Etrogesrogliqueur Recipes

PIEROGIES

Steps:

• Combine the flour, milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Pulse until the dough forms into a ball.
• Roll out the dough on a floured board and cut into 2 1/2- by 2 1/2-inch squares. Drop about 2 teaspoons of mashed potato in the center of a dough square. Dip a finger in water, run it around the edge of the square, fold the potato inside and pinch the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and potato filling. Place the finished pierogies onto floured sheet pans.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and drop the pierogies in. When they all float to the top, they are done, 3 to 4 minutes. Strain and place in a bowl.
• While the pierogies are cooking, in large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and saute until medium brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour over the pierogies, gently toss and serve.

ETROG /ESROG LIQUEUR

Steps:

• NOTE 1: Cheapest vodka works OK, but the mid-level vodka gives a much smoother finished product. High-end vodka is not significantly better in the end than mid-price vodka.
• NOTE 2: If you cannot find the extra-fine sugar, take regular sugar and process in your blender to make extra-fine. The only reason is because it dissolves better.
• Peel 3 etrogim - avoid the bitter white "pith".
• Put the peel in a 1-quart bottle with 2 cups vodka and close up for a week or longer. (I do not know if you get more flavor soaking the peel longer, please e-mail me if you try it and find out.).
• Discard the peels.
• Add 1 1/2 cups extra-fine (bakers) sugar and shake or stir vigorously until dissolved.
• Add 1 more cup vodka. Shake until clear.
• Close jar and store in a cool, dark place at least 6 weeks. Aging it longer makes for a smoother, more agreeable l'chaim.

CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• Make the bechamel. In a small saucepot, heat the milk over medium heat until warm to the touch; set aside. In a separate small saucepot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking continuously, until the raw flour taste has been cooked out, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the warm milk until smooth. Grate the nutmeg into the bechamel.
• Season the bechamel with salt and bring to a simmer, whisking continuously, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the Gruyere. Whisk the mixture until smooth and set aside.
• Assemble the sandwiches. Heat the broiler on high. Set the bread on a sheet pan and place 3 slices of the ham on each slice of bread. Spoon a thin layer of the bechamel on top of the ham. Divide the Gruyere evenly among the sandwiches and season with pepper. Broil until the cheese melts and turns golden brown, about 3 minutes.

FROGMORE STEW

Steps:

• In a stockpot, combine water, onion, seafood seasoning and, if desired, lemons; bring to a boil. Add potatoes; cook, uncovered, 10 minutes. Add kielbasa and corn; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add shrimp; cook 2-3 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink., Drain; transfer to a bowl. Serve with cocktail sauce, butter and additional seasoning.

ETROG (ESROG) JELLY

Steps:

• GET RID OF BITTERNESS: Wash etrog and trim off the ends. Slice thinly, or chop. Put the slices and the seeds into a cheesecloth bag. Day 1: Cover with water and let stand at least 12 hours. Bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Drain fruit. Cover with cold water & repeat on Day 2.
• Day 3: Drain fruit, then cover with cold water & simmer uncovered 1 hour. Take out the bag of fruit and seeds. Let it cool down, then squeeze every drop into the pot and throw out the mush.
• Mix pectin with 1/4 cup sugar. Add sugar, pectin & marmalade and simmer. To become jelly, there has to be the right concentration of sugar, so if you put in more water or less sugar it takes longer to boil down. It will probably reach 200º quickly, but then it takes up to an hour to get up to "jelly" temperature (220º-222º). After it gets to 215º stir constantly and DO NOT WALK AWAY - it burns easily. If it does burn, just dump the jelly into a clean bowl, wash out your pot, put the jelly back in and continue.
• Put a saucer in the freezer to check for when your jelly is done. It should gel when you pour a little on your very cold saucer. If it still won't set after getting to 220º, cook 15-20 minutes more! (You could also just quit & call it etrog syrup.) If you overshoot the "gel" point, you will end up with more of a candy than a jelly.
• How to put in jars: Put your clean jars and lids in a pot, fill the pot and jars with cold water. Bring to a gentle boil for 10 minutes. Drain out a hot jar, fill with hot jelly leaving 1/4" "headspace," put on the hot lid tight. As it cools, the little button on the top that popped up when you first opened it will pop down again. This is what keeps out the bacteria that would spoil the jelly.
• Keeps 3 years in pantry. After opening, keep in fridge 4-6 months.

TRADITIONAL GYROS

Steps:

• Place onion in a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Transfer onion to a piece of cheese cloth and squeeze out the liquid. Place onion in a large bowl.
• Mix lamb, beef, garlic, oregano, cumin, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, and salt with the onion using your hands until well mixed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until flavors blend, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Place meat mixture in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and tacky, about 1 minute. Pack meat mixture into a 7x4-inch loaf pan, ensuring there are no air pockets. Place loaf pan into a roasting pan and pour enough boiling water around the loaf pan to reach halfway up the sides.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 45 to 60 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Pour off any accumulated fat and cool slightly.
• Thinly slice the gyro meat mixture.
• Spread 1 tablespoon hummus onto each pita bread; top each with gyro meat mixture, lettuce, tomato, red onion, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce.