Comforting Knishes Recipes

Steps:

• For pastry, in a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in sour cream, adding 3-4 tablespoons water to form a dough. Shape into a disk, mixture will be crumbly. Wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight., Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, until tender, 8-10 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir until tender, 8-10 minutes. , Drain potatoes; return to pan and stir over low heat 1 minute to dry. Mash potatoes; stir in onion mixture, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. Stir in eggs., Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 10x12 -in. rectangle. Cut into 16 squares. Spoon 1 tablespoon potato filling in the middle of each square. Brush the edges with water. Fold each corner toward the center, meeting in the middle. Arrange, seam side down, on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 15-20 minutes.

Steps:

• For the pastry: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the schmaltz, vinegar and 1/2 cup water and stir into a shaggy ball with a spoon or large rubber spatula. (It's OK if some of the flour remains dry at the bottom of the bowl; the dough will come together during kneading.) Attach the dough hook to the mixer and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Dump out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it into a uniform ball, about 30 seconds. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes while making the filling. (The dough can be made and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead.)
• For the filling: Heat the schmaltz over medium-high heat in a medium heavy-bottom pot. Add the onions and 2 teaspoons salt and stir until coated. Cover and cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent and begin to brown at the edges, about 15 minutes. Continue to cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally at first and then more frequently as the onions become sticky, soft and dark golden brown, about 30 minutes. Add the thyme and garlic and cook, stirring and scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the mixture is very fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Cover the potatoes with cold water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until the potatoes until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Strain the potatoes and then return them to the pot. Cook the drained potatoes over low heat, shaking the pot to prevent sticking, until the potatoes are dry, about 1 minute.
• Combine the potatoes, caramelized onion mixture, cream cheese, sour cream, dill and chives in a large mixing bowl. Use a potato masher to mash the mixture together until everything is evenly combined. Season generously with salt and black pepper. Set aside to cool to room temperature. (The filling can be made and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 day ahead.)
• To form the knishes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl and set aside.
• Divide the dough in half. Use your hands to roll 1 of the dough halves into a 6-inch-long log on a lightly floured surface, then use a rolling pin to roll the log out into a 16-by-12-inch rectangle. The dough will be very thin. Square off the sides, if necessary to prevent the end pieces from being too thick and uneven.
• Position the dough so that the long edges are parallel with the edge of the counter. Shape half of the filling into a 2-by-16-inch log. Transfer the filling on top of the dough, 1 inch in from the bottom edge. Gently stretch the dough up and around the filling. (It's ok if the dough tears a little as at this stage as it will be hidden as the dough is rolled up.) Then continue rolling up the filling in the dough into a long log. Score the log in 2-inch intervals and then cut the log into 8 segments.
• Working with one segment at a time, turn the piece so one of the cut side is up and pinch and smooth the top until sealed. Turn over so the other cut side is facing up, and pinch and smooth that side until sealed as well. Place the formed knish, with a sealed side down, on one of the prepared baking sheets and then gently press down to flatten it slightly. Repeat the process with the remaining segments, pastry and filling until all the knishes have been formed (see Cook's Note).
• Arrange the knishes about 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Lightly brush the tops and sides with the reserved egg wash. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the knishes are golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
• The knishes can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature with sour cream.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the onions, potatoes, egg, and parsley together. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. For the pastry: In a mixing bowl, combine the oil, water, vinegar, and salt. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time and knead into a ball. Shape into 4 balls and let rest, covered with a cloth, about 30 minutes. Roll each ball of dough out as thin as possible into a flat rectangle. Sprinkle the dough with flour and cover with parchment paper. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Using your hands, spread the dough out very thin. Spread 1/4 of the filling onto one third of the dough, leaving a one inch border. Holding the parchment paper, roll up the dough like a jelly roll, brushing oil across the top a couple of times as you roll. Using the side of your hand like a knife, divided the roll into 2-inch knishes. pinch the open ends shut. Repeat procedure with remaining balls and dough. Place the knishes, flat side down, 2 inches apart, on a greased baking sheet. The knishes will need to be baked in batches. Brush the knishes with the egg wash. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Place the knishes on a platter and garnish with Essence and parsley.

Steps:

• Start with our step-by-step knish how-to.
• Make the dough: Put the flour in a food processor, then pulse as you pour the olive oil through the feed tube. Scrape down the sides of the processor and pulse again.
• Dissolve 1 teaspoon salt in the seltzer and vinegar in a liquid measuring cup. Pulse as you pour the liquid through the feed tube, 20 to 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Flatten into an even disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• Make the filling: Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and season with salt. Simmer until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and coarsely mash in a large bowl.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook about 5 minutes; uncover and cook, stirring, until browned, 15 to 20 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the kasha in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until toasted, about 4 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook until the water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool slightly, then add to the bowl with the potatoes. Add the onions and mash.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator 30 minutes before making the knishes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F; lightly brush a baking sheet with olive oil.
• Make the knishes; place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes; brush with olive oil and continue baking until golden, 25 to 35 more minutes. Serve with mustard.

Steps:

• To make the dough, beat together mashed potatoes, oil, and salt.
• Add the flour and baking powder and mix well.
• Mix in the water and knead into a smooth dough.
• Let rest on a board, covered with a cloth, for 1/2 hour.
• To make the filling, sautè the onions in oil until transparent.
• Mix together with the rest of the filling ingredients.
• Cut the dough into 4 sections, then roll each section as thin as possible (about 1/16-inch thick).
• Cut into 5 x 6-inch rectangles.
• Place 2 or 3 tTablspoons of the filling in the middle of each rectangle.
• Fold the sides in first, then the ends.
• Place folded side down on an oiled cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes, or until golden.
• Serve with mustard.