Bubby Ginsberg’s Strudel

February 7, 2013

Author: Shira Ginsberg

The women in my family were always busy in my Bubby’s Kitchen, mixing three cups of wisdom for every two cups of Matzo meal into whatever recipe they were preparing.

And there was always something mouthwatering in the over, the smell of the mandel bread and rugalach alone could make you cry…but to taste – forget about it, heaven on earth..

And then there was my Bubby’s Strudel. Saved for ‘the company’ NOT, for your everyday meal. Bubby’s strudel was served on her finest dishes, table set, and ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS with a glazele tea made from a re-used tea bag sitting in a little dish on the windowsill.. waste not want not.

To eat this strudel is to be back on 103 Nyroy Drive, surrounded by family, love, comfort, and of course, a table filled with ‘company’

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients:

Dough:

4 cups of flour

4 sticks of butter

1 cup sour cream

Mix all together. Knead.

Refrigerate apx. 2 hours

Filling 1 jar strawberry preserves

1/2 cup walnuts chopped

1 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Combine sugar, nuts cinnamon

Preparation:

Roll 1/4 dough into large circle on slightly floured surface. Spread filling. Sprinkle with nut, sugar and cinnamon.

Fold top and then sides and roll to form log. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Remove, cool, slice, share with some local yentas.

Ruth’s Kreplach

February 1, 2013

Author: Mo Rocca

Grandmother and math teacher Ruth Teig teaches Mo Rocca how to make classic Jewish cuisine on My Grandmother’s Ravioli. On the menu is kreplach (or Jewish ravioli.) Ruth surprises Mo with a large live Carp in her bathtub to teach him how generations of Jews in Europe would keep their fish fresh before the invention of refrigeration. Mo also gets to taste Ruth’s magical coffee cake that she uses as currency to feed household workmen and to allows her to skip to the front of long lines at the DMV.

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 2lbs Boneless Chuck or Brisket

• 1 bottle of dry red wine

• 1 large onion chopped plus 3 large onions sliced

• 2 carrots chopped

• 2 celery stalks chopped

• canola oil

• salt and pepper to taste

Dough:

• 3 cups flour

• 4 large eggs

Preparation:

1. Place the meat, the chopped onion, carrots and celery in a large dutch oven. Add the bottle of red Wine and cook in a 375 degree oven until meat is fork tender. This should take about 1-2 hours. Let cool.

2. In a large skillet, over a medium flame, sauté the 3 sliced onions in canola oil until they are completely caramelized. remove from heat and let cool.

3. Chop cooled meat into large pieces that will fit into the spout of a meat grinder. Using a meat grinder, alternate grinding the meat and the caramelized onions until it has all been ground together. taste mixture and if necessary, adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

4. Place all of the flour and the eggs in a food processor and let it run until it forms a dough.

5. Remove the dough from the food processor, cover it with a dry dishtowel, and let it rest on the counter for a half hour.

6. While the dough is resting, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once it’s come to a boil, lower the flame so the water is simmering.

7. Cut the dough in quarters. Leaving the other sections covered, take one of the sections and on a well-floured board roll it out until it’s approximately 1/4” thick.

8. Using a knife, cut the dough into approximately 2” squares.

9. Place a teaspoon of filling onto the center of each piece of dough.

10. Wet the sides of the dough with water and fold the dough corner to corner crimping the dough together with your fingers to form a triangle.

11. Join the two ends together like a little ring, as with tortellini or wontons. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

12. To cook the kreplach, in small batches place them carefully into the pot of simmering water. when they rise to the top of the water cook for another 5 minutes.

13. When the kreplach are cooked, remove with a strainer and place them in a bowl with a little bit of oil. This will prevent them from sticking together.

14. Serve in chicken soup, as a side dish, or put them in a 350 degree oven until they get crisp and brown around the edges.

Hamantaschen in a Hurry

April 4, 2014

Author: Ali Berzon

Ingredients:

Dough:

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk

1 cup sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1/2 orange

2 tablespoons brandy

Filling:

Any fruit flavor jam

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, both juices and brandy until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until a sticky dough is formed.

Knead dough. Form small balls with dough and then push dough with thumb to form a flat circle around 3 inches across (or something resembling a circle). Put about 1/2 to 1 tsp of apricot or raspberry jam (or any other filling) in the middle. Fold up three sides to form a triangle. Place on buttered cookie tin. Cook for about 15 minutes until browned.