The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook (33 page)

MAKES
10
TO
11

Blintzes, which evolved from Russian blini, are served on Shavuoth (the Feast of Weeks), a harvest festival that also commemorates the Lord's appearance before Moses on Mount Sinai. The reason: two blintzes placed side by side resemble, with a little imagination, the tablets Moses carried down the mountain. Cheese blintzes—along with other dairy fare—are also associated with Chanukah (see
cheese latkes
for an explanation). In the Deli, of course, we make nondairy blintzes only, and their taste is just about indistinguishable from the dairy ones. To make pareve crêpes, substitute nondairy creamer for milk and margarine for butter in the recipe below.

1. Prepare filling (see details below), and refrigerate until ready to use. If you want to make more than one kind, simply reduce recipe amounts. It takes about 4½ cups of stuffing to fill 10 or 11 blintzes. Plan accordingly.

2. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Gradually add eggs and milk, beating with a wire whisk until perfectly smooth. Stir in melted butter. For best results, after whisking ingredients, mix batter in a blender until silky smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Set out a dinner-size plate on your counter, and keep the batter bowl right by the stove. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in an 8- or 9-inch omelet pan. Keeping your heat medium-high, use a ladle to spoon batter into the pan. Tilt the pan so that batter covers evenly, creating a thin layer, and immediately pour all excess back into the batter bowl. When the crêpe is lightly browned on one side, loosen it around the edges with a fork and flip it, browned side up, onto the plate. Continue frying crêpes and piling them on the plate. Do not add extra butter to the pan. (The first wrapper, which absorbs too much butter, is not usable. Toss it. There's even a Russian proverb: “The first pancake is always a flop,” which means the same as our “If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.”)

4. To fill crêpes, place them, one at a time, on a plate, browned side up. Place a large dollop of filling (about a heaping ¼ cup, a little less if you're using fruit) about 1 inch from the “top” of the circle, leaving a margin of about 1½ inches on either side. Roll the top of the crêpe over the filling. Fold in side flaps, and continue to roll, top to bottom.

5. In a large skillet, heat about ½ inch corn oil on a high setting. Reduce heat to moderate, and fry the blintzes until brown and crispy (no more than 2½ minutes on each side). Serve with applesauce or, if you're preparing as a dairy dish, sour cream. You might also want to sprinkle a little confectioners' sugar on fruit or cheese blintzes. (You'll need 2 skillets to contain all the blintzes in one batch.)

1. Heat corn oil or schmaltz in a large skillet, and sauté onions until brown. At the last minute, add the garlic, and sauté until brown.

2. Place the onions and garlic in a large bowl with the mashed potatoes, egg, salt, and pepper, and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate until needed.

1. Heat corn oil or schmaltz in a large skillet, and sauté onions until brown.

2. Place the onions in a large bowl with the kasha, eggs, salt, and pepper, and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate until needed.

1. Blend all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl, and refrigerate until needed.

1. Heat corn oil in a large skillet, and sauté onions until brown. Place in a large bowl.

2. Chop the cooked spinach very fine (it's best to pulse it a few times in a food processor). Add to bowl with onions.

3. Add all remaining ingredients, and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate until needed.

1. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in your largest skillet, and, on high heat, sauté apple or peach slices until lightly browned on both sides. Do this in batches, so that you're browning only one layer of fruit slices at a time (don't pile them up); use ½ teaspoon extra butter for each batch. Don't overdo it. You want the fruit slices to keep their integrity, not turn into mush. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, and set aside. Add another ½ teaspoon butter to the pan, and quickly sauté the raisins. Add to bowl with apples or peaches.

2. Add sugar (use more or less than a cup, depending on the sweetness of your fruit) and cinnamon, and mix in well. Refrigerate until needed. When
you stuff the crêpes, you can add a dollop of whipped cream cheese along with the fruit if you wish.

1. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in your largest skillet, and, on high heat, stirring frequently, sauté blueberries very quickly—just until they turn dark and some juice comes out. Strain berries over a bowl, reserving liquid in a small saucepan.

2. Place berries in a large bowl, add sugar (use more or less than a cup, depending on the sweetness of your berries), and mix in. Refrigerate until needed. When you stuff the crêpes, you can add a dollop of whipped cream cheese along with the fruit if you wish. Also taste blueberry filling before stuffing; you may want to add a bit more sugar.

MAKES
12
BLINTZES

Your family will love this Passover treat. For us, these blintzes have become an annual holiday tradition.

1. Prepare one of the fillings described below, and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Lay out a double layer of paper toweling on your counter large enough to hold all 6 matzo squares without piling them. Hold matzo squares under cold running water (do 1 square at a time) for about 10 seconds, until both sides are wet but not limp. Lay out the wet matzos on the paper toweling, and place a single layer of wet paper toweling on top. Leave them for 50 minutes, at which time you'll find that the matzos are pliable and can be rolled without breaking. You must have your fillings prepared at this time and be ready to fry the blintzes. (These moistened matzos are delicate; you might want to prepare a few extras in case some of them tear.)

3. In a bowl, beat eggs and water, and set aside. Using a sharp knife, cut a matzo square exactly in half along the grain. Place about ¼ cup of filling about 1 inch from one end (leave a ½-inch margin on both sides), and roll, vertically, against the grain. Work with care so as not to tear the matzo. Do not try to seal the sides. Dip each blintz in the egg-water mixture, and place it on a plate. Repeat until all matzo wrappers are filled and dipped.

4. You'll need 2 skillets to contain all 12 blintzes. Heat half the corn oil in each, carefully place blintzes in pans, and sauté, turning once, until nicely browned and crispy on both sides. Remove and serve.

1. Place mashed potatoes in a large bowl. Heat olive oil in a skillet, and sauté onions until brown. At the last minute, add garlic, and brown quickly. Remove with a slotted spoon to the bowl containing mashed potatoes.

2. Add egg, salt, and pepper, and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate until needed.

3. Stuff and cook matzos as indicated above. Serve with sour cream.

1. Combine all ingredients (except sour cream and jam) in a large bowl, and blend thoroughly. Refrigerate until needed. Stuff and cook matzos as indicated above. Serve with sour cream and/or raspberry jam.