Kishke or kishka is a traditional Jewish Ashkenazi food most often cooked inside the Shabbos cholent (stew), especially for those who have Polish ancestors.
The main ingredients are matzo meal, fat and spices, but there are many ways to make your own kishke with different fats or spices and even vegetables. This recipe gives you lots of options even a way to keep it vegetarian and comes together easily with your food processor.
Try making your own, once cooked you can freeze for later use in cholent, slice and serve with gravy, stuff it inside chicken breast, or even try it as a burger topping.
How To Make Kishke
Servings
12 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 large Spanish onions
- 4 medium carrots
- Up to 2 cups leftover cooked brisket scraps optional
- ½ cup beef or chicken fat or extra virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika we prefer sharp for this recipe
- 2 – 2½ cups matzo meal
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Line a 9- x 12-inch jelly roll pan with foil. Tear 2 (15- x 15-inch) sheets of parchment paper and 2 (15- x 15-inch) sheets of foil. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a food processor, pulse onions, carrots, and brisket scraps (if using) until very fine.
- Heat a sauté pan, with beef or chicken fat or evoo, over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and brisket (if using) and cook until golden, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic and paprika and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.
- Transfer mixture, being sure to scrape all the fat, back to food processor and with machine running add matzo meal until the mixture forms a thick dough that holds together when pressed. Add salt and pepper.
- Divide dough in half and form 2 (9-inch) logs on each sheet of parchment. Roll parchment around the log and twist ends to seal. Wrap each log in a sheet of foil.
- Roast kishke for 1 hour. Unwrap and continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes until browned and crispy.
- Slice and serve or add to cholent.
I think it will hold together better if you bake it first but not sure it could be fine
Can i just throw the Kishke into the cholent pot for it to cook there? Or does it have to go into oven first?
BTW, the kishke was perfect! Really hit the spot.
Jamie, you are my go-to for Ashkenazi recipes! Everything I make from your recipes bring me back to my childhood as a Goy growing up in a Jewish neighborhood. Thank you!
can you please tell me the cup measurement for the carrots and onions? it is hard to make recipes that don’t measure the main ingredients. thanks
With recipes like this the exact amount is flexible so it is best to just use up the whole onion and carrot you choose, but I would estimate about 4 cups onions and 1 1/2 cups carrots
That is so interesting, if it was a Kosher Jewish deli they would have left out the pig’s blood, but could be they used barley
My mom made the best kishka – took her hours to scrape clean the casing – she scraped until thin enough to read the newspaper through it. Beef, yes, as was the casing she got at a kosher butcher.
If you can’t get a casing, you can stuff the neck skin of a chicken or turkey! Those are also not easy to find.
The ‘derma’ served in kosher-style restaurants is just not the same as Mom’s Homemade – for sure!
Hello! I have no access to a jewish deli or restaurant where I live, but I used to get delicious kishke from a place up in Chicago years ago. I could’ve sworn they told me theirs had barley in it? Have you ever heard of it made that way? Would cooked barley take the place of the matzo meal? I just recently discovered this site and am excited to start cooking new things!!
Hi, so happy you found us. I have never heard of barley in kishke, I don’t think it would work as a sub for the matzo meal, I really can’t see how it would fit in.
Thank you! I very well might have misheard, or am remembering incorrectly. 🙂
No you did hear right. You were buying kisha that was euther blackish in colour or white? Not sure what the white one is made with but black one is with pigs blood, barley and spices. Usually sold in Polish (Eastern European) deli’s
You probably had cholent and kishka together. Cholent is often served with kishka and can have barley in it.
I am thinking of making this on the weekend, and was wondering if I want to freeze some, do I freeze it before baking, or after?
Sorry if I am late to answer, but I would probably freeze before baking it, might depend on how you will use it and I am sure you can freeze after too.
Ended up freezing an extra piece before the cook.
No reason why not. It usually is bought in the deli case or frozen. Just do the same.
Skip the olive oil. Old world kishka is made with beef. It is worth the effort.
Can this be made days in advance with the last 15 minutes left for immediately before serving?