Kreplach I Recipes

CHICKEN KREPLACH SOUP

Steps:

• For the soup base: Combine the chicken, onion, carrot chunks, celery chunks, parsnip chunks, garlic, dill, thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns in a large pot. Add cold water to cover by 2 inches (about 5 quarts). Bring to a simmer, then simmer until the chicken is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool, then strain the broth (you should have about 3 1/2 quarts). Shred the chicken into a medium bowl, discarding the skin and bones. (You'll have 2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken meat.)
• For the kreplach: Combine the flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Mix the eggs, vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons cold water in a spouted measuring cup. With the processor running, pour in the egg mixture and process until the dough forms a ball on the blade, about 30 seconds. (If the dough doesn't form a ball after 30 seconds or is too crumbly, adjust with a tablespoon or so of flour if too loose or a tablespoon or so of water if too crumbly.) Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature while you prepare the filling.
• For the filling, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Add to the shredded chicken along with the chopped dill, lemon zest and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
• Cut the rested dough into quarters, then cut each quarter into 3 pieces (12 pieces in all). On a floured surface, press, pat or roll a chunk of dough to about a thin 3-inch round. Hold the round in the palm of your hand and add 2 tablespoons filling. Press the dough closed to encase the filling and form a ball, twisting and tearing off any excess dough. Set twisted-side down on a floured baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (Any remaining filling can be added to the soup!)
• Heat the stock over medium heat and add the diced carrot, celery and parsnip. Simmer until just tender, about 15 minutes. Add the kreplach (dusting off any excess flour) and simmer until the dough is tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Serve the soup in bowls with slices of lemon and garnished with fresh dill.

KREPLACH

Steps:

• Mix together the flour, eggs, and salt, as if making pasta. You will probably need to add about 5 to 6 tablespoons of water to reach the desired elasticity in the dough. Work it on a floured board, kneading for about 10 minutes. When it's smooth and elastic, pull it into something resembling a square. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
• Place the chicken fat in a heavy saute pan over high heat. Add the onions and saute until the onions are medium-brown, about 10 minutes. Place the onions in the work bowl of a food processor, and add the sliced beef and allspice. Puree until smooth. Taste, and season well with salt and pepper.
• Roll out the kreplach dough into a large square, about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into smaller squares, about 2-inches each. You should have about 24 squares. Divide the beef mixture among them, placing a tablespoon or so of the beef mixture on the center of each square. Triangular kreplach are traditional; fold each square once to form a triangle, then pinch the edges with your fingers. You could also make square or rectangular kreplach, depending on how you fold and pinch.
• To cook the kreplach, drop them in a pot of boiling chicken soup. Traditionally, they are cooked for half an hour or so, until the noodle is soft. An alternative, giving the noodle a more AItalian@ bite, is to cook them for 15 minutes. Serve the kreplach in soup, 3 to 4 to each bowl.
• Note: Though it is traditional to serve these kreplach in chicken soup (3 to 4 per bowl), they can also make a terrific Jewish Apasta@ dish. For authenticity's sake, you can't use dairy products in the sauce but a thickened saute of mushrooms (in a vegetable oil, of course) would be a great topping
• Drink: Seltzer

KREPLACH I

Steps:

• Season the meat with salt and pepper, rub with the garlic.
• Place in a heavy pot and surround with the carrot, celery and 1 onion.
• Cook covered for about one hour or until there is almost no liquid.
• Add water to cover and simmer for 1- 1/2 hours.
• While the meat is cooking, slice the remaining 2 onions and saute slowly in oil until brown.
• Remove the meat from heat and let cool.
• Drain and coarsely grind with all the onions, adding a little broth from the meat if needed to make it moist enough to handle.
• Dough: Mix the oil, salt and water in a bowl.
• Gradually stir in the flour until a medium soft dough is formed.
• Place on a floured board.
• Knead until the dough is smooth and soft.
• A food processor will work fine for this.
• Cut the dough into 3 portions.
• Roll each piece into a rectangle about 1/8- inch thick.
• Cut into 2- inch squares.
• Fill each square with about 1 teaspoon of the meat mixture.
• Dipping your hands in flour, fold over into a triangle, and then crimp closed.
• Join the two ends together like a little ring, as with tortellini or wontons.
• Repeat with the rest of the dough.
• If you like, you can freeze the kreplach at this point.
• Place on a cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze.
• Transfer to plastic freezer bags.
• Otherwise, refrigerate until ready to use.
• To cook the kreplach, bring about 10 cups of water to a boil in a big pot.
• Add salt and about 20 kreplach at a time.
• When the kreplach have risen to the top, cook for another 5 minutes (al dente).
• Remove with a strainer into a bowl filled with chicken soup.

KREPLACH (JEWISH RAVIOLI)

Steps:

• Filling: Combine meat, onion, salt, pepper& egg in a food processor until just mixed.
• Dough: Add salt to eggs, then add eggs to flour.
• Mix with your hands until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.
• It should be stiff.
• Knead until dough is smooth and elastic.
• Roll out on a lightly floured board, stretch until it is very thin.
• Cut dough into 3" squares and fill with 1TB of the filling.
• Fold into a triangle& crimp edges with a fork.
• Cook in boiling water for 10-12 minutes or until they rise to the top.
• Serve in chicken soup, or as an appetiser or side dish.

KREPLACH

Steps:

• Prepare 1 of the 3 fillings and refrigerate before you begin preparing dough:
• Meat Filling
• 1. Heat corn oil in a skillet; sauté onions until nicely browned, remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Add meat to the pan and sauté on high heat, stirring frequently until all meat is browned. Put the onions back in, and sauté with meat, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Let cool.
• 2. In a bowl, thoroughly mix meat-onion mixture with all remaining ingredients.
• Potato Filling
• 1. Heat corn oil in a skillet, and sauté onions until nicely browned. At the last minute, add garlic, which browns quickly.
• 2. In a large bowl, combine onion-garlic mixture with all other ingredients, and blend thoroughly.
• Cheese Filling
• 1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and blend thoroughly.
• Make wrappers and cook:
• 1. Sift flour and 1 teaspoon salt into a large bowl, and create a well in the center.
• 2. Pour eggs into the well, and, wetting your hands, knead into a dough. Add water, and continue kneading until dough is smooth. Roll dough into a ball, place it in a bowl, cover the bowl with a damp cloth, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• 3. On a well-floured board, roll dough as close as possible to paper-thinness with a floured rolling pin. Cut into 2-inch squares. You can roll each individual square a bit thinner before you fill it. Have bowl with beaten egg, a teaspoon, and filling at hand.
• 4. Place a flatware teaspoon of filling in the center of the square and fold diagonally to create a triangle. Seal sides with egg mixture.
• 5. Bring a pot of water to a vigorous boil, add 1 tablespoon salt, drop in the kreplach, and cook for 20 minutes. Serve in chicken soup or, for dairy fillings, with sour cream and fried onions.

KREPLACH

Steps:

• Prepare the dough as directed.
• Shred or chop the meat fine (may be done in food processor). There should be about two cups.
• Put meat into mixing bowl. Add onion juice, egg, salt and pepper. Blend by hand.
• Divide dough into quarters. Roll as thin as possible by hand or in pasta machine. A preferred method for filling kreplach is to cut the sheet of dough into 2 1/2- or 3-inch squares. Fold over and seal.
• Drop kreplach into boiling water and cover. Cook 15 to 20 minutes.
• Serve kreplach in well-seasoned hot chicken broth 4 to 8 kreplach apiece.

FRIED MEAT KREPLACH

Steps:

• For filling: In a small skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Toward end of cooking add garlic, and stir well.
• Add beef, breaking it up well with side of wooden spoon. Sauté until it has lost its raw color. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and sauté another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• For dough: Mound flour on a wooden board (or in a large mixing bowl). Make a well in center. Break eggs into well, then add 2 tablespoons lukewarm water. With a fork, beat eggs and water together, incorporating a bit of the flour. As liquids blend, continue to push flour into well. Drizzle in 2 more tablespoons water, one at a time, or as needed to make a cohesive dough.
• When dough is well blended, mix it by hand, then begin to knead it on a flat surface. With a bench scraper, turn dough and press it with your fingertips, then knead a few strokes again. The dough should remain slightly sticky but become smooth and elastic; if dough is very sticky, lightly sprinkle work surface with flour. Form dough into a ball and let rest on the board, covered with a bowl or a piece of plastic wrap, for 30 minutes.
• Using half the dough at a time, and keeping other half covered, roll out very thin on floured board. You may need to stretch as you roll. Alternately, use a crank-handled pasta machine on thinnest or near thinnest setting.
• To fill and shape kreplach, cut rolled dough into 3-inch squares. Put 1 rounded teaspoon of filling in center of each square. With a brush or a finger, moisten edges of squares with water. Fold dough from corner to corner, forming a triangle, and seal carefully.
• To cook kreplach, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Working in batches, if necessary, add kreplach -- do not crowd pot -- and boil until dough is cooked and tender to taste, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and cool. (Kreplach can be frozen at this point. To use, thaw in refrigerator or at room temperature.)
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add about 1/8-inch vegetable oil. When oil is shimmering, add boiled kreplach and fry until well browned and crispy on both sides. Serve hot, accompanied by applesauce, if desired.