Comforting Knishes Food

KNISH

Steps:

• For pastry, in a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in sour cream, adding 3-4 tablespoons water to form a dough. Shape into a disk, mixture will be crumbly. Wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight., Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, until tender, 8-10 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir until tender, 8-10 minutes. , Drain potatoes; return to pan and stir over low heat 1 minute to dry. Mash potatoes; stir in onion mixture, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. Stir in eggs., Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 10x12 -in. rectangle. Cut into 16 squares. Spoon 1 tablespoon potato filling in the middle of each square. Brush the edges with water. Fold each corner toward the center, meeting in the middle. Arrange, seam side down, on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 15-20 minutes.

SPINACH POTATO KNISHES - JEWISH COMFORT FOOD

Steps:

• First make the dough. Put the flour in a food processor and pulse as you pour the oil through the feed tube.
• Keep pulsing, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Put the vinegar and seltzer in a measuring cup then stir in a teaspoon of salt. Pour this through the feed processor feed tube, pulsing, for 25 seconds.
• Turn the dough on to a floured board and knead for a minute.
• Flatten it into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let the Dough Rest
• Refrigerate for 2 hours at least.
• Time to make the filling - put the potatoes in a pan and cover with water.
• Bring to the boil and add a generous pinch of salt, then simmer for 35 minutes or until fork-tender.
• Drain and let them cool a bit (maybe in the freezer if you're in a rush).
• Put the spinach in a clean towel and wring out as much liquid as you can, before roughly chopping it.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet and sauté the onions with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
• Cook for 15 minutes or until tender.
• Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes.
• Add the spinach, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and stir well, then turn off the heat. Let the Dough Warm Back Up
• Let the dough sit on the counter for 40 minutes or until pliable.
• Peel the potatoes then mash them with the cream and remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, then stir in the spinach mixture. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) with a rack in the center.
• Brush a baking sheet with oil.
• Put the dough on floured parchment paper and dust with flour, then stretch into an 8×6-inch (25x20cm) rectangle.
• Roll it into an 18×12-inch (46x30cm) rectangle with a rolling pin. Add the Spinach Filling
• Spread the filling in the dough, allowing a 2-inch (5cm) border along the edges.
• Roll the dough, brushing off excess flour as you roll, stretching the dough as needed.
• Pinch it closed along the center seam, then turn seam-side down on the parchment paper.
• Twist and seal it closed then pinch off any excess.
• Divide into 3 parts, pressing down to cut off each one.
• It's going to look like sausage links.
• Cut through the separations using a sharp knife, pinching the ends to check the seals are secure.
• Now cut them lengthwise to make 6 total.
• Arrange the 6 knishes cut-side upward on the baking sheet 2 inches (5cm) apart, pressing each one down to flatten into a 1½-inch ( 3¾cm) thick disk. Time to Bake Them
• Bake the spinach potato knishes for half an hour, then brush with oil and bake for a further half hour or until golden.

CHICKEN SOUP KNISHES WITH CREAMY GRAVY

Steps:

• For the pastry: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the schmaltz, vinegar and 1/2 cup water and stir into a shaggy ball with a spoon or large rubber spatula. (It's OK if some of the flour remains dry at the bottom of the bowl; the dough will come together during kneading.) Attach the dough hook to the mixer and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Dump out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it into a uniform ball, about 30 seconds. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes while making the filling. (The dough can be made and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead.) For the filling: Combine the chicken thighs, chicken broth, garlic, carrots, onion, parsnip, bay leaf, half the parsley, half the thyme and 2 teaspoons salt in a wide shallow pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the pot, and simmer gently over low heat until the chicken is very soft and tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables to a second large plate. Place a strainer over a large bowl and strain the broth; reserve for the gravy. Transfer the strainer over a plate to catch any drips and set the vegetables and the broth aside. Wipe out the pot and set it back on the stove off the heat.
• Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and discard the bay leaf. Mash the vegetables with the back of a fork. Pick the chicken meat, discarding the skin and bones. Chop the chicken meat finely and add to the vegetable mixture. Stir in the breadcrumbs and the remaining parsley and thyme. Season generously with salt and pepper. (The filling can be made up to 1 day ahead, but the knishes need to be formed and baked on the same day.)
• To form the knishes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray and set the pans aside.
• Beat the egg with one tablespoon water in a small bowl and set aside.
• Divide the dough in half: Use your hands to roll 1 of the dough halves into a 6-inch-long log on a lightly floured surface, then use a rolling pin to roll the log out into a 16-by-12-inch rectangle. The dough will be very thin. Square off the sides, if necessary, to prevent the end pieces from being too thick and uneven.
• Position the dough so that the long edges are parallel with the edge of the counter. Shape half of the filling into a 2-by-16-inch log. Transfer the filling on top of the dough, 1 inch in from the bottom edge. Gently stretch the dough up and around the filling. (It's ok if the dough tears a little as at this stage as it will be hidden as the dough is rolled up.) Then continue rolling up the filling in the dough into a long log. Score the log in 2-inch intervals and then cut the log into 8 segments.
• Working with one segment at a time, turn the piece so one of the cut sides is up and pinch and smooth the top until sealed. Turn over so the other cut side is facing up, and pinch and smooth that side until sealed as well. Place the formed knish with a sealed side down on one of the prepared baking sheets and then gently press down to flatten it slightly. Repeat the process with the remaining segments, pastry and filling until all the knishes have been formed. (See Cook's Note.)
• Arrange the knishes about 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Lightly brush the tops and sides with the reserved egg wash. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the knishes are golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving. The knishes can be served hot, warm or at room temperature.
• For the gravy: While the knishes are baking, melt the schmaltz in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until the flour smells toasty but has no color, about 1 minute. Whisk in the reserved chicken broth and cook, whisking constantly and being sure to get the flour in the corners and sides of the pan, until the mixture begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Simmer the sauce over medium heat, whisking occasionally and running the whisk around the sides and into the corners of the pan to prevent clumping, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Season lightly with salt, if needed. Serve the warm gravy with the knishes.