The Art of Jewish Cooking (13 page)

Wash the apricots, pears and prunes and soak in cold water to cover for 1 hour. Drain.

Brown the meat over medium heat in a Dutch oven or casserole. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Arrange the fruit, carrots and lime around it. Mix the orange juice, water and honey together and pour over all. Cover and bake in a 350° oven 3 hours. Remove the cover and increase heat to 400°. Bake 1 hour longer, adding a little water if necessary. Serves 6–8.

Wash prunes and let soak in the boiling water ½ hour.

Melt the fat in a Dutch oven. Cut the beef in 6 or 8 pieces and brown with the onions. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat 1 hour. Add the undrained prunes, sweet potatoes, honey, cloves and cinnamon. Replace cover loosely and cook over low heat 2 hours. Serves 6–8.

Wash the prunes and soak in the water 1 hour. Bring to a boil.

Slice 5 potatoes into a 2-quart casserole and pour the undrained prunes over them. Add the brown sugar, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and bake in a 350° oven 1 hour.

Grate the remaining potatoes and add the potato flour, fat, pepper and remaining salt. Remove the cover of the casserole and spread the mixture over the top. Replace cover and bake additional 1¼ hours, removing the cover for the last 45 minutes. Serves 6–8.

Melt the fat in a Dutch oven or casserole and brown the beef. Add the water, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cover and cook over low heat 1½ hours. Add the carrots, sweet potatoes and brown sugar. Cover and bake in a 350° oven 2 hours, removing the cover for the last half hour. Serves 6–8.

The Jewish style of cooking places considerable emphasis upon noodles, pancakes and dough. Like the Italian or Chinese cuisine, it is difficult to imagine a Jewish meal that doesn’t include some kind of dough preparation.

Knishes,
always a great favorite, have become enormously popular in recent years as cocktail-party snacks. Of course, the modern version is daintier than the old, familiar
knish.
But it still tastes the same despite its streamlined appearance.

Piroshki
are most often served with soups and make a welcome change from the bread or crackers which are
inevitably served with soup. Incidentally, there is no reason why
piroshki
can’t be served as cocktail-party snacks just as
knishes
are.

Blintzes
are very similar to
crêpes,
the French pancakes.
Blintzes
are one of the mainstays of Jewish cookery, and are frequently a main course of dairy meals. Cheese
blintzes
are still the leading favorite, but have you ever had cherry or huckleberry blintzes?

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the center and drop the eggs, oil and water into it. Work into the flour mixture with the hand and knead until smooth.

There are two ways to fill the knishes. In either case, divide the dough in two and roll as thin as possible. Brush with oil. Now you can spread the filling on one side of the dough and roll it up like a jelly roll. Cut into 1½-inch slices. Place in an oiled baking sheet cut side down. Press down lightly to flatten. Or you can cut the rolled dough in 3-inch circles. Place a tablespoon of the filling on each; draw the edges together and pinch firmly. Place on an oiled baking sheet, pinched edges up. In either case, bake in a 375° oven 35 minutes or until browned. Makes about 24.

Brown the onions in the fat or butter. Beat in the potatoes, egg, salt and pepper until fluffy.

Scallions are better than onions for this, so try to get them. Brown the scallions in the butter and beat in the cheese, egg, salt, pepper and sour cream until smooth.

Lightly brown the onions in the fat. Add the meat, rice, egg, salt and pepper, mixing until smooth.

Mix all the ingredients until smooth.

Brown the onions in 4 tablespoons chicken fat or butter. Cool.

Knead together the remaining fat or butter, the potatoes, potato flour, eggs, salt and pepper. Break off pieces (about 2 inches long) and flatten slightly. Place a teaspoon of browned onions on each and cover by pinching the edges together. Place on a greased baking sheet.

Bake in a 375° oven 25 minutes. Makes about 20.

Beat the eggs, milk, salt and salad oil together. Stir in the flour.

Heat a little butter or oil in a 6-inch skillet. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the batter into it, tilting the pan to coat the bottom. Use just enough batter to make a very thin pancake. Let the bottom brown, then carefully turn out onto a napkin, browned side up. Make the rest of the pancakes.

Spread 1 heaping tablespoon of any of the fillings along one side of the pancake. Turn opposite sides in and roll up like a jelly roll.

You can fry the blintzes in butter or oil or bake them in a 425° oven until browned. Makes about 18.

Serve dairy blintzes with sour cream.

Beat together the egg, milk, sour cream and salt. Stir in the flour, mixing until smooth.

Heat some butter in a 7-inch skillet. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the batter into it, tilting the pan to spread the batter evenly. Fry until browned and turn to brown other side.

Place a heaping tablespoon of one of the fillings on each pancake. Tuck in the opposite sides and roll up. Arrange in a buttered baking dish and bake in a 450° oven 10 minutes.

This batter makes a rich pancake, and is more suitable for sweet fillings. Makes about 16.

Beat the egg white until it begins to stiffen. Fold in the apples, sugar and cinnamon. Fill the pancakes and arrange in a buttered baking pan. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and butter.

Bake in a 400° oven 20 minutes. Makes about 18.

Cook the cabbage, carrots, green pepper and onions in the butter or oil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with the salt and cayenne.

Mix all the ingredients together.

Beat the cheese, egg yolk, salt and butter together. Add the sugar or lemon juice if you like—some people like them sweet, some don’t.

Toss all the ingredients together.

Sift the flour and salt together. Work in the shortening with the hand. Beat the yolk and water together and add to the previous mixture. Toss lightly and form into a ball.

Roll out the dough ⅛ inch thick and cut into 3-inch circles. Use a tablespoon of one of the following fillings for each. Chill. Fold over into a half-moon and press the edges together with a little water. Arrange on a greased baking sheet.

Bake in a 400° oven 15 minutes or until browned. Makes about 24.

Lightly brown the onions in the fat or butter. Stir in the potatoes, egg yolk, salt and cayenne pepper. Cool 10 minutes.

Brown the onions and mushrooms in half the fat. Remove onions and mushrooms and reserve. Melt remaining fat in the same pan and cook the livers in it 10 minutes. Chop together, until very smooth, the onions, mushrooms, livers, parsley, salt and pepper. Cool.

Mix all the ingredients together.