Knishes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water
Pinch of salt
Put half the flour into a mixing bowl and stir in oil with a fork.
Add water and salt and mix until the mixture forms a dough. Toss on a floured board; work in remaining flour, and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Cover and chill for 1 hour or longer.
Roll the dough out on a board as thin as possible.
Pull and stretch it into a long rectangle.
Cut into 3-inch circles.
Put a tablespoon of filling, below, on each circle.
Draw the edges of the circle together over filling and pinch together to seal.
Brush with chicken fat.
Bake on a greased baking sheet at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes, until dough is well browned.
Or, roll and stretch dough and spread with filling.
Roll up and cut the roll into 1 1/2 inch slices.
Lay slices cut-side down on a greased baking sheet and flatten lightly.
Brush with fat and bake as above.
Potato Filling
Mash 5 freshly boiled potatoes and mix with 1/3 cup ground crisp cracklings made with chicken.
To make goose cracklings (Grieben), cut the fat skin of a goose or chicken into 1- to 1 1/2-inch squares and fry when the remaining fat until well browned, then season with a generous amount of salt and pepper and place in the oven for a few minutes.
Chicken Filling
Crumble 2 matzos and soak until soft in 1/4 cup chicken gravy or chicken soup.
Combine with 1 cup finely chopped chicken.
Season well with salt, pepper and cayenne and add enough chicken fat to make a soft mixture.
Mashed Potato Filling
2 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
1 egg
Salt and pepper
Melted butter
1 small onion, grated
Combine mashed potatoes, egg, salt and pepper.
Fry onion in butter until soft but not brown and add to potato mixture.
Serve knishes with sour cream.
