Best Meat Kreplach Recipes

FRIED MEAT KREPLACH

Steps:

• For filling: In a small skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Toward end of cooking add garlic, and stir well.
• Add beef, breaking it up well with side of wooden spoon. Sauté until it has lost its raw color. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and sauté another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• For dough: Mound flour on a wooden board (or in a large mixing bowl). Make a well in center. Break eggs into well, then add 2 tablespoons lukewarm water. With a fork, beat eggs and water together, incorporating a bit of the flour. As liquids blend, continue to push flour into well. Drizzle in 2 more tablespoons water, one at a time, or as needed to make a cohesive dough.
• When dough is well blended, mix it by hand, then begin to knead it on a flat surface. With a bench scraper, turn dough and press it with your fingertips, then knead a few strokes again. The dough should remain slightly sticky but become smooth and elastic; if dough is very sticky, lightly sprinkle work surface with flour. Form dough into a ball and let rest on the board, covered with a bowl or a piece of plastic wrap, for 30 minutes.
• Using half the dough at a time, and keeping other half covered, roll out very thin on floured board. You may need to stretch as you roll. Alternately, use a crank-handled pasta machine on thinnest or near thinnest setting.
• To fill and shape kreplach, cut rolled dough into 3-inch squares. Put 1 rounded teaspoon of filling in center of each square. With a brush or a finger, moisten edges of squares with water. Fold dough from corner to corner, forming a triangle, and seal carefully.
• To cook kreplach, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Working in batches, if necessary, add kreplach -- do not crowd pot -- and boil until dough is cooked and tender to taste, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and cool. (Kreplach can be frozen at this point. To use, thaw in refrigerator or at room temperature.)
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add about 1/8-inch vegetable oil. When oil is shimmering, add boiled kreplach and fry until well browned and crispy on both sides. Serve hot, accompanied by applesauce, if desired.

MEAT KREPLACH (JEWISH RAVIOLI)

Steps:

• Prepare Dough - Beat egg slightly, add salt, flour and enough water to make a stiff dough.
• Knead dough well, let stand covered for 30 minutes.
• Roll out very thin and spread on cloth to dry. It must not be the least bit sticky but not so dry that it will break or be brittle.
• Prepare Meat Filling - The original recipe simply used chopped cooked meat. Our family version put the meat and browned onions through a meat grinder. I'm going to try using a food processor and roughly chop the meat and onions.
• Add egg, salt and pepper to meat and onion mixture.
• With knife, cut the dough in 2 inch squares.
• Place a teaspoon of meat mixture on every square and then fold each into a triangle, pressing the edges together. Wet the edges with water or egg yolk if needed to get them to stick well.
• Drop kreplach into boiling salted water or soup, and cook for 15 minutes.
• Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve. (They could also be served immediately in hot soup).
• Prior to serving, thaw (if frozen) and brush tops with oil, butter or schmaltz. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through (I'm totally guessing on the time since this was not in the cookbook notes, so monitor closely so the kreplach does not get browned on the tops).

MEAT KREPLACH

Steps:

• Saute onion in oil until transparent. Add meat and seasonings. Remove from heat and blend in 1 egg to bind filling. To make the dough, add flour and water to the 2 beaten eggs. Mix to blend, then knead into a soft dough. Roll very thin on floured board and cut into 2" squares. Put a spoonful of filling on each square and fold into triangles. Pinch edges together to seal. Drop kreplach into 4 quarts of salted, boiling water and cook about 15 minutes, or until done. Serve in soup. To use as an appetizer, bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350' for 20-25 minutes, or until brown. May be frozen before or after cooking.