Real kishke is delicious. But no one wants to deal with cleaning an intestine to use as a casing. Instead, the modern cook gets creative and improvises a casing. Some use a cooking bag, others use aluminum foil, and then there are those of us who make do with parchment paper. None of them match the real thing, but the filling is still delicious roasted alongside chicken or brisket, or placed on top of the cholent.
I prefer to use baking parchment paper, but I don’t fold it as others do, twisting the ends so it resembles a wrapped hard candy. Instead, I wrap the filling in the paper as if I were making a dolma, a stuffed grape leaf. I place the kishke filling horizontally along the bottom of the open piece of parchment, leaving about a half an inch to an inch of space on the bottom and sides. I fold the bottom up then fold in the sides, and then roll up the kishke loosely. You want to give the kishke room to expand as it cooks.
This recipe makes two kishke rolls and freezes right in the paper, just beautifully.
Kishke
Yield: 2 rolls of 10 slices each
Ingredients:
- 2 carrots
- 3 stalks celery
- 1 onion
- ½ cup schmaltz or oil
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Method:
- Pulse carrots, celery, and onion in food processor
- Add rest of ingredients to food processor bowl. Pulse briefly until just mixed
- Roll in parchment paper and roast alongside chicken or brisket for one hour, or place in cholent pot one hour before Shabbos.
- Carefully unwrap kishke. Slice and serve.