NOSHIN' ON KNISHES

My stepdaughter went to a wedding in New York recently, and while there, she and her family visited New York City. Although she comes from that area, her spouse and children are from northeast Georgia, where they all reside. When they came back, they told us of the sites they had visited,like Central Park and Rockefeller Center. I've been living down south for a few decades now, it was nice to see photos taken of Central park and Radio City. In fact, a couple of photos taken by my teen-aged granddaughter were very artistic, because the angle of view was stunning, showing the height of the building from base to top.

I got to thinking of a street food I used to get all the time when I lived there. So I said, "Did you eat a knish (pronounced kuh nish)while you were there?" They all said "no" like it was no big deal. But my mouth got to watering, and soon I couldn't think of anything else. The next day I went to the market and bought the groceries for it. I have an old Molly Goldberg Jewish cookbook with a knish recipe in it, so I went at it.

A knish is an eastern European savory pastry, brought to America by Jewish immigrants. You could sort of compare it to an empanada. Knishes are usually made with mashed potatoes or Kasha (buckwheat groats).

I baked up a batch of knishes, and I really enjoyed them. My spouse loved them too. Here is the recipe I used from The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook by Gertrude Berg.

6 Tblspns oil

2 onions, chopped

4 cups mashed potatoes

3 eggs

3/4 cup sifted flour

1 tspn salt

1/8 tspn white pepper

2 Tblspns grated onion

Saute the 2 onions in 4 Tablespoons of the oil for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove and cool. Preheat oven to 375F.

Mix the potatoes,eggs,flour,salt,pepper,grated onion and remaining oil. Knead until smooth. Break off pieces and shape into 2 inch sized balls. Make a depression in the center and fill with a teaspoon of the sauteed onions. Cover the filling with the dough. Flatten the balls slightly with your palm. Place on a greased baking sheet, bake for 25 minutes, or until browned.

These were a special feast for me and my wife. You may need more flour when you mix these. Simple ingredient list, succulent treat.