CAROB SHEET CAKE—TU B’SHEVAT

Click here for additional photos.

LESSON OBJECTIVES AND OUTLINE FOR TEACHERS

I. LESSON OBJECTIVES

A. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of proper cooking techniques by preparing the cake and icing it; thereby demonstrating that they know how to: 

1. Measure, combine, and bring ingredients to a boil.
2. Correctly use an electric mixer.
3. Crack eggs into an individual cup before adding to the recipe.
4. Measure quantities using measuring spoons and cups.
5. Pour warm icing over a hot cake.
6. Spread warm icing on a hot cake.
7. Decorate the cake with a pattern made from dried fruits and nuts.

B. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of Tu B’Shevat by completing the final Sample Test.

C. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of what carob is and its origins by completing the final Sample Test.

II. KITCHEN ORGANIZATION: TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

A. TIMING

1. This recipe has been divided for two groups to work on simultaneously. Each group starts with the numbered step where its work is indicated. Group 1 has three separate jobs to do and Group 2 has two.

2. Unless you have two mixing bowls and beaters for the mixer, the batter must be completed and the bowl and beater washed before Group 2 can finish the icing, so try to keep things moving in the preparation of the batter.

3. The baking time for this cake is relatively short (22 minutes), but the cake must be hot when it is iced, so it is suggested that you begin preparing the icing while the cake is in the oven. The entire recipe can be made during one class period and does not require advance preparation, but the cake is better when chilled in the refrigerator and if several classes will be making them, it would be best to have one ready ahead of time and let each succeeding class taste the one from the class ahead so that it will have time to chill after baking. It freezes beautifully if it is necessary to make it far in advance.

4. Each group has a clean up detail for the mess created up to that point, so almost everything should be cleaned up by the time the cake is ready to be removed from the oven.

5. If the class is very large and there are not enough jobs to go around, you may want to provide additional activities for the students.

B. TECHNIQUES

1. Remind your students to start the mixer slowly when adding ingredients to the bowl.

2. For this particular recipe there is no need for concern if the carob powder is very lumpy. Ordinarily, it would need sifting, but because it is dissolved in hot liquid, even large lumps melt away.

3. Carob can be found in powdered form in health food stores, specialty gourmet stores, and some supermarkets and is usually grouped with hot cocoa and drink mixes because it is often used in this form as a chocolate substitute.

4. Look for a trail mix that contains the following because they create an interesting mosaic on the top of the cake and are particularly appropriate for Tu B’Shevat: candied pineapple, papaya, coconut, cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds, banana chips, hazelnuts, dried apricots.

III. FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A. If time permits, reading aloud about the significance and origins of carob, and showing the students a whole carob pod if available, make the lesson more meaningful.

B. While it is considered a chocolate substitute by many people, it would be a good idea to stress the fact that the taste and smell of carob is unique and should be enjoyed on its own merits and not compared with other flavors.

C. A Tu B’Shevat Seder such as the one described in the lesson can make the holiday more memorable because the act of eating symbolic foods causes the holiday to leave an unforgettable impression on the mind. This cake would make an interesting dessert as a finish to a whole meal that emphasizes fruits and nuts and includes a Tu B’Shevat Seder.

MATERIALS FOR CAROB SHEET CAKE

• 3 sticks unsalted butter (1 lb.)
• carob powder (8 T. heaping)
• white flour (preferably unbleached) (2 c.)
• sugar (2 c.)
• salt
• commercial sour cream
• baking soda
• 2 large eggs (1 doz.)
• non-stick spray
• 1 box confectioners sugar (1 lb.)
• 1 c. milk
• vanilla extract
• trail mix (dried fruit and nut mix)

• 2 qt. saucepan
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• 11" x 15" baking pan
• electric mixer
• large mixing spoons
• small bowls
• metal icing spatula or butter knife
• paper plates and/or napkins
• large sharp cake knife for slicing
• spatula or cake server for serving
• dishwashing liquid
• dishcloths
• dishtowels

FOR THE STUDENTS:

TU B’SHEVAT CAROB SHEET CAKE WITH CAROB ICING

    “Rosh Hashanah Le'llanot—the ‘New Year of the Trees’—is a minor, but joyous, festival that is commonly known by the abbreviated form of its date on the Hebrew calendar. Thus, it is usually called Tu B’Shevat, which is short for Hamishah-Asar B’Shevat, the fifteenth day of the month Shevat.”⁴

     The date coincides with the time of year when the sap begins to flow in the trees in Israel and the holiday is an affirmation of our pledge to share in the rebuilding of Medinat Yisrael and make the desert bloom. At Temple Sinai in Dresher, Pennsylvania, as well as at many other synagogues across the country, a Tu B’Shevat seder is conducted and is a delightful way to celebrate the importance of trees and the bounty of nature that God has provided.

    The seder proceeds with a collection of readings and songs from the Bible, the Talmud and various rabbinical and poetic sources which are particularly appropriate for the occasion. Interspersed with these readings are symbolic tastings of fruits, nuts, and wines. The tastings begin with a pure white wine (or white grape juice) which symbolizes winter and the dormant stage of nature. This is followed by a tasting of fruits or nuts with an inedible outer shell or rind, such as almonds, which represent the physical being as a soul covered by the body. The next wine or juice is white tinged with red to symbolize the beginning of springtime and the earth’s reawakening. This is followed by the sampling of fruits with inedible inner pits, such as dates. These represent the heart protected by the body. The tamar, or date palm, has a further symbolism. In Bereshit Rabbah 41, the rabbis compared Israel to a date palm because it is a tree of which every part is useful. The third cup of wine is red with some white to represent the full arrival of spring. This is followed by a fruit that has both inner seeds and a hard outer skin, such as carob. The symbolism here is from Genesis 1:9-13 which reads: And God said, “let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit trees yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth,” and it was so. This may be followed by the tasting of wheat in the form of cake, bread, or cookies. The Torah characterizes Israel as being blessed with seven varieties of produce: “A land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs and pomegranates, a land of olives and honey.” (Deut. 8: 8) The fourth cup of wine is completely red, symbolizing the full glow of summer. The fourth fruit is one which can be eaten in its entirety, such as raisins, and represents the highest form of spirituality. There is no rigidity to the exact form that the seder must take and it is left to the ingenuity and erudition of each congregation to select those songs and readings which it finds most meaningful and symbolic.

    In Israel, the holiday is always marked by the planting of trees. Schoolchildren are taken on field trips especially for the purpose of planting trees, and great importance is placed on this simple act for many reasons. The pledge to make the desert bloom is part of the overwhelming desire to ensure a rich life in the “land of milk and honey.” In recent times, the burning of forests by enemies of Israel has strengthened the resolve to maintain and beautify the land to assure our continued presence there. In the Diaspora, the concern of Jews for the land of Israel is expressed through the purchase of tree certificates from the Jewish National Fund. A certificate is purchased which indicates that a tree has been planted in memory of or in honor of someone. In addition to the planting of trees, these monies are used to maintain existing forest.

    “Carob pods come from an evergreen tree which is indigenous to the Mediterranean area but also found in many other parts of the world. The dried pods are usually 6- to 7-inches long and about 1-inch wide, and are flat and leathery looking. They are sweet and very chewy, with a flavor vaguely similar to chocolate… Carob became particularly traditional on Tu B’Shevat for Jews in Eastern European shtetls because it was one of the few ‘fruits’ from Israel that was available during mid-winter…”⁵

CAROB SHEET CAKE WITH CAROB ICING

Cake

• 1 c. unsalted butter - 2 sticks
• 1 c. water
• 4 heaping T. carob powder
• 2 c. flour, preferably unbleached
• 2 c. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 c. commercial sour cream
• 1 t. baking soda
• 2 eggs
• non-stick cooking spray

Icing

• 1/2 c. or 1 stick unsalted butter
• 6 T. milk
• 4 T. carob powder (level)
• 1 lb. confectioners sugar (1 box)
• 1 t. vanilla
• trail mix (dried fruit and nut mix)

GROUP 1—CAKE

1. Combine butter, water and carob powder in a 2-qt. saucepan and bring to boiling on medium to high heat, stirring occasionally. Give to Group 2.

2. Spray an 11" x 15" baking pan with non-stick spray.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

GROUP 2—CAKE

4. Measure flour, sugar, and salt into mixing bowl and beat on lowest setting until they are mixed well.

5. Pour in the hot carob mixture from Group 1 and beat well. (Saucepan need not be washed.)

GROUP 1—CAKE

6. Add sour cream, baking soda, and eggs to mixture and mix until blended.

7. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 375 degrees for 22 minutes.

8. Clean up except for measuring spoons and 2 qt. saucepan.

GROUP 2—ICNG

9. Combine butter, milk, and carob powder in same 2 qt. saucepan.

10. Heat to boiling on medium to high heat, stirring until mixture bubbles.

11. Empty box of confectioners sugar into mixing bowl.

12. Pour hot carob mixture over and add vanilla.

13. Beat on medium speed until icing is smooth.

14. Clean up.

GROUP 1—ICING

15. Pour icing over hot cake.

16. Decorate the top with a pattern made from dried fruits and nuts selected from the trail mix.

17. Cool for a few minutes and refrigerate.

Chilling the cake gives the frosting a fudge-like consistency.

Can be cut into approximately 40 2-inch squares (5 x 8)

This cake can be cut up into squares and then frozen in trays to use at a later time.

Be sure to unwrap the top before defrosting so that the icing doesn't stick to the wrapper.

------------------------------------------

    ⁴Text from Gloria Kaufer Greene, The Jewish Holiday Cookbook: An International Collection of Recipes and Customs (Published in the United States by Times Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto, 1985), p. 185.

    ⁵Text from Gloria Kaufer Greene, The Jewish Holiday Cookbook: An International Collection of Recipes and Customs (Published in the United States by Times Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto, 1985), p. 195.

CHEESE BLINTZES

Click here for additional photos.

LESSON OBJECTIVES AND OUTLINE FOR TEACHERS

I. LESSON OBJECTIVES

A. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of proper cooking techniques by preparing the blintzes; thereby demonstrating that they know how to:

1. Measure and combine ingredients.
2. Use a food processor.
3. Skillfully swirl crepe batter around a pan to fill it in.
4. Recognize when the crepe is ready to come off the pan.
5. Skillfully remove it from the pan and stack.
6. Fold the crepe around the filling.
7. Fry the blintzes.

B. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of the relationship of blintzes to the
holiday of Shavuot by completing the final Sample Test.

II. KITCHEN ORGANIZATION AND TECHNIQUES

A. TIMING

1. This recipe divides the class into two groups. Filling and batter can be made at the same time, and crepes can be made and filled by the two groups working together.

2. It is best to let the batter stand for about 30 minutes before using to allow the flour to soften. It is not absolutely essential, but if you have a few classes, it is better to make the first batch ahead of time and let each class make the batter for the next class.

B. TECHNIQUES

1. You will have far better success with this recipe if you use non-stick surface pans. It also goes much faster if you have a pan for each burner.

2. Instruct the students who are making the crepes to stir the batter with the ladle before they lift it out to make the next crepe. The flour tends to settle to the bottom, and the batter gets thicker as you continue, if you do not remember to stir each time.

3. The technique for tilting the pan takes a little practice in the beginning and works better if you pour the proper amount of batter in the center of the pan while beginning to tilt it and then swirling it around the edges.

4. It is worthwhile to invest in a very small, long-handled ladle for the purpose of pouring in the batter. If there is too much batter in the pan to form more than a very thin skin, it can be poured off back into the standing batter. A thick crepe will not fold up properly and may crack.

5. The crepe will not peel off the pan properly if it is not cooked enough.

6. It is only necessary to grease the pans lightly at the beginning as, after the first crepe is fried, they are tempered.

7. Leaving the fried crepes stacked between layers of waxed paper for a few minutes softens them and makes them easier to roll.

8. It is sometimes easier to bake the finished blintzes rather than frying them. To do this, brush melted butter on shallow baking pans, place a single layer of blintzes in them, and then brush the tops with butter. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown at the edges. Whether you decide to bake or fry depends upon your time frame and the logistics of the kitchen.

III. FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A. Why are cheese and other dairy dishes eaten on Shavuot?

1. Shavuot occurs during a season when grazing animals are giving birth and the pasture land is lush; thus, there is an abundance of milk during this season. (The holiday is celebrated on the sixth and seventh day of Sivan, and only on the sixth day in Israel. This usually corresponds to late May or early June.)

2. The Jewish people did not know about kashrut until they received the law and since they did not have time to prepare kosher meat, they had to eat dairy dishes instead.

3. The total numerical value for the Hebrew word for milk (halav) equals 40, which is the number of days Moses waited on Mount Sinai to receive the Torah.

4. Milk products are usually white, and especially to the Sephardim, white foods symbolize the purity of the Torah. (They prepare many special dishes with rice as well for this holiday.)

B. What other dishes are significant for this holiday?

1. Shavuot (meaning “Weeks” because it immediately follows the seven-week period when the Omer is counted) is also called Hag Ha’Bikurim, or Festival of First Fruits. It was originally a pilgrimage holiday to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer the first fruits of the harvest. In keeping with this, dishes incorporating new fruits that have not been tasted yet during this season are particularly appropriate.

2. In addition to the bikurim, or first fruits, two long loaves of bread baked from the new wheat were offered in the Temple as well. During this holiday, loaves are sometimes shaped like ladders representing Moses’ ascent to Mount Sinai to receive the Torah.

C. This lesson was particularly meaningful when used by the students to prepare meals for Kosher Meals on Wheels. Students not only prepared the blintzes, but packed 80 meals which also included applesauce and a vegetable into sectioned foil trays which were frozen and delivered by Kosher Meals on Wheels to elderly people who were unable to prepare meals for themselves.

MATERIALS LIST FOR CHEESE BLINTZES

• 1 dozen extra-large eggs
• 1 qt. milk
• salt
• 1/2 c. oil
• 2 c. flour
• 2 lbs. ricotta cheese
• 1 c. sugar
• cinnamon
• vanilla
• butter for frying
• non-stick spray
• I pt. sour cream

• 6" skillets
• large dairy frying pans or foil trays for baking
• food processor
• plastic buckets
• crepe ladle
• waxed paper sheets
• large spoons
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• brush for butter (optional)

FOR THE STUDENTS:

CHEESE BLINTZES

    “It is very traditional for Ashkenazic Jews to eat dairy blintzes on Shavuot. Not only are they filled with the customary cheese, but two of them, placed next to each other, look like the two tablets of the Ten Commandments that were given to Moses on Mount Sinai.”⁵

    “Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments, the end of the barley harvest, and the offering of the first fruit at the Temple. It is customary to eat dairy dishes on Shavuot, especially those made with cheese. There are many explanations of this custom. One of them is that the Jews did not have time to slaughter animals and kosher the meat after leaving the Sinai; another is that the Torah is like milk and honey; and another is that the period of May to early June is the spring harvest season, when more milk and cheese products are produced.”⁶

CREPE RECIPE—GROUP 1

• 4 eggs
• 1-1/3 c. milk
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2-1/2 T. oil
• 1 c. flour

1. Put all ingredients into bowl of food processor and process for about 15 seconds.

2. Let stand for 30 minutes before frying.

FILLING RECIPE—GROUP 2

• 4 lbs. ricotta cheese
• 6 T. sugar
• 4 extra-large eggs
• 2 t. vanilla
• 1 t. cinnamon

1. Stir above ingredients together thoroughly.

MAKING THE CREPES—GROUP 1

1. Spray 6 or 7-inch skillets with non-stick spray lightly.

2. Heat until a drop of water froths but does not jump or sizzle.

3. Pour in just enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan.

4. Quickly tip and rotate the pan so the batter covers the bottom.

5. When the crepe looks dry around the edges and begins to curl from the pan, invert the pan over a sheet of waxed paper.

6. Stack the crepes in this way until you are ready to fill.

FILLING THE CREPES—GROUP 2

1. On the cooked side of each crepe and near an edge, place a rounded tablespoonful of cheese filling. Turn the edge of the crepe over the filling once, fold the sides up over this, and continue rolling the filling to form a rectangle.

2. At this point, blintzes can be put on buttered pans and frozen to be fried or baked at a later date.

FRYING THE CREPES—GROUP 1

1. Melt a pat of butter in a large frying pan on moderate heat.

2. When it just begins to sizzle, put in filled blintzes seam side down and fry until golden brown at the edges.

3. Serve warm with sour cream. Makes approximately 25. 

---------------------------------------------------

    ⁵Text from Gloria Kaufer Greene, The Jewish Holiday Cookbook: An International Collection of Recipes and Customs (Published in the United States by Times Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto, 1985), p. 358.

    ⁶Helen Nash, Kosher Cusine, Illustrations by Pat Stewart, (Random House, New York, New York and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. 1984), p. 305.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZOH BALLS (KNAIDLACH)

LESSON OBJECTIVES AND OUTLINE FOR TEACHERS

I. LESSON OBJECTIVES

A. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of proper cooking techniques by helping to prepare the chicken soup and by preparing the matzoh balls; thereby demonstrating that they know how to:

1. Skim foam from chicken soup.
2. Recognize and clean leeks for use in chicken soup.
3. Recognize dill, parsley, parsley root, parsnips, turnips, celery and celeriac and their preparation for chicken soup.
4. Form and boil matzoh balls and prepare them for freezing.
5. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of Shabbat and some of the customs associated with the holiday by completing the final Sample Test.

II. KITCHEN ORGANIZATION: TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

A. TIMING

1. The timing involved requires this particular class to be more of a demonstration-type class than most of the others, but if the below suggestions are followed, it can be one of the most popular and practical classes: (Simulating Friday evening should use about one-half the class time.)

    a. Prepare a batch of soup ahead of time.

    b. Arrange to have a long table and chairs set up in the kitchen or nearby.

    c. Set the table with white paper goods: tablecloth, napkins, soup bowls, soup spoons and small plastic wine glasses with a small amount of grape juice.

    d. Bring a pretty bunch of flowers in a vase, a nice kiddush cup, candelabra with candles, salt and pepper shakers, two challot, a challah cover, and a bread knife and set them on the table.

    e. As soon as all the students are present, hands washed, and seated, light and bless the candles, sing the Kiddush, and do the Motzi. The teacher may do all of these, or may select students to lead these blessings.

    f. Serve and eat the chicken soup with matzoh balls.

2. The students and teacher should move immediately after the above to the demonstration area.

3. As you introduce each ingredient that goes into the soup, it should be passed around so that the students can feel and smell and examine it so as to familiarize themselves with it if they are unfamiliar.

4. At the beginning of class, start the water boiling for the matzoh balls. The matzoh ball mixture should be made ahead of time. If time permits, the students can prepare a batch to see how it is done, which can be used at a later time. Demonstrate how to form a matzoh ball and let each student try to make a few.

B. TECHNIQUES

1. Some of the ingredients mentioned in the recipe are difficult to obtain, but contribute greatly to the flavor of the soup if they can be found and provide a wonderful new experience for the students if they are unfamiliar with these ingredients.

2. The reason the matzoh ball mixture must be prepared several hours ahead is to give the matzoh meal time to absorb the liquid and thicken so that it can be formed into balls. Just adding more matzoh meal to thicken the dough will make the balls heavy and unpleasant. Also, keeping the dough very cold will make it easier to handle as it causes the margarine to solidify.

3. Wet hands are very important to handling and forming the matzoh balls, but it is common for people to drip into the dough unconsciously as they are working with it. This thins out the dough and makes it difficult to handle.

4. A steamer/strainer insert in the pot makes it possible to remove all the matzoh balls at once without wasting time trying to fish out each one. By adding a little more hot water and bringing the water back to a rolling boil, it is possible to make several batches without starting over.

5. Have a pan close by to stand the steamer/strainer insert in for just a few moments to let the balls stop dripping before emptying them out onto a baking pan. That way they won't drip on you when you remove them.

6. Matzoh balls sink to the bottom when first dropped into the boiling water, but then rise to the surface as they cook. Turning the heat down under the pot so that the water is not at a rolling boil will cause the floating matzoh balls to sink to the bottom.

III. FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A. During the first part of the lesson is a tremendous opportunity to encourage the students to try a family Shabbat of their own. If you are able to create the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of a mini Shabbat in the classroom/kitchen, imagine how nice it would be at home in the dining room.

B. A central theme in Judaism which threads through all our religious law is the focusing on small, mundane acts and the hallowing of these acts. The eating of a mouthful of bread, a sip of wine, the lighting of a candle are all occasions for the sanctification of life. In America, we are often so affluent that we begin to take for granted these small pleasures. We don't have to worry about where our next meal is coming from and whether we will have light when darkness falls. If we begin to take for granted the small pleasures of life, it seems that they are no longer pleasures and a sense of discontent begins to replace the appreciation when small pleasures are never enough. This can be an opportunity to discuss values with your students. What material benefits make them happy and how do they plan to go about securing these benefits in the future? Do they feel contented or discontented most of the time and why?

C. Why are two challot necessary? They are a reminder that a double portion of manna was given to our ancestors traveling in the Sinai Desert on Fridays so that they would not violate the Sabbath by gathering and carrying food.

MATERIALS LIST FOR SHABBAT

CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZOH BALLS (KNAIDLACH)

• 1 cut up chicken
• 1 large or two small leeks
• 1 bunch fresh parsley or 1 parsley root
• 2 parsnips
• 2 turnips
• 1 bunch celery or 1 celery root
• 1 bunch fresh dill
• 2 Telma chicken bouillion cubes
• 1 T. kosher salt
• 1 lb. carrots
• I bunch flowers and vase
• 2 challot
• kosher grape juice

• 1 vegetable peeler
• 1 sharp knife
• cheesecloth
• two 8-quart pots
• string
• refrigerated matzoh ball mixture
• 1 bag frozen matzoh balls
• 4 quarts chicken soup
• candles
• candelabra
• kiddush cup
• challah cover
• plastic soup bowls
• plastic soup spoons
• napkins
• 1 bread knife
• salt and pepper shakers
• paper tablecloth
• plastic wine glasses

FOR THE STUDENTS:

SHABBAT

    Shabbat is the most important Jewish holiday. In Judaism, we are commanded by God to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy in a document important to the history of the morality of mankind—the Ten Commandments. No other holiday is mentioned there. In ancient times, observance of the Sabbath was a custom that distinguished Jews from other cultures and some cultures thought it such a good idea that they adopted the practice also. It is a practice that not only allows one to rest and feel good, but commands one to do so. Why, then, are we so resistant in America to observing this commandment? Our lifestyle seems to put constant demands on our time and many people have somehow lost the art of planning and setting up an occasion designed to be enjoyed by all members of the family.

    If your family is anything like ours, all during the week we rush from place to place and very rarely sit down to a meal together. Things got so hectic when we were first married that we decided to institute a traditional Shabbat dinner on Friday night to give us a chance to relax and enjoy dinner together. This tradition became especially important when the kids came along because it gave us a chance to talk about the events of the week and a special time to communicate with grandparents, whom we sometimes forgot to call and check in with during the week.

    Now, everybody in the family looks forward to the sights, smells, and tastes of Friday night’s Shabbat meal. All it takes is someone in your family, who is willing to take the time to make things a little more special, to begin your own tradition. It could be you!

A LIST OF THINGS THAT YOU COULD DO TO MAKE FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL

l. Light and bless candles. (We light one for each member of the family.)

2. Arrange to have two challot for Motzi. Make a challah cover that is special and beautiful for the occasion. (You might want to make the challah yourself. It can be made ahead in quantity and frozen.)

3. Pick or buy fresh flowers for the table. Use a tablecloth if you don't ordinarily bother with one during the week.

4. Use an especially nice stemmed glass or goblet for Kiddush.

5. Sing the Birkat Hamazon after dessert.

6. Call your grandparents before you sit down to dinner to see how they are and tell them what you've been doing all week. Better yet, invite them for dinner!

7. MAKE CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZOH BALLS!

CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZOH BALLS (KNAIDLACH)

• 1 whole chicken, cut up, with heart and gizzard (Do not use the liver in the soup. Freeze it until you have enough to make chopped liver.)
• 1 large or 2 small leeks
• 1 bunch fresh parsley (flat leaf is better than curly if you can get it) or 1 parsley root
• 2 parsnips
• 2 turnips
• All the tops with leaves cut from a whole bunch of celery. (Save the stalks for salad) or 1 large celery root (also called knob celery or celeriac)
• 1 bunch fresh dill
• 2 Telma chicken bouillion cubes
• 1 T. kosher salt
• 1 lb. carrots

1. Rinse chicken and put in the bottom of an 8-quart pot.

2. Cover with warm water and bring to a boil on high heat.

3. Skim off foam that rises to the top and discard. Turn heat to simmer.

4. Remove any discolored leaves from leek and cut off tips of leaves and bottom of bulb. Slice leek lengthwise halfway up from the bottom and rinse out any dirt or sand between the leaves. Add to pot.

5. Rinse parsley and dill well and add to pot. If you were able to get a parsley root, peel it with a vegetable peeler before you rinse the leaves.

6. Peel parsnips and turnips with a vegetable peeler and add to pot.

7. Rinse celery and add to pot. If you were able to get a celery root, peel it with a vegetable peeler before adding to the pot.

8. Add bouillion and salt to the pot.

9. Peel carrots removing tips. Cut in three or four lengths and cut each length in half. Put cut up carrots into a length of cheesecloth and tie up with string. Add to pot.

10. Add water to within an inch of the top of the pot and simmer for two hours.

11. Remove bag of carrots and pour soup through a strainer. Discard vegetables, separate chicken meat from bones and add to the strained soup or save for another purpose.

12. Cut open bag of carrots and add to the strained soup.

13. At this point the soup can be ladled into plastic containers to be frozen until needed, or add matzoh balls and boil for 20 minutes and serve. (See recipe for matzoh balls below.)

MATZOH BALLS (KNAIDLACH)

• 12 large eggs
• 1-1/2 c. warm water
• 3-1/4 c. matzoh meal
• I c. (2 sticks) melted margarine
• 1 T. salt
• dash of pepper

1. Mix all the above ingredients and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.

2. Bring 8 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a pot for which you have a steamer insert that can be lifted out.

3. Form the refrigerated dough into walnut-sized balls with wet hands. Be careful not to drip water into the dough. Drop, one by one into the boiling water. When the pot is full and about half the dough has been used, cover and let boil for 15 minutes. The balls will rise to the surface as soon as they begin to cook.

4. Remove balls by lifting them out in the steamer insert and dump out onto a jelly roll pan.

5. Return steamer insert to pot and repeat the process with the other half of the dough.

6. When the balls have cooled slightly on the pans, place them uncovered in the freezer and freeze solid.

7. Remove balls from the pan and dump into plastic bags.

8. Refreeze immediately and add to boiling soup as needed.

Makes about 100 matzoh balls. 

EGG “BOW TIE” COOKIES (EIR KICHLAH)

LESSON OBJECTIVES AND OUTLINE FOR TEACHERS

I. LESSON OBJECTIVES

A. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of proper cooking techniques by preparing the egg bow tie cookies; thereby demonstrating that they know how to:

1. Use an electric mixer.
2. Measure and combine ingredients.
3. Roll out dough.
4. Measure and cut the dough with a pastry cutter.
5. Twist the rectangles into bow tie shapes.
6. Bake the cookies in the oven and remove from the pan.

B. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of the significance of this recipe to Jewish cooking by completing the final Sample Test.

II. KITCHEN ORGANIZATION: TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

A. TIMING

1. If you are able to get your students busy as soon as they come in, it is not necessary to bake some of these ahead. There is usually enough time to make the dough, roll it out, shape it, and bake all within a 40-minute period so that the students can taste them.

2. If you have students that must be kept busy all the time, make a batch of dough ahead so that they can begin rolling and shaping right away while a few of the others are making the dough. The dough should be divided into workable-sized balls.

3. If there is a large class, a doubled batch will only yield about 6 or 7 workable balls, so you can either make a batch ahead, or have a small group prepare another double batch while the first is being rolled out by the rest of the students. Additionally, you could also assign two students to each ball.

B. TECHNIQUES

1. The dough is a better texture to work with if the eggs are beaten until light and fluffy as called for in the recipe.

2. If really pressed for time, the dough will roll out without the 5-minute resting period.

3. Use a ruler to cut the strips. Make the approximately one-inch strips by cutting on either side of the ruler. Cut into three-inch lengths by making the first perpendicular cut at one edge and then flipping the ruler over twice more before making the next cut.

4. These cookies should be rolled neither too thin, nor too thick so that they are easier to handle and bake uniformly. Check each student's dough before they begin to cut to make sure it is the correct and uniform thickness.

5. The cookies are particularly good when eaten warm from the oven. They also freeze very well if any are left over.

6. Usually after one class leaves there are little pieces of dough mixed in with the sugar all over the table. This all can be salvaged quickly by pushing everything together into a pile with a pastry scraper and then straining it through a sieve. The leftover dough pieces can be combined with the dough prepared by the next class, and the sugar is clean enough to spread out again and reuse for rolling.

7. This recipe is very durable and there seems to be almost no limit as to how many times the dough can be re-rolled and how much sugar can be incorporated.

III. FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A. Ask the students if they are familiar with these treats. Most Jewish bakeries sell them. Although they are very plain and light, they are usually better than the bakery ones because they are eaten so fresh.

B. These cookies are pareve. This would be a good opportunity to discuss the convenience of non-dairy desserts that could follow a meat meal. Also, when used for a snack, these cookies could be eaten without waiting a long time after a meat meal. Because meat takes a longer time to digest than dairy products, it is customary to wait before eating dairy products. For German and Western European Jews, this waiting time is three hours. For Eastern European Jews, it is six hours. The prevailing custom for Dutch Jews is 72 minutes.

MATERIALS EIR KICHLAH

• 2 dozen large eggs
• 1 bag granulated sugar
• 1 c. vegetable oil
• vanilla extract
• 1 bag all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• non-stick spray

• electric mixer
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• plastic wrap
• rolling pins
• fluted pastry wheels
• ruler
• baking pans
• metal spatula
• rubber spatulas
• pot holders
• dishwashing liquid
• dish towels
• dish cloths

FOR THE STUDENTS:

EGG “BOW TIE” COOKIES (EIR KICHLAH)⁷

    “There are dozens of variations of these very popular light cookies. Some are made with a stiff, rolled dough, others with a softer dough that is ‘dropped’ onto the baking sheet. Some use copious amounts of oil, others use none at all. Some call for baking powder, others don’t. Some are barely sweet, others are very sweet. Some are cut into simple squares, rectangles, or circles, others are cut into fancier diamonds or twisted into bow ties.

    “With their Yiddish name, these treats are obviously Ashkenazic. But Sephardic Jews of Turkish and Greek origins use an almost identical dough to make ring-shaped cookies which are coated with sesame seeds. The latter are sometimes called biscochos de huevo, which translates the same as eir kichlah…The cookies are light, pleasantly but not excessively sweet, and easy to make. (This recipe may be doubled; roll it out in two batches for best results.) The method for biscochos de huevo is also included below.”

• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c. sugar (plus more for rolling and topping)
• 3-1/2 T. vegetable oil
• 1/4 t. vanilla extract (optional)
• 1-3/4 c. all-purpose white flour, preferably unbleached
• 1 t. baking powder

DOUBLED:

• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 7 T. vegetable oil
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 3-1/2 c. flour
• 2 t. baking powder

1. Use an electric mixer to beat the eggs with the 1/4 c. sugar for several minutes until very light and fluffy; then beat in the oil and vanilla (if used).

2. Stir in the flour and baking powder and mix until combined. If the dough is very sticky, add a little more flour.

3. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Using extra sugar, instead of flour, to keep the dough from sticking, roll out the dough to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle more sugar on top and gently press it in with the rolling pin.

5. Using a fluted pastry wheel, cut the dough into small squares, rectangles, or diamonds. To make bow ties, cut the dough into rectangles about 1 inch wide by 2-1/2 to 3 inches long. Carefully twist each rectangle twice in the center so that the sugared surface faces upward. Pinch gently into shape in the center.

6. Transfer the cookies to a non-stick spray-coated baking sheet, keeping them at least 1/2 inch apart.

7. Bake the cookies in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are lightly browned. Remove them from the sheet and cool them on a wire rack.

Makes about 3 dozen small, flat cookies or about 2 dozen bow ties.

Variation: Biscochos de Huevo (Sesame Ring Cookies)

    Increase the sugar in the dough to 1/3 cup (or up to 1/2 cup for sweeter cookies). Use floured hands to shape the dough into 1/2-inch-diameter ropes. Cut the ropes into 4-inch-long sections and pinch the ends of each section together to form a ring. Beat 1 egg with 1 t. each of cold water and sugar. Dip the top surface of each ring into the egg mixture and then into hulled sesame seeds. Place the rings on a greased or non-stick spray-coated baking sheet with the seeds facing upward. Bake as directed for eir kichlah. 

----------------------------------------------

    ⁷Recipe and text from Gloria Kaufrer Greene The Jewish Holiday Cookbook: An International Collection of Recipes and Customs (Published in the United States by Times Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto, 1985), pp. 55-57.

HAMANTASHEN FOR PURIM

Click here for additional photos.

LESSON OBJECTIVES AND OUTLINE FOR TEACHERS

1. LESSON OBJECTIVES

A. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of proper cooking techniques by preparing
the hamantashen; thereby demonstrating that they know how to:

1. Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer.
2. Measure and combine ingredients.
3. Roll out dough and cut into rounds.
4. Make lekvar filling for hamantashen.
5. Form dough circles around filling into triangular shapes.
6. Bake cookies and remove from pan.

B. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of Purim by completing the final Sample Test.

II. KITCHEN ORGANIZATION: TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

A. TIMING

1. The dough for this recipe must be well-chilled to roll out properly and so must be made ahead of time. It will keep for several days in the refrigerator if necessary.

2. Allow the students to prepare one batch of dough so that they can see how it is done.

3. While some of the students are preparing the dough, others can be preparing the lekvar filling. The honey-walnut filling can be made ahead if desired as it must be cool to use. It can be skipped for purposes of the classroom and made by the students at home if they wish to try it.

4. Have several students rolling out and re-rolling the dough while others cut and remove the rounds to pans, still others fill each circle, and some form the circles into triangles. These jobs can be rotated so that each student gets to try each part of the operation.

B. TECHNIQUES

1. Fillings such as lekvar (prune), poppy seed, almond, cherry, etc. can be purchased at most supermarkets already prepared and ready to use. If you are making several batches of dough with several classes, it is nice to have a variety of fillings.

2. Demonstrate the method of turning up the edges of the circle to form a triangle before allowing the students to begin.

3. If time allows, roll the scraps together after cutting circles, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for a few minutes before re-rolling. They will roll out more evenly when they are cold.

4. Edges cannot be pinched together if filling gets between them so try not to overfill the centers.

5. Plastic yogurt cups and orange juice cans make good cookie cutters.

6. This dough can be re-rolled and floured a good number of times before becoming "tough" so it is pretty sturdy to use with novices.

7. Use only “Wondra” flour for this recipe. It is a granulated flour which does not need sifting and nothing else has the same texture.

8. The pans need only be lightly floured and not greased for this recipe.

III. FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A. Ask the students if they have ever sent or received a mishloach manot package and how they felt about it if they did. What kinds of goodies were in it? How was it packaged? Who sent it and who received it? If they could choose, what are their favorite items to receive as food gifts?

B. Hamantashen can be frozen nicely and can be baked in quantity, frozen, stored, and sent to a shelter or nursing home as mishloach manot when enough have been prepared by the class.

C. A Purim Se’udah can be thought of as a “theme party” with the theme being masquerade, joke-telling, and general clowning. What sort of foods would be in keeping with this theme? What sort of decoration for the table?

MATERIALS LIST FOR HAMANTASHEN

• 2 c. sugar
• 2 sticks (1 cup butter)
• 1 doz. eggs
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3-1/2 c. Wondra flour
• all-purpose flour for rolling and dusting
• 2-1/2 t. baking powder
• 2 t. vanilla
• 2 oz. orange juice
• fillings (lekvar, poppy seed, cherry, etc.)

If making lekvar filling:

• 1/2 c. dark raisins
• 1 T. honey
• cinnamon

• electric mixer
• small bowls
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• plastic wrap
• rolling pins
• cookie cutters
• baking pans
• mixing spoons
• 2 batches of dough made ahead
• honey-walnut filling (optional)

FOR THE STUDENTS:

HAMANTASHEN—PURIM

    During ancient times in Persia, an evil minister named Haman schemed and connived his way into a position of enormous influence with the King. When King Ahasueras decreed that all must bow down to him, another advisor who was a Jew named Mordechai, refused. Haman used this opportunity to accuse the Jews of being disloyal and persuaded the king to set a date for the extermination of all the Jews in the country. The date was to be set by the casting of “lots” or Purim in Hebrew. Unknown to both Haman and King Ahasueras was the fact that the beloved Queen Esther was a Jew and a cousin to the condemned Mordechai. She prepared a feast for the king and, at the risk of her own life, pleaded with the king to spare her people’s lives. This made the king realize what a danger Haman had become and so the king had him hanged on the gallows that Haman had prepared for Mordechai. On the date that had been scheduled for the destruction of the Jews (the thirteenth of Adar), the king allowed them to take vengeance on the enemies who wished to destroy them. On the following day, there was a great celebration of the victory, but in the walled capital city of Shushan, the fighting continued for one more day and so the celebration was delayed. As a result, it is customary for Jews in walled cities to celebrate Purim on the fifteenth of the month of Adar, rather than the fourteenth as elsewhere. This celebration is called Shushan Purim, but in reality, the celebration is such a major event in Israel that most people celebrate both days.
    The holiday is marked by a carnival and parade called Ad’lo’yada which comes from the Talmudic suggestion that one should drink enough wine so that he “doesn't know the difference” between the names Mordechai and Haman during the reading of the Megillah, or scroll which tells the story of Queen Esther. Children and adults dress in masquerade. A festive meal is eaten called a Purim Se’udah during which merriment and joke-telling are the order of the day. It is also a time to distribute gifts of food called mishloach manot in Hebrew to friends, relatives, and the poor.
    Triangular-shaped cookies called hamantashen are a traditional treat among the Ashkenazim, but how they came to be associated with Purim is obscure. One explanation is that they already existed in the form of mohn tashen, meaning poppy-seed pockets. The similarity of the name of these cookies may have caused them to be renamed Haman tashen as a remembrance of the bribes that lined the evil Haman's pockets. In Israel, they are known as oznai Haman, or Haman’s ears.

HAMANTASHEN

• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. butter
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3-1/2 c. Wondra flour
• 2-1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 oz. orange juice
• Fillings (Lekvar, Honey-Walnut, Cherry, Poppy Seed)

1. Cream butter with sugar in bowl of electric mixer.

2. Add eggs one at a time.

3. Add salt, flour and baking powder.

4. Add vanilla and orange juice.

5. Mix together well and chill at least two hours in refrigerator.

6. Divide into four portions and roll out on a well-floured surface until about 1/8-inch thick.

7. Cut with a large thin-edged cup or drinking glass or round cookie cutter making cuts close together to avoid re-rolling wherever possible.

8. Place on a floured cookie sheet or baking pan.

9. Place a scant tablespoonful of filling in the center.

10. Turn up opposing edges of the circle and pinch together at the corner where they meet.

11. Bring up remaining edge of the circle and pinch together at the corners where it meets the first two edges to form a triangle.

12. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

13. Re-roll scraps and proceed again from Step 7.

Makes 35-38 cookies.

Fillings for Hamantashen

Lekvar Filling

• 1-lb 1-oz. jar lekvar
• 1/2 c. dark raisins
• 1 T. honey
• 1 T. sugar
• 1/4 t. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla

1. Stir these all together and use as filling for hamantashen.

Honey-Walnut Filling

• 3/4 c. honey
• 1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. fine dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 t. grated orange rind

1. Place the honey, walnuts, sugar and bread crumbs in a saucepan.

2. Stir constantly over low heat until the mixture becomes thick. Scrape the bottom as you stir to prevent sticking.

3. Remove from heat and stir in grated orange rind.

4. Cool before using.

KASHA AND BOW TIES (KASHA VARNISHKES)

Click here for additional photos.

LESSON OBJECTIVES AND OUTLINE FOR TEACHERS

I. LESSON OBJECTIVES

A. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of proper cooking techniques by preparing kasha and bow ties; thereby demonstrating that they know how to:

1. Peel an onion and chop it using a food processor.
2. Prepare bouillon.
3. Cook and drain pasta.
4. Measure and combine ingredients.
5. Combine kasha with eggs and brown the kasha in a pan.
6. Simmer the mixture until it is done.

B. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of the background and tradition of kasha and bow ties by completing the final Sample Test.

II. KITCHEN ORGANIZATION: TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

A. TIMING

1. No preparation of food is needed before beginning this lesson; however, it is a good idea to start water boiling for the noodles and bouillon before class.

2. The work is divided between two groups and ideally should work out in such a way that when Group 1 has the onions fried to the proper stage, Group 2 has the kasha ready to go into the pan.

3. When the kasha is browned, the bouillon should be ready to go into it.

4. During the 20 minutes while the bow tie noodles are boiling, the kasha should be cooking so that both finish together and can be combined and served.

B. TECHNIQUES

1. A little more or less onion will not significantly affect the recipe.

2. The bouillon cubes can be crushed before adding to the boiling water, or they can be dropped in first, allowed to soften somewhat, and then mashed with the back of a wooden spoon.

3. Browning kasha can be a little tricky since it is brown to start with. When the grains look well cooked and dry and separate easily rather then clumping together from the egg, the bouillon can be added.

4. The bouillon should be added carefully as it will sizzle when it first contacts the hot pan.

5. Use a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to stir the kasha and bow ties together as a metal spoon tends to break up the noodles.

6. Check the kasha midway through the cooking process to make sure it is simmering and has not stuck to the bottom of the pan.

III. FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A. If most of your students are from an Ashkenazic background, they very often are familiar with this dish as something that only their bubbies make, and they usually either love it or they hate it. Ask about variations that are traditional in their families. What types of main courses are kasha and bow ties served with in their families?

B. Another place where your students might have tasted this dish is at a Jewish summer camp. Encourage them to taste the kasha and bow ties they have prepared in the classroom even if they think they won 't like it, because often, in institutional settings, things do not taste the same as when they are homemade and fresh.

MATERIALS FOR KASHA AND BOW TIES

• 1 large onion
• vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 box coarse kasha
• 1 stick margarine
• 2 chicken bouillion cubes
• 1 1-lb. bag bow-tie shaped noodles

• food processor
• 6 qt. meat pot for cooking kasha
• 2 qt. meat pot for boiling water bouillion
• 8 qt. meat pot for boiling noodles
• measuring cups
• large mixing spoons
• colander
• large spoons
• small mixing bowls
• small fork

FOR THE STUDENTS:

KASHA AND BOW TIES (KASHA VARNISHKES)

    “Although the word ‘kasha’ can be used for almost any cereal, to Russian and Polish Jews it almost invariably means toasted buckwheat groats. Buckwheat (which, botanically, is not a grain, but a type of herb) is an extremely hearty plant that prefers a cool climate. Therefore, kasha was relatively plentiful in the shtetls of Eastern Europe, and it was eaten daily. Imaginative cooks used it in every possible dish, including porridge, knishes, kreplah, blintzes, strudel, and cholent.
    “A side dish called kasha varnishkes was often served on Hanukkah and other holidays. It is still a favorite of many Ashkenazic Jews… As a bonus, kasha is very nutritious, with generous amounts of protein, iron, B vitamins, and fiber.”⁸

• 1 c. chopped onion
• 4 T. vegetable oil or chicken fat
• 2 eggs
• 1 box coarse kasha (buckwheat groats)
• 1/2 stick margarine
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 1-lb. bag bow-tie shaped noodles

Group 1
1. Peel and chop onion in food processor.

2. Heat oil in pan and sauté onions on medium heat until soft and translucent.

3. Boil 4-1/4 cups water and dissolve bouillon cubes.

4. Fill a large pot about 3/4 full with water. Bring to a boil. Pour in bow tie noodles and cook according to package directions. (About 20 minutes)

5. Start cleaning up.

6. When noodles are cooked, drain and stir carefully into kasha.

Group 2

1. Beat eggs lightly with a fork.

2. Pour kasha into a small bowl. Add eggs and mix together.

3. Add kasha mixture to fried onions in pan and sauté on moderately high heat, stirring constantly, until grains begin to turn a darker brown and are separate, about 5 minutes.

4. Add 4 cups bouillon prepared by Group 1 slowly.

5. Turn heat to simmer and add 1/2 stick margarine.

6. Stir, cover, and allow to simmer 20 minutes.

7. While kasha is cooking, start cleaning up.

    Kasha varnishkes can be finished and put in a baking pan to be frozen. When ready to use, defrost and warm, gently, covered in 350-degree oven. 

---------------------------------------------
⁸Text from Gloria Kaufer Greene, The Jewish Holiday Cookbook: An International Collection of Recipes and Customs (Published in the United States by Times Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto, 1985), p. 178.

CHEESE KNISHES AND POTATO KNISHES

Click here for additional photos.

LESSON OBJECTIVES AND OUTLINE FOR TEACHERS

I. LESSON OBJECTIVES

A. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of proper cooking techniques by preparing the knishes; thereby demonstrating that they know how to:

1. Measure and combine ingredients.
2. Peel, dice, and sauté an onion.
3. Mix, handle, knead, and cut dough.
4. Roll out strudel dough to a very thin square.
5. Fill the dough and roll up jelly-roll style.
6. Cut the filled dough with the side of the hand.
7. Pinch the edges of the filled dough together to form the rounded shape.
8. Glaze the knishes using a brush.
9. Bake the knishes until golden brown.

B. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of the origins and significance of knishes by completing the final Sample Test.

II. KITCHEN ORGANIZATION: TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

A. TIMING

1. Since it is necessary to bake knishes for 35 minutes, a batch must be baked ahead if the students are to taste the finished product. They are easily frozen, if convenient, and rewarmed in the oven. Knishes made by the first class can be tasted by a second and so on.

2. Production is speeded up somewhat by dividing the class into two groups, each producing a separate filling and working with its own ball of dough.

B. TECHNIQUES

1. The dough can be made by stirring together the ingredients with a wooden spoon, but if there is an electric mixer available, the initial combining of ingredients is easier with the mixer.

2. An easy way to handle the onion is to cut off both ends first, which facilitates peeling. Onions that have been refrigerated and are cold do not cause as much eye irritation. Slice the onion in half so that you will have a flat end against the table when dicing.

3. Make sure hands, rolling pins and surfaces are well-floured when working with dough, but be careful not to incorporate too much flour.

4. The dough will snap back like a rubber band at first, but with patience and a little care as it thins, it becomes less elastic and is very nice to work with.

5. Try to use the filling in such a way that dough and filling are used up at the same time. If the dough is thin enough, and therefore the square large enough, there should be about three rows of filling on each square.

6. Demonstrate the technique on the first filled roll and then let each student cut and form a knish with his own hands.

7. A 1-1/2 to 2-inch clean paint brush is handy for applying glaze.

III. FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A. Two fillings are presented here, but there are many variations of fillings that could be used to fill a knish. The more common ones are liver, kasha, and rice. Recently, knishes filled with spinach, broccoli, mushrooms and other vegetables have been making an appearance in combination with various types of cheeses and herbs. Discuss with the students what combinations are interesting to them and which ones are their traditional favorites.

B. The Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans gets much media attention in the United States, but the large Purim celebration in Tel Aviv gets none. It might be interesting to compare the similarities and differences of the two celebrations.

MATERIALS FOR CHEESE KNISHES AND POTATO KNISHES

• farmer's cheese (2 c.)
• eggs (4)
• sugar
• salt
• all-purpose flour (4 c.)
• vegetable oil (1/2 c.)
• baking powder
• non-stick spray
• instant mashed potato buds (1-1/3 c.)
• onion (1 small)
• butter (1 stick)
• milk (1/3 c.)

• electric mixer (optional)
• small mixing bowls
• mixing spoons and forks
• 6-inch vegetable knife
• 2-qt. pot
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• small frying pan
• rolling pins
• scissors
• clean 1-1/2 to 2-inch paint brush
• baking pans
• dish towels
• dish cloths
• dishwashing liquid
• potholders

FOR THE STUDENTS:

CHEESE KNISHES AND POTATO KNISHES

    Although knishes have entered mainstream American cuisine insofar as they can be found in most supermarkets with a delicatessen section and are available frozen as hors d’oeuvres almost anywhere frozen foods can be bought, they appear in Jewish cookbooks in the form that is most familiar to Americans only rarely. They appear to be uniquely of German or Russian Ashkenazic origin. Similar recipes for dough wrapped in various ways around a filling and baked are known by many different names in both Ashkenazic and Sephardic cultures, such as: borekas, kreplach, and pierogen. However, the classic recipe that is familiar to those of us in the United States, where they were a staple at every bar and bat mitzvah and Jewish wedding, produces a rounded patty-shaped crusty dough which encases a savory filling of potato with fried onions, liver, kasha, rice, or cheese. This type of knish is produced by the recipe below.

    Since the flour used to make the strudel-type dough for these knishes is prohibited on Passover, another type of knish is made which uses mashed potatoes in the dough itself for this holiday. This mashed potato dough is wrapped around the filling. These Passover potato knishes are the most common ones found in Jewish recipe books. They are also delicious and a recipe for this type of potato knish can be found in the Passover Feasts course section of this curriculum.

    In all its forms, the knish is very convenient street food and is sold by vendors in Tel-Aviv during the Ad’lo’yada carnival that takes place during Purim. In families where knishes are traditionally made, they are considered traditional fare for a Purim seudah, the festive meal that is enjoyed by family and friends during this holiday.

KNISHES

Cheese Filling

• 2 c. farmer's cheese
• 1 egg
• pinch sugar, salt

Dough

• 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 3/4 c. lukewarrn water
• Non-stick spray

Potato Filling

1-1/3 c. instant mashed potato buds

1/2 t. salt

1 small onion

2 T. butter

1/3 c. milk

1-1/3 c. water

Glaze

1 beaten egg

1 T. oil

Group 1—Cheese Filling and Glaze

1. Mix cheese filling by combining ingredients in small bowl, breaking up cheese curds with a fork.

2. Prepare glaze by combining ingredients in a separate small bowl.

Group 2—Potato Filling

3. Dice onion and sauté in butter in small frying pan over medium heat. Set aside.

4. Bring water, milk, and salt to a boil in small pot over high heat.

5. Remove from heat and add potato buds stirring just until combined. Let stand 30 seconds to absorb moisture and fluff with a fork.

6. Stir in sautéed onions and butter.

Group 1—Dough and Cheese Knishes

7. Mix all dough ingredients together in bowl. (You can use an electric mixer at this stage.)

8. Empty out onto a well floured surface. Knead into a ball with floured hands.

9. Cut dough in half and knead each ball separately again.

10. Give one ball to Group 2 and roll the other out very thin on a floured surface to a square shape.

11. Spray very lightly with non-stick spray.

12. Place cheese filling one inch from top of dough in a strip about 1-1/2 inches wide along top.

13. Take top of dough and roll over filling, jelly roll fashion. Then roll twice more, and cut off with scissors from the rest of the dough.

14. Repeat process until all dough and filling are used up.

15. Pinch ends of dough together.

16. Cut strips of filled dough at 1-1/2-inch intervals with the side of your hand, pushing the piece away from the others slightly while pressing down.

17. Pinch to seal each end of knish. (The motion of your hand in cutting should just about seal the dough all by itself and a rounded shape results from patting the corners in your palm.)

18. Place on non-stick spray-coated baking pan and brush with glaze.

19. Bake at 325 degrees until golden brown approximately 35 minutes.

Group 2—Potato Knishes

20. Follow steps 10 through 19 with potato filling.

These freeze very well and can be reheated in the oven at 350 degrees.

Makes about 40 small knishes. 20 Cheese - 20 Potato

CHEESE KREPLACH

Click here for additional photos.

LESSON OBJECTIVES AND OUTLINE FOR TEACHERS

I. LESSON OBJECTIVES

A. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of proper cooking techniques by preparing the kreplach; thereby demonstrating that they know how to:

1. Measure and combine ingredients.
2. Use a food processor to make dough. (Optional: The dough can be made by making a well in the center of the flour and putting the eggs there. Then the flour is gradually incorporated into the eggs.)
3. Chop ingredients using food processor.
4. Use a pasta machine (Optional: The dough can be rolled out thinly with a rolling pin.)
5. Measure and cut 3-inch squares from rolled out dough using a ruler and sharp knife.
6. Fill, seal, and crimp edges of squares.
7. Cook kreplach in boiling water.
8. Drain and make sauce for kreplach.

B. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of Shavuot and the relationship of this dish to the holiday by completing the final Sample Test.

II. KITCHEN ORGANIZATION: TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

A. TIMING

1. Preparation of the dough and filling takes very little time (about 10 minutes, if things go smoothly) so it is possible, if there is an hour available, to complete the recipe from the beginning to the tasting without previous preparation. If an hour is not available, however, it is recommended that a small quantity be prepared ahead of time and frozen so that if time runs short, these kreplach can just be dropped into boiling water for 20 minutes as the students are preparing a quantity of their own.

2. Another method to shorten the time is to prepare the dough ahead of time so that some students can immediately begin rolling and cutting while others prepare the filling.

B. TECHNIQUES

1. If the food processor bowl is small, there may not be room for the dough to form a ball on top of the steel knife blade. Just process until eggs and flour are well combined and push the dough together with your hands.

2. A pasta machine is not necessary to prepare kreplach, and certainly, bubbie did this without the benefit of one, but if it is available, it produces a thin and silky pasta that bubbie could never match. In addition, it is very appealing to the “gadget people” who always like to learn how to use a new piece of equipment. It is a very easy piece of equipment to operate and is practically self-explanatory.

3. If rolling by hand, roll out as thinly as possible.

4. Keep surfaces which come in contact with kreplach well-floured to prevent them from sticking.

5. Water in which the kreplach are cooked should not be boiling vigorously as this would tend to break the kreplach apart.

6. The grated cheese can be purchased already grated, or can be grated using the grating disk of the food processor. You can use whatever type of cheese the students would prefer.

7. Toss kreplach in sauce with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to avoid breaking them apart.

III. FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A. The introduction to this lesson teaches that Shavuot has many different levels of meaning attached to its celebration. The richness of our history has enabled us to enjoy many of our holidays with several levels of meaning. Holidays that often had their origins in simple agrarian practices became symbolic of major historical events that affected our lives. Pesach also is a holiday which has taken on many levels of meaning during our long and complicated history. Although the original reasons for the celebration may have become irrelevant to us, we can learn, as others did before us, to imbue the holiday with a symbolism that makes it relevant to our times and situation. Ask the students which parts of the Shavuot celebration might have relevance for their own lives and for ways in which it might become relevant if they don’t find it to be so.

B. The students may be more familiar with kreplach in the form of frozen ravioli. Many of the dishes that are distinctly Jewish also have parallels in other cultures. Wherever we traveled over the millennia, we adapted local recipes to our own distinct dietary laws. What other foods are indigenous to a particular country that we have adapted to conform to our dietary laws?

MATERIALS FOR CHEESE KREPLACH

• all-purpose flour
• 5 eggs
• 1 lb. farmer's cheese
• 4 T. sour cream
• 1 onion
• parsley
• dill
• salt and pepper
• butter
• grated cheese

• food processor
• pasta machine
• small bowls
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• plastic wrap
• metal ruler
• pastry cutter wheel
• small sharp knives
• metal fork
• 6-8 qt. dairy pot
• colander
• plastic forks and plates
• dishwashing liquid
• dishtowels
• dish cloths
• pot holders

FOR THE STUDENTS:

SHAVUOT

    Shavuot is one of the three major pilgrimage holidays along with Pesach and Sukkot. In ancient times, Jews from all surrounding lands made the pilgrimage to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem to offer the first fruits of the harvest season. For this reason, Shavuot is also known by the names Hag Ha’Bikurim, meaning Festival of the First Fruits, and Hag Ha’Katzir, meaning Festival of the Harvest. In later times, as the Jews of Palestine became a more urban people, the holiday lost its relevance to the lifestyle of the people and by Talmudic times, it had come to be celebrated, also, as the time of the giving of our law, or Zeman Matan Torahtenu. Evidently, the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai coincided on the calendar with the time of the agrarian holiday and so it became a time of affirmation of Jewish faith, as well as a harvest holiday. Because of this association, it has become a festival during which teenagers celebrate confirmation, a practice begun by the Reform Movement and adopted by Conservative and Some Orthodox congregations.

    Shavuot is intimately tied to Pesach in time by the counting of the Omer. In fact, the Talmud refers to Shavuot only as Atzeret, meaning conclusion, as the rabbis felt that Shavuot was truly the conclusion of the Passover season. There are precisely fifty days from the first day of Pesach to the first day of Shavuot. An omer is a measure of barley which was harvested each day and brought to the Temple until there were 49 of them (seven weeks). For this reason, Shavuot in additional to being known as “Weeks,” is also known as Pentecost (a Greek word meaning fifty).

    Three-cornered, cheese-filled kreplach are eaten by many Ashkenazic Jews on Shavuot because the number ‘three’ has several connections with the holiday. The Law is three-fold, comprising Torah, Prophets, and Writing. It was given to Moses, the third child born of his parents, on the sixth (two times three equals six) of the third month of the Hebrew calendar. Moses brought it to the Jewish people, who were made up of three groups: Kohan, Levite, and Israelite.

    “Cheese varenikes are almost identical to cheese kreplach, the only difference being that the dough is cut into circles, not squares, and folded into half-moons.”⁹

CHEESE KREPLACH (Triangular Noodle Dumplings)

Dough

• 2-1/2 - 3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• Savory Cheese Filling
• 2 7-1/2 to 8 oz. packages (about 1 pound) farmer cheese
• 2 T. commercial sour cream
• I large egg
• 1 T. finely minced onion
• 2 - 3 sprigs fresh parsley
• 2 - 3 sprigs fresh dill
• 1/2 t. salt and dash pepper

To serve:

• 4 T. melted butter
• Grated cheese to taste

1. Place 2-1/2 c. flour in food processor bowl. Add the 4 eggs. Process with steel knife just until the mixture forms a ball on top of the steel knife.

2. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

3. Without washing bowl, put in a small piece of onion, the parsley, the dill, salt, pepper, and the egg. Process until finely chopped.

4. Add farmer cheese and sour cream to bowl and process for just a few seconds until cheese is just broken up and mixture is uniformly combined. Do not over-process.

To Use Pasta Machine:

5. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Shape each one roughly into a sausage-type shape.

6. Flatten one end slightly for feeding into pasta machine and feed through on sheet-feed roller on widest setting—No. 8. Keep table well floured beneath feed area of pasta machine.

7. Decrease setting width to No. 6 and feed through again.

8. Decrease setting width to No. 5 and feed through again.

9. Decrease setting width to No. 4 and feed through again.

10. By now there will be a long, narrow strip of thin dough. Cut a straight line with a ruler and sharp knife along one edge of the strip. Measure several points along strip 3 inches up and lay ruler along these points. Cut another straight line the length of the strip. Remove excess dough from edges and reserve. Using the ruler, cut as many 3-inch squares as possible from the strip of dough.

11. Keep working area well-floured to prevent sticking. Place a scant tablespoonful of filling in center of square.

12. Wet two perpendicular edges of the square with a finger dipped in a small bowl of water.

13. Fold opposing edges over into a triangle and carefully crimp edges closed with a fork.

14. Place with spatula onto an ungreased, floured baking pan to dry somewhat.

15. Repeat from Step 6 with remaining three pieces of dough.

16. Combine remaining scraps of dough and continue the procedure until all dough has been used up.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To Roll by Hand:

5. Divide dough in half and roll out as thinly as possible on a well-floured surface.

6. Measure and cut into 3-inch squares and proceed from Step 11 above.

7. Repeat with second half of dough.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

17. At this point, the kreplach can be frozen on the baking sheets and then placed in plastic bags in the freezer for future use. (Do not defrost. Drop frozen kreplach directly into boiling salted water.) Otherwise, they can be boiled immediately and served.

18. To serve immediately, drop into a large (6-8 qt.) pot of rapidly boiling, salted water. Bring water back to a boil on high heat. Once the water begins to boil again, turn heat down somewhat so that the water is kept simmering, but not vigorously boiling. Boil uncovered for 15–20 minutes. Frozen kreplach may take the full time. Taste a piece to test doneness and drain in colander.

19. Melt butter in pot from which the kreplach were drained. Toss kreplach in melted butter gently to coat, sprinkle with grated cheese, and serve hot.

Makes approximately 4 dozen kreplach.    

    Kreplach can be filled with almost any type of ingredient so long as the filling is fairly thick and finely chopped. Meat kreplach made with leftovers of cooked meats or chicken that is ground finely and mixed with herbs and spices are especially delicious and traditional served in soup.

-----------------------------------------------

    ⁹Text from Gloria Kaufer Greene, The Jewish Holiday Cookbook: An International Collection of Recipes and Customs (Published in the United States by Times Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto, 1985), p. 354.