Beet Greens and Cheese Quajado

During Passover and through out the year, I often purchase beets to make various salads or roast.
The beautiful fresh greens attached present a dilemma.

I have memories of my mother telling me that Nona (grandmother) made Fritada, Quajado, or bulemas filled with the beet greens.  You can use really perfect leaves to make rice filled dolma or yaprakes.

I always feel guilty of somehow wasting, not being frugal, or these days not being responsible in caring for the earth’s bounty when I throw the greens out. This last Passover week, after serving roasted beets, steamed beets, and ground beets in the horseradish, I decided to use the greens. They were so fresh and vibrant from the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market. I used my Zucchini Quajado recipe for inspiration and substituted beautiful thick verdant green leaves and fuchsia stems from about three bunches of beets.

The resulting Quajado is delicious. The cheesy souffle like texture flecked with green and fuchsia is surrounded by a thin crispy crust. This is a very family friendly recipe. It may be frozen, reheated, and cut into squares that children will eat because it has that ‘pizza factor’ courtesy of the Parmesan cheese.

1 9 x 13 baking dish

Beet Greens and very tender stems from 3 bunches of beets

3 tablespoons of oil

1  cup grated Parmesano Reggiano cheese

5 ounces grated jack or cheddar cheese

8 ounces of feta cheese crumbled

10 eggs

¾ cup matzo meal or during the year ¾ cup panko

Wash, dry, and chop all the beet greens and stems.  The easiest way to chop the leaves is to roll the washed and dried leaves into cigars, then take a very sharp large knife and slice them across into ribbons. Lastly chop them in the opposite direction. It may look like a lot of leaves to start but will soon shrink.

Preheat the oven to 400º.  Grease a 9 x 13 rectangular baking dish with 2 teaspoons of oil.    Combine prepared beet greens , cheeses, eggs, and matzo meal in a large bowl.  Mix well and then, scoop the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Place dish in preheated oven and bake until golden and puffed.  Around 30-35 minutes.  Let the Quajado sit for about 5-10 minutes before cutting it into squares.  Serve warm.