The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum recently presented a Facebook Live Rescued Recipes Event. on family recipes rescued during the Holocaust and the heroic actions that saved those family treasures.
Holocaust survivor Steven Fenves, talked about how the family cook heroically saved the recipe book and other treasured items he thought were lost until they were returned after the war.
These recipes were not accessible to the general public before Chef Shaya discovered the book in the Museum’s collection. “As a chef … I want to cook food that has meaning and stories to it. I think that adds to what I love so much about food,” he said. When Shaya discovered that Fenves volunteers at the Museum, he reached out to him. Fenves translated 13 out of more than 140 recipes, including this recipe for Semolina Sticks.
Semolina Sticks
Servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 tablespoons or ½ stick of unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt coarse
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup semolina flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 8 ounces plain bread crumbs
- 4 cups vegetable oil
Instructions
- Line a 9”X6” rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the milk, butter, salt and sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and whisk in the semolina. Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently until the mixture has thickened and the graininess of the wheat has dissipated.
- Pour out onto your lined baking sheet and spread evenly using a rubber spatula. Let completely cool in your refrigerator. The semolina cake should now be firm to the touch. Flip the baking sheet over onto a cutting board to remove mixture from the pan and peel off the parchment.
- With the 9” side of semolina cake horizontal, cut ½ inch strips vertically. Make another cut horizontally to cut each strip in half. You should have approximately 16 rectangle strips.
- In a mixing bowl whip the milk and the egg together. Place the flour in a 12”X8” casserole dish or something similar in size. Place the bread crumbs in a separate casserole dish of the same size. Put the oil into a 3-quart sauce pan or dutch oven, and use a metal strainer for removing the sticks from the oil.
- Line a baking sheet or plate with paper towels to drain any excess oil from the sticks after they fry. Use a candy thermometer to attach to the side of the pot. Turn heat on high and get the oil to 350°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can sprinkle some bread crumbs into the oil to see if they begin sizzling. You want them to sizzle without turning dark. Lower heat to medium high.
- In batches of 5 or 6, place the semolina sticks into the flour to become well coated, then into the egg mixture to coat, then into the bread crumbs to coat. Carefully place the breaded sticks into the hot oil one at a time. They should sizzle immediately once they are in the oil. Let fry until golden brown, approximately 4-5 minutes, then remove and place on the paper towels. Serve while hot. You can keep the baking sheet in a 200°F oven to stay warm as you work through the batches.
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