Beats me

I have already mentioned my aversion to home made kreplach (I'm talking about having to make them myself, of course; home made kreplach are the best when they are made by someone else.) My mom was making a bunch once (about 3 or 4 hundred is her usual amount to make at one sitting) and was in a mellow mood so I asked why she makes them for Succot when it's still too hot for soup (that was back in the ancient days of my youth, when I lived in Israel, where it is always too hot for soup.) She explained that kreplach are traditionally eaten on occasions when beatings take place, like Yom Kippur, Hosha'na Raba and Purim. I did not quite believe her because if what she said had been true, we would have been eating kreplach every week. 

This shows the importance of study. I always tell my kids that it's all good and well to follow tradition and keep mitzvot, but if you have no clue why you're doing what you're doing, you are missing a large portion of your heritage and that's a shame. My mother in law showed the same level of knowledge when I asked why Iranian Jews eat dairy on Purim (when they so overwhelmingly prefer meat.) I will leave the reasoning for that one as an exercise for the student and concentrate on the kreplach issue.

It all stems from the fact that the word for 'beaten' and the word for 'chopped' are the same in Yiddish ('gehacked'). Therefore "chopped liver" is actually "beaten liver". Why? because in the days before food processors or meat grinders, our great great grandmas used to chop everything by hand. My own grandma used to chop things this way and I still remember her standing at the cutting board (a thick slab of hard wood), beating down on the meat with a heavy cleaver. The poor liver never had a chance. To this day, proper kebab is made by hand chopping the meat, instead of the easier method of grinding it in a machine. Hand made is usually better tasting and certainly more authentic than machine made, isn't it?

So the kreplach, filled with chopped ("beaten") cooked meat, was traditionally served on those occasions when something or someone was beaten (again, they did not include corporal punishments in this category, which is totally unfair). On Yom Kippur, men are supposed to be whipped in shul (and guess what, they won't let the women watch; never mind yield the whip themselves. Oh, well, at least they get a whippin' for the way they behaved during the rest of the year...) On Purim, we beat out the name of Haman, of course. And on Hosha'na Raba, we beat the aravot. Anyone knows why? Please enlighten me. 

At any rate, the women (of course) will be toiling away in the kitchen, making kreplach. Which, let me tell you, is an endless, exhausting and mind numbing ordeal (and that's just for the one watching the process.) And, as I explained on a previous occasion, I have no patience for this back breaking chore. So how will we eat a 'beaten" food this coming week?

By stealing a recipe from and Israeli website, naturally. This comes from a chef called Ruthy Kaynan who has completely circumnavigated the issue of rolling, cutting, folding, sealing (usually imperfectly, resulting in exploded kreplach) and storing until ready. Ms. Kaynan claimed that, since the point was the 'beaten' part, why bother with the dough? Genius, pure genius.


Non-kreplach


1 Lb. ground chicken breast (or you can chop it by hand, mwhahaha)
2 eggs
2 Tbs each: chopped fresh parsley, chopped fresh dill, chopped scallions.
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 heaping Tbs bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste (I recommend a lot because, hey, it's chicken breast. We all know how flavorful that is, right?)
1 and 1/4 qt chicken broth (home made or bought)


Mix all the ingredients except the broth and let rest 10 minutes.
Bring broth to a boil. Meanwhile, with wet hands, shape chicken mixture into small balls (like matzoh balls, but smaller) about the size of a walnut.
Drop chicken balls into boiling broth (you may have to do this in batches), wait until they float and cook over medium high heat for another five minutes after floating. 
Remove with a slotted spoon.
Serve in chicken soup.


Makes 4-6 servings.





What else can you serve this week to keep with the 'beaten' theme? smashed potatoes, chopped liver, coleslaw, chopped salad and, of course, chocolate chip cookies.

Enjoy Succot. It's not every year that we are lucky enough to have weather warm enough to sit outside until all hours, yet cool enough to serve soup.