Sasa Recipe

There are some ethnic foods that can easily win fans outside their native lands. Even if youve never heard of Tibetan momo, chances are that youll adore the flavorful dumpling of meat or vegetables wrapped in a soft and slippery dough. And you might be hard-pressed to spell dacquoise, but who wouldnt love disks of nut-enriched meringue layered with luscious buttercream? These foods seem to hit upon cravings and tastes that hold wide appeal, regardless of your background.

And then there are the foods that are a somewhat harder sell. Its like learning a language: if youre not exposed during that critical period in childhood, chances are its never going to come easily to the tongue. At least not without a good deal of work. Gelatinous chicken feet, and ripe cheeses that smell like unwashed socks (Taleggio, Im looking in your direction). And while I adore the fermented funk of shrimp paste, I can see why some, like my boyfriend, think it stinks like something that died on the beach. Which brings me to one of the least popular foods of my people: gefilte fish.

Gefilte fish gets a bad rap. Its a classic peasant food, a poached patty made of a mix of lake fishes that have been chopped and mixed with matzoh meal, eggs and seasoning, and poached in broth. Like meatloaf, its a way of stretching an expensive or valuable ingredient, making sure everyone gets a taste of fish even when there arent quite enough fillets to go around. Its similar to (and arguably developed from) the quenelle of French high court cuisine. But thats not how most people know it. To most Americans, gefilte fish comes in a jar from Manischewitz, surrounded by a yellowish jellied stock. Its not delicate, and its not delicious.

But it doesnt have to be that way. In its traditional form -- made from fresh fish, and seasoned well -- it can be a lovely dish. Here on the West Coast, people often make their gefilte fish from salmon and halibut. It makes for a great variation, but I want something with just white-fleshed fish to meet my craving for tradition. The usual lake fish of Eastern Europe (or suburban New York) are pretty hard to come by out here. But last year I discovered a variation made with smoked whitefish. I grew up eating this delicacy on deli brunch trays, and am a sucker for its flavor. In this gefilte fish, the dense smoked fish is combined with tender sole. The salty/smoky flavor is offset by sweet carrots, mellow cooked onions and nippy scallions. The mixture is so tender it must be steamed on cabbage-lined trays instead of poached, but the resulting gefilte fish has a delicate, pate-like texture. Nobodys feeding this version to the dog under the table. I daresay it will win converts, even outside of the chosen people. (And yes, the smell of steaming cabbage + fish is exactly as awesome as youre thinking.)

And while I have some hesitation in mixing my Blog Life with my Real Life, I humbly direct you toward a radio story I produced on gefilte fishs historical preparation and West Coast incarnation. Perhaps that version will make it onto our Seder table next year.


Smoked Whitefish Gefilte Fish with Horseradish Mayonnaise
adapted from Jayne Cohens Smoked Whitefish Gefilte Fish with Lemon-Horseradish Sauce in Bon Appetit, May 2002

yields ~15-20 patties, depending upon size of patties, and amount of additional matzoh meal required

Gefilte Fish
3/4 cup sliced peeled carrots
1/2 cup matzoh meal
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped scallions
4 eggs
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 lb sole (or other mild fish, such as flounder), cut into cubes
3/4 lb smoked whitefish, flaked off the bone
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 head cabbage

Horseradish Mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/3 cup prepared horseradish
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp dill leaves, chopped (optional)

Place the carrots in a saucepan with water to cover, and simmer until beyond tender (and nearly mushy), ~7-10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid in a large bowl. Add the matzoh meal to the cooking liquid, and place carrots in a food processor.

Heat the olive oil over a medium flame in a heavy skillet. Add the onions, and saute until soft but not browned, ~5 minutes. Add the green onions, and stir 1 minute more. Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, and add to the carrots in the food processor. Add matzoh meal mixture, and puree until smooth.

Crack 3 of the 4 eggs into a large mixer bowl, and beat until foamy and thickened, ~3-4 minutes. Add the carrot/onion/scallion/matzoh meal mixture, and mix well.

In your now-empty food processor bowl, add the fish, salt and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. Add the remaining egg, and pulse until just combined. Add this mixture to the vegetable/egg mixture, and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, ~2 hours. Check after an hour -- if the mixture seems like its too soft to shape, add additional matzoh meal.

After the fish mixture has chilled, set a steamer basket (or multiple steamer baskets if youve got) over simmer water. Peel the leaves off of the cabbage, and use them to line the baskets. Scoop out 1/3 cup of the fish mixture, form into a patty shape of your choosing, and place on the cabbage-lined steamer. Repeat, leaving a bit of space between (the gefilte fish will swell slightly upon steaming). Top with more cabbage. Cover and steam until the gefilte fish is firm and cooked through, ~40 minutes. Remove the cooked patties to a container (along with their cabbage leaves, which will keep them from drying out), and repeat the process with remaining mixture. The fish will be somewhat delicate when you remove it, but will firm upon chilling. Chill cooked gefilte fish in the refrigerator until cold, ~5 hours. Gefilte fish can be made up to two days in advance.

Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl, adjust seasonings to taste, and serve with the gefilte fish.

The downside of writing about food is that you have to start thinking months in advance. In order to make publication deadlines, youre pitching springtime stories in the midst of blizzards, talking about Thanksgiving food while youre still on summer break. Which is all to say Ive been thinking about Passover foods for some months now. But I am not remotely sick of it. In fact, Im all the more excited for the celebration.

This year I looked into restaurant Seders around the country, for those not interested in hosting their own (and for those who are, there are some good ideas on those menus). I taste-tested gluten-free matzo, and found a traditional way of making gefilte fish (along with a beautiful story of growing up in the Soviet Union).

For my own meal, Im planning on making this delicate and lightly smoky gefilte fish, and the vegetarian dishes from this Sephardic-inspired Passover dinner. There will be appetizers, Manischewitz spritzers, and a little bit of metaphorical rebirth. Because even though its something Ive been thinking about for months, I could always use a bit more.

*photo from my gefilte fish post in Bon Appetit, taken by Kirk Jones

A few months ago, my father, from his home in New York, happened to be talking to someone on the West Coast. "I told her that my daughter writes about Jewish food for The Oregonian!" he proudly told me. Really? I was about to correct his somewhat misdirected paternal pride, but then I thought, well, hes not quite wrong. While its certainly not the first phrase Id grab to describe my freelance career, at the same time, I cant really argue with it. As evidenced by this Passover season.

This past month Ive been up to my matzo-covered elbows in a variety of Passover dishes. Last week I mentioned my Sephardic dinner party in Mix Magazine, featuring a feast full of warm North African spices, piles of punchy fresh herbs, and all sorts of tagines and artichokes and lemons. While someone with a citrus allergy might have problems with the menu, I think anyone looking for an extraordinary Seder meal would be pretty well pleased.

Oh, and then theres my feature on NPRs Kitchen Window about minas, the Sephardic matzo pie. I talk a bit about their history, then fill them with saffron-scented potatoes and artichokes; dilled spinach and feta; lemony leeks, asparagus, and fresh mint; and, thanks to the wonderful Jennifer Abadi, a Turkish lamb and beef filling, savory with onions and tomatoes, and brightened up by fresh herbs.

But theres more: todays Oregonian features a gefilte fish cook-off, with local chefs providing traditional and updated recipes from around the world to give a new spin on the oft-maligned Passover fish patty. Oh, and also a small mention of a Manischewitz spritzer, realizing the true destiny of the syrupy plonk as a the base of a sweet boozy soda.

So yeah, its possible my dad was right. Happy Passover!