When I told Murray that the whole family would be coming for dinner this weekend he was farklempt (overwhelmed with emotion).  Now that the cooking for the New Hampshire Jewish Food Festival is finished we have some time to make a fuss over the kinderlach (children).   I know they will want me to make my raspberry strudel for dessert so I asked Murray for his help in the kitchen.  The process to create the strudel is so much easier when we work together.  From start to finish, we make the dough, let it rest in the icebox overnight, roll out the dough, spread the sweet mixture on the dough, roll into logs and bake.  Sounds easy, no?

Well let me tell you, it also takes a lot of koach (strength) to mix the butter, cream cheese, and flour.   When I heard that there is a machine that can mix the dough for you, well, I try never to kvetch (complain) about all the work but Murray, he went right out and bought that fancy machine for us.  It is a mechaya (slice of heaven), so I call it my “mechaya machine” and it seems like novtime before the dough is wrapped and ready for the icebox overnight.  The next day we let the balls of dough come to room temperature.  That makes them easier to roll out with my Bubbie’s rolling pin on wooden board that she made her strudel on.  Before I roll out this dough, I always sprinkle the board with a cinnamon and sugar mixture that will sweeten the dough.

Next step is to make the raspberry filling.  Murray will chop the nuts into small pieces to be mixed with the jam and the golden raisins.  He can’t control the urge to taste the filling, which he always declares is delicious.  We carefully spread the filling on the flattened dough and then roll into logs to be baked. 

We always make several batches of strudel so there is enough for the family to take home.  There is nothing quite like the sweet aroma of strudel baking and it will be ready just in time for the family’s arrival.

Well, it’s time to close Bubbie’s Kitchen Adventures for this year.  Be sure to get online and place your order before time runs out.  The information is under our pictures below.  Until next year’s Jewish Food Festival, Zei Gazunt (be well)!

I want to introduce you to my hubby Murray better known as Zaydie (grandfather) by the mishpocha (family, pronounced mish-po-cha).  Just yesterday we were in the kitchen together and I asked Murray about the secret ingredient he uses when he makes the brisket.  Well, let me tell you what happened….

Bubbie: “Murray, everyone has been asking how you make that wonderful beef brisket.  There is a flavor I cannot identify.”

Zaydie: “Well Bea, I’ll tell you over a glass tea. First you have to go out to the field and find a cow that is ready for the table. You put her in the back of the wagon and bring her to Saul the butcher and…”

Bubbie: “No, no, no. In this country we don’t have a cow, we go to the grocery store and buy the brisket.”

Zaydie: “Oh yes, much easier.  Well, you buy the biggest brisket and trim the fat from this meat.  Oy, it takes forever to trim.  I should have brought Saul over from the old country with me, he could trim like no one else.”

Bubbie: “Murray, enough with the fat and the trimming!  I want to know how you get that unusual flavor?”

Zaydie: “Shush, shush, I am getting to that. We have to mix up the sauce to soak the meat in.”

Bubbie: “Sauce? Oy, you mean marinade.”

Zaydie: “Ya, ya, marinade, schamranade; whatever you want to call it.”

Bubbie: “What is in the marinade?”

Zaydie: “It’s a secret.”

Bubbie: “We told the readers we would tell them.”

Zaydie: “Ya, ya. Well, you pick garlic from the garden, or I guess you can buy from your grocery store. Then chop it up into small pieces, add minced onion flakes, seasoning, and the secret American ingredient that Pilgrims told to our ancestors - whole berry cranberry sauce. You cover the meat with this paste and leave in a big schissel (pot) overnight.  The next day you bake until ready, slice thin and eat with gravy made from the drippings in the pan.”

Bubbie: “So that’s what it is – cranberries - who would have thought the Pilgrims would have a say in your brisket!”

Zaydie: “I thought it would make my Zaydie’s recipe more “American Style” with a flavor nothing can compare.  Tell your readers to get some from the New Hampshire Jewish Food Festival – they make it the same way.”

Bubbie: “I think you just did!”

Next week we are making the STRUDEL so good it melts in your mouth!  Until then, Zei Gazunt (be well)

In the small kitchen at Temple B’nai Israel (TBI), many hands come together to transform raw ingredients into the mouthwatering foods that the Lakes Region has been enjoying for 26 years.  This wonderful process is accomplished by teams of dedicated members of TBI who take their inspiration from the recipes of their ancestors; the immigrants who came from Eastern Europe.  We invite you into our Bubbie’s Kitchen to learn about the recipes and a little about the culture that has created these delicious foods. (Bubbie, by the way, is Yiddish for grandmother.)

Have you ever had a potato latke?  Well, when I was a little girl, potato latkes were a treat that we ate only during the holiday of Chanukah, the festival of lights.  Now we make and eat latkes all year round.  Latkes are one of my favorite foods from the New Hampshire Jewish Food Festival.  That’s because they use my Zaydie’s (grandfather) recipe from the old country.

The first step is to finely grate the freshly washed potatoes.  Zaydie used a hand grater - you know it’s the silver-looking box maybe you have seen in your Bubbie’s kitchen.  Even though my beloved bubeleh (sweetheart) Murray bought me one of those new-fangled food processors I still like my old-fashioned box grater, but the food processor saves wear and tear on my knuckles, so the food processor wins.  I mix the potatoes with grated carrots and onions.  Yes, I said carrots - that is one of the secrets that you should not share with anyone else.  It is between you and me.  My Zaydie taught me that carrots add just a bissel (little bit) of sweetness.   Next, I mix in eggs, flour and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Now for the fun part, frying in oil.  When they are golden brown on both sides, they are ready for tasting.  Eat them with sour cream or apple sauce and you will be in heaven.  Oh, and don’t forget to order some from the New Hampshire Jewish Food Festival.  Look under my picture below for all the information about ordering.

Next week I will tell you how I make another Food Festival longtime favorite - cheese blintzes.  Oy gevalt, (good grief) are they good!!   Until then, Zei Gazunt (be well)!