Makes about 3 dozen

Kreplach fall into the basic category of dumplings.  You will find similar recipes  in nearly every culture:  Jewish or Russian Kreplach, the ravioli, tortilene or agnoletti, of Italy, and China’s won ton. The concept is the same.  The difference is in the spicing.  These wonderful little tidbits come in many shapes, depending on the finger dexterity of their creator.  The ones described here are one of the simplest shapes to make. They are a bit of a fiddle to make, however they are well worth the effort.  Make it a family affair.  Get the filling and dough ready, cover the kitchen table with news paper, sit every one down and make a party of it.  Kids love to do this sort of thing. 

You may stuff your kreplach with chicken, beef, cheese, potato, or any number of fillings.  This recipe is for chicken.

About 2 cups cooked chicken that has been removed from the bone and chopped    fine *

1 large yellow onion, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

About 1/2 a rib of celery, minced

2 green onions, minced, including most of the green

About 1/4 cup minced bell pepper

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh dill weed, or 1/4 teaspoon dry

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1 raw egg

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together well.  Refrigerate for at least an hour before using, or even over night.

Basic Pasta Dough **

Egg wash - 1 raw egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of cold water

To form your kreplach, remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut into four pieces.  Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to be about one-eighth inch thick.  Cut into two or three-inch circles or squares.  Using a pastry brush, paint the outer edge of a piece of dough with the egg

wash, then place a teaspoon of filling in the center.  Fold the dough in have, like a miniature turnover.  Squeeze the edges together to seal well.  For the simplest of kreplach shapes you may stop here. 

For a more traditional shape, bring the two tip-ends of the little turnover around to meet each other an press together.  The end result will look like a nurses cap.  Continue filling and folding your kreplach until you run out of either dough or filling.  As you form your kreplach, place them in a single layer on a large platter or baking pan that has been lined with baker’s parchment or wax paper. 

To cook, drop several at a time into simmering, not boiling, water or stock and stir gently to make sure none have stuck to the bottom.  Put no more in the pot than it will hold comfortably.  Too many and they won’t be able to circulate and cook propperly When they float to the top, continue cooking for another five minutes.  Remove from the liquid with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl with a few drops of olive oil to prevent them from sticking togethr.  Continue in this manner with the remaining kreploch.  Your kreploch may now be served in chicken soup or with a favorite sauce.

*  You may use the meat from the chicken that you boiled to make the chicken stock, providing that you made chicken stock from scratch.   

** For a down and dirty, quick and easy version, use packaged Won Ton dough which is available in the refrigeration section of the produce department in most large markets.  Your kreploch will be squarish instead of round, but I won't tell if you won't.