Passover, no potatoes? No, you won’t starve

With Passover come so many food restrictions, so why would someone write a Passover cookbook excluding one of the few things we may eat on Passover, namely potatoes?

With wheat and most other grains out of the picture, as well as legumes, the potato is one of the few starches included in Passover cooking. While there’s nothing inherently offensive about potatoes, there’s nothing really exciting about them, either, obviously excluding French fries.

Passover cooks can get into a rut, relying on potatoes in some form or another over a 24-meal period.

That’s why personal chef and artist Aviva Kanoff wrote The No-Potato Passover (self-published, www.nopotatopassover.com).

Kanoff encourages cooks to think outside the box — or bag of potatoes — and create healthful and colorful (potatoes are just white) meals during Passover and the rest of the year.

Through the use of two “new” Passover staples — quinoa and spaghetti squash — Kanoff recreates dishes such as Baked “Ziti,” Salt & Pepper Kugel and Coq au Vin with quinoa with nary a bit of chametz or potato in sight. This also results in lower-carb meals, which is not a bad thing.

While quinoa was first imported to the US from Chile in the 1980s, it was only deemed kosher for Passover in 1999 when Star-K’s Rabbi Shmuel Heinemann responded to a customer’s inquiry.

Rabbi Heinemann discovered that quinoa, a sesame-seed looking kernel reminiscent of rice, is not a grain.

Quinoa is a member of the beet family.

When Star-K tested quinoa to see whether it would rise, they found that it actually decayed. Furthermore, Rabbi Heinemann determined that quinoa is not kitniyot. It does not grow in the vicinity of chametz and its growth does not resemble kitniyot. And it has no religious precedent included in the prohibition against kitniyot.

Thus, Star-K issued a statement that “quinoa is 100% Kosher L’Pesach.”

While all agree quinoa is not chametz, there are a few who consider it kitniyot. It should be noted that the rabbis recommend buying “whole grain” quinoa packed by a company that only packs quinoa, such as Ancient Harvest or Trader Joe’s brand, for Passover.

The OU Guide to Passover 2012-5772 says:

“There is a difference of opinion among rabbinic decisors as to whether quinoa is considered kitnyot. Ask your rabbi for guidance.”

Not every recipe in Kanoff’s book uses quinoa or spaghetti squash. Many rely on fresh vegetables and fruits, protein, herbs and spices.

The No Potato Passover is more than a collection of recipes or a moratorium on spuds. It is also a colorful, vibrant photographic celebration of fresh foods and the places around the world from which they come.

In addition to writing the recipes, Kanoff photographed the finished dishes as well as their ingredients.

Photos of her world travels from locales such as Spain, Italy, Morocco, Hungary and the US are also feasts for the eyes and the imagination.

Kanoff shared some recipes with IJN readers, including a Blueberry Crumble which we tested and posted pictures of on the IJN blog. For all the recipes in this series, including Cajun Carrot Fries and Rosemary Walnut Crusted Salmon, contact Carol to get a copy of the Passover Foods section.

Blueberry Crumble

Blueberry Filling

4 cups fresh blueberries

1/4 cup white sugar (do not add sugar if blueberries are naturally very sweet)

juice of 1 lemon

Crust and Crumb Topping

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

2 cups ground almonds

2 cups matzah cake meal

1/4 tsp. salt

zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup (1/2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, cold and cut into cubes

1 egg

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 375° and grease a 13 x 9″ baking pan. In a mixing bowl combine the blueberries, 1/2 cup sugar and lemon juice. Stir until well mixed and set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the 3/4 cup white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, flour, salt, and lemon zest until well combined. Add the butter and the egg and use a pastry cutter to blend the ingredients until well combined and you have still have pea-sized chunks of butter. Add the almonds and mix them in.

Place half of the crust mixture into the baking dish and press it firmly into the bottom. Spoon the blueberries overtop, careful not to add too much of the liquid. Crumble the rest of the crust mixture overtop the blueberries so that it is evenly distributed. Bake for 50 minutes until the crumb topping is golden brown.

Let cool for at least an hour before cutting so they set. Cut into 24 squares. They are best served just slightly above room temperature but store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Copyright © 2012 by the Intermountain Jewish News