KEFTES DE PESCADO (Salmon Croquettes in Tomato Puree)

Click here for additional photos.

LESSON OBJECTIVES AND OUTLINE FOR TEACHERS

I. LESSON OBJECTIVES

A. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of proper cooking techniques by preparing the Keftes de Pescado; thereby demonstrating that they know how to:

1. Open a can.
2. Use a food processor.
3. Measure and combine ingredients.
4. Heat oil to the proper temperature.
5. Form the mixture into the proper shapes.
6. Carefully lower the patties into the hot oil.
7. Flip the patties carefully to the other side.
8. Drain the oil from each patty and remove the patties from the hot oil onto paper towels.

B. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of how these recipes fit into the celebrations of Pesach and Rosh Hashanah in other Jewish traditions by completing the final Sample Test.

II. KITCHEN ORGANIZATION: TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

A. TIMING

1. This recipe can be completed, start to finish in class.

2. This recipe was used to prepare meals for the Cook-for-a-Friend program at the Newman Center in Philadelphia, a center which provides services for the Jewish Aged. A large mixture was prepared a few hours ahead of class, and the class just scooped, formed, fried, and readied the trays. The Newman Center provided foil divided trays and everything else necessary to package the meals. We added side dishes of red beans and rice and french-cut string beans. Our contact at the Center was Goldie Rojer ז׳׳ל a wonderful lady who was an untiring advocate for the aged. 

B. TECHNIQUES

1. It is very important to let the mixture rest for a few minutes before forming the patties. A few hours is preferable if it is possible.

2. It is also very important to have a responsible person monitoring the hot oil continuously to make sure that it does not overheat or splash and cause fire or injury. The edge of the patty should touch the oil before the student lets it drop. 

3. A spatula that allows the oil to drain through and away from the patties makes them less greasy.

III. FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A. In this country, the students may find this recipe familiar as it may be known here as salmon croquettes. What are some of the similarities and differences between our varying Jewish cultures?

B. This recipe uses matzoh meal as the binder which makes the recipe suitable for Passover meals. At other times, bread crumbs are used as both a binder and to provide a crunchy coating. How have recipes been adapted and modified to suit our dietary laws?

MATERIALS FOR KEFTES DE PESCADO

• 1 15-1/2 oz. can salmon, including liquid

• 2 large eggs

• 1 small-to-medium-sized onion

• 3 T. finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

• 1 T. finely chopped fresh dill

• 2 T. lemon juice

• 2/3 c. matzoh meal

• salt and pepper to taste

• vegetable oil for frying

• 1 8-oz. can tomato puree

• 2 sharp knives

• large frying pan

• measuring cups

• measuring spoons

• food processor with steel knife

• silicone spatulas

• paper towels

• baking trays

• dish cloths

• dishwashing liquid

• dish towels

• pot holders

************************************

FOR THE STUDENTS:

KEFTES

    Keftes, or croquettes as we know them in English, are found in many varieties in the traditional Sephardic cuisine. A principal ingredient of fish, or leek, or lamb, or spinach, etc. is bound together with raw egg and matzoh meal or mashed potatoes and seasoned. The consistency becomes such that the mixture can be molded with the hands into patties, balls, or rounded conical shapes. The patty can then either be dipped in matzoh meal, matzoh cake meal, or flour, and egg, or can be fried without any coating. The egg coating is traditional for many types of keftes and is delicious, but it can be omitted, particularly when there is a concern about the number of eggs one is consuming because of cholesterol problems.

    Keftes de carne y legumbres (meat and vegetable croquettes) are served in the Jewish community on the Isle of Rhodes during Pesach on a bed of sodra (matzoh farfel). Keftes de prasa (leek croquettes) are also known in Turkey as prasafuchies and are a traditional part of the Rosh Hashanah meal. South African Jews make similar croquettes called frikkadels, which are seasoned with ginger and nutmeg rather than parsley and lemon.
    In the recipe below for keftes de pescado (fish croquettes), the bones and skin of the canned salmon should not be removed because they cannot be distinguished in the cooked croquettes, and the bones are an excellent source of dietary calcium. For convenience, the croquettes can be fried ahead of time and reheated in the sauce just before serving.

KEFTES DE PESCADO (Salmon Croquettes in Tomato Puree)

(Makes 9 to 10 2-1/2-inch-diameter croquettes)

Ingredients:

• 1 15-1/2 oz. can salmon, including liquid
• 2 large eggs
• 1 small-to-medium-sized onion
• 3 T. finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 T. finely chopped fresh dill
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 2/3 c. matzoh meal
• salt and pepper to taste
• vegetable oil for frying
• 1 8-oz. can tomato puree

Directions:

1. Put the salmon and its liquid into a medium-sized bowl and mash well with a fork or potato masher.

2. Put onion, and a few sprigs of parsley and dill into bowl of food processor and chop very fine with steel knife.

3. Add eggs, onion, parsley, dill, and lemon juice to the salmon.

4. Stir in matzoh meal and season with salt and pepper.

5. Let the mixture rest about 5 minutes so that the matzoh meal can absorb some of the liquid.

6. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over medium-high heat, begin heating oil that is 1/8 to 1/4-inch deep to 375 degrees on a deep fat thermometer. Watch the temperature very carefully as the oil should not exceed this temperature before the croquettes are added. Oil that is overheated is very dangerous!

7. For uniform-size patties, scoop out mixture with an ice-cream scoop and form into patties with your hands.

8. Lower carefully into hot oil and fry until well browned, turning once to brown both sides.

9. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. (At this point, the croquettes can be frozen on trays for future rewarming in the oven in a small amount of tomato puree.)

10. Serve warm in a small pool of warmed tomato puree.

FOULARES (For Purim) (Turkish Hard-Cooked Eggs Wrapped with Cheese Pastry)

 

Click here for additional photos.

LESSON OBJECTIVES AND OUTLINE FOR TEACHERS

I. LESSON OBJECTIVES

A. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of proper cooking techniques by preparing the Foulares; thereby demonstrating that they know how to:

1. Grate cheese using the food processor.
2. Measure and combine ingredients.
3. Roll out dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface.
4. Cut dough into the proper shapes.
5. Transfer dough to a baking sheet.
6. Attach hard-boiled eggs with strips of dough.

B. The students will demonstrate their knowledge of Purim by completing the final Sample Test.

II. KITCHEN ORGANIZATION: TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

A. TIMING

1. To save time, unshelled hard-boiled eggs should be prepared and cooled to room temperature or refrigerated until class time.

2. The rest of the recipe can be prepared during class time.

B. TECHNIQUES

1. To prepare the hard-boiled eggs, cover the eggs in a pot with tepid water. Cook, uncovered, and bring to a hard boil on medium to high heat. As soon as the water reaches a boil, turn off heat and cover with a lid. Let sit on the burner for 15 minutes, drain off hot water, and immediately run cold water over the eggs.

2. I find it helpful to roll out the dough on a large, lightly-floured, non-stick silicone mat (silpat) to ease removal of the cut shapes to a baking pan. Likewise, lining the baking pan with a silpat or parchment paper eases the removal of the baked foulares.

3. We like to eat ours with Russian dressing or chipotle mayonnaise on the side.

III. FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A. As most Jewish families in the United States are of Ashkenazic background, this particular recipe may be seen by the students as very strange as we have nothing that resembles it here.

B. It may be interesting to point out the differences between the familiar foods we Ashkenazim associate with Purim, such as hamantashen, and stuffed or filled foods, such as kreplach, and the traditions that have developed depending on ingredients available in other parts of the world. 

MATERIALS FOR FOULARES

• 2 dozen small (also sometimes known as pullet) eggs
• 1/4 lb. sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 6 c. flour
• salt
• pepper grinder
• optional (sauces, sides, or dips to accompany the crackers)
• foot templates or foot-shaped cookie cutters

• mixer with dough hook attachment
• large mixing bowl
• 2 sharp knives
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• food processor with grating disk attachment
• wooden spoons
• silpats or parchment paper
• rolling pins
• baking sheets
• scissors
• paper towels
• dish cloths
• dishwashing liquid
• dish towels
• pot holders

FOR THE STUDENTS:

The below description and recipe is excerpted from Sephardic Holiday Cooking by Gilda Angel:

    Turkish and Greek Sephardic  Jews make these foot-shaped pastries only once a year—just before Purim. The exact shape varies from community to community. In one typical version depicting Haman in jail, the villainous Haman is represented by an unshelled hard-cooked egg. Strips of pastry surrounding the eggs are meant to symbolize prison bars. Another interpretation of this foot-shaped pastry is that the secured egg represents Haman's ankle.

    Traditionally, these unusual pastries are eaten on the Sabbath just before Purim, Shabbat Zakhor. In the Torah reading for that day, the treachery of Amalek is recalled. Jewish tradition has it that Haman descended from the evil Amalekites.

    In my husband's family, lunch after morning services on Shabbat Zakhor invariably includes foulares. Accompanied by salads and coffee, or milk for the children, foulares are considered a special treat. They are also used for mishloah manot, the sending of gifts, on Purim, since the two different blessings made on Purim can be recited before eating them (mezonot for the pastry and shehakol for the egg).

Foulares (for Purim) (Turkish Hard-Cooked Eggs Wrapped with Cheese Pastry)

(Makes approximately 16 pastries and additional crackers.)

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 4-1/2 cup all-purpose flour, preferably unbleached
• 1-1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 1/4 lb.)
• 16 hard-cooked small eggs (leave shells on)

1. Grate cheddar cheese using grating disk of food processor and measure out the correct amount.

2. Preheat the oven to 400-degrees.

3. In large bowl, combine oil, water, salt, pepper, flour and cheese. (This can be done in electric mixer bowl with dough hook attachment.)

4. Divide dough in half.

5. On lightly floured surface, roll dough to a thickness of 1/4-inch. 

6. Cut foot-shaped pieces of dough measuring approximately 5-1/2 by 2-1/2-inches. Design your own pattern, or make one using the drawing below.

7. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet.

8. Press an unpeeled egg into heel end of foot and secure with strips of dough.

9. Repeat with remaining dough and eggs.

10. Shape leftover dough into small crackers and put on separate baking sheet.

11. Bake feet in preheated 400-degree oven 20 minutes, or until dough is golden brown. Crackers will probably take less time depending on their size.

12. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.