1,000 Jewish Recipes (187 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1.
Sift together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt in a bowl.
2.
To prepare batter in a blender, combine eggs, 1
1
â
4
cups milk, and flour mixture in blender. Blend on high speed about 1 minute or until batter is smooth.
3.
To prepare batter by hand, push flour to sides of medium bowl, leaving a large well in center of flour. Add eggs and
1
â
4
cup milk to well and whisk them briefly. Using the whisk, gradually stir flour mixture into egg mixture until batter is smooth. Gradually whisk in 1 cup milk.
4.
Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or up to 1 day. (Strain batter if it is lumpy.)
5.
When you're ready to sauté the blintzes, melt butter in microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir batter well. Gradually whisk melted butter into batter. It should have consistency of whipping cream. If it is too thick, gradually whisk in more milk, about 1 teaspoon at a time.
6.
Sauté batter to make blintzes (see
How to Cook Blintzes
).
These rye flour blintzes flavored with dill and paprika are good with hearty fillings like cabbage or onion.
2
â
3
cup rye flour
1
â
3
cup all-purpose flour
3
â
4
teaspoon salt
1
â
2
teaspoon paprika
3 large eggs
1
1
â
4
cups milk, plus more if needed
1
â
2
teaspoon dried dill
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
A few teaspoons vegetable oil for pan
1.
Sift together rye flour, all-purpose flour, salt and paprika in a bowl.
2.
To prepare batter in a blender, combine eggs, milk, flour mixture, dill, and cayenne in blender. Blend on high speed about 1 minute or until batter is smooth.
3.
To prepare batter by hand, push flour to sides of medium bowl, leaving a large well in center of flour. Add eggs,
1
â
4
cup milk, dill, and cayenne to well and whisk them briefly. Using the whisk, gradually stir flour mixture into egg mixture until batter is smooth. Gradually whisk in 1 cup milk.
4.
Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or up to 1 day. (Strain batter if it is lumpy.)
5.
When you're ready to sauté the blintzes, melt butter in microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir batter well. Gradually whisk melted butter into batter. It should have consistency of whipping cream. If it is too thick, gradually whisk in more milk, about 1 teaspoon at a time.
6.
Sauté batter to make blintzes (see
How to Cook Blintzes
).
Use these low-fat blintzes with savory or sweet fillings to make lighter versions of your favorite filled blintzes. I always use a nonstick pan and lower heat for sautéing these than for other blintzes to make sure they don't stick.
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1
1
â
4
cups nonfat milk, plus more if needed
3
â
4
cup all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
1
â
2
teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil, plus a little more for brushing pan
1.
Combine eggs, egg whites, milk, flour, and salt in blender. Blend on high speed about 1 minute or until batter is smooth; scrape down once or twice. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or up to overnight.
2.
Whisk 1 teaspoon oil into batter. Batter should have consistency of heavy cream. If it is too thick, gradually add more milk, about 1 teaspoon at a time. If batter is too thin, sift 2 tablespoons flour into another bowl and gradually stir batter into it.
3.
Heat a nonstick crepe pan or skillet with 6- to 6
1
â
2
-inch base over medium heat. Sprinkle pan with few drops of water. If water immediately sizzles, pan is hot enough. Remove pan from heat and hold it near bowl of batter. Using a brush, dab pan very lightly with oil. Working quickly, add about 3 tablespoons batter to pan; add batter to edge of pan and tilt and swirl pan until base is covered with a thin layer of batter. Immediately pour any excess batter back into bowl.
4.
Return pan to medium heat. Loosen edges of blintz with metal spatula, discarding any pieces of batter clinging to sides of pan. Cook until bottom browns very lightly. Slide blintz onto a plate, with uncooked side facing up. Top with a sheet of wax paper or foil if desired. Reheat pan a few seconds. Continue making blintzes, stirring batter occasionally with whisk. Adjust heat and brush pan with more oil if necessary. If batter thickens on standing, very gradually whisk in a little more milk, about 1 teaspoon at a time. Pile blintzes on plate as they are done.
Note:
For large Light Blintzes, use a nonstick 8- to 9-inch skillet and about
1
â
4
cup batter for each blintz.
Filled Blintzes
Blintzes with a creamy mushroom filling began as an Ashkenazic specialty and now are a universal Jewish favorite. For a special touch, I love to add exotic mushrooms. If you like, serve these topped with sour cream.
10 to 12 small blintzes (any type)
1
â
4
pound fresh shiitake or other exotic mushrooms
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 or 5 tablespoons butter
1
â
2
small onion, minced
8 ounces small fresh mushrooms, halved and cut into thick slices
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1
1
â
4
cups milk
1
â
3
cup sour cream
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1.
Prepare blintzes. Then, prepare filling: If using shiitake mushrooms, discard tough stems. Cut into bite-size pieces. Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet. Add onion and sauté over medium-low heat about 3 minutes. Add all of mushrooms, salt, pepper, and paprika and sauté over medium heat, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until tender.
2.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium, heavy saucepan. Add flour and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes or until foaming but not browned. Remove from heat. Whisk in milk. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, whisking. Add a small pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, whisking occasionally, for 5 minutes or until thick. Whisk in sour cream and bring to a simmer. Add cayenne. Remove from heat and stir in mushroom mixture. Adjust seasoning.
3.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter one large or 2 medium shallow baking dishes. Spoon 3 tablespoons filling onto cooked side of each blintz, across lower third of blintz. Fold sides over so that each covers part of filling. Roll up in cigar shape, beginning at edge with filling. Arrange blintzes in single layer in buttered dish. Dot blintzes with remaining butter.
4.
Bake blintzes about 15 minutes or until heated through and lightly browned. Serve hot.
Blintzes in the Blink of an Eye
When I have a craving for blintzes but I'm pressed for time, I find that packaged fresh crepes are perfect. Technically, crepes are different from blintzes. Crepes are sautéed on both sides, while blintzes are sautéed on only one side before being filled. For a quick blintz, however, the prepared crepes fit the bill just fine for me.
Inside the blintzes, sweet fillings of sweet cheese or apples are favorites, but blintzes are also delicious wrapped around savory meat or vegetable fillings.
Some old-fashioned recipes call for frying blintzes. To keep them low in fat and to make their preparation easier, I bake them instead.
Following custom, you might like to top the blintzes with a dollop of sour cream. For a lean but luscious alternative for sweet fillings, substitute sweet, nonfat vanilla yogurt. (For blintzes in other chapters, see
Broccoli Blintzes
and
Main-Course Cheese Blintzes
and
Quick-and-Easy Apple Blintzes
.)
 or
Â
Duxelles, which is made of chopped mushrooms sautéed with shallots, is a delicious French filling with intense mushroom flavor. It's perfect for blintzes. Make with oil to be pareve or use butter and add cream for a richer dairy filling.
10 to 12 small blintzes (any type)
1 pound mushrooms, rinsed, patted dry
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
2 medium shallots, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste