Kids not home yet from the school trip? Angry words
exchanged? Middle East heating up again? No matter. You can
find me in the kitchen, mixing up cake #15 for the bar
mitzva. Or cookies for a neighbor's kiddush. Or
baking lekovod Shabbos. Or for the reassuring smell of
baking with the excuse of `just to fill the freezer'.
As the saying goes, I come by this honestly. Although my
mother is generally not one for nocturnal pursuits, she's the
one who taught me that when things are tough, one should
spend the evening baking a few batches of kamish bread. After
filling up a few red coffee cans with freshly baked kamish
bread - Folger's, or was it Hills Bros.? - things will
invariably have changed for the better.
I once read about a recipe for something called "Agression
Cookies". They involved a lot of manual pushing and pulling,
supposedly upon which to take out one's agressions. As a
Jewish homemaker, I have an alternate solution: "Agression
Kreplach". After my last attempt at rolling out kreplach
dough, my arms ached for a week. I consulted an exercise
teacher about this and she assured me that, fit as she was,
her arms also ached after a kreplach roll-out session.
Sefiras HaOmer is a propitious time to rid ourselves
of any anger or agression. This is in order to merit to
receive the Torah on Shavuos. In addition, dairy dishes are
traditionally eaten on Shavous. Old-Fashioned Cheese Kreplach
fit the bill on both counts.
Old Fashioned Cheese
Kreplach
Ingredients:
For Dough
2 cups sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup warm water
For Filling
2 cups baker's or pot cheese, ricotta or creamed cottage
cheese, strained (Israeli: use Tuv Taam white cheese which
reappears every Erev Shavuos)
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon sour cream (omit if using creamed cottage
cheese)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions:
1. Process all dough ingredients in food processor until
dough forms a ball and is well kneaded, about 25 seconds.
Remove from bowl and form into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap
and place in refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, blend all filling ingredients until thoroughly
combined.
3. Divide dough into 4 portions. Use a quarter at a time,
covering remaining dough with plastic wrap. Roll dough with
rolling pin into a 9 inch square. Forge ahead! Cut into 3
inch squares. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Place 1 teaspoon filling on center of each kreplach
square. Moisten edges with water. Fold each in half to form a
triangle. Press edges to seal. Pull bottom corners of
triangle down and overlap slightly. Moisten one corner with
water; pinch to seal.
5. Cook in salted, boiling water for 15-20 minutes.
6. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon; drain well.
7. Top with melted butter or sour cream. Serve immediately.
Yield: 20-24 kreplach.
