Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook (19 page)

*74

MALAI

corn meal and
                           
i cake or package yeast

cheese pudding
                             
Vi
cup lukewarm water

Y*
cup sifted flour 2 cups yellow corn meal

2 teaspoons salt i teaspoon sugar

3 cups cold water

Vi
pound pot cheese, drained 6 scallions (green onions), sliced
V4
teaspoon freshly ground black

pepper 3 tablespoons melted butter

Soak the yeast in the water for 5 minutes. Add the flour and mix well. Cover and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour.

Add the corn meal,
Vi
teaspoon of the salt, the sugar, and cold water, mixing very well. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. Preheat oven to 350
⁰
.

Pour half the batter into a buttered 2-quart casserole or baking dish. Cover with the cheese and scallions. Sprinkle with the pepper and remaining salt. Pour remaining batter over it. Pour melted butter on top.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until browned on top and firm.

Serve as an accompaniment to fish dishes or as the main part of a dairy meal.

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The Molly Goldberg Cookbook

MY FAVORITE FRENCH TOAST

Va
cup sifted flour

Vi
teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 l-inch-thick slices white bread,

trimmed 4 tablespoons butter

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Beat the eggs, milk, and vanilla together and add to the flour. Beat well. Dip the bread slices into the mixture, soaking them well.

Melt the butter in a skillet. Fry the bread in it until browned on both sides.

Serve with jelly or sprinkle with sugar.

MAMALIGA

Rumanian corn meal
                   
2 cups yellow com meal

i cup cold water

2 teaspoons salt

3 cups boiling water
Va
pound butter

2 cups cottage cheese, drained

Mix the com meal and cold water until smooth. Add the salt to the boiling water. Add the com meal very gradually, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Stir frequently. Add the butter and cottage cheese. Mix lightly and serve hot.

Serve
mamdiga
with fish dishes in place of potatoes, or as a separate course.

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Noodles, Breads, and Pancakes

Blintzes!
What can I say? If I told you that my life was wrapped up in a
blintze
would you believe me? Some people have family crests, lions, tigers, unicorns, elephants
—
a whole menagerie—and if my family had a crest, you know what would be on it?
A blintze.
I mean it. All the good things in my life are measured in
blintzes
because by us it's not a party if there isn't a
blintze,
and who ever heard of a sad party?

BLINTZES

THIN PANCAKES
                                         
2 eggS

2 tablespoons salad oil 1 cup milk % cup sifted flour
Vi
teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons butter

Beat the eggs, oil, and milk together in a bowl. Add the flour and salt; beat until very smooth. Chill for 30 minutes. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. If the mixture is too thick, add a little milk.

Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a 7-inch skillet. Pour 1 tablespoon of the batter into it, turning the pan quickly so batter will cover the bottom. Fry until lightly browned on one side only. Stack the
blintzes,
browned side up, until all the batter is used, adding additional butter as required.

Place 1 tablespoon of any of the following mixtures on each of the
blintzes.
Turn two opposite sides in a little bit, and then roll up carefully. Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet. Fry the
blintzes
in it until lightly browned on both sides.

Serve hot with sour cream and a little sugar, if desired. These
blintzes
are delicious when served cold, too.

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The Molly Goldberg Cookbook

VEGETABLE FILLING FOR BLINTZES

4 tablespoons butter 2 onions, chopped

1 green pepper, sliced thin

2 stalks celery, sliced thin
Vi
cup shredded cabbage 1V2 teaspoons salt

V4
teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onions, green pepper, celery, cabbage, salt, and pepper. Saut6 for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the parsley and stir. Correct seasoning. Cool. Proceed as directed for
blintzes.

APPLE FILLING FOR BLINTZES

3 apples, peeled and sliced

4 tablespoons brown sugar
Vi
teaspoon cinnamon

Y*
cup melted butter

Yi
cup sugar

4 tablespoons bread crumbs

Combine the apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool for 30 minutes. Fill the pancakes as directed for
blintzes.

Place in a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with the melted butter, sugar, and bread crumbs.

Bake in a 375° oven for 20 minutes, or until browned.

178

Noodles, Breads, and Pancakes

CHEESE FILLING FOR BLINTZES

Va
pound cream cheese

V4
pound cottage cheese

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese, cottage cheese, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Proceed as directed for
blintzes.

These
blintzes
are called hurry-up because they can be made very fast. I find them a big help when Jake brings his partner Mendel home to the house. I have to have something easy and fast because between Jake and Mendel there's always an argument. I know when I see them come in the door that it won't be long before Mendel will be going out the same way. I suppose that's how it is when people are partners. I don't want Mendel to go away on an empty stomach, so I make these hurry-up
blintzes.

HURRY-UP CHEESE BLINTZES

Vi
pound cream cheese

2 teaspoons salt

3 eggs, beaten

24 soda crackers (about 3 inches

square)
Vi
cup milk 6 tablespoons butter

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The Molly Goldberg Cookbook

Beat the cheese until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and 4 tablespoons of the beaten egg. Mix well together. Spread the mixture on 12 biscuits. Cover with the remaining 12 biscuits and press down firmly. Beat the milk, remaining salt and eggs together. Dip the sandwiches into it, soaking them well.

Melt half the butter in a skillet. Fry the sandwiches in it until lightly browned on both sides, adding more butter as necessary.

Serve hot with jelly or sugar.

Kreplach
you put in soup, I put in soup, everybody puts in soup. It was a big surprise to me when I found out that
kreplach
is almost as international as people. In a Chinese restaurant I found it also in soup. Won Ton is the Chinese name, and how it got all the way to China is a mystery for the history books, not me. All I know is that the recipe is the same, and in good chicken soup you don't need a passport to enjoy it.

MEAT KREPLACH

i?4 cups sifted flour
\Vz
teaspoons salt

2 eggs

3 tablespoons shortening
Vi
pound ground beef

1 onion, grated

Vi
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 
tablespoons parsley

180

Noodles, Breads, and Pancakes

Sift the flour and
Yi
teaspoon of the salt onto a board. Make a well in the center and place the eggs in it. Work in the flour until a dough is formed. Knead until smooth and elastic. Roll out as thin as possible. Cut into 3-inch squares.

Melt the shortening in a skillet. Add the beef, onion, pepper, parsley, and remaining salt. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Place 1 tablespoon of the beef mixture on each square. Fold the dough over the filling to form a triangle. Press the edges together firmly.

Drop into boiling water or soup. Cook for 20 minutes. If cooked in water, drain well and serve with meat dishes. If cooked in soup, serve several in each portion of soup.

KREPLACH DOUGH

STUFFED DUMPLING
                                 
2 CUpS sifted flour

y*
teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 tablespoons cold water

Vi
cup melted butter

i cup sour cream

Sift the flour and salt onto a board. Make a well in the center. Place the eggs and water in it. Work in the flour until a dough is formed. Knead until smooth and elastic. Cover and set aside while preparing the filling.

Roll the dough as thin as possible on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 2-inch squares. Place a heaping teaspoonful of any desired mixture on each square. Fold the dough over the filling to form a triangle, and seal the edges well.

Drop into boiling salted water. Cook for 15 minutes. Drain well.

Serve with the melted butter and sour cream. If desired, the
kreplach
may be fried after they are boiled.

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The Molly Goldberg Cookbook

PRUNE FILLING FOR KREPLACH

1 pound unsweetened prunes, presoaked

V*
cup sugar
Vi
cup water
Vi
cup orange juice

2 
teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated orange rind

Combine the prunes, sugar, water, orange juice, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until prunes are soft. Drain and cool. Remove pits. Chop the prunes coarsely. Add the orange rind and mix.

Fill and cook the
kreplach
as directed for
kreplach
dough.

Serve with browned bread crumbs and melted butter if desired.

POTATO AND CHEESE FILLING FOR KREPLACH

3 tablespoons butter 2 onions, chopped 2 cups mashed potatoes 1 cup cottage cheese, drained iegg

\Vi
teaspoons salt
V\
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a skillet. Saut6 the onions in it for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Beat together the potatoes, cottage cheese, egg, salt, pepper, and onions until smooth.

Proceed as directed for
kreplach
dough.

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Noodles, Breads, and Pancakes

CHEESE FILLING FOR KREPLACH

/
                                   
1 pound cottage cheese, drained

/
                                   
^2
e
gg yolks

34 teaspoon salt

Mix the c/heese, egg yolks, and salt together until very well blended. Proceed as directed for
kreplach
dough.

KASHA KREPLACH (BUCKWHEAT GROATS)

FELLED POCKETS
                                       
2 CUpS sifted flour

of dough
                                     
\Vi
teaspoons salt

3
^e
g§
^s

2 tablespoons cold water

3 tablespoons shortening
iVi
cups cooked
kasha

(see page 207) \Vi
cups grated onion
Va
teaspoon freshly ground black

pepper

Sift the flour and
Vi
teaspoon of the salt onto a board. Make a well in the center. Place 2 of the eggs and the water in it. Work in the flour gradually, kneading until a dough is formed. Knead until smooth and elastic. Cover and set aside while preparing the filling.