The week-long holiday of Passover, which begins on Saturday evening, March 27 is the most popular festival on the Jewish calendar. In spite of the restrictions on what foods are permitted, many people’s fondest food memories are of Passover meals.

The challenge in Passover cooking is to make menus satisfying. Bread is not allowed, and many avoid rice and other grains and legumes, and don’t want to eat too much matzo! That’s why meaty-textured mushrooms and root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and beets are prominent in our family’s Passover menus.

For us an ideal Passover meal is one that features not only the family’s traditional dishes but also some exciting new ones. A good way to enhance the holiday menus is to serve delicious appetizers.

We love mushrooms and leeks as a filling for cheese-flavored pastry puffs for a festive beginning to a meatless Passover dinner. The filling tastes so good that it can be served as an appetizer on its own.

When we were growing up, we never heard of quinoa but in recent years it has become a popular Passover ingredient. Quinoa is not a grain; it’s a member of the beet family that has a grain-like texture, is high in protein and fiber and is kosher for Passover. This year we will make a bright-pink quinoa salad with beets and walnuts that’s easy to prepare in an Instant Pot or a saucepan.

In our Passover dinners we make sure to include plenty of greens, such as parsley, leeks, celery and green onions that we use in these appetizers. To liven up our family’s standard roasted potatoes, for example, we add sautéed leeks and fresh rosemary.

After all, Passover is the festival of spring, when greens are highlighted even in the Haggadah — the prayer book of the Seder.

Passover Cheese Puffs with Mushrooms and Leeks

Prepare these puffs with any flavorful, sliceable kosher-for-Passover cheese. For pareve appetizer puffs, omit the cheese and cream, and substitute margarine for the butter.

Yield: 20 to 24 puffs

INGREDIENTS

Mushroom and Leek Filling:

3 leeks (about 3 pounds)

1 1/2 cups Italian parsley leaves (lightly packed), patted dry

3 garlic cloves, minced (about 3 teaspoons)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

12 ounces mushrooms, halved and cut in thick slices (about 3/8 inch thick)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste

1/3 cup heavy cream (optional)

Passover Cheese Puff Dough:

1 cup water

6 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine (3 ounces), cut in 6 pieces

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups matzo cake meal (about 6.3 ounces)

5 large eggs

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

3 1/2 ounces smoked Gouda or other sliceable cheese, cut in 1/4-inch cubes (scant 1 cup cubes)

PROCEDURE

1. Trim, halve, rinse and slice leeks, following note at end of recipe Roasted Potatoes with Leeks. (You will have about 5 cups slices.)

2. Finely mince parsley with a food processor or knife. Add garlic and mince together.

3. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet until butter melts. Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté over medium-high heat, without stirring during first 2 or 3 minutes, until they begin to brown lightly. Stir, then sauté them over high heat until browned and any liquid has evaporated, about 4 more minutes. Transfer to a plate.

4. Add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter to skillet; heat over medium-low heat. Add leeks, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are very tender, about 18 to 20 minutes. If there is liquid in pan, cook leeks uncovered over medium heat until it evaporates.

5. Add optional cream to leeks and cook, stirring, until cream is absorbed, about 4 minutes.

6. Add mushrooms and heat through. Taste for salt and pepper; add cayenne pepper to taste.

Cheese puffs:

7. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Grease corners of two baking sheets and line them with parchment paper; or line them with foil and grease the foil.

8. Heat water with butter, olive oil and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until butter melts. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add matzo cake meal all at once. Mix well. Return pan to low heat; cook, stirring, for 1 minute; mixture will be a thick paste. Remove from heat. Transfer dough to a stand mixer bowl or another large bowl; cool about 5 minutes.

9. Beat in one egg using paddle beater of mixer first on low speed, then on medium speed, or with a wooden spoon. When egg is completely incorporated, beat in remaining eggs one by one, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add black pepper and cayenne. Beat mixture until smooth. Beat cubes of cheese into dough on low speed.

10. Take rounded tablespoons (of about 1 1/2 measuring tablespoons each) of dough and use a small rubber spatula to push it in rounded mounds onto the baking sheets, allowing about 1 1/2 inches between them. If the mounds have points, push them down with a moistened finger.

11. Place baking sheets on rack in center of oven. (If 2 baking sheets don’t fit on the same rack, reserve second baking sheet at room temperature.) Bake for 15 minutes.

12. Reduce oven temperature to 375. Bake puffs until golden and firm, about 15 to 20 more minutes. Turn off oven and wedge door slightly open with wooden spoon. Leave puffs in oven for 30 minutes.

13. Using a serrated knife, carefully cut off top half of each puff and reserve this part as a “hat”. Keep each puff “hat” with its base.

14. If you have a second batch of puffs, reheat oven to 400. Bake second batch of puffs.

15. Just before serving, heat leek mixture until hot. Add parsley mixture, stir and remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning.

16. Fill puffs with leek mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Quinoa with Beets and Walnuts

This recipe is from Paula Shoyer’s new book, “The Instant Pot® Kosher Cookbook” (Sterling Epicure). The beets and quinoa cook together, making the colorful salad easy to prepare. To cook them in a saucepan, see note below.

Yield:  6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 cups water

1 medium beet, peeled and cut in 1/4- to 1/3-inch pieces (wear gloves)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 celery rib, cut in 1/4-inch pieces

4 green onions, sliced thinly on an angle

2/3 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups walnut halves, coarsely chopped

PROCEDURE

1. Place quinoa, water, and beets in the inner pot of the Instant Pot and stir. Secure the lid, ensuring that the steam release handle is in the Sealing position. Press the Pressure Cook button and set the cooking time for 0 minutes.

2. When the time is complete, let sit for 10 minutes to naturally release the pressure. Turn the steam release handle to the Venting position to release any remaining pressure. Press Cancel and remove the lid. Stir.

3. Transfer quinoa and beet mixture to a large bowl. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Add oil, celery, green onions, parsley, lemon juice, cumin, salt, pepper and walnuts. Mix well. Serve at room temperature.

Note: Cooking the quinoa with beets in a saucepan:

Place the cut beets, quinoa and 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes. Continue with step 3.

Roasted Potatoes with Leeks

Potatoes and leeks are a popular pair for soup but they’re also delicious together in this appetizer or side dish.

Yield: 3 or 4 appetizer or side-dish servings

INGREDIENTS

1 pound baby yellow potatoes such as Dutch Yellow Potatoes, rinsed and halved

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; or 2 tablespoons olive oil plus 1 tablespoon butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 pound white and light- and medium-green parts of leeks, trimmed, halved, rinsed and sliced (see Note below)

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

Pinch of crushed red pepper

PROCEDURE

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet in one layer and roast until tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil (or olive oil plus butter) in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until tender and just beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add rosemary and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Taste and adjust seasoning.

3. Top leeks with roasted potatoes and sprinkle them with salt and red pepper. Serve hot.

Note: To clean whole leeks: Cut off dark green leek tops; reserve for making broth. Use white and light- and medium-green parts of leeks for this dish. Halve them lengthwise, leaving them attached near the base. Rinse them thoroughly, spreading the layers to rinse off any sand between them. Cut leek halves in thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick. Submerge slices in a bowl of water and rub to separate the pieces. Let them stand about 2 minutes, and then lift them out of water and drain them in a colander. If water is sandy, soak them and drain them again.

Faye Levy is the author of “1,000 Jewish Recipes”

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