The first night of Passover is Wednesday, April 8. Please enjoy some delicious Passover recipes from our own Buffalo experts.

 

This week, learn how to make:

 

Quinoa Confetti Salad – Jessica Meyers Atlman

This salad has a great crunch. You may eat a bunch of these curried cashews before adding, be careful not to eat them all, they add a great crunch to the salad!

Serves 10-12 side servings

2 cups quinoa
4 cups water (plus a pinch of salt to water)
1½ cup curried cashew nuts (recipe below), some roughly chopped and some kept whole
1 bunch kale, about 6 cups chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
½ cup finely chopped red onion
½ cup chopped banana pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 lemons; 1 tbsp zest, plus 4-5 tbsp fresh juice (about 2 lemons)
1 firm apple, of your choice, about 1 cup chopped
⅔ cup golden raisins, soaked until plump, and then drained
½ tsp fresh black pepper (or more to taste)
½-1 tsp kosher salt (to taste)

Curried Cashews:
2 cups raw cashews
1½ Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt
¾ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cumin
2½ tsp garam masala (if you don’t have this, you can use a traditional curry powder)
⅛-1/4 tsp cayenne (we like them spicier, so we lean towards ¼, can add more after you coat, so go lighter to start)

Instructions for Cashews:

Roast cashews for 8-10 min at 400 degrees. Squeeze lemon juice and pour on top of cashews. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat cashews. Place back on cookie sheet and into oven for 2 minutes. Let cool and store.

Quinoa:

Soak quinoa for at least 4 hours, or overnight.  To cook quinoa: place 4 cups water and quinoa in a pot, bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook until water has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Check for texture, making sure quinoa doesn’t over cook and get mushy. If consistency tastes right, drain any remaining water if needed. Quinoa can be made several days in advance. Saute kale in a few tablespoons of water, until wilted. *If you aren’t planning on serving this salad right away, save this step until right before serving to keep green color vibrant.

Set aside 1 cup of cooked quinoa (or use all of it for a larger serving) for later use in the week (great for breakfast). Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, except cashews, folding in cooked kale.

This can be made ahead of time. If desiring a bright green kale, save kale for right before serving. Cashews are best stirred in right before serving to preserve their crunch. Add some or all of the curried cashews, up to you! Serve on its own, as a side dish, or atop grilled portobello mushrooms.

Passover Mandel Bread – Lori Morrison

2 Cups Sugar
½ LB Margarine
6 eggs
2 ¾ cups Cake meal
¾ cup Potato starch
8 oz Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Topping:
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp sugar

Set oven to 350

Cream Margarine with sugar, add eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in cake meal and potato starch. Add chips and nuts. Spray a large tray with cooking spray. Place mixture on cookie sheet and spread, should be around 1 to 1 ½ inches high. Sprinkle on cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Bake around 30 minutes. Edges should be brown, and center should look set. Remove from oven, cool for about 5 minutes then cut into strips, then cut to make strips smaller.

Matzo Farfel Stuffing & Cookies – Robin Kurss

My Aunt Marsha Bernhard passed away recently. She was an elegant woman who kept a beautiful home and she made many magnificent holidays for our family there.

When I was a little girl, she would have me over for special times, just she and I.

When I was around 10 years old, before Passover, I had the pleasure of watching her make 2 of my favorite Passover foods, matzo farfel stuffing and mint meringues with chocolate chips. I can still taste them both, and to this day, the beautiful mint green of those meringues is my favorite color!

Matzo Farfel Stuffing- serves 8

2 onions, diced
1 c mushrooms, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 green pepper, diced
Oil or margarine (about 2-3 Tbsp)
1 lb matzo farfel
2 c chicken broth
Garlic salt & Pepper to taste

1. Grease a 9 x 13 dish. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Sauté veggies in oil or margarine until soft.
3. In a large bowl, combine sautéed veggies, farfel, broth and spices.
4. Pour into prepared dish, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more till golden brown on top.

Mint Meringues with Chocolate Chips

2 egg whites, room temp
3/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp mint extract
Pinch salt
A couple drops green food coloring
6 oz chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 300. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Beat egg whites and salt till stiff. Add sugar, mint extract and beat till peaks form. Gently fold in chocolate.
3. Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheet and bake 20-25 minutes. The cookies should not brown.