The Artisan Jewish Deli at Home
Page 13
1 (2-pound) sushi-grade salmon fillet, ½ to ¾ inch thick, pinbones removed
⅔ cup granulated sugar
½ cup kosher salt
4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped fresh dill
1 lemon, cut crosswise into ⅛-inch-thick slices
Rinse the salmon fillet under cold water and pat dry. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, salt, and pepper. Set the fillet in a nonreactive dish, such as a glass or porcelain baking dish, skin side down and rub the salt and sugar mixture into the flesh side of the salmon until it forms an even, thick coating over the entire fillet. Repeat with the dill, creating a second thick layer. Finally, place the lemon slices in one layer over the dill.
Cover the fish with plastic wrap, pressing down so that the plastic directly contacts and covers the entire fillet. Place a smooth-bottomed dish at least the size of the fillet onto the salmon and weight it with something heavy, such as cans of food or pie weights. The weighting isn’t necessary to cure the fish, but it does make for a denser texture. Refrigerate for 3 to 5 days. More time will intensify the brine’s flavor in the fish.
Remove the salmon from the refrigerator, rinse the fillet clean, and pat dry. Slice across the grain into thin strips and serve as desired. The gravlax may be stored, wrapped tightly in plastic, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Kippered Salmon
Makes 2 pounds
To “kipper” means to cure fish by rubbing it with salt or spices and smoking it. The verb comes from the age-old preservation treatment accorded herring that, when split, dressed, and cured, are called kippers. From the Middle Ages onward, kippers were popular with Ashkenazic Jews who lived near the Baltic Sea, where herring was abundant. When the New York Jewish delis were booming in the 1920s and 1930s, kippering was adapted for use with cheap and plentiful North American salmon. The kippering method in this recipe is simplified for home-oven preparation and incorporates aquavit, a caraway-flavored spirit, for a little tang. But if a smoker is accessible, by all means use it. Smoking the salmon (typically with apple or cherry wood) will produce a more complex, traditional flavor. Serve in a salad, hash, blintz, or omelet or simply on crackers or bagels with cream cheese and pickles.
1 (2-pound) sushi-grade salmon fillet, ½ to ¾ inch thick, pinbones removed
⅔ cup granulated sugar
½ cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons aquavit
½ cup light brown sugar
Rinse the salmon fillet under cold water and pat dry. In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, salt, and pepper. Set the fillet in a nonreactive dish, such as a glass or porcelain baking dish, skin side down. Brush or sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the aquavit onto the fish. Next, rub the salt and sugar mixture into the flesh side of the salmon until it forms an even, thick coating over the entire fillet.
Place a smooth-bottomed dish at least the size of the fillet onto the salmon and weight it with something heavy, such as cans of food or pie weights. Refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours or overnight. If cured for longer than 12 hours, the fish may become unpalatably salty for some. Remove the salmon from the refrigerator, rinse the fillet clean, and pat dry.
Combine the brown sugar and the remaining 4 tablespoons aquavit in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Dissolve the brown sugar in the liquor and boil for about 5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half to a syrup that coats the back of a spoon.
Preheat the oven to 250°F.
Use a pastry brush or back of a spoon to glaze the salmon with some of the syrup. Allow the fish to rest uncovered until the glaze has set, about 15 minutes. Glaze again and let rest, and repeat the process two or three more times, until a thin layer of the glaze has formed. Place the salmon in the oven and cook until the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 130°F, 20 to 25 minutes. The salmon will exude a white liquid and will be firm, flaky, and opaque in the center. It’s important not to overcook the fish or it will become dry and mushy.
The salmon may be stored, wrapped tightly in plastic, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Lox, Eggs, and Onions
Serves 4 to 6
For a simple, savory breakfast meal, give this a try. Lox and eggs have an affinity for one another, and the onions add another complementary angle. Accents from the fresh chopped dill and freshly ground black pepper round out an attractive presentation. If you like, substitute Gravlax or Kippered Salmon for the lox. Though it lacks the traditional Jewish deli stamp, it still offers a subtle cured salmon-dill flavor on par with its piscine relative.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ large yellow onion, thinly sliced
10 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces sliced lox, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh chopped dill
Freshly ground black pepper
In a large, nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. When it is bubbly, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is tender and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes.
While the onion is cooking, in a large bowl thoroughly beat the eggs with the milk and salt. Stir in the lox and 2 tablespoons of the dill. When the onion is done, pour the egg mixture into the pan and let it set on the bottom for about 30 seconds. Using a heatproof rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, begin to push the cooked eggs from the bottom of the pan into the center, allowing the uncooked eggs to come into contact with the pan. Continue to cook the eggs in this manner, forming large curds, until they are just set but still moist. Immediately divide into portions and serve on warm plates. Sprinkle each serving with a little of the remaining 2 teaspoons of dill and the black pepper, and serve immediately.
Pickled Herring in Cream Sauce
Serves 8 to 10
Herring is a variety of small, oily fish abundant in cold northerly waters. As a readily available source of cheap protein, herring have been a cross-cultural staple in northern European diets for centuries. Ashkenazic Jews have traditionally enjoyed pickled herring prepared several ways. This sour cream sauce–based version begins with pickled herring packed in oil. You can substitute vinegar- or white wine–packed pickled herring, but if you do, reduce the amount of apple cider vinegar to 3 tablespoons, or to taste.
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup cider vinegar, plus more as needed
1½ tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more as needed
1 pound pickled herring in oil, well drained
1 large Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
Crackers or Pumpernickel Rye, for serving
Mix together the sour cream, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the herring, apple, and onion and toss to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours and up to 5 days to allow the flavors to develop.
Before serving, taste and adjust the flavor as desired by adding more vinegar for acidity or more sugar for sweetness. Transfer the herring mixture to a serving dish and garnish it with the chives. Serve with crackers or with thinly sliced pumpernickel bread (toasted, if you like).
Smoked Whitefish Salad
Serves 8
Smoked whitefish, golden hued and sourced from the Great Lakes, can be hard to track down in many parts of the country. Although it is available by mail-order (see Sources and Resources), you can often find it (or its relative, smoked chubs) for a fraction of the price in European, international, and gourmet food markets. This salad makes a superlative spread for toasted bagels or matzo. For a twist, scoop it over endive or romaine lettuce leaves for an alluring presentation, or serve it as a substantial salad
on its own, paired simply with cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumbers.
1½ pounds whole smoked whitefish, or 1 pound smoked whitefish, boned and skinned
1 celery stalk, finely diced
¼ red onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 small lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the fish in a medium bowl and break it up into flakes with a fork. Add the celery, onion, parsley, and dill and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the sour cream, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. The salad can be made up to 3 days in advance.
Left Coast Gefilte Fish
Makes 22 to 24 pieces
Gefilte fish has had a place on Ashkenazic festival tables for nearly 500 years. Fish fillets, classically carp, pike, and other inexpensive whitefish, are ground, seasoned, shaped into ovals or spheres, then poached in fish stock and chilled before serving. Though New Yorkers may argue the point, the best gefilte fish has long been made on the Pacific Coast. For a hundred years, from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century, salmon in the streams of the Columbia River Basin were so abundant that superior-tasting pink-tinged, gefilte fish became the gold standard. Our “Left Coast” version is adapted from a recipe made by Michael’s paternal grandmother, Edith Zusman. To prepare your fish the traditional way that she did, instead of using a food processor, mince it by hand in a wooden bowl with a crescent-shaped blade. It’s fine to substitute less expensive rockfish (or traditional whitefish varieties) for halibut. The perfect condiment for gefilte fish is creamy horseradish, as hot as you can stand it.
1½ pounds salmon fillets, skinned and cut into 1-inch cubes
1½ pounds halibut fillets, skinned and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, finely grated
1 large carrot, finely grated
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
⅓ cup matzo meal
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground white or black pepper
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
8 to 10 cups store-bought or homemade fish stock (see Note)
Creamy horseradish, for serving
Place the salmon, halibut, onion, and carrot in the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until the fish is finely ground but not pasty (if your food processor is small, do this in batches). Transfer the chopped fish mixture to a bowl. Add the eggs, matzo meal, 2 tablespoons water, the oil, salt, pepper, and sugar. Mix together until well combined. Place the mixture in the refrigerator, tightly covered, to chill for 1 hour.
Once the mixture has chilled, bring the fish stock to a boil in a large soup pot. Using a ⅓-cup dry measure, lightly scoop up enough of the fish mixture to fill the cup without pressing down and packing it. Use your hands to shape the fish into a small oval. Repeat to form 22 to 24 gefilte fish. Using a slotted spoon, gently drop the gefilte fish pieces into the boiling broth, lowering the heat until it’s barely simmering. Simmer the fish, turning once or twice, until the pieces are completely cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gefilte fish to a large baking dish or rimmed platter and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Tightly cover the dish and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours.
Serve chilled with creamy horseradish. The gefilte fish can be made up to 1 day in advance.
Note: The fish skin and the trim from the carrot and onion can be used to make a simple stock. Boil them together with 10 cups water in a medium stockpot, then lower the heat to a simmer, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Simmer for 1 hour, then strain to remove the solids. The stock can be used immediately, or it can be refrigerated for 1 day or frozen for up to 1 month.
Harry and Maritka Schnitzer from a Passover dinner in the 1950s. He was a kosher butcher in Portland. Their daughter was Edith Zusman, Michael’s grandmother, who made great gefilte fish.
Cream Cheese Schmears
Schmear, the Yiddish word for “grease,” was originally slang for a bribe, as in greasing someone’s palm. Sounds like great Trivial Pursuit material, but it doesn’t answer the burning question: “What kind of cream cheese makes the best bagel schmear?” If it’s available, we recommend Gina Marie brand. Produced in California by the Sierra Nevada Cheese Company, it’s lighter, fluffier, and easier to spread than the ubiquitous silver brick. We don’t know the producer from the man on the moon, but Left Coast food fanatics swear by it and the company’s claim that Gina Marie is free from any gums, fillers, preservatives, and other icky stuff. Better still, if there’s an artisanally produced, small-batch cream cheese available in your community, use it.
Summer Berry Schmear
Makes about 1¼ cups
If these berry varieties are unavailable fresh from local sources, feel free to substitute. Thawed frozen berries or berries from South or Central America can be used at the risk of losing your locavore street cred.
4 large fresh strawberries, stemmed and chopped
⅓ cup fresh blueberries, chopped
⅓ cup fresh raspberries or blackberries, chopped
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, plus more as needed
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
In a medium bowl, gently mix together all the berries with the sugar. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the berries to soften and absorb some of the sugar.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a medium bowl using a handheld electric mixer, whip the cream cheese on medium speed until it is light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Drain the berries in a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Gently press the berries with a rubber spatula to remove any excess juice. (Reserve the juice for another use, such as a mixer with club soda and ice.) Add the strained berries, vanilla, and salt to the cream cheese and beat to combine, about 30 seconds. Taste and add more sugar, if desired, for a sweeter schmear. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and preferably overnight, to allow the flavors to meld. Store the schmear in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Garlic and Herb Schmear
Makes about 1 cup
For this savory schmear, substitute any fresh herbs for those listed, but take into account that with some strongly flavored herbs, such as rosemary or sage, a little goes a long way.
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large clove garlic
Pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon finely snipped fresh chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a medium bowl using a handheld electric mixer, whip the cream cheese on medium speed until it is light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Mince the garlic and gather it in a small pile on the cutting board. Sprinkle the garlic with the salt. With the edge of your knife positioned at a 30-degree angle, mash the garlic into a smooth paste using a scraping motion.
Add the garlic paste, chives, dill, parsley, tarragon, and lemon juice to the cream cheese and beat to combine, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and preferably overnight, to allow
the flavors to meld. Store the schmear in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato Schmear
Makes about 1¼ cups
Though the ingredients for this schmear are available year-round, they make us think of a sunny spring day on the Mediterranean coast. Mixed and pitted marinated olives are widely available at gourmet grocery stores. Make a batch and think warm thoughts.
⅓ cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup chopped marinated black and green olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl of warm water and set them aside for 30 minutes to rehydrate.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a medium bowl using a handheld electric mixer, whip the cream cheese on medium speed until it is light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Drain the sun-dried tomatoes through a fine-mesh strainer, gently pressing them with a rubber spatula to remove any excess water. Add the tomatoes, olives, parsley, lemon juice, and salt to the cream cheese and beat to combine, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and preferably overnight, to allow the flavors to meld. Store the schmear in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Roasted Red Pepper and Onion Schmear