Vegetarian kishke

Wonderfully wet winter weekends (try saying that five times fast) - like this one - are the perfect excuse for… kishke.

Okay, maybe not. Unless, that is, you’ve been fortunate enough to taste my mother-in-law’s vegetarian kishke. I think it’s her most popular recipe. In fact, our family lore includes a story of a Shabbat guest who walked into the kitchen and boldly asked if he could eat the leftover crumbs…

This recipe is not only simple to prepare; it’s very forgiving as well. For instance, when celery isn’t available (e.g., during Shmitah), I just increase the other ingredients (especially the carrot and the flour). I also make it with less oil and salt than the recipe calls for, and that seems to work too.

Finally, if you eat gebrochts on Pesach (more on this in a future post), you can easily replace the flour with matzah meal for a kosher for Pesach version.

If you have room in your food processor, feel free to double the following recipe and then freeze half.

Vegetarian Kishke

Ingredients

1. 3/4 cup oil (I use less)
2. 2 celery stalks (I frequently omit)
3. 1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks (I usually increase)
4. 1 large onion, cut into chunks
5. 1.5 tsp salt (I use less)
6. 1 tsp paprika (I use more)
7. 1 dash pepper
8. 1.5 cups flour (I use a bit more)

Directions

Put the oil in the food processor. Add the vegetables and spices, and run processor until all the vegetables are finely chopped. Add the flour, and mix through in processor. Form a roll in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours. Or, place raw in cholent pot, on top of the other cholent ingredients.

!בתאבון