Hi everyone. I can’ believe that Fall is approaching and… school! Not that I don’t love being around my children 24-7 in the rain at a beach town BY MYSELF GOING INSANE FOR A WEEK, but it will be nice to have a little, distance, shall we say.
My friend Hilda is already preparing for the Autumn Jewish holidays by having her annual kreplach making get together with four generations of her family! Four! They make loads of these dumplings and freeze them to eat for the various holidays. It is somehing that the little kids love as well as the older ones and the yearly event has created lifelong memories for all. I love Hilda. Her recipe is below. Also, check out my Jewishy article on Barista Kids today: http://www.baristanet.com/baristakids/blog/-as-autumn-and-the/#comments
Oh, and one more thing, if you have not already signed up for music classes with your kids, something else that will create lifelong memories, go to Alisa Harmon’s new website to see her Fall Music For Aardvarks classes. I did those classes for eight straight years and never got burnt out.
Alisa Harmon:
http://www.harmonizenj.com/friends.html
KREPLACH
Meat for Kreplach
Notes: Makes enough meat for about 10 dozen kreplach. Should be done in advance.
6 lbs. chuck cut into 3×3 cubes
3 Large onions, chopped
1 bunch of carrots, cleaned and chopped.
Salt and Pepper to taste
1. Brown mean in Dutch oven over medium high heat.
2. In a separate pan, sauté 3 large onions and add to meat.
3. Add chopped carrots.
4. Cover Dutch oven, reduce heat to low and cook on stovetop for 2 hours.
5. When meat is cool, grind.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Kreplach Dough
Notes: For the quantity of meat above we make 6 batches of dough (1 batch of dough to 1 lb. of meat)
Dough should be made one batch at a time rather than doubling recipe.
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1-tablespoon olive or canola oil
1-teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
2-¼ cups all-purpose flour
1. In the large bowl of a food processor, combine eggs, egg yolk, oil, salt, water and 1cup of the flour.
2. On low speed, process for about 2 minutes, occasionally scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula.
3. With wooden spoon, stir in enough additional flour (about 1 ¼ cups) to make a soft dough.
4. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and not sticky.
5. Wrap dough in waxed paper and allow dough to rest for 10 minutes or more.
6. Cut the dough in half with a pastry cutter.
7. Using a floured rolling pin on a floured surface roll out each piece of dough until it is quite thin. Thicker dough will yield doughy dumplings.
8. Use a cup, glass or cookie cutter that is approximately 3 ¼ inches in diameter. Cut dough into as many circles as possible.
9. Spoon a heaping tablespoon full of meet into each dumpling, fold over and pinch closed on both sides with a floured fork.
10. Place prepared kreplach into boiling water and boil for 10 minutes.
11. In the meantime, tear sheets of foil into 12” squares and oil the surface of the foil with a paper towel. This will keep the kreplach from sticking to the foil later on.
12. Place 1 dozen kreplach onto each oiled piece of foil and let cool.
13. When cool they can be wrapped in the foil and frozen to use later in soup, roasted or pan-fried.
For Soup: Place frozen Kreplach in soup a few minutes before serving. If kreplach remain in the soup for too long they will become soggy.
Kreplach can be broiled to a crisp golden brown on an oiled cookie sheet or pan fried in a lightly oiled pan.