Meat Kreplach
A recipe for traditional meat dumplings.
There are various theories to explain the tradition of eating kreplach on Purim, but no one really knows why or when the dumplings appeared on the Purim menu. Nevertheless, kreplach have become a traditional favorite dish for Purim as well as for other Jewish festivals.
The following recipe is reprinted with permission from The Jewish Holiday Kitchen (Schocken Books).
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons water
3 eggs
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 egg
1 small onion, chopped
3/4 lb ground meat (at least half cooked) or leftover brisket, chopped
Directions
To Make Filling
Saute the onion with the ground meat. Remove excess fat.
Combine with the egg and salt and pepper to taste.
To Make Dough
Beat the eggs slightly. Add salt, water, and enough flour to make a medium-soft dough. Knead well by hand or in the food processor. Divide the dough into 2 balls. Cover with a moist towel.
Working quickly, roll out 1 ball of dough very thin with a rolling pin and cut into 6 strips, each 1-1/2 inches wide. Then cut into pieces 1-1/2 inches square.
Place 1/2 teaspoon meat mixture on each square. Fold into a triangle and press edges together firmly, using flour to bind. Leave as is, or press together two of the ends. Repeat with the second ball of dough.
Drop into boiling water and cook, uncovered, 15 minutes.
kreplach
Pronounced: KREP-lakh, Origin: Yiddish, small dumplings, often filled with meat and served in soup.
Purim
Pronounced: PUR-im, the Feast of Lots, Origin: Hebrew, a joyous holiday that recounts the saving of the Jews from a threatened massacre during the Persian period.
