VEGETARIAN KREPLACH

Prepare for Our Workshop

·      Assemble your ingredients and prepare a clean work surface (including a mixing bowl, fork, a rolling pin and a baking sheet lined with parchment paper).

·      We highly recommend that you pre-measure ingredients and clean and chop vegetables before we begin.

Kreplach Recipe

Makes about 30 kreplach

Ingredients for the dough:

·      1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (all purpose gluten free flour works too), plus more as needed

·      ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

·      1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil

·      ½ cup to ¾ cup hot water

To make the dough:

·      In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the oil and hot water (starting with ½ cup water and adding more as needed). Stir gently to form a dough. Using your hands, knead to form a soft, smooth ball. If the dough is sticky, add a bit more flour. Set aside, cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.

To assemble the kreplach:

·      Take half the dough and roll it out on a well-floured surface; keep the other half covered to avoid drying. The dough should be rolled out as thin as possible, without breaking.

·      Cut out rounds using a glass. Keep your surface well-floured to prevent the kreplach from sticking.

·      Place ½ teaspoon of the filling in the center of each krepl (yes, that’s the singular). Work quickly or the dough will dry out. Do not overstuff. Fold the dough into half moons (or get fancy as we’ll show you). Repeat the process with the remaining dough, putting the finished kreplach on a baking sheet and keeping them in the freezer until you are ready to cook and serve.

Ingredients for the mushroom filling:

• 4 tsp olive oil, plus a little bit more

• 1 small onion, peeled and diced small

• 8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned, de-stemmed, diced small

• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (dried is ok, but reduce quantity to 1 tsp)

• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Sour cream for serving fried or vegetable broth for serving in soup (optional)

To make the mushroom filling:

• Heat oil in a large frying pan. Sauté onions until translucent, add mushrooms and 2 cloves garlic, herbs and red pepper flakes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are shriveled and have released juices, but before they crisp up or burn.

• Taste and adjust seasonings and salt to your liking. Let cool slightly before filling and folding dumplings.

Bonus (optional!) 2nd Filling

For the Spinach and onion filling:

·      ½ tablespoon olive oil

·      1 medium onion, sliced

·      3 ounces spinach, stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped

·      1 large egg

·      ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

·      ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

To make the bonus spinach and onion filling:

·      In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until the onion is soft and caramel in color, about 15 minutes. Add the spinach in batches and cook until it has wilted, about 5 minutes. Let the spinach-onion mixture cool slightly, then transfer it to a food processor and add the egg, lemon juice, and salt. Process until a smooth paste is formed.

Recipe adapted from The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods by Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz (Flatiron Books, 2016). All Rights reserved.