December 27, 2012
Author: Racela Rosett
Ingredients:
4-5 lb. brisket
1 can cranberry sauce
1 can ginger ale
onion soup mix
1/4 c. craisins
Preparation:
Cook uncovered forever!
Serve with Horseradish mashed potatoes (Best with cream and horseradish but good with nondairy creamer.)
February 1, 2013
Author: Joan Nathan
The gefilte fish in Joseph Wechsberg’s mouthwatering description is unfortunately a dish of the past. Today, most people buy frozen or bottled brands. Good cooks, however, insist on preparing the homemade variety for Friday night and the holidays. My late mother-in-law, Peshka Gerson, made it twice a year, at Passover and Rosh Hashanah. She used her mother’s recipe, handed down orally, from Zamosc, Poland. Her only concession to modernity was making individual patties rather than stuffing the filling back into the skin as described by Wechsberg. In addition, her filling was less elaborate. Years ago, when I asked Peshka for her recipe, two of her sisters-in-law were present. They all agreed that the rule of thumb is one pound of fat fish to one pound of thin. They also preferred the Polish custom of adding a little sugar. (Lithuanians say sugar is added to freshen already unfresh fish. Needless to say, Lithuanians do not add sugar to their gefilte fish.) Peshka, Chuma, and Rushka disagreed, however, on the seasonings. Chuma insisted on more salt, and Rushka explained that a little almond extract would do the trick. They both took me aside, promising to show me the “real” way to make gefilte fish. I have used their two suggestions as variations on Peshka’s basic recipe. Make your fish Lithuanian or Polish, with sugar or without, but just remember—it’s the carrots and horseradish that really count! I have been making this recipe since the mid-1970s. The only difference is that I cook the fish for twenty minutes. My mother-in-law cooked it for two hours!
Ingredients:
Fish:
• 3 pounds carp (meat)
• 1 1/2 pounds whitefish, pickerel, or rockfish (meat)
• 1 1/2 pounds yellow pike or buffel (meat)
• 6 onions
• 2 tablespoons salt, or to taste
• 6 eggs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 /2–1 cup matzah meal
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon almond extract or 1/4 cup ground almonds (optional)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pepper
• Horseradish (bottled or fresh)
Stock:
• 4 stalks celery, cut in 4-inch slices
• 3 onions, sliced
• 6 carrots, sliced on the bias
• 8 cups water, or enough to cover bones with 1 inch to spare (use less rather than more)
• Bones of fish (and heads, if desired)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
Preparation:
1. Place all the stock ingredients in a large kettle with a cover. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. While waiting for the pot to boil, begin preparing the fish.
2. In a wooden bowl, add to the ground-up fish all the other ingredients listed under Fish, carefully chopping very fine and blending. You can also use the grinder on a mixer. Wet your hands and form the fish into fat, oval-shaped patties, carefully sliding each into the simmering stock.
3. Simmer over a low flame slowly for 20 to 30 minutes or for 2 hours. Allow to cool in the pot and carefully remove all the patties, placing them on a platter.
After the fish has been removed, strain off the cooking liquid. This stock should then gel when chilled; if it does not, simply add a package of unflavored gelatin, following instructions on the package.
4. Serve the chilled gefilte fish with the jellied fish stock, horseradish, and of course the carrots.
March 12, 2013
Author: Manischewitz
Recipe Courtesy of Quick & Kosher: Meals in Minutes by Jamie Geller (Feldheim 2010).
Ingredients:
1 jar Manischewitz® Mediterranean Gefilte Fish
½ cup diced red bell pepper
1 small red onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1½ cup mayonnaise, divided
4 tablespoons chopped dill
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
1 cup coarsely crushed Manischewitz® Mediterranean Matzos
1 cup canola oil
1 lemon, juiced
4 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Preparation:
Prep time: 10
Cook time: 20+ 30 minutes chill time
Ready time: 30 min
1. In a large bowl combine Manischewitz® Mediterranean Gefilte Fish, peppers, onions, celery, ½ cup mayonnaise, dill, salt, pepper, egg and Manischewitz ® Mediterranean Matzos and stir well to combine.
2. Using slightly wet hands, scoop ¼ cup and form into patties.
3. Place on a sheet pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes before frying.
4. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
5. Fry patties in batches for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. (Can be kept warm in the oven at 250° F.)
6. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1 cup mayonnaise, lemon juice and horseradish and stir.
7. To serve, plate 2 cakes on a small plate and garnish with a tablespoon of horseradish sauce.
