Recipe of the Month: Passover breakfast quinoa

The question of what foods are and are not permissible for Passover is a highly contentious one. The one rule everyone agrees on is that five specific grains—wheat, rye, oats, barley, and spelt—are off-limits. These five grains (collectively known as chametz) can all absorb yeast spores from the air to form bread, and are therefore forbidden during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And most Sephardic (Spanish) Jews leave it at that, avoiding these five grains during Passover and nothing else. 

But Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jews, such as my ancestors, traditionally take it a step further. They also eschew other grains and beans, known as kitniyot or kitniyos, on the grounds that they're easily confused for chametz. And this rule, in turn, has led to disagreement among rabbis and other authorities over what counts as kitniyot. One particular point of contention is foods that weren't known in Europe at the time the rules were made, such as corn, peanuts, and quinoa (which is technically a seed but looks like a grain). Most authorities allow some of these foods but not others, getting into incredibly detailed and specific arguments—another Jewish tradition—to justify their positions.

For as long as I can remember, my family's practice has been a sort of middle ground. In our house, all forms of grains were banned during Passover, but beans (particularly peanuts and peanut butter) were okay. And since quinoa is not technically a grain, this makes it perfectly acceptable as Passover food. Discovering quinoa expanded our Passover dinner menu considerably, providing a welcome change of pace from eight solid days of matzo and potatoes. But it only recently occurred to me that it could serve equally well as a breakfast food.

For years, I ate the same breakfast every morning during the eight days of Passover: matzo brei, a French-toast-like concoction of matzos and eggs. Much as I love this dish, I found as I grew older that my digestive tract just couldn't handle that amount of matzo anymore. (Its unfortunate side effects are a staple of humorous Passover videos on YouTube, such as this one and this one.) The first alternative I hit on was a grain-free hot cereal made from potato starch, but it was kind of pricey and not that filling. So one morning, I looked at the bowl of leftover quinoa in the fridge and thought, well, why not? I tried some topped with leftover fruit compote, and I enjoyed it enough to get through the rest of the holiday on it.

This year, we didn't have any fruit compote, so Brian prepared me a special batch of breakfast quinoa with the fruit cooked right in. And since the resulting dish was vegan and contained plenty of fruit, I decided it would be perfectly appropriate as my Recipe of the Month for April. Brian's recipe calls for a pressure cooker, but it you don't have one, you can cook it on the stove or in the microwave.

PASSOVER BREAKFAST QUINOA

In the pot of your pressure cooker, bring to a boil:

• 1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 medium apple, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Simmer 5 minutes, then add:

• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 cup dry quinoa

Cover and bring up to pressure. Once it starts hissing, cook for 1 1/2 minutes, then turn off heat and let the pressure release. 

Let it sit, covered, for 10-15 minutes, then add:

• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
  

Serve with milk and sugar to taste. Makes 3-4 servings.

This Passover-friendly recipe is both tasty and satisfying. It sticks to my ribs much better than either the potato cereal or my trusty old matzo brei. And it provides some much-needed fiber to counter the dreaded "matzo belly." I expect it to remain my go-to Passover breakfast not just this year, but for all the years to come.