Potato Knishes (Non Passover) and Cheese Knishes

This recipe appears in my cookbook, Bubbie’s Kitchen. Since the book was written as an Ashkenazic Jewish cooking curriculum for groups, in my case, teenagers, I make use of certain time-saving devices, such as instant mashed potatoes, which I do not use when I make these at home for myself. I will provide both versions here with the introduction that appears in the book: Although knishes have entered mainstream American cuisine insofar as they can be found in most supermarkets with a delicatessen section and are available frozen as hors d’oeuvres almost anywhere frozen foods can be bought, they appear in Jewish cookbooks in the form that is most familiar to Americans only rarely. They appear to be uniquely of German or Russian Ashkenazic origin. Similar recipes for dough wrapped in various ways around a filling and baked are known by many different names in both Ashkenazic and Sephardic cultures, such as: borekas, kreplach, and pierogen. However, the classic recipe that is familiar to those of us in the United States, where they were a staple at every Bar and Bat Mitzvah and Jewish wedding, produces a rounded patty-shaped crusty dough which encases a savory filling of potato with fried onions, liver, kasha, rice, or cheese. This type of knish is produced by the recipe below. Since the flour used to make the strudel-type dough for these knishes is prohibited on Passover, another type of knish is made which uses mashed potatoes in the dough itself for this holiday. This mashed potato dough is wrapped around the filling. These Passover potato knishes are the most common ones found in Jewish recipe books. They are also delicious (and the recipe for them is included in this blog). In all its forms,the knish is very convenient street food and is sold by vendors in Tel-Aviv during the Ad’lo’yada carnival that takes place during Purim. In families where knishes are traditionally made, they are considered traditional fare for a Purim seudah, the festive meal that is enjoyed by family and friends during this holiday.

Knishes

Potato Filling (Instant)

• 1-1/3 cups instant mashed potato buds or flakes
  
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 small onion
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1-1/3 cups water

Dice onion and sauté in butter in small frying pan over medium heat. Set aside.

Bring water, milk, and salt to a boil in small pot over high heat.

Remove from heat and add potato buds or flakes stirring just until combined. Let stand 30 seconds to absorb moisture and fluff with a fork.

Stir in sautéed onion and butter.

Potato Filling (From Scratch)

• 2 lbs. Idaho, Yukon Gold, or russet potatoes
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (I recommend over-seasoning the mashed potatoes a bit to offset the blandness of the crusty dough casing)

Peel potatoes and cut into 4 to 6 chunks, depending on the size of the potato.

Just cover them with cold, lightly salted water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down to medium high and continue to boil until a fork goes though the largest chunks without resistance, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, sauté the onion in butter until until translucent.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes to dry out somewhat.

Mash or whip while still warm, adding onions and butter, cream, and salt and pepper. (Never use a food processor to mash potatoes!)

Refrigerate for several hours before using to fill knishes.

Cheese Filling

• 2 cups farmers’ cheese
• 1 egg
• pinch of sugar and salt

Mix cheese filling by combining ingredients in a small bowl, breaking up cheese curds with a fork.

Glaze

• 1 beaten egg
• 1 Tbsp. oil

Stir together in a small bowl with a pastry brush.

Dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 large or extra large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 cups lukewarm water
• Non-stick cooking spray

Mix all dough ingredients (except spray) together in a bowl. (You can use an electric mixer at this stage.)

Empty out onto a well-floured surface. Knead into a ball with floured hands.

Cut dough in half and knead each ball separately, again.

Roll out with rolling pin on a well-floured surface into a very thin square shape.

Spray very lightly with non-stick spray.

Place filling one inch from the top of the dough in a strip about 1-1/2 inches wide along the top.

Take the top of the dough and roll over the filling, jelly roll fashion. Then roll twice more and cut off with scissors or pastry wheel from the rest of the dough.

Repeat process until all dough and filling are used up.

Pinch ends of dough together.

Cut strips of filled dough at 1-1/2 inch intervals with the side of your hand, pushing the piece away from the others slightly while pressing down.

Pinch to seal each end of knish. (The motion of your hand in cutting should just about seal the dough all by itself and a rounded shape results from patting the corners in your palm.)

Place on non-stick spray-coated baking pan and brush with glaze.

Bake at 325°F. until golden brown approximately 35 minutes.

These freeze very well and can be reheated in the oven at 350°F.

Makes about 40 small knishes—20 cheese, 20 potato.

Gezer Hai (Living Carrots)

I began making this many years ago as I was researching Israeli recipes for what was supposed to be a series of Jewish cookbooks/cooking curricula that I was writing. Saul told me his memories of enjoying this salad as a child in Israel and what he remembers his mother including in the recipe. With the advent of large bags of beautiful organic carrots at Costco, I have recently been making it more often, especially since in our times, the food processor eliminates hours of hand grating. I have added craisins for color and flavor. In the past, I have made it with classrooms full of six and seven year olds, and it was very popular. It also makes a relatively guilt-free snack. Although it is probably not as healthy as just munching on a raw carrot, it is far more satisfying.

Gezer Hai (Living Carrots)

• 1 lb. fresh carrots (organic, if possible), peeled
• grated rind and juice of 1 large or 2 small oranges
• grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup pure cane sugar
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup craisins
• 1 banana, in small dice

Grate carrots with grating disc of the food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and fold together gently. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving, to allow carrots to absorb juices and meld flavors.

Daddy Alex’s Birthday Cookies

My grandchildren love to cook with me, and together, we had a horrible month of August, which is why such a long time has gone by since the last recipe was posted. Our 87-year-old mother and great-grandmother died at home in bed after almost a year on hospice care, and we had to cut our summer vacation together in Orlando by a week because we received word that her time was short after our first week there. We rushed home to our suburb of Philadelphia from Florida and drove the entire distance in one day. All three granddaughters were super terrific about the grueling journey and the disappointment of leaving.

In order to salvage what was left of our vacation and be home to say a final goodbye, we made special cookies together during that week, my mother’s last, for their daddy’s birthday on August 31. Sami invented them and supervised Izzy and me while we put the dough together. Alex is allergic to chocolate and Sami loves peanut butter and bananas. I had a package of dried cherries in the freezer. A new winner was born! We learned to work very well as a team, sharing the labor, each according to her strength. Afterward, the girls made a card and we packed Daddy’s cookies carefully into the freezer. Two days after that, they helped me begin assembling Haley’s wedding cake for her wedding on August 22. Mom died on August 20. She waited for the moment that I finished decorating the cake at 11:15 p.m. and went in to sit with her. Her funeral was on August 24, the Monday morning after the Saturday night wedding.

Baking cookies seems to be a way that we comfort ourselves in this family. Fussing over the wedding cake with the girls helped me get through a really terrible time in my life.

Daddy Alex’s Birthday Cookies
(Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Banana, and Dried Cherries)
(Pareve, meat and dairy free)

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1 cup granulated organic cane sugar
• 1 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted pareve Fleischmann’s margarine
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1/4 cup premium orange juice
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose, unbleached Ceresota or Hecker’s flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 cups quick-cooking oats
• 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 large, firm ripe banana, diced finely (not mashed)

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray baking sheets with non-stick spray.

Cream sugars with margarine and peanut butter in large bowl of mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beat in orange juice and vanilla.

Mix in flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Stir in both kinds of oats and dried cherries on lowest speed.

Stir in chopped banana gently by hand with a spatula.

Drop dough onto prepared baking sheets with a leveled 1-1/2-inch ice-cream scoop, leaving at least two inches between them for expansion.

Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes in a convection oven, about 10 in a conventional oven.

Makes about 60-70. These freeze really well.

My Potato Salad

I have been making my own potato salad for as long as I can remember. I don’t need a recipe and just add quantities of ingredients based on the amount of potatoes I have used until it tastes right to me. However, anytime I take my potato salad somewhere, or make it at the home of someone else, I am asked for the recipe and I have to resort to listing the ingredients for them and hoping they are skilled enough to figure out quantities on their own. So, having a recipe blog, and this being prime season for potato salad, I have attempted to codify the recipe so that it can be reproduced. I especially like to make it when we are having cold cuts or barbecue and eat vast quantities of it while the potatoes are still a bit warm, a fleeting stage in the life of potato salad.

My Potato Salad

• 3 lbs. waxy-type potatoes, such as Yukon Gold or Red Bliss
• 6 large or extra-large eggs (use not-so-fresh ones to make them easier to peel)
• 1 medium carrot
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1/2 small sweet onion (red or white)
• 1 scant cup Hellman’s Light mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup coconut or white balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar (scant)
  
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. celery salt
• 1 tsp. celery seeds
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tsps. white prepared horseradish (optional)
• paprika (optional)

Place well-rinsed, unpeeled whole potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered, and boil until a skewer or two-pronged fork meets with no resistance at all when the largest potato is pierced, about one hour. Drain.

In the meantime, place eggs in an enameled pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, uncovered over high heat. As soon as the eggs are at a rolling boil, cover the pot and remove from the heat. Set timer for 15 minutes. When timer is done, empty boiling water, cover with cold water and add a handful of ice. When ice is melted, peel eggs and set aside.

You can leave potatoes unpeeled or peel them according to preference. I generally like them peeled, but will leave the peels, or some of the peels, on in a pinch. When cool enough to handle, cut up potatoes irregularly into approximately one-inch chunks/slices and place in a very large mixing bowl.

Place eggs in an egg slicer and cut, turning egg in two directions to cross cut, and adding each egg to the potatoes as it is cut.

Place carrot, celery and onion in bowl of food processor with steel knife and grind until very fine.
Add to potato mixture.

With a wooden spoon or silicon spatula, stir in the rest of the ingredients. Taste for seasoning. If desired and for more kick, add horseradish. Spoon into serving bowl and, if desired, sprinkle with paprika, smoked paprika, or hot paprika.

Especially delicious eaten warm and freshly-made, but refrigerate, covered, immediately after serving.

Yona Rae Coconut Cake

I first devised this cake when I was developing recipes for a black and white party I decided to throw in celebration of my full recovery from a potentially fatal blood clot in my groin (also known as a deep vein thrombosis or D.V.T.) and subsequent life-threatening over-medication on Coumadin which had me confined to bed for a month and unable to work. During the time I spent in bed thanking God that I had managed to survive, a seed was somehow planted to celebrate in this way should my strength and inclination return. The blood clot occurred at the end of March 2002, and I called the party for the end of July and invited almost everyone I knew. I spent a lot of time researching the food and planning every detail. I think it was the best party ever!

Coconut cake was a natural for dessert, and I wanted the cake inside to be white cake as well. I thought that no one would really eat it because everyone was so conscious of the cholesterol in coconut at the time, but this cake was the surprise hit of the party. My son-in-law, Alex, told my daughter that there would be a divorce if she did not save him a piece while he was busy with some other kitchen duty. In addition, from the time my kids were little, we had read a favorite children’s book called Old Witch and the Polka Dot Ribbon which involves a county fair cake competition and the disappearance of Mrs. Butterbean’s super-tall coconut cake.

Since I named a cake for Presley Bella, I thought I should name one of my cakes for my new granddaughter at her naming, too. I know, eventually, I will have to come up with cakes for my other grandchildren as well. I only hope I have time left to me to have relationships with all of them and that I may be able to watch them all enjoy eating cake!

Yona Rae Coconut Cake

• non-stick cooking spray
• 5 cups sifted cake flour (not all-purpose)
• 2 Tbsp. double-acting baking powder
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 8 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2-1/4 cups whole milk
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray three 9-inch layer cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and line with circles of waxed paper that have been flipped over in the pans.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together three times. Do not skip this step. It is important to the texture of the cake.

Beat room-temperature egg whites in an electric mixer on high speed with a wire whip attachment until foamy. Gradually add 1 cup of the sugar, beating only until the mixture holds a soft peak. (The tip of the peak should curl slightly when the beater is lifted.) Set aside.

In another bowl, mix shortening at medium speed in electric mixer with 2 cups of sugar until very light and fluffy.

On slow speed, beat in alternately, just until smooth, flour mixture in fourths and combined milk and extracts in thirds.

By hand, with a large spatula, thoroughly incorporate egg-white mixture into batter.

Divide evenly into pans and bake 30 to 35 minutes until lightly golden brown at edges.

Let cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Coconut Frosting

• 8 oz. soft, unsalted butter
• 8 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1 lb. confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 lb. shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened according to taste)

Cream butter and cream cheese together, blending thoroughly.

Beat in confectioner’s sugar and vanilla until creamy and fluffy.

To assemble, spread frosting between each layer, pressing in small handfuls of coconut before the next layer is added. Frost the entire top and outside of the cake. Carefully press handfuls of coconut up the sides and into the top of the cake.

This cake freezes beautifully, both frosted or disassembled. Buy a fresh bag of shredded coconut to make this cake. Do not use coconut that has been sitting around in the pantry for a long period of time.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Many years have passed since the last time my family went to pick strawberries at a local farm and came home with so many that we canned strawberry jam, strawberry sauce and froze whole strawberries in Seal-A-Meal bags for two days. When we arrived home with our pickings, we had already eaten so many in the field (only the most perfect succulent ones) that we were well sated before the work began.

I developed this pie a few years after that with my friend, Susan, from Chicago. We adapted it from a recipe for rhubarb pie that we found in one of her cookbooks, James Beard’s American Cookery. We decided to make this pie at the height of strawberry season (and rhubarb season) when I mentioned an experience Saul and I had at The William Penn Inn on one of our anniversaries. We had worked at the Inn part-time, Saul as a waiter, and I as a bookkeeper, during our college years to earn extra money. We went there on special occasions after that during the early part of our marriage and continue to dine there to this day. As a matter of fact, we just went there for brunch this past Sunday to celebrate our friend Irv’s and his mother, Fran’s, birthdays.

At one particular anniversary dinner years ago, the waitress recited a litany of elaborate desserts. I chose a triple chocolate mousse cake with raspberry sauce and Saul chose the strawberry rhubarb pie. I commented that I couldn’t believe he had chosen such a homely dessert with all the options available, but he assured me that he remembered this seasonal specialty and knew exactly what he was doing. He was right! When I tasted his slice of pie, I was as wowed as he was over it.

This pie is my daughter, Jessica’s, all-time favorite, except for the time I was in a great hurry and forgot the sugar. Even though she loves all things tart, not even she could eat it. Ari called today to ask me to post this right away because a friend of his went strawberry picking today. In the meantime, he gave her my recipe for strawberry soup, which I will post on a future entry.

I highly suggest putting a large pan under the pie while it is baking. It almost always drips over and causes a huge mess in the oven. If you leave the pan with water in it for a few minutes, the stickiest mess dissolves easily.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

• 3 cups rhubarb stalks, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices
• 3 cups thickly sliced, rinsed, and cleaned strawberries
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. grated fresh orange rind (use a microplane)
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. butter or unsalted margarine
• Unbaked pastry for two-crust 10-inch pie (see below)
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. sugar

Toss the rhubarb and strawberry slices with the sugar, tapioca, salt and rind.

Turn into a pastry-lined pan.

Dot with small pieces of butter or margarine.

Top with pastry and crimp the top and bottom edges together, fluting decoratively. If desired, cut small shapes from extra pastry to further decorate.

Cut decorative slits in the top for steam to escape.

Whip egg and sugar together with a fork and use a pastry brush to apply this glaze to the top, adding extra pastry shapes if desired and glazing over them as well.

Bake at 450°F. for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350°F. and bake for about 25-30 minutes longer. Cool before serving. Serve warm or cold, but this is especially good warm topped with premium vanilla ice cream.

I have been using the same, simple recipe from my junior high school cookbook (Food and Nutrition for the Family, School District of Philadelphia, Division of Home Economics, 1949) since I first made it in home economics class. The crust is tastier with butter than margarine, but both are more than satisfactory. I suggest using a pastry cloth with a stockinette covered rolling pin for the best results.

Two-Crust Pie Pastry

• 2 cups flour (sift before measuring)
• 1/3 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/3 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
• 1/3 cup pareve unsalted Fleischmann’s margarine
• 1/3 cup ice water

Sift together flour and salt. Cut the shortening and margarine into pat-size pieces and add to flour. Cut them into the flour using a fork, pastry blender, two knives, or paddle beater on electric mixer set at lowest speed until mixture looks like coarse meal. Add the water a little at a time, mixing lightly until the dough is moist enough to stick together when pressed with the fingers.

Divide the dough into two portions. Place one portion on a floured pastry cloth, shape into a round and roll lightly from the center to the edge until about 1/8 inch in thickness. The circle of pastry should be at least 1 inch larger than the pie plate.

Line a 10-inch pie plate with the pastry, pressing it gently against the sides and bottom of the pan. Be careful not to stretch the dough, or the shell will shrink and draw away from the sides of the pan during baking.

For other recipes if pre-baking: trim pastry from edge of pan and flute decoratively by pressing between the fingers or with the tines of a fork. Line with aluminum foil and pie weights or dry beans. Bake in a hot oven (450°F.) for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool before filling.

Barbecue Beef and Beef and Barley Soup

During Passover, I bought a whole brisket, which is a more economical way to purchase kosher meat. This consists of two somewhat flat cuts of meat, the first cut being considered the more desirable. I use the second cut in an economical way that produces several meals. Not only does the second cut produce a couple of meals worth of barbecue beef, it produces a few meals worth of hearty soup as well. The aroma in the house as these are cooking is totally mouth-watering, unless of course, you are a vegetarian. Both dishes can be packed and frozen, but usually we cannot get enough of them and eat the leftovers for a few days until they are gone. This is also great informal party food as it can be made in advance in larger quantities and spooned from a slow cooker or chafing dish over noodles, rice, kasha and bowties, etc.

Barbecue Beef

• 2-3 lb. second cut of beef brisket
• 1 diced onion
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. red wine or balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup ketchup
• 3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup beef broth (from soup-making process below)
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Boil beef roast according to directions for soup below.

In a 6-8 qt. pot, sauté onion in sesame oil until translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer on low heat.

Meanwhile, shred boiled beef into small shards with a knife and fork. Add to pot and continue to simmer for 20-30 minutes.

This freezes well and feeds 8-12.

Beef and Barley Soup

• 2-3 lb. second cut of beef brisket
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 large stalks of celery diced
• 1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 sprigs of fresh dill, chopped
• 2 Telma chicken bouillon cubes
• 1-1/2 cups pearled barley

Bring beef brisket to a boil in 4 qts. of water.

Add the rest of the ingredients, except barley, and simmer uncovered for about 2-3 hours until brisket is fork tender.

Remove broth for barbecue beef recipe above.

Remove brisket from soup and continue with above recipe for barbecue beef.

Stir in barley and continue to simmer uncovered for 1 hour more, stirring occasionally.

Makes approximately 4 qts. of soup to feed 12-15 people. May be packed and frozen.