Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook (18 page)

sour cream
                                 
2 tomatoes, cubed

3 scallions (green onions), sliced

6 radishes, sliced

% pound cottage cheese

iVi
teaspoons salt

V4
teaspoon freshly ground black

pepper i pint sour cream

Combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions, radishes, cottage cheese, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Divide into 6 mounds and serve on lettuce leaves with the sour cream on top.

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The Molly Goldberg Cookbook

If desired, place the mixed vegetables in 6 individual bowls or soup plates. Fill the plates with sour cream. If prepared in this fashion, more sour cream will be required.

CUCUMBERS WITH SOUR CREAM

2 teaspoons salt

3 cucumbers, peeled and sliced very thin

i cup sour cream

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

Vs
teaspoon white pepper

i teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons chopped dill

Sprinkle the salt on the cucumbers and set aside for 30 minutes, turning them a few times. Drain thoroughly.

Mix together very well the sour cream, vinegar, pepper, sugar, and dill. Pour over the cucumbers. Chill for 1 hour.

Serve as a relish.

PICKLED CUCUMBER SALAD

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1 cup boiling water

4 cucumbers, peeled and sliced

3 scallions (green onions), sliced,

or 1 onion, sliced
\Vi
teaspoons salt
V4
teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon sugar 34 cup cider vinegar

Salads and Relishes

Pour the boiling water over the cucumbers. Soak for 5 minutes. Drain well.

Combine the cucumbers with the scallions and mix. Mix the salt, pepper, sugar, and vinegar together. Pour over the cucumbers. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Serve as a salad or relish.

POTATO SALAD

3 pounds small potatoes 2 teaspoons salt

Vi
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped green pepper

2 egg yolks
Vi
cup vinegar
Vi
cup olive oil

Scrub the potatoes. Place in a saucepan with water to cover. Boil for 20 minutes, or until barely tender. Drain and peel. Slice the potatoes. Add the salt, pepper, chopped onion, and green pepper. Toss lightly.

Beat the egg yolks and vinegar together. Add the olive oil very slowly, beating constantly. Pour over the potatoes. Mix well.

Serve warm or cold.

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The Molly Goldberg Cookbook

What could be better than Homemade Sauerkraut? It tastes wonderful, it's easy to make, and my family loves it, so what choice do I have? Besides, I like it too.
I
like it because when my mind is occupied and I don't know what to make, from the sauerkraut I can always whip up a
strudel,
a soup, or just have it plain with meat It's a friend in need and tasty into the bargain. Who could ask for more?

HOMEMADE SAUERKRAUT

6 pounds cabbage 5 tablespoons salt 2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)

Cut cabbage into quarters, discarding the large outside leaves. Shred very fine. Add the salt, mixing thoroughly by hand.

Pack into sterile glass jars or a stone crock. Add the caraway seeds, if desired. Fill with cold water. Cover the jars as tightly as possible. Store in a cool, dark place for about 4 weeks.

Sometimes from tears comes a good thing. I know when I was a child I never liked to see my mother make horseradish because she would cry. It has that effect. In my own times when Rosie was a baby, she would always cry with me when I made horseradish. I could never explain to her

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Salads and Relishes

that it wasn't me that was crying but the eyes, and only when she grew up could she understand that a jew tears are worth this horseradish,

BEET HORSERADISH

Vi
pound horseradish root

1 beet, grated

Vi
teaspoon salt

Vi
teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoons cider vinegar

Peel and grate the horseradish. Add the beet, salt, sugar, and vinegar. Mix until very smooth. Store in a tightly covered glass jar.

Horseradish prepared in this fashion will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

BEET-HORSERADISH SALAD

6 tablespoons prepared horseradish 3 tablespoons salad oil i teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

3 cups cooked, grated beets

Mix the horseradish, salad oil, salt, and sugar together. Add to the beets, mixing lightly. Chill.

This is a delicious relish and should be served with boiled beef or chicken.

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The Molly Goldberg Cookbook

This recipe is from my oldest living relative. Except for my mind, she is the closest link to the past. This recipe is one of her favorites for a reason that really isn't food. Like she says, in the stores you can buy Kosher Dill Pickles, but what you can't buy is the wonderful aroma that comes when you make them at home. When she first told me about why she makes her own pickles I said she was a foolish woman, but when I made them at home and Jake and David walked into the kitchen, do you believe it, it brought back such memories that we talked all night long about the old days. A very sentimental food—Kosher Dill Pickles.

KOSHER DILL PICKLES TANTE ELKA

36 small firm cucumbers

6 tablespoons salt

12 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons pickling spice

12 sprigs dill

Scrub the cucumbers. Pack them in an upright position into glass jars. Divide the salt, garlic, pickling spice, and dill among the jars. Fill each jar to overflowing with water. Seal the jars.

Store in a dark cool place for at least 10 days before using. Chill before serving.

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Salads and Relishes

David likes salami, My Jake likes frankfurters, Sammy enjoys meat, Rosie's favorite is pickles, and I like potato salad. I want to serve them what they like, so for Sunday-night supper I put together everybody's likes and behold! Sdadl

MIXED-UP SUNDAY-NIGHT SALAD

4 potatoes, cooked, peeled, and

diced 4 frankfurters, cooked and sliced

Vi
inch thick 4 slices salami, cut in thin strips 2 cups diced cooked beef,

chicken, or turkey 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

1 onion, sliced thin

2 dill pickles, diced
\Vi
teaspoons salt

Vi
teaspoon freshly ground black

pepper
Vi
cup mayonnaise
V4
cup vinegar J4 cup salad oil

Mix together the potatoes, frankfurters, salami, meat, eggs, onion, pickles, salt, and pepper.

Beat the mayonnaise, vinegar, and oil until smooth. Pour over the salad. Chill for 2 hours.

Serve on lettuce.

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The Molly Goldberg Cookbook

TOMATO-DILL SALAD

6 tomatoes, sliced
Vi
inch thick

2 onions, sliced thin

1V2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons sugar

Vi
teaspoon freshly ground black

pepper 4 tablespoons chopped dill

1 teaspoon celery seed

2 tablespoons lemon juice

In a serving dish or on individual salad plates arrange layers of the tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle with the salt, sugar, pepper, dill, celery seed, and lemon juice. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

BEET RING

\Vi
tablespoons gelatin 1 cup cold water 1 cup tomato juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon salt

V2
teaspoon freshly grated black

pepper 1 cup diced cucumbers
\Vi
cups diced cooked beets

Soften the gelatin in V4 cup cold water for 5 minutes. Combine remaining water, tomato juice, lemon rind, lemon juice, salt, and pep per in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; remove from heat and add gelatin, stirring until dissolved.

Place the cucumbers and beets in a lightly oiled ring mold. Pour the gelatin over the vegetables.

Chill until firm; carefully unmold. Fill the center with coleslaw or potato salad, if desired.

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Sdads and Relishes

BEET RELISH

8 beets, peeled and chopped

coarsely 2 onions, chopped

2 
green or red peppers, chopped

3 cups chopped cabbage

2 cups vinegar

1V2
tablespoons salt
Vi
cup sugar

3 tablespoons mustard seed i tablespoon celery seed

Combine the beets, onions, peppers, cabbage, vinegar, salt, sugar, mustard seed, and celery seed in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes. Pour into quart jars (about three) and seal at once. Refrigerate for at least 48 hours before using.

PICKLED MUSHROOMS

6 tablespoons olive oil

2V2 pounds mushrooms, stems

removed 2 cups vinegar 2 teaspoons salt 12 peppercorns 4 cloves

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet; saute the whole mushroom caps in it for 5 minutes. (Use the stems for soup.) Cool and place in a quart jar.

Combine the vinegar, salt, peppercorns, cloves, and remaining oil in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Pour over the mushrooms.

Seal the jar and refrigerate for 3 days before using.

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The Molly Goldberg Cookbook

WALNUT-CRANBERRY RELISH

2 oranges 1 apple

1 pound cranberries i?4 cups sugar

i cup shelled walnuts, coarsely chopped

Peel the oranges and reserve half the peel. Remove the membranes and seeds of the oranges. Quarter the apple; remove the seeds and fibers. Grind the cranberries, oranges, reserved peel, and apple in a food chopper. Add the sugar and nuts; mix well.

Chill for 3 hours before serving. The relish will keep well if stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

TOMATO-PICKLE RELISH

2 pounds tomatoes, chopped and drained

3 cucumbers, peeled and chopped i green pepper, chopped

2 cups grated cabbage

1 onion, chopped i cup vinegar

2 cups sugar

1V2
teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons mustard seed

Combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper, cabbage, onion, vinegar, sugar, salt, and mustard seed. Mix well.

Pack into sterile quart jars (about three). Seal well. Store in the refrigerator for 3 days before using. The relish will keep well.

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About calories we wouldn't talk. About taste, yes, but calories, no! Most of these recipes come from Katy. She married Pincus, who owns Pincus Pines, a hotel in the heart of Rip Van Winkle's country, the CatskUl Mountains. Katy is a cook, but what a cook, and without her would Pincus have a hotel? People come from miles around for Katy's cooking, but her speciality is in the noodle, bread, and pancake department. She's thin like a rail too. Every summer when we take our vacation at the Pines, Katy teaches me a few new recipes and I am passing them on to you. Learning to cook them was no hardship and eating them afterward was also no trouble. It was more like a labor of love if I may say as one who shouldn't, and I think you'll find it that way too.