The Envelope, Please

Food plays an integral role in the celebration of Rosh Hashana, the holiest of Jewish holidays. And one of the most important dishes traditionally eaten between Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is kreplach, dough wrapped around meat and then either boiled, fried or baked.

During this period, it is believed that the fate of each individual is decided, then sealed--as kreplach dough is--in the book of life for the coming year. The custom of serving kreplach alludes to the hope that kindness will “cover” any strict judgment we may deserve.

Every country seems to have its own version of a filled egg-noodle dough, whether fried, boiled in soup or steamed, and the Jewish version is said to go back as far as the 12th century. Records show that meat-stuffed pasta, shaped like giant cappelletti or tortelloni, was served by the Jews of Germany in the early 14th century. Later, the varieties of fillings grew to include chicken, kasha (buckwheat), cabbage, cheese and apples. European Jews also served kreplach stuffed with dried fruit and nuts for dessert.

My husband and his cousin remember their bubbe (grandmother) making kreplach during the Jewish holidays when they were growing up in Boyle Heights. She worked in the kitchen from early in the morning until evening, rolling out the dough on a wooden board that she set on the kitchen table. She cut each square by hand and would serve her kasha- and roast meat-filled kreplach in a clear chicken soup.

Just as the fillings vary, so do the shapes of kreplach. At a recent dinner with friends, we discussed the various shapes and sizes that each family made. Some fold a 4-inch square of dough into a triangle resembling tortellini. Others begin with a round of dough, resulting in a crescent shape like a pot sticker. Still others use two squares of dough and end up with something resembling ravioli.

Many local families have the tradition of serving meat-filled kreplach to end the fast at the end of Yom Kippur. The Geldin family of Los Angeles always serves kreplach for the Yom Kippur fast-breaking dinner. When you arrive at their home, the table is filled with platters piled high with crisply fried kreplach.

Weeks before, Nellie Geldin and her sister-in-law Cecil Lilean begin the preparation of the break-the-fast feast. They make more than 400 kreplach filled with ground roasted meat and sealed in wonton wrappers, quite different from the dough rolled out by hand. They put the kreplach on cookie sheets, freeze them, then transfer the frozen kreplach to plastic bags to store in the freezer. The Kreplach are fried on the night of the dinner.

When I asked Nellie Geldin’s daughter, Lorraine, why her family serves kreplach, she said that they’ve been doing it for as long as she or anyone else in the family can remember.

On the night of Rosh Hashana, my own family eats a hurried dinner before rushing off to the synagogue.

We do take time to light the holiday candles, then offer the blessing over a slice of apple dipped in honey: “May it be thy will to renew unto us a good and sweet year.” Dinner begins with chicken soup and kasha-filled kreplach. Next comes tzimmes, a sweet stew of carrots, symbolizing prosperity, and, finally, roasted meat. When we return from the synagogue services, we serve baked apple kreplach, made with a sweet cookie dough and topped with honey.

The use of honey to symbolize a sweet year ahead dates to biblical times, when refined sugar was unknown. It is an important ingredient in most Rosh Hashana dessert recipes and adds a distinctive flavor to ice cream, cakes, cookies and pastries.

You may substitute honey for sugar in many of your favorite recipes for the holidays. Mild-tasting clover and light, delicate, citrus orange blossom honeys are best suited for baking. For every cup of granulated sugar specified in the recipe, use 1/2 or 2/3 cup of honey, and be sure to reduce the liquid content of your recipe by 2 to 3 tablespoons.

KREPLACH DOUGH

These directions and quantities are for a large-capacity food processor. If you have a smaller processor, make the dough in two batches. Kreplach may be fried or cooked in a broth or soup. We have described each method in the following recipes; the cooking methods and fillings are interchangeable. Wonton wrappers may also be substituted for the Kreplach Dough.

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons water

* Place flour and salt in processor fitted with steel blade. Pulse once to blend. Then, with machine running, drop in 1 egg and immediately turn off processor when egg is blended. Repeat procedure with remaining eggs. Dough should be crumbly and resembles coarse meal. Add olive oil and water and process just until dough begins to come away from side of bowl.

* Remove dough to floured wooden board and knead just until smooth. Divide dough into 3 or 4 parts for easier handling.

* Separate 1 piece to roll out and cover remainder with large bowl so dough does not dry out. Roll dough out on generously floured board into thin 14-inch diameter sheet. Cut rolled-out dough with knife or pastry cutter into 3- to 4-inch squares or rounds. Dough is now ready for filling and cooking.

*

Dough for 40 kreplach. Each kreplach unfilled:

45 calories; 36 mg sodium; 21 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.03 gram fiber.

GROUND CHICKEN KREPLACH

3 tablespoons unsalted margarine

2 onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper, optional

1 pound ground chicken, cooked (about 2 1/2 cups)

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons minced parsley

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Kreplach Dough

1/4 cup oil

* Melt margarine in skillet and saute onions, garlic and bell pepper until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken, egg yolks, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. (Filling may be cooled and refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day before using.) Makes about 3 1/2 cups filling.

* Place 1 teaspoon filling on each Kreplach Dough square. Brush edges with water and fold 2 corners together and seal like kerchief. For rounds, brush edges with water, fold over and pinch to seal. Repeat with remaining Kreplach Dough.

* As each kreplach is made, set on flour-dusted kitchen towel on baking sheet and cover with another towel. (Kreplach can be refrigerated up to 1 day or frozen up to 1 week at this point.)

* Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and pan fry, turning frequently, until golden brown on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes total.

*

About 40 kreplach. Each kreplach:

88 calories; 52 mg sodium; 44 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.08 gram fiber.

KASHA KREPLACH

1/4 cup unsalted margarine

1 onion, minced

1 cup whole roasted kasha (buckwheat kernels)

2 eggs

17 cups chicken broth

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Kreplach Dough

* Melt margarine in skillet and saute onion until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Combine kasha and 1 egg and add to onion mixture. Saute until kernels become dry and crunchy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 cups chicken broth and cook, covered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until kasha is tender and chicken broth is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool. Stir in remaining egg. Makes about 3 cups filling.

* Place 1 teaspoon filling on each Kreplach Dough square. Brush edges with water and fold 2 corners together and seal like kerchief. For rounds, brush edges with water, fold over and pinch to seal. Repeat with remaining Kreplach Dough.

* As each kreplach is made, set on flour-dusted kitchen towel on baking sheet and cover with another towel. (Kreplach can be refrigerated up to 1 day or frozen up to 1 week at this point.)

Boil in chicken broth 5 to 10 minutes, as you might ravioli. Serve kreplach in broth, about 5 kreplach per 1 1/2 cups broth.

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8 servings. Each serving:

455 calories; 1,886 mg sodium; 162 mg cholesterol; 17 grams fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 22 grams protein; .61 gram fiber.

GELDIN FAMILY KREPLACH

2 onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (4-pound) chuck roast

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

2 eggs

48 (4-inch) wonton wrappers or Kreplach Dough

* Place 1 sliced onion, garlic and chuck roast in large roasting pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and bake at 350 degrees until tender, 2 to 3 hours.

* Saute remaining onion slices in 2 tablespoons olive oil until tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

* Remove fat from meat. Grind meat with roasted and sauteed onions and place in large bowl. Mix in 1 egg and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to fill wrappers.

* Arrange 6 wonton wrappers on work surface. Spoon scant 1 tablespoon meat mixture in center of each. Lightly beat remaining egg. Brush 2 adjacent edges of wrapper with lightly beaten egg. Fold dry opposite corner over to meet point to form triangle. Press edges together, forcing air from center. Twist point at 1 end of fold to meet opposite point of fold, like kerchief. Moisten point with egg mixture and press points together to stick. Repeat with remaining wrappers and meat mixture. (Kreplach can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 1 day or frozen up to 1 week. If using Kreplach Dough fill as directed in Ground Chicken Kreplach or Kasha Kreplach.)

* Heat remaining olive oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat and fry, turning frequently, until golden brown on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes total. Drain briefly on paper towels.

*

About 48 kreplach. Each kreplach:

68 calories; 64 mg sodium; 26 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.03 gram fiber.

BAKED APPLE KREPLACH

APPLE FILLING

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

5 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

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SWEET DOUGH

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted margarine or butter if meal is dairy or pareve

3 tablespoons milk or water

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 cup honey

APPLE FILLING

* Combine sugar, lemon juice, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon in large bowl. Add apple slices and toss. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Makes about 4 cups.

SWEET DOUGH

* Combine flour, salt and powdered sugar in large mixing bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup margarine until mixture is crumbly. Blend in milk until dough begins to come together. Do not over-mix. Knead dough into ball, wrap in wax paper and chill in refrigerator 5 to 10 minutes.

* Divide dough into 6 parts. Roll out 1 part on large sheet of floured wax paper until 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 6-inch circle, using cake round or lid as guide. Arrange 1/4 to 1/2 cup Apple Filling on 1/2 of dough, leaving 1-inch border. Carefully fold circle in half, pinching edges together securely and pressing with tines of fork to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and Apple Filling.

* Melt remaining 2 tablespoons margarine. Place kreplachs on foil-lined baking sheet that has been brushed with melted butter. Brush each kreplach lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle with granulated sugar. (Kreplach can be covered with foil and stored in refrigerator up to 1 day and in freezer up to 1 week.)

* Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer to dessert plates. Drizzle honey evenly over top before serving.

*

6 kreplachs. Each kreplach:

534 calories; 219 mg sodium; 88 mg cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 86 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.67 gram fiber.

Sand cast pewter platter in top photo from Audrey’s Gift Shop, Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles Times

Mosaic glass apple plate and honey pot form Audrey’s Gift Shop, Skirball Center, Los Angeles.