mizchef

posted by admin on Aug 28

Hi, gang. First thing’s first: I want to remind all my fellow writers out there that there are only a few days left to submit to Skulls and Crossbones, the female pirate anthology. Quick, polish up those stories and send them in!  Make sure to follow the guidelines and send them to pirateanthology@gmail.com.

So, while visiting me here in New York, a friend of mine informed me that she had never had a knish. To a New Yorker, that seems odd, as if that person must have been living in a cave or just got dropped onto Planet Earth from some alien spaceship. (But if one does not live in an area with a thriving Jewish community, I suppose it is possible for one to be unfamiliar with knishes.)

It was evening and we had just gone to a Liberty basketball game at Madison Square Garden. We were hungry and on our way to a particular restaurant. However, we were delayed when my friend had to take an important family call, and we ducked into a doorway to get out of the way of passersby. While I waited for her to finish her call, I noticed a knish vendor only feet from where we were standing. I left my friend’s side to get one. When she hung up the phone, I had a hot knish in my hand and held it out for her to take a bite. Her reaction? “MMMMMMMM.”

Yes, indeed. Knishes are mmmmmm. For those of you unfamiliar with this traditional Jewish treat, a knish is dough wrapped around a variety of fillings: potatoes, spinach, kasha, mushrooms, and sometimes other vegetables. The knishes you find from Manhattan street vendors are square with a flaky pastry-like shell and a spicy potato filling. But, if you go to a Jewish deli, you will most likely find round knishes with a more dough-like (but light) shell and a choice of fillings. I took my friend to a Jewish market in my neighborhood in Brooklyn and introduced her to deli-style knishes. Her reaction? “MMMMMMMM!”

One of the best places to get deli-style knishes is at Yonah Schimmel’s Knish Bakery at 137 E. Houston St., between 1st and 2nd Avenues on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. They’ve been around since 1910, when the Jewish community had an immense thriving culture there, with restaurants, temples, and even their own theaters. At Yonah Schimmel’s, you can get all the varieties I mentioned, as well as sweet potato, broccoli, red cabbage, and vegetable fillings. If you want to order some, they’ll deliver one dozen (minimum) for $85 (plus shipping).

Speaking of kasha, I recently made kasha and bows, another dish common among Jews, particularly Russian Jews, who refer to it as kasha varnishkes. Traditionally, buckwheat groats are first cooked in egg then combined with sauteed onion, chicken broth, and cooked bowtie pasta. I found that starting with toasted kasha and using vegetable broth work just as well. YUM!! But for tradition’s sake, here’s a link to a recipe for Kasha Varnishkes at Epicurious.com.

Making kasha varnishkes is easy; making your own knishes is something else. For adventurous foodies, check out this knish recipe video. For the the rest of you, seek out your local Jewish deli and try them. Otherwise, if you’re ever in Manhattan, knish vendors are everywhere. They’re hard to miss. I promise, it will be worth it.

Enjoy what’s left of summer, everyone. Peace.

Photo credits: Square knishes–www.koshervendorindustries.com; round knishes–knishery.com (Yonah Schimmel’s)