Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook (20 page)

Melt the shortening in a skillet. Add the
kasha,
onion, pepper, and remaining salt. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool for 15 minutes. Add the remaining egg and mix well.

Roll out the dough as thin as possible on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 3-inch squares. Place 1 tablespoon of the mixture on each. Fold the dough over the filling to form a triangle, sealing the edges well.

Drop into boiling salted water. Cook for 15 minutes, or until they

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rise to the surface. Drain well. Do not cook too many at one time. Serve in soup or as an accompaniment to a meat course. If desired, drain well and brown the
kreplach
in a skillet with a little shortening.

MUSHROOM FILLING FOR KREPLACH

2 tablespoons shortening 1 onion, chopped

1  pound mushrooms, chopped i teaspoon salt

V\
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 egg yolks, beaten

Melt the shortening in a skillet. Add the onion and saut6 for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the mushrooms. Saute 10 minutes, or until the mixture is dry, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper. Cool for 15 minutes. Add the egg yolks and mix well. Cool for 30 minutes additional.

Fill and cook the
kreplach
as directed for
kreplach
dough.

These
kreplach
are delicious as an accompaniment to meat or fish dishes.

Who is Sylvia? She's Tante Elka's middle boy Georgie's wife. When she and Georgie got married it looked like she was going to be a regular daughter-in-law. But she turned out fine. How?
Knishes.
That was the turning point. Elka thought Sylvia was stuck-up and she was very worried that it would be contagious to Georgie, but one afternoon Elka fell

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into Sylvia's apartment and found her making
knishes,
so everything was all right from that moment on. Like Elka says: "You couldn't be stuck-up and make
knishes
too." And that's the truth. Show me someone who can make
knishes
and I'll show you a person. No matter what they call them or how they serve them, a
knish
is a
knish
and that's all.

CHEESE KNISHES (PASTRIES)

2 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

\Vi
teaspoons salt

^l
A
pound butter

1 egg, beaten

Vi
cup milk

6 scallions (green onions), sliced,

or 2 onions, chopped
Vi
pound cottage cheese, drained 4 tablespoons sour cream i egg yolk

Sift the flour, baking powder, and
Vi
teaspoon of the salt into a bowl. Cut in
V4
pound of the butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives. Combine the egg and milk and add, tossing lightly until a ball of dough is formed. Chill for 1 hour.

Melt the remaining butter in a skillet. Saut6 the scallions in it for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Beat the cottage cheese, sour cream, egg yolk, and remaining salt until smooth. Add the scallions and mix together well. Preheat oven to 350
⁰
.

Roll out the dough
Vs
inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 3-inch circles. Place 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture on each. Fold the dough over the mixture and pinch the edges together. Place on a buttered cooky sheet, solid side down.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until browned. Serve hot or cold, with sour cream, if desired.

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The Molly Goldberg Cookbook

POTATO KNISHES (PASTRIES)

6 tablespoons shortening

2 onions, chopped

4 cups mashed potatoes

3
^e
§g
^s

% cup sifted flour

i teaspoon salt

Vs
teaspoon white pepper

2 tablespoons grated onion

Melt 4 tablespoons of the shortening in a skillet. Add the chopped onions. Saut6 for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the onions and cool. Preheat oven to 375
⁰
.

Melt the remaining shortening in the skillet. Mix together the potatoes, eggs, flour, salt, pepper, grated onion, and melted shortening. Knead until smooth. Break off pieces and shape into 2-inch balls. Make a depression in the center of each, and fill with a teaspoonful of the saut^ed onions. Cover the filling with the dough. Flatten the balls slightly with the palm. Place on a greased baking sheet.

Bake in a 375
⁰
oven for 25 minutes, or until browned.

Chopped liver may be substituted for the onions, if desired.

PIEROGEN (FILLED PASTRY)

\Vi
cups sifted flour

Vi
teaspoon salt

Vi
teaspoon baking powder

Vi
cup shortening

1  egg, beaten

2 tablespoons cold water

Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives. Add the egg and cold water,

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Noodles, Breads, and Pancakes

tossing lightly until a ball of dough is formed. Chill while preparing the filling.

Preheat oven to 375
⁰
. Roll the dough
Vs
inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 3-inch circles. Place a tablespoon of any desired mixture on each. Fold the dough over the filling, sealing the edges well.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until browned.

Serve as an accompaniment to meat dishes. A very small version makes a good
hors d'oeuvre.

MUSHROOM FILLING FOR PIEROGEN

3 tablespoons shortening

1 pound mushrooms, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped dill

(optional)

2 hard-cooked egg yolks, mashed
\Vi
teaspoons salt

Va
teaspoon freshly ground black

pepper
V2
cup bread crumbs 2 tablespoons sour cream

(optional)

Melt the shortening in a skillet. Add the mushrooms and onions. Saute for 10 minutes, or until all the mushroom liquid is evaporated. Add the parsley, dill, egg yolks, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, and sour cream. Mix well. Proceed as directed for
pierogen.

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The Molly Goldberg Cookbook

POTATO FILLING FOR PIEROGEN

Va
cup shortening

2 onions chopped

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

\Vi
cups mashed, cooked

potatoes 1 egg yolk
Va
teaspoon freshly ground black

pepper l teaspoon salt

Melt the shortening in a skillet. Saute the onions in it for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the parsley and potatoes. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Add the egg yolk, pepper, and salt. Mix. Proceed as directed for
pierogen.

PIROSHKI

stuffed pastries
                             
2 cups sifted flour

Vi
teaspoon baking powder

Vz
teaspoon salt

³
A
cup shortening

i egg, beaten

3 tablespoons cold water

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives. Mix the egg and water together and add, tossing lightly until a ball of dough is formed. Chill for 1 hour.

Roll dough
Vz
inch thick on a lightly floured board. Cut into 3-inch circles. Place a tablespoon of any of the following mixtures on it. Fold the dough over the filling, sealing the edges carefully. Place on a well-greased baking sheet.

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Noodles, Breads, and Pancakes

Bake in a 375 ° oven for 20 minutes. Serve hot with
borscht
or hot consomm£. They also make excellent
hors d'oeuvres.

POTATO FILLING FOR PIROSHKI

6 tablespoons shortening 4 onions, chopped 2 cups mashed potatoes 1 teaspoon salt

V4
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Melt the shortening in a skillet. Saut6 the onions in it for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the potatoes, salt, and pepper. Mix lightly. Cool for 15 minutes and proceed as directed for
piroshki.

LIVER AND MUSHROOM FILLING FOR PIROSHKI

4 tablespoons shortening 1 onion, chopped
Vi
pound mushrooms, chopped
V4
pound chicken livers, chopped
\Vi
teaspoons salt
Va
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Melt half of the shortening in a skillet. Add the onion and mushrooms. Saut6 for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove and set aside.

Melt the remaining shortening in the skillet. Saut6 the livers in it for 10 minutes. Add to the mushroom mixture along with the salt and pepper. Chop until very smooth. Correct seasoning. Let cool for 5 minutes, and proceed as directed for
piroshki.

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The Molly Goldberg Cookbook

FISH FILLING FOR PIROSHKI

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped
Vi
pound fish fillet

2 hard-cooked egg yolks

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

\Vi
teaspoons salt

Y*
teaspoon freshly ground black

pepper 2 tablespoons sour cream

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onion and fish. Saute for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chop the onion, fish, and egg yolks together. Add the parsley, salt, pepper, and sour cream. Mix well. Proceed as directed for
piroshki.

To think that just a jew short years ago there were only a jew weeks in the summer that you could make these cherry
verenikas
because the cherries were only in season jor such a short time. But today you can have them any time you want because oj the jrozen and canned cherries you can buy anyplace. My Uncle David is still amazed when we have them in the winter. It's hard jor him to get used to the idea, but he eats them just the same. The mind and the appetite are birds oj a different color, I guess. Today there is no season jor these
verenikas,
only when the mood strikes you.

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CHERRY VERENIKAS

cherry dumplings
                       
3 cups sour red cherries, fresh,

frozen, or canned 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 cups sifted flour
Vi
teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3 tablespoons water
Yi
cup sour cream

Pit the cherries. Combine in a saucepan with the juice from the cherries, the sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Mix well. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cherries, reserving the juice. If the juice is not syrupy, cook over low heat until it thickens. Let the cherries cool while preparing the dough.

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 gradually, mixing until a dough is formed. Knead until smooth.

Roll the dough as thin as possible on a lightly floured board. Cut into 3- or 4-inch rounds. Place a few cherries in each. Fold the dough over the cherries, sealing the edges very carefully.

Drop into boiling, lightly salted water. Boil for 10 minutes, or until they rise to the surface. Drain well. Do not cook too many at once.

Serve warm with the syrup and sour cream.

note: Blueberries or huckleberries may be substituted for the cherries.