My Grandmother’s Kitchen

Dear Friends,

My earliest memories include my Grandmother Anna in the kitchen cooking, baking and instructing me on just the right amount of this or that to add to make something delicious. Grandma lived with us and was often bubbling up something on the stove and concocting a recipe from her childhood to see if it would taste the same as she remembered. From these holy moments I came to love Jewish recipes and have recently begun to teach children, about the same age as I was, how to cook them! My recent cooking Chug at Temple Shalom included these family favorites: Honey cake, apple pancakes, melt away rugelach, sweet noodle kugel, blintzes and of course, latkes! Two ways. In the transmission of these ‘memory foods’ I found myself flashing back to My Grandmother’s kitchen (really our kitchen) and trying to recapture the moments in my head of all she had taught me. Those memories have inspired me to continue to recreate the delicacies she baked and cooked for my own family and for my cooking classroom. With the Festival of Lights upon us I invite us all to ‘look backward’ for the foods which spark our memories of loved ones past and connect those to the next generation.

Enjoy this special recipe, courtesy of Grandma Anna!

Many Blessings,

Lisa

Meltaway Rugelach:
1 8 oz carton small curd 4% cottage cheese
1 c butter (two sticks, softened)
2 c flour
Combine cottage cheese and butter in a large bowl and blend well with a large spatula. Add flour and mix with hands until dough forms into a ball. Divide into three pieces, wrap in plastic and chill well, about 30 minutes. (dough can be made in advance)
Stir together:
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c chopped walnuts (I toast them first)
Melt 1/4c butter for 1 minute in the microwave
Roll out the dough using flour on the board and rolling pin into a circle like a pie, about 1/8 ” thick. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with 1/3 of nut mixture. Cut into 16 wedges with a pizza cutter or very sharp knife. Roll up into crescent horns and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees 15-20 min until browned! Enjoy! Watch this video for the technique!!