Comforting Knishes Recipe Meat

MEAT KNISHES

Steps:

• Place approximately one tablespoon of meat filling in the center of each square. Fold the dough over to form a triangle. Use a fork to seal the edges of the triangle.
• Brush with beaten egg and bake according to package directions.
• Place some mushroom sauce on a small square plate and add two triangles to form a neat square.
• Garnish with chives and a flower.

JEWISH MEAT KNISHES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the butter, cream cheese, and sour cream until smooth and well combined, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Add flour and salt and pulse to blend.
• Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap.
• Using floured hands, form into a ball and wrap tightly. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 9 minutes.
• Drain the mixture of excess fat. Add the pastrami and mix well.
• Pass meat through a grinder with the small hole setting. Alternatively, pulse then process the mixture in batches in a food processor fitted with a metal blade until finely chopped, taking care not to over process.
• Transfer meat to a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Add the salt, garlic powder, and white pepper and mix to combine. Adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add the eggs and mix well to combine.
• Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let come to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.
• Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness.
• Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 3-inch squares. Re-roll any dough scraps until all the dough is used.
• Make the egg wash by combining the beaten egg with the water. Brush each square with the egg wash.
• Place 1 1/2 tablespoons filling on one of the dough squares.
• Stretch the dough over the filling and fold the points to meet in the center, similar to an envelope, pinching the edges closed. Continue with the rest of the dough and filling. (You might not use all the filling.)
• Place knishes on the prepared baking sheets and brush with the egg wash.
• Bake until knishes are golden brown on the top and bottom, rotating the trays in the oven halfway through baking, about 30 minutes total.

CHICKEN SOUP KNISHES WITH CREAMY GRAVY

Steps:

• For the pastry: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the schmaltz, vinegar and 1/2 cup water and stir into a shaggy ball with a spoon or large rubber spatula. (It's OK if some of the flour remains dry at the bottom of the bowl; the dough will come together during kneading.) Attach the dough hook to the mixer and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Dump out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it into a uniform ball, about 30 seconds. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes while making the filling. (The dough can be made and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead.) For the filling: Combine the chicken thighs, chicken broth, garlic, carrots, onion, parsnip, bay leaf, half the parsley, half the thyme and 2 teaspoons salt in a wide shallow pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the pot, and simmer gently over low heat until the chicken is very soft and tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables to a second large plate. Place a strainer over a large bowl and strain the broth; reserve for the gravy. Transfer the strainer over a plate to catch any drips and set the vegetables and the broth aside. Wipe out the pot and set it back on the stove off the heat.
• Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and discard the bay leaf. Mash the vegetables with the back of a fork. Pick the chicken meat, discarding the skin and bones. Chop the chicken meat finely and add to the vegetable mixture. Stir in the breadcrumbs and the remaining parsley and thyme. Season generously with salt and pepper. (The filling can be made up to 1 day ahead, but the knishes need to be formed and baked on the same day.)
• To form the knishes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray and set the pans aside.
• Beat the egg with one tablespoon water in a small bowl and set aside.
• Divide the dough in half: Use your hands to roll 1 of the dough halves into a 6-inch-long log on a lightly floured surface, then use a rolling pin to roll the log out into a 16-by-12-inch rectangle. The dough will be very thin. Square off the sides, if necessary, to prevent the end pieces from being too thick and uneven.
• Position the dough so that the long edges are parallel with the edge of the counter. Shape half of the filling into a 2-by-16-inch log. Transfer the filling on top of the dough, 1 inch in from the bottom edge. Gently stretch the dough up and around the filling. (It's ok if the dough tears a little as at this stage as it will be hidden as the dough is rolled up.) Then continue rolling up the filling in the dough into a long log. Score the log in 2-inch intervals and then cut the log into 8 segments.
• Working with one segment at a time, turn the piece so one of the cut sides is up and pinch and smooth the top until sealed. Turn over so the other cut side is facing up, and pinch and smooth that side until sealed as well. Place the formed knish with a sealed side down on one of the prepared baking sheets and then gently press down to flatten it slightly. Repeat the process with the remaining segments, pastry and filling until all the knishes have been formed. (See Cook's Note.)
• Arrange the knishes about 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Lightly brush the tops and sides with the reserved egg wash. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the knishes are golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving. The knishes can be served hot, warm or at room temperature.
• For the gravy: While the knishes are baking, melt the schmaltz in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until the flour smells toasty but has no color, about 1 minute. Whisk in the reserved chicken broth and cook, whisking constantly and being sure to get the flour in the corners and sides of the pan, until the mixture begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Simmer the sauce over medium heat, whisking occasionally and running the whisk around the sides and into the corners of the pan to prevent clumping, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Season lightly with salt, if needed. Serve the warm gravy with the knishes.

CONEY ISLAND KNISHES

Steps:

• Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl. Make a well in the center. Add egg, vinegar, oil, and warm water. Mix by hand until dough pulls together. Turn dough out onto the counter and knead until soft, smooth, and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain; transfer to a mixing bowl. Mash and set aside.
• Chop corned beef and cabbage into fine pieces.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, kosher salt, corned beef, and cabbage. Cook and stir until onions are soft and golden brown and beef fat is rendered, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer beef mixture into the bowl with the mashed potatoes. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix until combined and let cool to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with silicone mats.
• Divide dough in half; flatten one half into a rectangle on a floured surface. Roll out into a larger rectangle about 1/8-inch thick, pulling the corners as needed.
• Place 3 cups filling over one long end, about 3 inches away from the edges. Beat egg with water and brush over the opposite end and a little on the sides. Stretch the dough to cover the filling, then roll up toward the egg-washed side. Fold the last 3 or 4 inches on top. Press in the filling; roll over so seam-side is on the bottom.
• Trim off excess dough from the ends if desired. Mark, but do not cut, dough into 8 equal pieces. Flour the side of your hand and press into the marks. Rub back and forth against the counter to separate each piece. Position each piece with one cut end facing down and the other facing up. Squish down the top and tuck everything into the center to form a round knish.
• Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Brush bottoms with olive oil and place on the prepared baking sheets. Brush leftover egg wash on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden-brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool until just warm or room-temperature.

KNISH

Steps:

• For pastry, in a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in sour cream, adding 3-4 tablespoons water to form a dough. Shape into a disk, mixture will be crumbly. Wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight., Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, until tender, 8-10 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir until tender, 8-10 minutes. , Drain potatoes; return to pan and stir over low heat 1 minute to dry. Mash potatoes; stir in onion mixture, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. Stir in eggs., Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 10x12 -in. rectangle. Cut into 16 squares. Spoon 1 tablespoon potato filling in the middle of each square. Brush the edges with water. Fold each corner toward the center, meeting in the middle. Arrange, seam side down, on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 15-20 minutes.

A POTATO SOUP WITH FLAKY POTATO KNISH

Steps:

• For the soup: In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add onion, leek, celery, thyme, garlic, bacon, and bay leaf. Sweat the mixture over medium-low heat without allowing it to color at all, stirring occasionally, for 5 or 6 minutes or until very tender. Add potatoes, stock, and cream. Liquid should cover potatoes; if it does not, add a little water. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for about 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Puree mixture in a blender and add creme fraiche. Push the soup through a fine strainer into a clean saucepan and season, to taste, with salt and white pepper. Cover and set aside.
• For the Knish: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut puff pastry sheet into 4 (3-inch) circles and 4 (4-inch) circles. In medium saucepan, combine potato with milk and water and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Simmer, partially covered, for about 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Drain.
• Meanwhile, in small saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat and add onion. Saute 3 to 4 minutes, until softened, then remove from heat and stir in parsley. Put potato through a food mill or mash with a masher or hand blender and stir in butter and parsley mixture. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Rinse a large baking sheet with cold water. Set the 4 smaller circles of puff pastry on baking sheet and mound about 2 tablespoons of mashed potato in center of each circle, leaving edges clear for attaching pastry tops. Brush edges of circles with a little beaten egg. Score each of the 4 larger circles with the back of a knife in a lattice pattern, and using a 1/4-inch aspic or biscuit cutter, cut a small circular vent hole in the center. Form these circles into domes with hands and fit over the mashed potatoes, pressing down firmly around egg-washed edges to form a good seal. Brush knishes with remaining beaten egg and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until puffed and golden.
• Assembly: Place a knish in each of 4 heated soup bowls. Reheat soup gently, if necessary, and ladle some hot soup into each bowl around the knish. Or if you prefer, you can serve the knish on the side.

POTATO KNISH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Boil potatoes in salted water for 15-20 minutes till soft.
• Drain and mash.
• Measure out one cup of the potatoes and reserve the rest.
• In a bowl add the oil and salt to the 1 cup potatoes and mix.
• Then add in the flour and baking soda in stages.
• Then add the cold water and knead dough until in forms a firm ball, then cover and let rest.
• In a medium skillet place the butter and heat, add the onions and cook them at medium temperature as to not brown them .
• Cook till soft, then pour the onions into a mixing bowl then mix them with the rest of the mashed potatoes and salt and pepper.
• Mix till combined. Do Not Overmix!
• Roll out dough on a floured surface till 1/4 inch thick.
• Cut dough into 4 rectangles.
• Place filling in the middle of the dough and fold them over till ends meet then fold the opposite ends over with some of the beaten egg to hold it closed.
• Brush beaten egg over the top of the knish and bake till golden brown approximately 20 minutes.
• Make 4 large knishes you can use the dough recipe with the other fillings like spinach and cheese.

COMFORTING KNISHES

Steps:

• To make the dough, beat together mashed potatoes, oil, and salt.
• Add the flour and baking powder and mix well.
• Mix in the water and knead into a smooth dough.
• Let rest on a board, covered with a cloth, for 1/2 hour.
• To make the filling, sautè the onions in oil until transparent.
• Mix together with the rest of the filling ingredients.
• Cut the dough into 4 sections, then roll each section as thin as possible (about 1/16-inch thick).
• Cut into 5 x 6-inch rectangles.
• Place 2 or 3 tTablspoons of the filling in the middle of each rectangle.
• Fold the sides in first, then the ends.
• Place folded side down on an oiled cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes, or until golden.
• Serve with mustard.