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Wednesday, November 7, 2001
Temple of tradition
Jewish Food Festival serves tried-and-true split pea soup and Rugelach, plus a few surprises
By Leanne Libby
Caller-Times

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

Amy Krams makes rugelach in Temple Beth El’s kitchen in preparation for the 46th annual Jewish Food Festival. While many of the foods offered this year are the standards festival-goers have come to expect, Krams said, there are a few surprises.

At this weekend's Jewish Food Festival, organizers expect to dish up 200 pounds of brisket and 100 pounds of corned beef. Never mind the meat needed for the 200 cabbage rolls.
   Arteries, schmarteries.
   The 46th annual festival opens Saturday evening at Temple Beth El, and everything from matzo ball soup to rugelach cookies will be available for the more than 3,000 expected visitors. The temple is accepting orders for frozen versions of their specialties until Friday, but they will continue emptying the icebox through the weekend.
   "Sometimes what happens is people come and like the split pea soup and want to take some home," said Diane Prewitt, chairwoman for the event. "We have eight freezers that are maxed out, full."
   Cooking for a crowd

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

Rugelach cookies will be available at the sale. The sisterhood uses a recipe first published in their cookbook in the 1970s.

   Be warned: These delicacies are apparently addictive. One customer called Prewitt to change his order from 10 quarts of split pea soup to 20 quarts so he would be sure to have enough to make it to the next festival.
   To prepare for the large-scale scarfing, Prewitt said, the sisterhood used to cook every weekend and many weeknights for three months. This year, they cut a deal with the Del Mar College Culinary School. With students' help, what used to take months was knocked out in six days.
   "We made all the cabbage rolls in 10 hours instead of six days," Prewitt said.

What: Jewish Food Festival
When: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Temple Beth El, 4402 Saratoga Blvd.
Cost: Admission is free
More Info: 857-8181

   Amy Krams, who is coordinating the Kids Zone area of the festival, also lent a hand to the food committee, helping make Bubbe's Chicken (packaging the chicken that was used for preparing broth, which has to be deboned and packaged to use in any chicken recipe) and rugelach cookies. Krams said one of her favorites, as well as a big seller at the festival, is cabbage rolls.
   "I have probably attended the food festival for 14 years, and every year I always get some and buy some to take home," Krams, 42, said. "I even make them, but they are so time-consuming that I would rather buy them."
   A few surprises mixed in
   While food involving cabbage might not sound crave-worthy, Krams said the temple's use of brown sugar in the recipe gives the rolls a sweet, tomato-y flavor that's hard to beat.

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

Festival organizers will have 200 pounds of brisket on hand at this weekend’s food festival.

   And that split pea soup? It is a far cry from the canned stuff, Krams said.
   "They use the recipe from the Levy's delicatessen that was here years ago," she said. "It's Mrs. Levy's recipe, and she comes to help us cook. She comes and checks the consistency to make sure it is just right."
   While many of the foods offered this year are the standards festival-goers have come to expect, Krams said, there are a few surprises.
   "We added chocolate chips to some of the rugelachs, which isn't something we normally do," she said.
   RUGELACH
   Filling:
   3/4 cup brown sugar
   3/4 cup finely chopped nuts

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

In the 7 1/2 hours the festival is open, the group expects to use about 400 matzo balls

   Mix thoroughly and add cinnamon to taste. Set aside.
   Dough:
   1/2 pint cottage cheese
   1/2 pound butter, softened
   2 tablespoons sugar
   2 cups flour
   Pour cottage cheese into food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into large bowl. Slice softened butter into 1/4-inch slices and add to cottage cheese. Add remaining ingredients and work dough until well-blended and smooth.
   Wrap ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
   Divide dough into 3 to 4 parts, and roll on floured surface, one part at a time. Roll thin to form the shape of a pizza crust. Keep remaining dough refrigerated until ready to use.
   Brush melted butter and sprinkle filling mixture (reserving enough for the other parts of dough in refrigerator) over dough surface. Slice dough into small, thin strips.
   (Tip: use a pizza cutter and cut into very narrow wedges, like a pizza.)
   Beginning with the outside edge and working in, roll dough into crescent shape. Gently press dough to seal in sugar and butter mixture and place on a greased cookie sheet. Continue until all dough is used. Brush cookies with egg yolk mixed with a little water. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
   Yield: Each dough ball makes about 36 to 48 cookies
   Source: A Legacy of Good Cooking (Temple Beth El Sisterhood Cookbook, published in 1973)
   MATZO BALL SOUP
   Matzo Balls can be prepared in advance and either frozen or refrigerated.
   6 eggs, separated
   1 teaspoon salt
   1/8 teaspoon pepper
   2 tablespoons olive oil
   1 cup matzo meal (available at most grocery stores)
   Optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika, kosher (sea) salt, ground mustard, turmeric - all to taste
   Beat egg whites until stiff. Beat egg yolks until light. Add salt, pepper, optional spices and olive oil to beaten yolks; fold into egg whites. Fold in matzo meal one spoonful at a time.
   Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
   Prepare work station with a bowl of ice water. Wet hands and form batter into balls the size of a walnut. Drop into rapidly boiling broth or water. Reduce heat and cook slowly, covered for about 30 minutes. Remove matzo balls from liquid and let drain for about 5 minutes. Add to chicken broth.
   Broth
   1 young hen (4 to 5 pounds), dressed
   3 quarts water
   1 tablespoon salt
   1 whole onion
   1 bay leaf
   3 carrots, peeled
   4 celery tops
   Optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika, kosher (sea) salt, ground mustard and/or turmeric to taste
   Wash the chicken thoroughly and trim off excess fat. Cut chicken in halves or quarters and place it in salted water in a deep kettle.
   Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and reduce heat. Add onion, bay leaf, carrots and celery tops. Simmer until the chicken is tender (about 3 hours). Skim when necessary. Remove the chicken to a platter and strain the soup. Chill soup and skim off fat that has congealed on the surface. Reheat before serving.
   Yield: 12 servings
   Source: "Love and Knishes...An Irrepressible Guide to Jewish Cooking," Sara Kasdan
   STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS
   8 large whole cabbage leaves
   1 pound ground beef
   salt and black pepper to taste
   1 onion, grated
   1 clove garlic, minced
   1/2 cup uncooked rice
   2 cups canned tomatoes, with juice
   1 tablespoon paprika
   1/8 teaspoon sour salt
   2 tablespoons brown sugar
   Make sure cabbage leaves are free of blemishes, holes or tears. Plunge them into boiling water for three minutes to soften the veins so they can be rolled up.
   Season the meat with salt and pepper, then mix it well with the onion, garlic and rice. Arrange the cabbage leaves on a flat surface. Place 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of each cabbage leaf. Fold the sides of the leaves to the center, then roll the cabbage leaf up toward you, to firmly enclose the stuffing. Tie the cabbage packages with strong thread.
   Put the remaining ingredients in a shallow pan with a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Arrange the cabbage packages in the pan and cover. Reduce heat and simmer at a low boil for 1 hour, or until the leaves are tender and contents cooked.
   Baste the cabbage packages with the sauce every 20 minutes, and add a little water if too much liquid evaporates. Serve hot.
   Yield: 4
   Source: "Jewish Cooking from Around The World," Josephine Levy Bacon
   BRISKET
   8 to 10 pounds brisket
   paprika, lemon pepper and salt - all to taste
   10 cloves garlic, chopped
   4 onions, coarsely chopped
   1 box dry onion soup mix
   Trim fat from brisket. Mix paprika, lemon pepper, salt and chopped garlic and rub into both sides of brisket.
   Layer half of the onions in roasting pan. Sprinkle half of the soup mix over onions.
   Place brisket over onions with the fat side up. Layer remaining onions and sprinkle remaining package of soup mix. Add one to two cups of water, cover tightly with aluminum foil bake for 4 hours at 300 degrees.
   Yield: 12
   Source: Dottie Heffler, Temple Beth El Sisterhood


Contact Leanne Libby at 886-3615 or libbyl@caller.com

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