Around the Shabbat Table (11 page)

COFFEE-SPICED POT ROAST WITH KASHA KREPLACH AND TOASTED GARLIC CHALLAH CRUMBS

yield:
ABOUT 8 SERVINGS

Growing up in a large, traditional Jewish family, my father never cooked anything until he met my mother. He learned by watching her prepare latkes and lasagne,
bistecca alla pizzaiola
and brisket in the kitchen of their chartreuse and shocking pink apartment: grist for the endless dinner parties Mom's cousins remember vividly today, though they took place more than sixty years ago.

Constitutionally incapable of following a written recipe, my parents expanded their culinary repertoires in different ways. Besides the cookbooks my mother used as departure points, there were the late night radio shows that inspired creative pancake-making forays at 3am or escarole baked with meat, raisins, and pine nuts at our next big dinner.

My father, on the other hand, was smitten with a number of food crushes. Black bean soup, after he had tasted it at the Coach House restaurant, lasted a few years. There were on and off trashy flirtations with onion soup mix and the like. But coffee added to pot roast or a stew—an idea he had gleaned from a newspaper years ago—remained a longtime companion.

I remembered the coffee recently and relied on its slightly bitter acidity to bring just the right balance to the barbeque spice flavors in this meltingly tender pot roast. To partner the meat, kasha kreplach, topped with garlicky crumbs for crunch, make a delectable, if unusual, side dish. For years I have been serving kreplach and ravioli made with
wonton wrappers
as accompaniments to stews and saucy meats: when stuffing is not on the menu, I sometimes prepare pureed chestnut-and-shallot–filled wontons alongside the Thanksgiving turkey, napping both with good gravy.

This is one dish I like to plate in the kitchen, instead of serving family-style. That way, I don't have to explain how to layer the ingredients, then watch the delicate kreplach turn cold and adhere to one another while waiting for diners to serve themselves the meat first.

FOR THE FLAVOR PASTE

8 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground cumin, preferably freshly toasted and ground

1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground cinnamon

FOR THE POT ROAST

A 4- to 5-pound boneless chuck eye roast (I've found that this produces the most succulent pot roast, but if unavailable, chuck shoulder or other boneless chuck roast will yield a very fine dish too), trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel and patted dry

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onion

2 cups scraped carrots, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons smoked or fragrant sweet paprika

2 to 3 cups chicken broth, preferably
homemade
, or good-quality, low-sodium
purchased

1 cup strong brewed coffee

¹
⁄
₃
cup cider vinegar

Kasha Kreplach with Toasted Garlic Challah Crumbs (recipe follows)

COMBINE
all the flavor paste ingredients in a food processor and process to a coarse puree. Pat the paste all over the meat and let it drink in the seasonings for at least 2 hours or up to 24, wrapped in plastic or a resealable plastic bag and refrigerated.

REMOVE
the meat from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 300°F.

SCRAPE
the flavor paste off the meat (otherwise, it may burn during the initial browning) and reserve it. Pat the meat dry. In a large Dutch oven or other lidded flameproof casserole big enough to accommodate the meat, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add the meat and brown it on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and set aside.

WIPE
out all the oil from the pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and heat until shimmering. Add the onions, salt and pepper lightly, and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots and continue cooking, turning occasionally, for 5 more minutes. Add the reserved flavor paste and the paprika, cooking and stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups of the broth, the coffee, and the vinegar, and bring to a boil, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any delicious browned bits clinging to the bottom of the pan.

REDUCE
the heat to a simmer. Place the meat and any juices it has thrown off into the pan; if needed, add more broth so that the liquid comes half way up to the sides of the meat. Arrange a sheet of foil over the meat, then cover tightly with the pan lid.

OVEN-BRAISE
the meat, turning and basting it with the pan liquid every half-hour until the meat is very tender, 3
¹
⁄
₂
to 4 hours.

WHILE
the meat is cooking, prepare the kasha kreplach.

TRANSFER
the meat to a carving board; keep it warm beneath a foil tent. Skim as much fat as possible from the pan sauce. If necessary, strain the pan liquid (reserving the solids—most of the aromatic vegetables will have melted into the sauce) into a large glass, wait for it to settle, then spoon off the clear fat that has risen to the top.

IN
a large skillet, boil the defatted pan juices and reserved solids, reducing until nicely thickened and glossy. Taste and correct seasoning.

I
like to serve this already plated for guests. Slice the pot roast and arrange on individual plates. Top with some kreplach, then a generous shower of pan gravy. Scatter the challah crumbs over all.

  

KASHA KREPLACH WITH TOASTED GARLIC CHALLAH CRUMBS

yield:
ABOUT 50 KREPLACH

This will probably make more kreplach than you need for this dinner, but it is difficult to prepare less than one cup of kasha (since it is mixed with a whole egg). And leftover kreplach (uncooked) can be frozen. Arrange them, unwrapped, in a single layer on a baking sheet, place in the freezer until solidly frozen, then wrap in freezer packaging. You can also use the filling to make “lazy kreplach:” boil the
wonton wrappers
as you would pasta squares and drain them. Grease a rimmed baking sheet or pan and on it place one or two wrappers for each guest, in a single layer, sides not touching. Spread some of the filling on each wrapper and cover with another wrapper. Continue adding a few layers of filling and wrappers to each with the remaining filling and wrappers, creating a stack or two of kreplach for each guest. Add some broth to the bottom of the pan, and drizzle each stack with gravy and a bit more broth. Bake at 325°F until everything is heated through. Serve guests the stacks of lazy kreplach, topped with the challah crumbs.

FOR THE KASHA KREPLACH

1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks

1 cup kasha

2 cups chicken broth, preferably
homemade
or good-quality, low-sodium
purchased
, or
Vegetable Stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups finely chopped onion (about
¹
⁄
₂
pound)

1 cup mashed potatoes (leftover is fine)

About 100
wonton wrappers
(it's a good idea to have extra in case of tearing)

Egg wash (1 or 2 large eggs as needed, each beaten with 1 teaspoon water)

FOR THE CHALLAH CRUMBS

2 slices challah, about
³
⁄
₄
inch thick

2
¹
⁄
₂
tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

PREPARE
the kasha: in a medium bowl, beat the egg with a fork. Stir in the kasha and mix until each grain is thoroughly coated with egg. Bring the broth to a simmer. In a heavy medium skillet with high sides or a wide heavy saucepan, toast the kasha over medium heat, turning and breaking up the kasha constantly until the egg begins to dry and the grains separate, about 3 minutes. Add the simmering broth and salt and pepper to taste, then cover and cook over very low heat until tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.

IN
a medium skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until speckled with deep bronze. Add the onions to the kasha. Stir in the mashed potato, and combine well. Taste and adjust seasonings: it should be well salted and peppery. Add the egg yolks and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until cold.

MAKE
the challah crumbs: preheat the oven to 325°F. Arrange the challah on a rimmed baking sheet and toast on both sides until dry and crisp. Or toast lightly in a toaster oven. Let cool, then tear into pieces and pulse in a food processor until coarsely ground. Measure out 1 cup; use any extra for another purpose. In a medium skillet, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and crumbs, and cook, stirring, until golden brown. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley, if using.

FILL
and trim (see
Wonton Wrappers
) the kreplach, using 1 tablespoon of filling and 2 wonton wrappers for each krepl and sealing them with the egg wash.

POACH
the kreplach: in a large, very wide pot, bring at least 5 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil. Slip in the kreplach, one by one, being careful not to overcrowd the pot (if necessary, cook them in batches, or use two pots). Lower the temperature slightly (the kreplach might explode if the water is boiling furiously) and poach until tender, 3 to 6 minutes (exact time will depend on the brand of wonton wrapper used). Lift the kreplach out, a few at a time, with a large skimmer, gently shaking the skimmer so the water drains back into the pot (the kreplach are too fragile to pour into a colander).

THE
kreplach are now ready to be sauced.

SEPHARDI-STYLE STUFFED MEATBALLS WITH CELERY ROOT AND CARROTS