Gefilte Fish (basic Recipe)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

From: plgold@ix.netcom.com (Pat Gold)  Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 11:54:40
+0000 I thought that it might be  interesting to see the contrast in
how we make gefilte fish today and  how gefilte fish was made before we
had the food processor.  The  first recipe ("Gefilte Fish (Basic
Recipe)) is the way I remember my  grandmother made her gefilte fish.
The second recipe, which is in 2  parts ("Gefilte Fish" and
"Traditional Platter of Gefilte Fish") and  takes you by the hand
through each step was written in 1992 and uses  the food processor. It
is much the same, ingredient wise as the older  recipe but excludes
stuffing the fish into the fish skin. (NOTE 2nd  part is in main one)
Source: The Complete American-Jewish Cookbook (1952)  Sliced:  Cut fish
into 2-inch slices.  Carefully remove flesh and  bones without breaking
skins.  (If desired, bones may be left  attached to each cut of skin.)
Salt the skins and bones and place in  a covered bowl in refrigerator
while preparing filling.  Put the  flesh and 1 onion through a food
chopper, then place in a wooden  chopping bowl and chop until smooth.
Add eggs, matzo meal or  breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste,
and enough cold water  to make a light soft mixture. Blend thoroughly.
Wet hands with cold  water. Form oval cakes of mixture and fit them
into skins. Place head  bones and any other bones in the bottom of a
deep heavy kettle. Add  remaining onion, celery, carrot, and cold water
to cover. Cover  kettle and bring to a quick boil. Remove cover. Reduce
heat and cook  at a very slow boil 1-1/2 to 2 hours. The liquid should
be reduced by  half. Allow to cool slightly before removing fish to a
platter  carefully so as to retain shape. Serve warm or thoroughly
chilled,  garnished with sliced, cooked carrot and chopped parsley. If
served  cold, use the jellied sauce as a garnish. Serve with prepared
horseradish.  Variations:  Two slices of white bread may be substituted
for matzo  meal, or breadcrumbs. Soak the bread in cold water and
squeeze out.  If bread is used it may not be necessary to moisten the
chopped fish  mixture with cold water. If desired, one raw carrot may
be grated and  added to fish miixture. (This cannot be used for
Passover.)  Balls:  Shape the prepared fish mixture into balls.  Place
the skin  and bones in the bottom of kettle before adding vegetables
and fish  balls. Cook as in basic recipe.  Whole:  Do not section the
fish.  Fillet the fish, being careful not  to break skin and to leave
head and tail intact.  Prepare filling as  in basic recipe.  Fill the
whole skins with this mixture shaping to  look natural. Use a deep,
oval pot and place the fish on a trivet  over the vegetables in the
pot. Cover with cold water and bring  slowly to boiling point. Cook at
a slow boil for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  Baked gefilte fish:  Prepare as in
basic recipe.  If stuffed whole,  place in well-greased baking pan.
Sprinkle witih breadcrumbs. Dot  with butter. Bake in hot overn (425
degrees) until done, about 1  hour. If desired shape into small
patties, roll in fine crumbs and  bake in moderate oven (375 degrees)
12 to 15 minutes.  Fried gefilte fish:  Form the prepared mixture into
small patties.  Roll in fine crumbs and fry until done.
REC.FOOD.RECIPES ARCHIVES  /FISH  From rec.food.cooking archives.
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