The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook (41 page)

Read The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook Online

Authors: Sharon Lebewohl

2. Mash potatoes and onions (use a hand masher, not a food processor or blender) to a smooth consistency. Add all the remaining patty ingredients, except the bread crumbs, stir them in thoroughly with a fork, and then continue working them together with your hands. Still using your hands, mix in the cup of bread crumbs.
3. Form the potato mixture into 3-inch patties (about ¾ inch high), and place them on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Place in freezer for 1 hour.
4. Remove patties from freezer. Beat eggs and water together in a bowl. Dip each patty to coat completely, then dredge in bread crumbs, covering thoroughly. Return patties to wax-papered cookie sheet, and refrigerate 15 minutes.
5. Heat an inch of corn oil (it must be high enough to completely cover the knishes) in a deep skillet (unless you cook them in batches, you'll probably need 2 skillets). Carefully place knishes in the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Using a spatula and a fork, turn and cook for another 2 minutes until deep golden brown on both sides. Remove, and drain on paper toweling before serving.
Note:
You can make your patties in the morning, refrigerate them, and fry them up any time within about 3 days.

A
L
L
EWIS
, a.k.a. Grandpa Munster, has enjoyed a long and impressive show-biz career—beginning at the age of twelve, when he ran away to join the circus! He went on to a successful career in radio (
The Shadow; Little Orphan Annie; Jack Armstrong, All-American Boy
), on and off Broadway (in shows ranging from
Do-Re-Mi
to
The Iceman Cometh
), and on TV (in
Car 54, Where Are You?,
the
Phil Silvers Show, Naked City,
and many others prior to and after becoming a Munster). An exuberant seventy-something, Lewis still has a few career goals: he'd like to work with Woody Allen, play Willy Loman, and appear on
Sesame Street.

Al Lewis

I have many fond memories of Abe Lebewohl. One day, he and I were schmoozing over lunch at the Deli with pornmeister Al Goldstein (a mutual friend). High on chicken soup, or perhaps otherwise inspired, Goldstein blurted out, “Hey, I've got a great idea. Let's fly out to Nevada after lunch and go to a high-class brothel.” Abe and I, both happily married men, just looked at each other. Finally, Abe said, “We'll go if you can find one that will accept corned beef and pastrami sandwiches as payment.” Of course, we stayed right where we were.
I was at home with my wife when I heard the news about Abe's death. “It's not possible,” I said. “I know Abe. If a guy tried to rob him, he'd not only give him all his money but offer him a couple of sandwiches and soup for the long ride home, and insist he take a soda as well.”
Of the recipe below, Grandpa says, “If you eat this dish three times a week, you'll live to be eighty-seven.”
Grandpa's Fettuccine with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes, and Artichokes
SERVES
6
1 large head garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh-ground pepper
1½ pounds spinach fettuccine
1 large onion, thinly sliced
10 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped into ½-inch pieces
2 6-ounce jars artichoke hearts, marinated in olive oil, drained and chopped into ¾-inch pieces
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
¾ cup vegetable stock (you can buy this at the supermarket or make your own; see
recipe
)
Salt
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop tip off garlic head to expose cloves, and pull off loose peel. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, sprinkle with fresh pepper, and bake in tin foil for 45 minutes.
2. While garlic is baking, bring a large stockpot of water to a rapid boil. Cook fettuccine for 8 to 12 minutes or until tender. Rinse, drain, and set aside.
3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet, and sauté onion until wilted. Add tomatoes, artichokes, and thyme to the skillet, and continue to sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in vegetable stock, and bring to a boil. Squeeze garlic head to release cloves, and stir into other ingredients. Add pasta, and cook on high heat for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top each portion with grated cheese.

Herbed Rice
SERVES
6
Iranian Jews—and non-Jews, for that matter—slowly steam their rice in a pot with butter or oil. It makes the rice very fluffy and forms a delicious golden crust. Since the first time we tried this method, we've never cooked rice any other way again.
4 cups plain chicken soup or stock
2 cups water
2 cups long-grain white rice
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
1 cup scrubbed mushrooms, sliced into ½-inch pieces, ⅛ inch thick
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
½ cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon pepper
Salt (the amount will depend on how much salt is in the chicken stock you use; if it's salty, you may not need any)
3 tablespoons margarine
1. In a large stockpot, bring chicken soup and water to a boil. Add rice, and simmer for 18 minutes. (Hint: A teaspoon of cooking oil in the water keeps the rice from sticking.)
2.
While rice is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet and sauté onions until nicely browned. Add garlic at the last minute, and brown quickly. Remove to a large bowl with a slotted spoon, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet (use a little more if needed), and sauté mushrooms. Remove with slotted spoon to the same bowl. Sauté nuts and raisins (these brown very quickly) in the remaining oil, stirring very frequently, and remove to same bowl with slotted spoon. Set bowl aside on counter.
3. Drain rice, but do not rinse, and place it in a different large bowl. Mix rosemary, thyme, pepper, and, if needed, salt into the rice.
4. In a clean wide-bottomed stockpot, melt margarine with remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, swishing a bit on the lower sides of the pot. Return rice to pot, pour onion-mushroom-nut-raisin mixture on top, and cover completely with a folded terry-cloth towel secured by a lid. Turn heat very, very low, and cook for 30 minutes.
5. Gently stir to combine all ingredients, including the crust from the bottom of the pot.
Note:
For a dairy version, use vegetable stock instead of chicken soup and butter in place of margarine.

Herbed Rice with Dried Fruit
SERVES
6
A variant of the above, this Iranian recipe adds dried fruit, a common ingredient of Middle Eastern cuisines. Once again, use vegetable stock and butter for a dairy version.
4 cups plain chicken soup or stock
2 cups water
2 cups long-grain white rice
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
⅓ cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup coarsely chopped pitted prunes
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon pepper
Salt (the amount will depend on how much salt is in the chicken stock you use; if it's salty, you may not need any)
3 tablespoons margarine
1. In a large stockpot, bring chicken soup and water to a boil. Add rice, and simmer for 18 minutes. (Hint: A teaspoon of cooking oil in the water keeps the rice from sticking.)
2. While rice is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet and sauté onions until nicely browned. Add garlic at the last minute, and brown quickly. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and sauté apricots, nuts, and raisins (these brown very quickly; make sure they don't burn). Remove with a slotted spoon to the bowl with onions and garlic. Add prunes. Set aside on counter.
3. Drain rice, but do not rinse, and place it in a different large bowl. Mix in rosemary, thyme, pepper, and, if needed, salt.
4.
In a clean wide-bottomed stockpot, melt margarine with 3 tablespoons olive oil, swishing a bit on the lower sides of the pot. Return rice to pot, pour onion-fruit-nut mixture on top, and cover completely with a folded terry-cloth towel secured by a lid. Turn heat very, very low, and cook for 30 minutes.

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