Grandma's Kreplach

This kreplach recipe goes back at least five generations—our grandmother got it from her grandmother... So I think it can be considered part of our family's Jewish tradition. We start making them in advance, setting aside a special day for this “sacred ritual” and preparing several batches for later use (the ground meat specified in the recipe yields 80-100 kreplach). So here are Grandma's traditional kreplach for before Yom Kippur:

Pour the sifted flour into a large bowl, make a well in the flour, and crack the egg into it. Mix it into the flour with a fork or your hand, adding just enough water to form a ball of dough that holds together and pulls away from the side of the bowl..

Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave it to rise while you prepare the filling.

Mix together the ground beef, parsley, and onion flakes.

Take a small piece of dough and roll it out very thinly on a floured surface, keeping it as close to a square as possible.

Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut the dough into horizontal and vertical strips to make squares approximately 4-5 cm across.

(Gather any scraps from the edges and use them with the next piece of dough you roll out.)

Place a little filling—about the size of a hazelnut—in the center of each square. If you like, you can shape the filling into small balls first.

Fold each square in half to form a triangle, and pinch the edges to seal them.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop in the kreplach one at a time.

Once they rise to the surface, cook for another minute or two, then scoop them out and drain. (Cook the kreplach in batches, depending on the size of your pot. They should be able to float freely.)

The kreplach can be served immediately with broth or frozen “for later.”

To use frozen kreplach, drop a dozen directly into boiling soup. Bring it back to a boil and reduce the heat. Cook for about five minutes.