Once my father (z”l) retired as a senior VP of a major technology corporation, he found that he could expend his creative energy through cooking. He took over making many of our traditional family recipes, all the while lending his engineering expertise to the process. As a result each recipe became a lesson in design and methodology, nearly always with “six-sigma” results. One of our family’s favorite memories of my father is of him leaning over the pastry board with a ruler meticulously measuring the kreplach dough to ensure that each kreple was exactly the same size. It wasn’t that my father was compulsive, it just was how an engineer cooked! All of his efforts paid off; the kreplach were always delicious and we always tasted the love that he put into making them.
Bubbie & Zaide’s Chuck Roast Kreplach with Caramelized Onions
Servings
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 large onions diced – around 1 ½ cups
- ½ – ¾ pound chuck meat – roasted then cooled
- ¼ teaspoon dried ground ginger
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons ice water plus more if necessary
- ¼ cup liquid egg or 1 large egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and saute until the onions are caramelized and slightly browned. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Using a meat grinder or food processor (I use my grandmother’s old fashioned grinder!), grind the meat with the onions. Add the ginger and mix to combine.
- Place the flour, eggs and water into a food processor bowl. Pulse the dough while gradually adding the ice water. Adding additional ice water as needed, continue pulsing until a cohesive, smooth dough ball is formed.
- Remove the dough and divide it into 2. On a lightly floured surface, pat one piece of dough into a rough square. Roll the dough into a 12×12 inch square. Using a ruler (like my Dad z”l always did!) cut the dough into 16 3-inch squares. After filling and sealing repeat with second piece of dough.
- To make the Kreplach: Cover a large baking sheet with foil, then spray with non-stick vegetable spray.
- Take a 3-inch square of dough. Brush a light coating of egg around the edge of the square. Place approximately a teaspoon of meat filling into the center of the square. Fold the square over to make a triangle, covering the meat. Gently pinch the sides of the kreple to seal. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining squares.
- At this point in the recipe you can freeze the kreplach on the baking sheet. Once the kreplach are frozen, you can remove them from the baking sheet and store them in a zipper freezer bag.
- Fill a large 6-8 quart stock pot ⅔ full of water. Add the salt and canola oil, and bring to a boil. Carefully add some of the kreplach to the water, being cautious to not crowd them. Simmer on medium heat for 12-14 minutes until the kreplach are cooked through, stirring occasionally. Serve in hot, golden, chicken soup (or your personal favorite).
- Recipe posted with permission by Kosher Everyday by Sharon Matten.
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