I preface this by saying that I’m not Jewish. However, having dated several Jews over the years, I can tell you that the food is INCREDIBLE. Since Yom Kippur began on Friday at sundown, I thought this delicious parve (meaning it can be eaten any time by Jews, provided they aren’t fasting) dish would be just perfect to share today. Remember that Yom Kippur is not a “happy” holiday; it’s a religious time of reflection and introspection. Mostly, people who celebrate Yom Kippur just want to be left alone for their 25 hours of attonement. After the fast, families tend to enjoy a small feast together.
Ingredients:
- 1 package puff pastry dough
- 1 large onion, diced and sauteed
- 2 (7- and- 3/4-ounce) cans salmon
- 2 medium potatoes, cooked, cooled, and drained
- 2 eggs, whisked (for egg wash)
- sesame seeds, for topping
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Defrost the dough per package directions. Pay attention to this, as you don’t want it to be too moist and melty, but it can’t be frozen either. Roll out the dough to 1/4″ thick, and then cut into 3-1/2″ squares.
Combine all the ingredients for the filling, and mash it very fine. You can use a food processor if you want, but it’s better to do it by hand. You want it to be fairly smooth, almost like a pate, so that it fills the pastry well. Put a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each square. Fold the dough over, and press to seal. You can do this “pirogi style” (fold it in half, seal with fork tines for a pretty edge) or Jewish style (fold the corners up and seal it, making it back into a square, then flip it over and put the seam side down. Put your knishes onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Brush the knishes with the egg wash, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350*F for 40 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
Notes:
If you celebrate Yom Kippur, these are designed to be eaten AFTER you’re done fasting. You can make them ahead of time, and then just reheat them easily enough. They can tide you over until the rest of your meal is ready! If you aren’t Jewish, these can be enjoyed anytime. As a bonus, they’re also safe to feed to observant Jewish friends.
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