Kreplach (Jewish Ground Beef Ravioli) Recipe

"When I moved out on my own, I asked for the family kreplach recipe (pronounced krep-la). My Mom ended up giving me her taped up 1954 Settlement Cookbook with handwritten notes in the margins, so I'm guessing a bit on this recipe. My grandmother would save the roast beef & brisket scraps in the freezer until she had enough, and then would make a batch of kreplach and serve it as a side dish with dinner. It would also make a great appetizer. Imagine a meat ravioli with a slightly crispy noodle dough without any sauce. Many people also serve them in hot chicken soup (in this case it is a bit like a beef Chinese potsticker). I am totally guessing on yield and time since I have never actually made this myself...this is not a quick recipe, but turns out fabulous."

Step by Step Method

TO PREPARE THE DOUGH

Step 1

Beat egg slightly, add salt, flour and enough water to make a stiff dough.

Step 2

Knead dough well, let stand covered for 30 minutes.

TO PREPARE THE MEAT FILLING

Step 3

While waiting for the dough to sit, make the meat filling. The original recipe simply used chopped cooked meat. Our family version put the meat and browned onions through a meat grinder. If I was making it, I would use a food processor and roughly chop the meat and onions. Add egg plus salt and pepper to meat and onion mixture. Mix well.

TO ASSEMBLE

Step 4

Roll out dough very thin. It must not be the least bit sticky but not so dry that it will break or be brittle. With a knife, cut the dough in 3 inch squares.

Step 5

Place a teaspoon of meat mixture on every square and then fold each into a triangle, pressing the edges together. Wet the edges with water or egg yolk if needed to get them to stick well.

Step 6

Drop kreplach into boiling salted water or soup, and cook for 15 minutes.

Step 7

Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve. (They could also be served immediately in hot soup).

Step 8

Prior to serving, thaw (if frozen) and brush tops with oil, butter or schmaltz. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through (I'm totally guessing on the time since this was not in the cookbook notes, so monitor closely so the kreplach does not get browned on the tops).