CZERNOWITZ COOKBOOK - Busserl and Patlajele

Dear All,

About two years ago my niece Jessica asked my mother Erica to help her with
a project for school. All the pupils had to collect a favourite family
recipe from their grandmother - these were all to be published in a recipe
book to raise money for the school. Each entry had to be accompanied by a
short description of the relevance of the dish to family history and
memories.

Erica thought that her contribution would be of interest for the "Czernowitz
Cookbook". Here it is.

PATLAJELE (Aubergine Salad) and BUSSERL (Almond Biscuits)
from Erica Glynn, grandmother of Jessica Glynn.

"I grew in the 1930s in Czernowitz, a largely Jewish town in the North of
pre-war Romania. Over the centuries, the town had known many rulers
including the Ottomans and, most significantly, the Austro-Hungarian Empire
(1775-1918). This varied history was reflected in many ways, including
food. Patlajele, an excellent starter, is an example of Balkan influence.
Busserl were part of the Jewish tradition and Austrian influence in which my
family was steeped. They were always included in the mountains of food my
mother prepared for Peisach, the Jewish Passover. The whole family,
grandfather, uncles, aunts, cousins got together in our apartment for the
eight days of Passover, and, most happily, for the Seider evenings when we
celebrated the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. We still have Seiders and I
bake Busserl."

PATLAJELE (the "J" is pronounced soft, like the "s" in "measure")

4-6 aubergines (elongated rather than short and round), grilled till all the
skin is charred
extra virgin olive oil
juice of one lemon
a little wine vinegar

Skin the aubergines while they are still hot, remove any strings of seeds,
mash the soft aubergine flesh (remove any further stringy material), and mix
with olive oil to form a paste, add the lemon juice to taste, and a little
vinegar, if liked. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, mix well. Serve with
thinly sliced tomatoes, crusty bread, and lemon juice or vinegar if
required.

BUSSERL

600 grams ground almonds (or ground hazelnuts if available)
400 grams caster sugar, sieved
whites of 3-4 eggs

Mix the sugar and almonds thoroughly, add the egg whites gradually, mixing
well, testing whether a sample will roll into a ball the size of a small
walnut. You may not need all the egg white. Shape into small balls and
cook on non-stick parchment paper at 375F (190C) for about 20-25 minutes,
until the bottom of the balls just begin to darken. Cool and store in a
tin. The Busserl will be soft when taken out of the oven, but tend to
harden as they cool. (The nuts, sugar and egg-white mixture can form the
basis of a gateau. Cook in three baking tins and fill with chocolate
buttercream, top with whipped cream.)

*****

Both of these are delicious!! I can imagine now the smell of the grilling
aubergines...

Best regards to all,

David
Received on 2005-06-14 09:32:00