Kreplach with Several Fillings
Submitted by sandyr
Kreplach with four filling options: chicken, chicken liver with schmaltz, seasoned ground beef, or cottage cheese. Homemade Jewish dumplings for chicken noodle soup or served with sour cream.
YIELD
10 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
30 minKreplach are Jewish-style triangular dumplings, cousins to ravioli and Polish pierogi but with their own tradition tied to holidays like Purim, Hoshana Rabbah and the eve of Yom Kippur. This recipe offers four classic fillings: poached chicken, chopped chicken liver with schmaltz, seasoned ground beef, or cottage cheese.
The dough is pure old-world simplicity: flour, eggs and salt. Kneaded firm, rolled paper-thin, cut into 3-inch squares. Wonton wrappers work as a widely accepted shortcut when time is short (and they genuinely do), but the homemade noodle has a chew and character that store-bought never quite matches.
The meat and chicken versions traditionally go into chicken noodle soup. The cheese version is served separately with sour cream, honoring the kosher separation of meat and dairy. Important cooking note: boil the kreplach in water first, then warm them in the soup right before serving. Cooking in the soup itself clouds the broth.
Chef Tips
- Use a food processor for the fillings to save real time, the old-world hand-chopping yields a slightly better texture but the FP version is genuinely close
- Crimp edges firmly with a fork so the dumpling doesn’t burst in the boiling water
- Cook in plenty of rapidly boiling water, crowded pots drop the temperature and leave pale, gummy dumplings
- They’re done when they float to the surface, usually 10 to 12 minutes for homemade dough, half that for wonton skins
- Freeze raw kreplach in a single layer on a sheet pan, then transfer to bags, they cook straight from frozen in a few extra minutes
Variations
- Use the meat filling for a Hanukkah or Purim dinner, the cheese for a Shavuot dairy meal
- Pan-fry cooked, drained kreplach in butter or schmaltz for a crispy second life
- Serve sweet-cheese versions with a drizzle of honey and a dollop of sour cream
Ingredients
Directions
NOODLES:
This is a lost art.
May I add that I usually use wonton skins and make life easy for myself; but once in awhile.
Add salt to eggs, add eggs to flour.
Mix with your hands until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.
It should be fairly stiff.
Knead until dough is smooth and elastic.
Roll out on a lightly floured board (or on a white cloth).
Roll and stretch until it is paper thin.
Well very thin.
Cut into 3 inch squares.
Place one tablespoon of filling in center of each square and fold to make a triangle.
Crimp edges with a fork and cook in boiling water.
Cook until they rise to the top; about 10 or 12 minutes.
DO NOT COOK IN THE SOUP.
You may warm them in the soup.
FILLINGS.
These days I zap all the ingredients for each type of filling in the FP. leaving the eggs for last.
For the cheese filling, you just want to combine.
I would serve all but the cheese with Chicken Noodle soup.
The Cheese Kreplach are usually served on the side (for a dairy meal) with sour cream.
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