Rabbi pens a 'storybook with some great recipes'
Easter Recipe
Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski was fresh out of ideas for his prolific pen. The founder and medical director emeritus of Gateway Rehabilitation Center in Aliquippa admits he was anxious. After 50 books, what would he write about next?
"Writing is as addictive to me as alcohol and cocaine are to the chemically dependent," says Twerski, a noted psychiatrist and scholar whose titles include "When Do The Good Things Start? and "Waking Up Just in Time" (illustrated by Charles M. Schulz of "Peanuts" fame, part of a series -- Hazelden, $13.95 paperback, St. Martin's Griffin, $10.95 paperback, respectively); and "The Spiritual Self: Reflections on Recovery and God" (Hazelden, $13.95 paperback).
"I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat," he says. "We had some friends over, and I asked whether someone could come up with an idea to write about. The answer was, no matter how many cookbooks there are, there are never enough cookbooks."
"A Taste of Nostalgia: Tales and Recipes to Nourish Body and Soul" was born. Twerski contacted Judy Dick, an editor at ArtScroll/Shaar Press in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the two opened their recipe files to share dishes from family and friends. The book -- $24.99 -- was published in March.
Twerski also dipped into his deep bag of stories, recollections and 70-plus years of memories to offer descriptions of Jewish holidays past and present and tales of the Chosen People that often are followed by a punch line, or, more often, a moral that will make readers think twice. That's one reason why the rabbi doesn't label "Taste of Nostalgia" a cookbook per se, but calls it a "storybook with some great recipes."
The rabbi and his daughters contributed recipes; the majority of the 150 are from co-author Dick. They are simple and honest --- like the rabbi's own chicken soup recipe -- and coordinate with the Jewish holidays and the weekly Shabbat.
"I happen to like to cook," says Twerski, who visited Pittsburgh recently during a visit from his home in New York, where he lives with his wife, Gail, a psychotherapist. "My mother had five boys -- I was the only girl in the family," he quips. "I had a nanny, and I hung around her in the kitchen and got interested in cooking."
Twerski says he's a "volume" home cook, making dishes in large quantities and freezing them for later meals. "I've got a restaurant pot so I can make a ton of soup all the time," he says. "The only thing is (the pot) is difficult to clean." He and his wife enjoy entertaining, but don't get the opportunity as much as they would like.
"We're trying to cut down on work so we can take more time for vacations," the 74-year-old physician adds. Until then, his next book, No. 51, will be published in July, and he is working on a history of Gateway -- between bubbling batches of chicken soup.
Bubbie's Chicken Soup
This is how Rabbi Twerski makes his favorite chicken soup.
5 quarts water
1 package beef or veal neck bones, about 2 pounds
2 medium-size beets, peeled
1 package chicken bones, about 2 pounds
2 large onions, halved
4 large carrots, peeled
1 kohlrabi, peeled
1 parsley root, peeled
2 ribs celery
1 piece (3- by 3-inch) celery root
Salt, to taste
1 small zucchini
1 leek, trimmed and washed
4 sprigs fresh dill, optional
4 teaspoons dry chicken soup mix, optional
Fill a 12-quart or larger pot with the water, neck bones and beet. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Add the chicken bones, onions, carrots, kohlrabi, parsley root, celery ribs, celery root and salt. Simmer for 2 hours. Add the zucchini and leek. Simmer for 30 minutes.
If desired, add the dill and chicken soup mix during the last 60 minutes of cooking.
Allow to cool. Remove the solid ingredients and reserve for another use. Strain the soup through a fine sieve.
Makes 5 quarts.
Moroccan Fish
If desired, substitute 1 tablespoon hot paprika for 1 tablespoon of the sweet paprika. This recipe is from one of Twerski's daughters-in-law, Michal. The rabbi says the hot pepper makes it a tad too spicy-hot for him, so omit that ingredient if you have a sensitive palate.
4 cups water, more if needed
1 salmon fillet (2 pounds), cut into six 5-ounce servings
3 large carrots, cut into circles or sticks
1 sweet red pepper, sliced
1 hot green or red pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon dry chicken stock mix
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sweet paprika, divided
1 handful fresh cilantro, cleaned and stemmed, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Place 4 cups water into a large poaching pan or deep roasting pan. Add the carrots, sweet and hot peppers and garlic. Add the chicken stock mix, salt and 1 tablespoon paprika. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the carrots are soft. Place the salmon slices on the simmering sauce.
Combine the oil with 1 tablespoon paprika in a cup and let the paprika settle to the bottom. Pour the seasoned oil on the fish slices and garnish with cilantro. Simmer, uncovered, for about 40 minutes, basting the fish occasionally with the seasoned sauce.
If necessary, add 1/4 cup water to the mixture at a time to ensure adequate sauce.
Makes 6 servings.
Whole-Wheat Rolls
Here's a recipe from another Twerski daughter-in-law, Hendel. Yes, this uses 5 pounds of whole-wheat flour -- an entire bag. Home bakers who use all granulated sugar instead of a mixture of sugar and honey probably are going to have to make adjustments, adding more water, some all-purpose flour and one or 2 more eggs, to achieve a dough of kneading consistency. A standard counter-size heavy-duty mixer will not work with this quantity of dough -- you might burn out the motor.
To work around this problem, place the flour in a very large bowl, make a well in the center, then add 2 cups water, the yeast and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. After the mixture bubbles, start working the flour and liquid together, using your hands. You will have a shaggy mass. Add the other ingredients, in order, and continue working the dough with your hands.
To knead it in the mixer, break into batches and knead portions with the dough hooks, adding more water and some all-purpose flour to adjust the consistency. If you need to add another one or two eggs, add during the mixer kneading, then knead all the batches together by hand to integrate the ingredients before you form the rolls.
5 pounds stone-ground whole-wheat flour
5 cups warm water, divided, more if needed
3 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup honey or granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons table salt
All-purpose flour, for kneading
Put the flour into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Make a well in the flour. Add 2 cups warm water. Sprinkle in the yeast. Add 1 tablespoon sugar. Wait for the mixture to bubble (about 10 minutes).
In order, add 3 cups warm water, the oil, honey or 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, baking powder and salt. Mix for 10 minutes or longer, until a smooth dough forms. Adjust the water, and let rise for 1 hour. Punch down the dough and reknead. Let rise again for 45 minutes.
Divide the dough into 30 pieces. Shape into rolls and place onto 2 or 3 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Let the shaped rolls rise for 45 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls for 1/2 hour or until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Makes 30 rolls.
Cheese Crepes (Blintzes) for a Crowd
Look for farmer cheese at cheese specialty shops or in the kosher dairy section of your supermarket. Vanilla sugar can be purchased in food specialty stores or in markets featuring international baking ingredients. Daughter-in-law Hendel also contributed this recipe to "A Taste of Nostalgia."
For the crepes:
7 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
Vegetable oil, butter or margarine, for greasing frying pan
For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds farmer cheese
8 ounces plain cream cheese, at room temperature, whipped
8 ounces sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
To make the crepes: In a bowl, combine the eggs, flour, milk, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar, the salt, 1/2 cup oil and the water. Blend, using a whisk. The batter will be thin. At this point, the batter can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature and whisk well before making the crepes. This should take about 30 minutes.
Place a very lightly greased frying pan over medium heat. When it is hot, spoon in a thin layer -- 2-3 tablespoons -- of the batter and tilt the pan to evenly coat the bottom. Fry briefly, then turn out of the pan when slightly browned -- you will not be cooking the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter, regreasing the pan as needed. Stack the crepes as they are cooked. At this point, the cooked crepes can be cooled and wrapped in wax paper, then in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight.
To make the filling: In a mixer, combine the farmer cheese, cream cheese and sour cream. Beat well, until combined. Whip in the granulated sugar, then beat in the vanilla sugar and confectioners' sugar.
To assemble: Heat a frying pan over medium heat; add a thin layer of oil, butter or margarine. With the cooked side of a crepe facing you, place about 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese filling over the middle of the crepe. Try to keep the filling in a thin even layer. Fold the sides over the filling, then roll up the crepe. Repeat with the remaining crepes, or assemble and cook one by one.
Fry the crepes on both sides until golden. Serve immediately, or rewarm in a 350-degree oven. Crepes also can be served at room temperature.
Makes 35 blintzes.
Karin Welzel can be reached at kwelzel@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7992.
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