The Art of Jewish Cooking (7 page)

Singe the duck to remove pin feathers; wash and dry. Make a paste of the salt, pepper and minced garlic. Rub into the duck. Mix together the apples, prunes, egg, bread crumbs and sugar. Stuff the duck and close the opening. Place on a rack in a roasting pan.

Roast in a 400° oven 20 minutes; reduce the temperature to 350° and roast 2½ hours longer or until browned and tender. Pour off the fat a few times during roasting. Serves 4.

Season the turkey with the salt and pepper. Cook the prunes in the water for 10 minutes. Drain. Add the apples, bread crumbs, lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon. Mix lightly and stuff the turkey. Sew the opening or fasten with skewers. Place in a roasting pan.

Roast in a 350° oven 3–4 hours or until the turkey is tender. Turn turkey to brown on all sides. Serves 10–12.

Buy a young goose and have it disjointed. Remove all the skin. (You can render it with the fat.) Mix the flour, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder together. Lightly roll the pieces of goose in the mixture. Brown the goose and onions in 3 tablespoons of the fat. Add the water and bay leaf. Cover and cook over low heat 2½ hours, or until the goose is tender. Remove bay leaf. Serves 8–10.

Remove as much fat from the goose as possible. (See
this page
on how to render fat.) Grind or chop the liver and gizzard. Heat 4 tablespoons of the fat in a skillet and lightly brown the onions in it. Stir in the potatoes and cook over low heat 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool 5 minutes, then add the egg, 1½ teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon paprika.

Sprinkle the garlic powder and the remaining salt, pepper and paprika on the goose, then stuff it. Sew the openings or fasten with skewers. Place on a rack in a roasting pan. Cover the pan and roast in a 350° oven 30 minutes. Remove the cover and roast 2½ hours longer or until the goose is tender and brown. Serves 8–10.

Have the goose cut up and season it with 2 teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place on a rack in roasting pan and roast in a 350° oven 2 hours or until almost tender.

Measure 6 tablespoons of the fat from the roasting pan into a heavy casserole or Dutch oven and cook the onions and cabbage in it over low heat for 20 minutes. Add the apple, remaining salt and pepper. Arrange the goose on top. Cover and cook over low heat 1 hour. Serves 8–10.

Cook the wild rice according to directions on package. Drain.

Cook the onion, mushrooms and giblets in 2 tablespoons chicken fat for 10 minutes. Stir in the rice, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Season the hen or hens with the remaining salt and pepper. Stuff and sew the opening.

Heat the remaining fat in a deep skillet and brown the hen in it. Add ½ cup boiling water. Cover. Bake in a 400° oven 45 minutes or until tender. Remove cover for last 15 minutes. Serves 3–4.

Remove fat and the fatty skin from chicken or goose. For each cup of fat to be rendered, you’ll need ¼ cup of sliced onions and 1 slice apple. Wash and drain the fat and cut in small pieces. Cook over low heat until the fat is almost melted. Add the onions and apple and cook until the onions brown. Cool and strain. The onions and pieces of skin (
grebenes
—cracklings) can be stored in refrigerator for use in a number of dishes. They are delicious in such dishes as Kasha Varnitchkes, Flaishig Noodle Pudding, Chopped Liver, etc.

Carefully remove the neck skin of a goose or two or three chickens. Sew together one end. Stuff with the following mixture, then sew the other end. Roast in the pan with the goose. Cut in slices to serve.

Lightly mix all the ingredients together.

Interestingly seasoned meat dishes rank high among the favorites in the Jewish cuisine. Broiled steaks and rib roasts of beef are duly appreciated, but those are American additions and not indigenous to the basic traditions of Jewish cooking. In most families, the choice would be a meat dish with a seasoned gravy and perhaps some dumplings to satisfy the appetite. And how good these dishes taste the next day either in a sandwich or reheated in their own gravy!

Lightly brown the flank in the fat. Drain. Add the water, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, salt and peppercorns. Cover and cook over low heat 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Strain the stock and serve as soup or use in other dishes. Serve the meat with horseradish. Serves 6–8.

Place the meat and fat in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. Cover and brown over medium heat until browned on all sides. Add the onions and continue browning. Add the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, bay leaf and water. Cover and cook over low heat 2 hours or until meat is tender.

Mix the flour with a little water and stir into the gravy. Cook 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Serves 8.

Wash the apricots and soak in the water for 1 hour.

Brown the onions and meat in the fat. Add the salt, bay leaf, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and undrained apricots. Cover and cook over low heat 2½ hours or until meat is tender. Remove bay leaf. Serves 6–8.

Heat a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven and brown the meat in it over medium heat. If meat is very lean add a little fat for browning. Turn frequently. Add the onions and brown lightly. Add the salt and water. Cover and cook over low heat 2 hours. Stir in the lemon juice, brown sugar and gingersnaps. Cook 10 minutes. Taste to correct seasoning. Serves 8.

Sprinkle the salt, pepper and garlic powder on the meat. Heat the fat in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven and brown the meat in it. Add the onions and continue to brown. Add the water and tomatoes. Cover and cook over low heat 2½ hours. Add the carrots, green peppers and potatoes. Cook 30 minutes. Taste to correct seasoning. Serves 8–10.

Cut the beef in 2-inch cubes. Heat the fat in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven and brown the meat in it. Stir in the onions and continue to brown. Sprinkle with the salt, paprika and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat ½ hour. Add the green peppers and tomato sauce. Cook 1½ hours longer or until meat is tender. Serve with noodles or boiled potatoes. Serves 6–8.

Cut the beef in 2-inch cubes and brown with the onions in the fat. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and paprika. Cover and cook over low heat 30 minutes. Stir in the
sauerkraut. Cook 10 minutes. Add the bay leaf and water. Cover and cook an additional 1½ hours. Remove bay leaf. Serves 6–8.

Cut the beef in 2-inch cubes and brown with the onions in the fat. Soak lentils in cold water for 2 hours. Drain. Add the lentils, salt, pepper and boiling water. Cover and cook over low heat 1½ hours. Stir in the rice; recover and cook additional 25 minutes. Serves 6–8.

Buy thin steak and cut it in narrow strips. Brown the steak in the oil, then add the scallions, garlic, green peppers and celery. Cook 5 minutes. Add the beef broth. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes. Mix the cornstarch, water and soy sauce until smooth and add to the mixture, stirring steadily until it reaches the boiling point. Cook 2 minutes and serve on rice. Serves 6–8.

Mix the beef, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, potato, egg and water together. Form into 8 hamburgers.

Melt the fat in a skillet and brown the hamburgers and onion for 15 minutes, turning the hamburgers after 10 minutes. Serves 4–8.