Kosher Blog

Gefilte Fish… unstuffed

Meredith inquires on the origins of gefilte fish. Though I don’t know anyone who calls it just “gefilte,” I thought we could all use a little background on this tasty aquatic treat.

Back in the old country, gefilte fish was made by removing the flesh from a fish while leaving the skin intact. The fish would be chopped, mixed with other ingredients, stuffed back into the skin, then cooked — hence, “gefilte,” or stuffed, fish.

Nowadays, we skip the restuffing, but you can restore the “fishy” heritage by trying this delightful fish pan available from Williams-Sonoma. To use: buy a frozen gefilte fish loaf (we like Unger’s) and defrost in the fridge. Grease the pan liberally with non-stick spray. Using a spatula, gingerly press blobs of raw fish into the mold and scrape off excess. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes, until the “fish” are puffed up slightly. If you greased enough, the fish should slide out of the pan with ease. Try serving with cocktail sauce.

No more pizza stones…

Two weeks ago our pizza stone fell off its shelf and broke into several pieces.

Rather than spend $30 for a new stone, I found a cheaper approach: unglazed quarry tiles, available at my local Home Depot. I only needed 6 6″x6″ tiles for my oven — a grand total of $2.35.

Last night, they worked like a charm. See them in action.

A pizza stone, for those of you unfamiliar with the concept, is a large ceramic square or round which one preheats in an oven to simulate a traditional pizza cooking environment. By providing instant direct heat beneath your pizza, it cooks faster and gets a crispier crust. An absolute must for good homemade pizza. Put your stone/tiles in a 500-degree oven for 30 minutes to an hour before you cook your pizza. Unless you’re making deep-dish, put the raw pizza directly on the tiles.