HEY MAN!!Put the grogger down - I said HEY MAN. *groan*
It is that time of year again – time for drinking too much and wearing silly clothes. That’s right...
it's TUESDAY!!! I mean PURIM!!!
Most people are familiar with Hamentashen this time of year; heck you might even sing about it – but in many communities around the world it is customary to eat Kreplach.
And if you do – you most likely think of yummy little triangle shaped meat filled pastries.
Oh woes, what is a non-meat eater to do?
Well – here is a tasty recipe to enjoy some Kreplach again. This is a Parve based recipe with a few dairy options.
My apologies to all my Vegan friends – I have yet to perfect an egg free pasta dough that does not fall apart – however, if you have one – the filling can easily be modified
Ingredients:
Filling:
1 Myan (yellow) Onion – chopped*
2 TBS. Olive Oil
1 Cup Crimini Mushrooms - finely chopped*
2 TBS. parsley - finely chopped*
1 Clove Garlic - Minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten (optional but good for binding)
-If I happen to have black walnuts on hand, I will add a handful to this recipe: it adds a nice flavor and consistency to the batch
* Tip: I often sauté these ingredients roughly chopped and then after cooking run entire mixture through a food processor on the ‘chop’ setting. This not only finely chops these ingredients, but it also blends the mixture evenly, creating a good consistency for filling.
Dough:
1 ½ Cups flour, unsifted
1 TBS Luke-warm water
2 eggs
½ tsp salt
Water or broth (for boiling)
Directions
Filling:
• Pre-heat Olive oil in pan - medum-high heat.
• Add onion cook for 3-5 min.
• Add mushrooms (and walnuts if including) and sauté for another 5 min or until mushrooms are soft.
• Add Garlic and cook until garlic becomes translucent.
• Add parsley and turn.-*this would be the point at which I would use the food processor.
Optional: Bind with a beaten egg at end.
Dough:
• Place flour on a board* and make a well in the center.
• Drop the eggs, water and salt into well, working them into flour.
• Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.
• Flour a board lightly and roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness.
• Cut into 3 inch squares and place 1 tablespoon of filling on each square.
• Fold diagonally to form a triangle and press the edges together lightly with thumbs using a little water to seal them.
Drop into pot of boiling salted water and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Remember to reduce the heat to Medium when dumplings start to float to the top.
For more flavorful dumplings: boil in broth instead of water.
Ways to serve your Kreplach:
So now that you have made yummy little triangles : how the heck are you supposed to server them?
The possibilities are endless: but here are a few simple suggestions.
1. Soup it up.
If you boiled your kreplach in broth, you can add a few mixed vegetablesto the broth and serve as a soup. At our house, just a little cabbage does wonders : depending where you are and what time of year it is, this is a great warm meal to serve.
2. Fry it up in a pan.
Heat a little butter, oil or margarine in a pan and after draining the boiled dumplings, fry them up with a little onion…mmmmm fried.
3. Make it a dairy meal.
Ashkanaz love them some sour cream – and I am no exception. I love creating a stroganoff styled toppings to pour over the top of my kreplach on those “I am not watching my weight today for cryin out loud - it is a holiday dammit” days. Here is a favorite of mine
Sauce
• 2 TBS Sour Cream
• 2 tsp Onion Soup Mix ( look for the Parve indication on the box - in your Kosher aisle)
• ¼ Cup Vegetable Broth (optional if you want a thinner topping)
• 1/2 tsp dried Dill
• Mix ingredients together in small bowl – top dumplings
4. Make it quick – make it a meal
Canned tomato sauce is my friend and this is a great time to grab a jar from the cupboard. Just Microwave a cup of frozen mixed vegetables and mix with your favorite tomato sauce and top kreplach like ravioli add a sprig of fresh parsley on those days you want to feel fancy.
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