1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (110 page)

A happier outcome follows from broiled or sautéed chicken livers that must be hand chopped with a
hachoir
(a half-moon chopper) or a French chef’s knife, along with hard-cooked eggs, onions, salt, black pepper, and a moistening of the rendered chicken fat known as schmaltz (see
listing
). For good and savory measure, the leftover cracklings from the rendering, lovingly known as
gribenes
, are also added to the mix. The chopped livers are best spread on unflavored matzo or, better yet, on wafer-thin slices of peeled, sliced, and iced black radish lightly sprinkled with coarse salt.

Makes about 1 pound; serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer

1 pound chicken livers, well trimmed (see
Notes
)

2 extra-large eggs, hard-cooked, peeled, and chopped

1 medium-size onion, coarsely chopped

⅓ to ½ cup gribenes (optional but sensational) (see
Notes
)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 tablespoons chicken schmaltz (see
Notes
)

1.
To prepare this dish according to kosher laws, preheat the broiler. Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil and place the trimmed chicken livers on top. Sprinkle the livers with kosher salt and place them under the broiler. Broil the livers until light brown, about 10 minutes, turning them once. (If you are not observing kashruth, sauté the livers in a little schmaltz, butter, or margarine until thoroughly cooked but not hard or scorched, about 10 minutes.)

2.
Place the cooked livers in a wooden chopping bowl or on a cutting board and chop them, along with the eggs, onion, gribenes, salt, and pepper until fine-textured but not pasty. Stir in just enough schmaltz to hold the mixture together. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or pepper as necessary.

3.
Pack the chopped livers into a crock or bowl. Cover and chill for 8 to 24 hours for maximum flavor. Remove the chopped livers from the refrigerator 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Stored in the refrigerator, chopped liver will keep for 3 days.

Notes:
Buy only fresh, bright chicken livers that show no brown dry spots. Clean the livers carefully, trimming off any greenish yellow gall spots. For instructions on how to make schmaltz with gribenes, see
listing
.

Where:
In New York
, E.A.T., tel 212-772-0022,
elizabar.com/EAT-C25.aspx
;
in Miami
, Goldstein’s Prime, tel 305-865-4981,
goldsteinsprime.com
;
in Atlanta
, The General Muir, tel 678-927-9131,
thegeneralmuir.com
;
in Houston
, Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen, tel 713-871-8883,
kennyandziggys.com
;
in Los Angeles
, Langer’s Deli, tel 213-483-8050,
langersdeli.com
;
in Montreal
, Hof Kelsten,
hofkelsten.com
.
Dine-in, retail, and mail order:
In New York
, Russ & Daughters, tel 212-475-4880,
russanddaughters.com
(search chopped liver).

Unrivaled as a panacea for all illnesses of the body and spirit, the soup known as “Jewish penicillin” should be pale and lemony yellow, with tiny globules of fat winking on its surface. Correctly prepared only when it uses a large old fowl weighing at least seven pounds (tough but flavorful), the soup simmers slowly to extract maximum flavor and aroma from root vegetables and herbs—leeks, onions, parsnips, carrots, the white root of Italian parsley known as
petrouchka
, knob celery and stalk celery with leaves, and sprigs of parsley and dill. Some cooks add a nugget of dried ginger, a chunk of turnip, or even a tomato for additional flavor, but the results are less delicate.

Served steaming hot, spoonful by restorative spoonful, this shimmering, golden soup assures one that all’s right with the world—or will be soon. For added heft and interest, there are garnishes such as wide, silky egg noodles, rice, wontonlike beef-filled kreplach, or, for special occasions and always at the Passover seder, matzo balls, aka knaidlach dumplings.

Where:
In New York
, 2nd Ave Deli at two locations,
2ndavedeli.com
; Carnegie Deli, tel 212-757-2245,
carnegiedeli.com
; DBGB Kitchen and Bar, tel 212-933-5300,
dbgb.com
;
in Houston
, Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen, tel 713-871-8883,
kennyandziggys.com
;
in Chicago
, Manny’s, tel 312-939-2855,
mannysdeli.com
;
in Los Angeles
, Langer’s Deli, tel 213-483-8050,
langersdeli.com
;
in Los Angeles and Miami
, Jerry’s Famous Deli at multiple locations,
jerrysfamousdeli.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Joan Nathan’s Jewish Holiday Cookbook
by Joan Nathan (2004);
The New York Times Passover Cookbook
edited by Linda Amster (2010);
cookstr.com
(search sabbath soup);
epicurious.com
(search chicken soup lebewohl).
Special events:
Chicken Soup Cookoff, Houston, February,
chickensoupcookoff.com
; Chicken Soup Cookoff, Cincinnati, January,
chickensoupcookoff.org
.

A densely rich treat.

The most common explanation for the name of
hamantaschen
, those tricornered puffs of crisp pastry enfolding oozingly rich and dark, sour-sweet fillings, is that they represent the three-cornered hat worn by the anti-Semitic tyrant
Haman before he was vanquished by the wiles of the beautiful Queen Esther. It is the story recounted in the Megillah, the scroll that tells the tale of the spring holiday Purim.

In German (from which Yiddish is derived)
taschen
means pockets, so the linguistic switch to hats is something of a mystery. Still other conjectures hold that the name comes from the Hebrew,
Hama tash kocho
, for “May Haman become weak.” No matter, as eating these seasonal treats is more fulfilling than worrying about their etymology.

Most delicious when formed of parchment-crisp yeast dough, the treats have a close second in flakier, short pastry variations; these are made with butter and cream cheese or neutral (pareve) dairy substitutes such as margarine. Rolled paper thin and cut into circles, the dough is pinched closed around a filling, the most popular being
mohn
: crackly little poppy seeds fragrant with grated orange and lemon zest. Varietal fillings of apricot or raspberry jam and even chocolate are mere gimmicks, cloying and texturally incorrect.

While hamantaschen are the symbolic Purim treat of the Ashkenazim, Sephardic Jews (particularly in the Middle East) prefer to taste revenge by devouring Haman’s ears,
orejas de Haman.
Like hamantaschen, these may be filled with the beloved prune
lekvar
, a tantalizing midnight-dark fruit butter made with lightly cooked pureed prunes, a dash of lemon juice or brandy, pinches of powdered cloves or cinnamon, and perhaps some finely chopped walnuts. In these syrupy-sweet confections, a simple dough based on flour and almonds is rolled into circles, filled, pinched into half circles to resemble tiny ears, and quickly fried in vegetable oil. When cool and crisp, the ears are doused in a syrup made from orange-seasoned honey that cools to a shimmery glaze. Hot tea is the best accompaniment to this Megillah.

Where:
In New York
, Breads Bakery, tel 212-633-2253,
breadsbakery.com
; Sarabeth’s at multiple locations,
sarabeth.com
;
in Los Angeles
, Eilat Bakery at two locations,
eilatbakery.com
.
Mail order:
For prune lekvar, amazon.com (search simon fischer lekvar).
Further information and recipes:
Jewish Holiday Cookbook
by Joan Nathan (2004);
The Book of Jewish Food
by Claudia Roden (1996);
The Sephardic Kitchen
by Rabbi Robert Sternberg (1996);
tabletmag.com
(search how to make the ultimate hamantaschen);
cookstr.com
(search hamantaschen);
food52.com
(search lekvar classic prune filling).

They arrive at the table looking like little morsels of bronzed jade, silken roll-ups glossed with a shiny, golden-brown sauce dotted with raisins and redolent of lemon juice, sugar, ginger, and cloves. Gently cut with a fork, each wilted cabbage leaf packet reveals a meaty interior flecked with rice and heady with black pepper. Known as
golubtsi
in Russia and
holubtsi
in Ukraine, this deeply traditional main course makes
admirable use of a humble, hearty vegetable that isn’t inhibited by cold climes or by lengthy periods of storage through long, frosty winters.

First stewed gently with tomatoes, the cooked cabbage rolls are laid out in a baking pan. Their sauce, thickened with crushed gingersnaps and balanced to sweet-sour perfection, is poured over the top to become thick and satiny as the dish bakes. In the most style-conscious households, paper-thin slices of lemon are placed over the top of the arranged rolls as they go into the oven, emerging virtually candied to lend a sunny brightness to the dish. All that’s needed to complete the picture are crisp, hot potato latkes (see
listing
), homemade applesauce, and perhaps a glass of cold light beer.

Where:
In Kiev, Ukraine
, Tsarske Selo, tel 380/44-288-9775,
tsarske.kiev.ua/en
;
in New York
, Carnegie Deli, tel 212-757-2245,
carnegiedeli.com
;
in Miami
, Goldstein’s Prime, tel 305-865-4981,
goldsteinsprime.com
;
in Houston
, Kenny & Ziggy’s, tel 713-871-8883,
kennyandziggys.com
;
in Los Angeles
, Canters Deli, tel 323-651-2030,
cantersdeli.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The Book of Jewish Food
by Claudia Roden (1996);
Arthur Schwartz’s Jewish Home Cooking
by Arthur Schwartz (2008);
The New York Times Jewish Cookbook
edited by Linda Amster (2003);
How to Feed Friends and Influence People
by Milton Parker and Allyn Freeman (2004);
epicurious.com
(search holishkes);
tasteofhome.com
(search sweet-and-sour stuffed cabbage).

Stingingly peppery and powerfully aromatic, horseradish is a valued condiment in many cuisines, most especially those of northern and eastern Europe, and of the Jews who inhabited those areas. Botanically known as
Armoracia rusticana
, the ancient herbal root yields a sinus-clearing hot and spicy essence when cut open or grated.

Its fiery fumes enliven many foods otherwise considered bland—raw shellfish such as clams and oysters (heresy to those who prefer their sea-breeze flavor undiluted), and meat-and poultry-bound sauces based on tomato, cream, or butter. It’s an important player at Passover as well. At the first Passover seder, the root is cut into small sticks or slices to represent
maror
, the “bitter herb” that symbolizes the harshness Jewish slaves endured at the hands of the Egyptians. Symbols aside, it separates the bold palate from the timid, as seder guests down the
maror
in a contest to see who can withstand its heat. Later in the meal, grated horseradish serves as a garnish for the oniony gefilte fish; tinted red and slightly sweet with grated beets, it may also be served as an accompaniment to boiled beef.

The biggest problem with preparing this fiery root at home is the tear-producing job of grating it, as the fumes it releases are powerful indeed: The cutting, grinding, or grating process for horseradish crushes its root cells and releases the fiery volatile oils (called isothiocyanates) they contain. The prepared horseradish sold in food markets includes white vinegar, added to stop this chemical reaction and stabilize the horseradish’s flavor and color.

Valued for its medicinal properties as well as its taste, horseradish is considered a
cholagogue, an agent that stimulates the release of bile from the gallbladder and thus aids in healthy digestion; it also contains a highly useful infection-fighting enzyme called peroxidase. On a more hedonistic note, horseradish adds zip and zest to anything you mix it with, from dips and sauces to pickling vegetables to roast beef sandwiches.