Encyclopedia of Jewish Food

by Gil Marks

  Palacsinta remains a favorite Hungarian dessert, rivaled in popularity perhaps only by strudel. However, since good strudel is much more difficult to make, palacsinta is more frequently seen in homes. Hostesses generally serve them after a special meal or to make an ordinary meal special, and any Hungarian restaurant worth its paprika offers at least one palacsinta dish for dessert. For generations, Hungarian children have typically begged their mother or grandmother to prepare palacsinta when the craving strikes, and they are frequently indulged. For Hungarians all over the world, palacsinta is the comfort food that conjures up nostalgic memories of childhood and significant occasions.

  Hungarian Crepes (Palacsinta)

  about twelve 7- or 8-inch pancakes

  [DAIRY or PAREVE]

  3 large eggs, lightly beaten

  1 cup milk, almond milk, or water

  2 teaspoons sugar

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated lemon zest

  ¼ teaspoon table salt or ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  1¼ cups (6.25 ounces) all-purpose flour

  ½ cup seltzer or cold water

  About 2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil for frying

  About 2 cups Ashkenazic Poppy Seed Filling (Mohnfullung), apricot lekvar, prune lekvar, jam, almond paste, pastry cream, or sweetened whipped cream (optional)

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Gradually whisk in the flour. Strain if there are any lumps. Or process all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

  2. Just before frying, stir in the seltzer to make a smooth, thin batter with the consistency of heavy cream or syrup.

  3. Heat a 7- or 8-inch heavy skillet (cast-iron or nonstick is best) over medium heat and add about ¼ tablespoon butter.

  4. Pour in 2½ to 3 tablespoons batter, tilting the pan until the batter just coats the bottom. Fry until the edges begin to brown, about 1 minute. Turn the crepe over and fry until set, about 15 seconds. Flip onto a plate lined with wax paper. Repeat with the remaining batter. Stack the crepes between pieces of wax paper, foil, or dampened paper towels.

  5. To make töltött palacsinta (filled crepes), place the crepes, speckled side up, on a flat surface. Spread with about 2 tablespoons filling. Roll up jelly-roll style. Or fold in half to form a half-moon shape, then fold in half again to form a triangle. Or fold in half, then roll the ends toward the center to form a triangular cone.

  Palau

  Palau is a rice pilaf with meat.

  Origin: Afghanistan

  Other names: palow, pulaw.

  In Afghanistan, as in the rest of central Asia, the favorite grain is rice. The overwhelmingly favorite Afghan rice dish is palau. It may have traveled from India along the Silk Road or arrived in the other direction from Persia, but the current Afghan version has clearly been affected over the centuries by both regions. Historically, palau was cooked in a dayg (a large pot similar to a Dutch oven), which was covered and set over an open fire, with extra coals on the lid for more even heating. This remains the standard practice today in many rural areas. More recently, however, many Afghans have adopted the Persian two-stage method for cooking the rice.

  The most common method for the initial stage of cooking the rice for palau is dampokht, in which the grains are simmered for about twenty minutes in just enough liquid (usually a meat broth) to produce dry grains, then steamed. The other method, sof, which is the Persian style, calls for the rice to be washed, soaked, and parboiled in a large amount of salted water for about 3 minutes; it is then drained and steamed with a broth and/or meat and spices. Although the sof method requires extra work, many cooks prefer it as it is more likely to produce the desired results. Traditionally, the second stage of preparation, the steaming, was performed over a fire, but today many Afghans, particularly those in the cities who own a home oven, bake the palau in the oven. Before baking, some cooks mix the meat and rice together, while others separate them into layers. In any case, Afghans insist that their cooking methods reveal the true delicacy of rice like no other. If the rice sticks together—a scandal for a proper palau—it is dismissively referred to as shola (short-grain rice), a great insult to any cook.

  For most dishes, Afghans prefer a fine long-grain rice grown in the south of the country or imported basmati; when cooked, these varieties yield grains that are dry, fluffy, and separate. Several locally grown short-grain varieties have extra starch, which results in sticky cooked rice. They are generally reserved for desserts. The living standard of the average Afghan has long been lower than that of people in many of the surrounding countries. Therefore, even the wealthier Afghans typically eat rice only once a day, while the average family reserves it for special occasions, frequently for making a palau.

  The usual palau features a large amount of rice and just a taste of meat—most of the flavor comes from the cooking liquid. Typically, the palau is accented with a combination of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and cumin; the Indian-inspired spicing provides a rich aroma and, along with the meat and browned onions, transforms the rice into a brown color. Versions made with chicken broth sometimes include a little saffron or turmeric for a yellowish hue. There is also a popular version in which the rice is cooked in water instead of broth, and caramelized sugar is added for a golden brown color. When cooked in spinach cooking water and/or with chopped spinach, the dish becomes a zamarud palau (emerald pilaf). There are also vegetarian versions, such as narenj palou (pilaf with orange zest, almonds, and pistachios) and badenjan palou (pilaf with eggplant). When the rice is served with kebabs, usually lamb or chicken, the dish is called palau kabob. The crust on the bottom of the pan is known as tie daygi and is considered a delicacy. To remove the rice from the pot and keep the tie daygi intact, Afghans use a kafgeer, a large, slotted, flat spatula. Afghans historically did not use silverware; instead the diners ate the palau using their right hand or a piece of nan (bread).

  The palau, typically the center of every Afghan dastarkhan (literally "tablecloth," but meaning "feast"), is served on a large communal platter, which along with other special dishes—such as dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), kufta (meatballs), and bichak (filled turnovers)—is customarily placed closest to the guests. It is assumed that there will be palau at a wedding and other notable occasions. At such affairs and in Afghan restaurants, sautéed carrots, raisins, and nuts are used to garnish the palou or mixed in for flavor and textural contrasts, creating a dish known in the West as kabli palau/qabuli palau, after the country's capital, Kabul. The carrots of Afghanistan, probably the home of this vegetable, are typically purple, and cooks preparing Western versions must usually make do with sweeter orange varieties. Afghan Jews even make a palau for Sabbath lunch, leaving it to slowly bake in a very low oven overnight.

  (See also Chelow/Polow, Pilau/Pilaf, and Plov)

  Afghan Meat and Rice Pilaf/Brown Rice (Palau)

  3 to 4 servings as a main course

  [MEAT]

  2½ cups (1 pound) long-grain rice, such as basmati

  2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder or beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes; 3 pounds lamb shanks, cut in half; or 1 (3- to 4-pound) chicken, cut up

  ¼ cup vegetable oil

  2 medium yellow onions, chopped

  1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced

  1 teaspoon ground cardamom

  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  1 teaspoon ground cloves

  1 teaspoon ground cumin

  4 cups water

  About ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

  About 2½ teaspoons table salt or 5 teaspoons kosher salt

  1. Rinse the rice in cold water several times until clear. Place the rice in a large bowl, add water to cover, and let soak for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours. Drain and set aside.

  2. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. In a large, heavy pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat, if necessary in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, and brown on
all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the meat to a warm platter.

  3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the onions and sauté until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and cumin and sauté for 1 minute. Add 1 cup water, scrape the pan to loosen any browned bits, and slightly mash the onions. Add the remaining 3 cups water, pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Return the meat, cover, and bring to a simmer.

  4. Continue to simmer over medium-low heat or bake in a 300°F oven, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 1 hour for lamb, 2 hours for beef or mutton, or 40 minutes for chicken. At this point, the stew can be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated before cooking the rice.

  5. Remove the meat and keep warm, leaving the cooking liquid in the pot. Bring the cooking liquid to a boil, stir in the rice and remaining 1½ teaspoons salt. Cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes.

  6. Transfer the rice to an ovenproof dish and top with the meat. Or layer half of the rice in the dish, add all the meat, and top with the remaining rice. Or for qorma palau, combine all the ingredients in the dish. Cover and bake in a 300°F oven for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. Serve warm.

  Variation

  Afghan Sabbath Pilaf (Palau Shabati):

  Cut 2 large baking (russet) potatoes into ¼-inch-thick slices and arrange over the bottom of a large ovenproof casserole dish or pan. Add half of the cooked rice, sprinkle with ½ to ¾ cup raisins and the cooked meat, top with the remaining rice, then drizzle with 1 cup hot water and ¼ cup vegetable oil. Cover tightly and bake at 300°F for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200°F, and cook overnight.

  Pálenka/Pálinka

  In Slovakia and the Czech Republic, pálenka (from the Slavic pálit, "to distill"), called palinca in Romania, denotes any distilled spirit, but particularly those made from fruit. Most popular are those made from plum (slivovica), but also notable are those distilled from apricot (marhulovica), cherry (ceresnovica), and pear (hruskovica). The concept was also borrowed by the Hungarians, who called these spirits pálinka, but in Hungary the word refers only to a strong double-distilled spirit made from various fruits, notably apricot (barackpálinka), cherry (cseresznyepálinka), pear (körtepálinka), and plum (szilvapálinka). In Hungary, pálinka are produced commercially as well as made at home. Nearly 70 percent of all plums grown in the Slavic region of the Balkans go into the production of plum pálenka, commonly referred as slivovitz. Slivovitz became extremely popular among eastern European Jews, especially for Passover, as it is generally not made from grains.

  Pandericas

  Pandericas is a sweet bread or roll.

  Origin: Iberia

  Other names: panderas, pan dulce, panisico dulce, reshas.

  Sephardim, unlike Ashkenazim, did not use sweetened breads to make the Hamotzi (benediction before eating bread), as these baked goods were viewed as cakes. They did, however, on special occasions include them in their holiday repertoire as accompaniments for the meal or as a snack. As the cuisine evolved, Sephardic fritters called bolo/boyo (from the Ladino for "ball" and now generally translated as "bun") became an array of small sweet and savory fried and then baked goods. A related larger bread, dating back to well before the expulsion from Spain in 1492, is pandericas (rich bread), which was typically accented with orange zest, the characteristic Sephardic flavor, or sometimes lemon zest or anise. Bread knots are called pan de kaza (home bread). In the first Jewish cookbook in English, The Jewish Manual (London, 1846), the author, Judith Montefiore—reflecting the Portuguese background of her husband—included recipes for a "A Plain Bola," "Bola Toliedo," and "A Bola D'Hispaniola." The latter two breads were made from dough similar to that of pandericas and were layered with various fillings.

  Pandericas, in rolls or large loaves, is served for Sabbath desayuno (brunch), on Rosh Hashanah, and before and after the fast of Yom Kippur. In the Maghreb, the loaves are known as mouna (Arabic meaning "food") and the rolls, which are frequently shaped into the initials of family and guests, are called mounettes and petit pains. The texture of bread made from the slightly rich dough is light and moist, yet the bread is firm enough to be sliced when fresh. For dairy meals, such as desayuno, the dough is sometimes made with milk.

  The many Conversos (forcibly converted Iberian Jews, also called Marrano-Anusim and Crypto-Jews) in the New World in the sixteenth century were probably the source of the contemporary Mexican equivalent, a sweet egg bread known as pan dulce, as well as various other local pastries, including cuernos (horn-shaped pastries) and trenzas (braided pastries). Some of these pastries are shaped like pigs, such as the gingerbread marronito, an ironic food allusion as well as a reference to the other term for Conversos, Marranos (pigs). Many non-Jewish Mexican families, as they have for generations, still bake or purchase a sweet bread on Fridays to eat for meriendas (afternoon snack) or dinner.

  (See also Biscocho, Bola, Kaak, and Rosca)

  Sephardic Sweet Bread Rolls (Pandericas/Panisico Dulces)

  12 to 15 rolls

  [PAREVE or DAIRY]

  1 package (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast or 1 (0.6-ounce) cake fresh yeast

  1 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F for dry yeast; 80°F to 85°F for fresh yeast), or ¼ cup water and ¾ cup milk

  1/3 cup sugar

  1/3 cup vegetable or peanut oil

  2 large eggs

  2 to 3 teaspoons grated orange zest

  1 teaspoon table salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  About 4 cups (20 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

  Egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water)

  Sesame seeds for sprinkling (optional)

  1. Dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup water. Stir in 1 teaspoon sugar and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, remaining water, remaining sugar, oil, eggs, zest, and salt. Blend in 1½ cups flour. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a mixture that holds together.

  2. On a lightly floured surface or in an electric mixer with a dough hook, knead the dough until smooth and springy, about 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

  3. Punch down the dough. Fold over and press together several times. Divide the dough into 12 to 15 equal pieces. Form into smooth balls, or roll each piece into a rope 6 inches long and ½ inch thick, then tie each rope into a loose knot. Place 1 inch apart on a parchment paper—lined or lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise until nearly doubled in bulk, about 1¼ hours.

  4. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

  5. Brush the tops of the rolls with the egg wash and, if using, sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Transfer the rolls to a wire rack and let cool.

  Panir

  Many Persian words and foods, including panir/paneer (Farsi for "cheese"), were spread by the advancing Persian-inspired Mughal Empire throughout much of Asia, panir arriving in India in the sixteenth century. Whereas Persians subsumed a number of types of cheese under the term panir, including feta-type brined cheeses, Indians use panir only to denote a bland, soft, crumbly unripened cheese made by curdling milk with an acid. The Spanish queso blanco (white cheese) and Arabic jiben beida (white cheese) are similar, but contain salt. Indians tend to use cow's milk, while goat's and sheep's milk was historically more prominent in western and central Asia.

  In India, panir is rarely eaten by itself, but rather incorporated into various dishes, absorbing the flavors. For dairy meals, Bene Israel of Mumbai might enjoy palok panir (spinach with cheese) or matar panir (peas with cheese). In Afghanistan, the soft cheese is served with raisins (kishmish panir).

  (See also Cheese)

  Pannekoek

  Pannekoek is a pancake.

  Origin: the Netherlands
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  Other names: Dutch baby, pannenkoek.

  Around the fifteenth century, buckwheat arrived in the Netherlands by way of eastern Europe and, in the Russian manner, the Dutch made buckwheat pancakes, called pannekoeken. Recipes for them were recorded in the earliest Dutch cookbook in 1514. By the seventeenth century, cooks began substituting wheat flour for the buckwheat and adding milk and eggs, although these refined pancakes were reserved for special occasions. Wheat pancakes only became commonplace fare in the nineteenth century, when inexpensive high-quality white flour and chemical leavenings became available. As the home oven spread, cooks also began to bake the pannekoeken. Dutch pannekoeken tend to be larger and thinner than their American counterparts and frequently contain fruit, such as currants, apple slices, and bananas; there are also savory versions.

  Sweet pannekoeken are a common Dutch breakfast. They are enjoyed with a light sprinkling of confectioners' sugar or stroop (syrup), which is thicker than American-style syrup and has the consistency of molasses. Dutch Jews frequently serve pannekoeken at the meal to break the fast of Yom Kippur.

  Papanash

  Papanash is a cornmeal and cheese dumpling.

  Origin: Romania

  Other names: papanasi, papanush.

  Cheese dumplings—called papanash by Romanian, Transylvanian, and Bulgarian Jews—are popular throughout central and eastern Europe. Papanash are prepared with brinza de vaci (a farmer cheese made from cow's milk) and cornmeal, and are a bit different from the Hungarian gombóc and other cheese dumplings made in neighboring regions, which are typically made with the creamier túrós cheese and semolina or flour. The batter is usually slightly sweetened, but some versions are savory and are served as appetizers. The dumpling mixture is formed into balls (described by cooks as "the size of apricots") and cooked in lightly salted boiling water, yielding soft and creamy dumplings (papanasi fierti); the balls may also be deep-fried, or flattened and fried in a little butter (papanasi prajiti). The fried version is more prominent in Romanian restaurants, while the boiled version generally predominates at home. Sweet papanash are typically served for dessert or a snack; they may be sprinkled with confectioners' sugar or cinnamon-sugar, or served with unsweetened sour cream or yogurt (cu smantana) and jam (dulceata) or chocolate sauce. They may also be coated with browned bread crumbs and sugar. Papanash are traditional on Shavuot and provide a most welcome way of using up leftover soft cheese at other times of the year.