Kneidl Recipes

FLUFFY KNEIDLACH

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate batter for one hour minimum.
• Fill a four-quart pot three-fourths full with water and bring to a boil. Add two tablespoons salt. With wet hands, form kneidel mixture into balls and place in boiling water. (If hands get sticky, dip in water.)
• Boil kneidlach for 20 minutes, then drain in colander.

KNODEL

Steps:

• Butter one 9x11 inch baking dish.
• In a skillet over medium heat, combine the onion, parsley and butter. Cook until onions begin to brown. Pour over bread cubes and toss well.
• Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over the bread and onion mixture; mix well and allow to stand for 1 hour.
• Firmly press mixture into baking dish; tightly cover with aluminum foil.
• Place baking dish on a rack in a larger pot with 3 inches of water. Cover pot and steam for 1 hour. Remove from pot and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle with melted butter before serving.

EXCELLENT MATZO KNEIDLACH

Steps:

• Combine eggs and water in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until frothy. Fold in matzo meal, vegetable oil, parsley, salt, and pepper until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
• Moisten hands and roll mixture into golf ball-sized balls. Drop carefully into the boiling water, cover, and reduce heat to a rolling simmer. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.

GLUTEN FREE MATZO BALLS - POTATO KNAIDELACH

Steps:

• Place a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil. Scrub the unpeeled potatoes till clean. Boil the unpeeled potatoes until tender-it will take about 45 minutes.
• Drain. Allow potatoes to cool to room temperature. Peel the skin from the potatoes and discard. Chop the peeled potatoes into large chunks.Place in the refrigerator and chill until they are cold all the way through (at least 2 hours). You can refrigerate them overnight, if you need to.Place a fresh pot of salted water on the stove to boil. From this point on, work quickly, or refrigerate the ingredients between steps. The potato mixture works best when it's cold.
• Remove potatoes from refrigerator and pat them dry if any moisture has accumulated. Place potatoes in a bowl and mash them with a potato masher or run them through a ricer. Mash again with a fork to get out as many lumps as possible.Mix in the egg, potato starch, 1 1/2 cups of almond meal, 1 ¼ tsp salt and a pinch of white pepper to form a dough. If the dough seems sticky, or if you prefer a denser and heavier dumpling, you can add more almond meal.
• By now your water should be boiling. Turn the stove heat down until the water is nearly boiling-the water should be "shivering" slightly, just on the verge of a boil.Form potato dough into balls using ¼ cup of dough for each.
• Gently place the knaidelach into the hot water.
• The dumplings will sink to the bottom of the pot and slowly rise as they cook.Cook knaidelach in batches of 4-5 at a time; do not cook more than that or they will stick together and fall apart in the pot. The dumplings will lose a little bit of their potato coating as they cook, but should retain their shape.
• Let the knaidelach cook for 10-15 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a dish.Keep the dumplings covered with a clean, damp towel until ready to serve.
• Serve 1 or 2 knaidelach per bowl of soup. They go great in chicken soup as an alternative to matzo balls (if you need a recipe, check out my Chicken Soup for Knaidelach). They can also be added to vegetarian soup or cholent.

TRADITIONAL TZIMMES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut carrots into 2-inch pieces. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, and lower heat to medium; add sweet potatoes in their skins, and cook for 20 minutes, adding the carrots after 10 minutes. Drain in a colander, and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Peel sweet potatoes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large bowl along with carrots and remaining ingredients. Mix well, and transfer to a 2-quart baking dish.
• Cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes, basting with pan juices after 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and serve immediately.

GALICIAN JEWISH GHETTO CHOLENT AND KNEIDL

Steps:

• Soak the beans in cold water overnight, then drain.
• Cut the meat into cubes and brown in the oil on all sides. Remove the meat and fry the onions until soft and then the garlic.
• Return the meat to the pan, add the soaked beans and the remaining ingredients, sprinkling each layer with salt and pepper.
• Finally, cover with water to level of 1 inch over ingredients, bring to a boil and leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
• In the meantime, prepare a dough out of the kneidl ingredients, shape into an oblong dumpling and carefully place on top of the meat and beans when they are done simmering.
• Cover the pan tightly with a piece of aluminum foil between the lid and the pan and slow cook in the oven at 210-250F for 10 hours or overnight. DO NOT STIR!
• Before serving, slice the kneidl and serve with the stew.