More than chopped liver

I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, a place where everyone, and I mean everyone, has their favorite deli. There’s Max’s. Max and Benny’s. The Bagel. Once Upon a Bagel. And so many more.

The nostalgia hits me as soon as I walk in the door of any of these institutions. The glass cases are filled with black-and-white cookies, hamentaschen, rugelach, and kiddush cookies (you know–those small round butter cookies covered in rainbow sprinkles).

The deli became a place of family for people who had none, with many Holocaust survivors frequenting, and even working in, these restaurants. Their family recipes lived on while their families, sadly, did not.

My family’s deli of choice was The Bagel. Coming through the revolving door, I was met with cases full of cold deli salads, bagels, rainbow cookies, and more candy than my little brain could comprehend. I rounded the corner, and the hostess stand was right there, but you could never reach it because there was always a line. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, our party would be seated. I never had to look at the menu because I knew exactly what I was going to order: The stuffed tomato with tuna salad and a cup of kreplach soup.

Now to honor deli love, the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center is hosting the exhibit, “I’ll Have What She’s Having”: The Jewish Deli. from October 22, 2023 – April 14, 2024. This exhibition, curated by Cate Thurston and Laura Mart of the Skirball Museum and renowned food writer Lara Rabinovitch, explores the unique history of the American Jewish deli through neon signs, menus, advertisements, uniforms, photographs, and film and TV clips.

The exhibit highlights the strong Ashkenazi roots of the delis that are spread- or should I say “schmeared”?–across America. The videos in the exhibit tell the stories of the communal aspect that delis took on after the Holocaust. The owner of Manhattan’s 2nd Ave Deli, for instance, describes what it was like to come to work and see some of his employees behind the counter with a smile on their face and number tattoos on their arms.

The food served in delis connects us to the past. The bowl of kreplach or matzah ball soup is no longer just that. Every generation of Jewish people who walk through the doors of any Jewish deli are aiding in the continuation of Jewish life and culture. It’s a true “l’dor v’dor” moment to see a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor sitting at a table with their 2-year-old great-grandchild, feeding them a piece of corned beef or a spoonful of matzah ball soup.

The deli was such a formative part of my childhood, from my discovery of the deliciousness that is kreplach soup to the first time my little cousin ate a pickle and made a face that we still tease her about even though she is now 18. In the spirit of the deli, I want to share my great grandmother’s kreplach recipe. A continuation of Jewish food culture from my own family.

Grandma’s Kreplach

Filling

1 pound ground beef (I used 85/15)

½ white onion

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1.     Chop the onion and place into a sauté pan over medium heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes until translucent.

2.     Add the chopped garlic cloves and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

3.     Remove the onion and garlic from the pan.

4.     Brown the ground beef until cooked through.

5.     Place the onion mixture and ground beef (along with any fat in the pan) into a food processor, and pulse 6-8 times until a rough paste forms.

Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup cold water

1.     Place the flour, eggs, and salt into a food processor.

2.     Turn the food processor on and slowly add the cold water in, through the spout, until a ball of dough forms.

3.     Once the dough begins to come together, take out of the food processor, and knead just a couple of times.

4.     Let the dough rest for 30 minutes (wrapped in plastic wrap) on the counter, not in the fridge.

…and now, kreplach

1.     Once the dough is rested, roll out the dough and cut into 2×2 inch squares.

2.     Place a heaping teaspoon of filling into the center of each square.

3.     Take one corner of the dough and fold over so that it is on top of the corner diagonal from it, forming a triangle. Pinch the sides together well, to make sure they are sealed.

4.     Take the remaining two corners, fold them toward the middle of the triangle, and press them together.

5.     Boil the kreplach in a large pot of heavily salted water for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy in chicken soup… or pan fry them for a delicious snack!

For more information about the deli exhibit, visit ilholocaustmuseum.org/exhibitions/ill-have-what-shes-having-the-jewish-deli.

Marissa Wojcik is the founder of the Jewish baking blog North Shore to South Bay (northshoretosouthbay.com ), in which she shares her modern and updated versions of beloved Jewish classics. She is also the author of Modern Jewish Breads, available on Amazon.