach pancakes (My friend Mara and her daughter claim these are better than the everyday pancakes), Pesach muffins (I developed my own recipe since I cannot stand the mixes that come in a box and anyway, they're w-a-y too expensive), Lasagna (Thanks to my friend Debbie, who introduced the recipe when my daughter was in her class in sixth grade) and a great variety of quinoa salads. 


Still, there is one thing I have always wondered about: How do you make cholent for Pesach? I mean, sometimes it is still very cold during Pesach and there is always a Shabbat somewhere in the middle. How does one make cholent with neither beans nor grains? 



Unlike many other problems in life, I have managed to figure this one out. There's a woman in our temple who makes a cholent of nothing but beef and potatoes. You'd think it wouldn't work but hers is always the first to go on our annual cholent cook-off. So here's to Miriam and a Pesachdik cholent. Which, I presume , will taste "terrible" when cooked in my Pesachdik dishes. Ah, little brothers. You can't live with them. You can't take them back for a refund. I blame my mother.

Pesach pancakes

1/3 cup matzoh cake meal

1/4 potato starch

2 Tbs sugar

2 tsp Passover baking powder

1 egg

1/2 Tbs Vanilla

Pinch salt

4 Tbs oil (not olive)

3/4 cup milk (regular or almond)

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients in the order listed. Cook pancakes as usual.

Makes 4-5 pancakes. My friend Mara claims they can be frozen and reheated in the microwave. As if any are ever left over. Ha.

 

Pesach muffins

3/4 cup matzoh cake meal
1/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup mixed finely ground nuts
3 heaping teaspoons Passover baking powder
Pinch salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)
3 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil (not olive)
2/3 cup orange juice
2/3 cup chocolate chips or frozen berries (thawed) 




1. Mix first 7 ingredients very well (they tend to clump).

2. In another bowl mix next 4 ingredients.

3. Combine dry and wet mixtures and mix only until all the dry ingredients are wet.

4. Mix in the last ingredient. (batter will be runnier than regular muffins' batter).

5. Bake in well oiled (sprayed) muffin cups in a pre heated oven at 330F for about 40 minutes. Muffins will be nicely browned and very light.






This makes 12 muffins that will keep for a few days in a covered container. But why keep any? eat them all. My kids do.



So where, you might ask, is the quinoa salad? Read back. I have a few of them in past posts. All perfectly suitable for Pesach. And then, make your own version. As I said, it's a very versatile food.