My mentor and dearest friend Marc and I used to frequent a Kosher deli/restaurant near the school where we both were employed as teachers – back in the day. It was there that Marc introduced me to the joys of Jewish comfort food, which for him, being Jewish, was as much a trip down the memory lane of his youth as it was a culinary experience.
Each time we would go, I would play the same joke on my old friend. When the waitress came over to take our order, I’d order a Cheeseburger. I knew this request would cause Marc to pull the menu up over his face and at the same time cause the waitress to convulse; eyes rolling back into her head, tongue darting in and out, until finally getting herself together enough to school me in a clear and stern voice that this was a KOSHER deli.* Upon conclusion of the scene my poor old friend would lower the menu from his face and level a few choice words at me which I shall not repeat here.
Matzoh Ball Soup. Stuffed Cabbage. Scrambled Eggs infused with briny Nova Lox and Onions. Potato Pancakes. Kreplach (dumplings stuffed with savory ground chicken) and those wonderful Kashsa Knishes with their hint of iodine. These were my introductory lessons to Kosher eating along with the subject of this recipe – Stuffed Derma.
As the name implies, Stuffed Derma is a sausage. In this case the sausage filling is made of starch and vegetables rather than meat. Traditional Stuffed Derma used beef casings of course rather than pork but our recipe omits the casings altogether as they’re too difficult to obtain.
Stuffed Derma is excellent for lunch or as a side dish to just about anything.
My dear friend Marc passed away suddenly in 1999. Everything I know about good teaching I learned from him. I miss him sorely.
Need This
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
3 large carrots
1 large onion
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of paprika
Beef gravy (homemade or jarred is fine)
Do This
Heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rough chop the carrots and onion then throw them into a whirlygig. Pulse until the vegetables are completely shredded.
Now add the flour and pulse again mixing the flour with the veg.
Add the oil, salt, and paprika and blend thoroughly until a pasty dough the color of a pumpkin forms.
Get out a sheet of aluminum foil about 2 feet in length and spray it over with non-stick cooking spray.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape the dough out of the gig and onto the greased aluminum foil. Here you can decide whether you want a fatter or skinnier loaf – either way is fine.
Roll the foil up and secure both ends.
Put the loaf onto a baking sheet then into the oven – middle rack. Bake for one-and-a-half hours.
Take the loaf out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes or until you can handle it.
Remove the foil. Place the loaf onto the baking sheet and return to the oven for exactly 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool a little.
Heat up your beef gravy.
Slice up the Derma into 1 inch slices. Serve warm with the gravy slopped over. L’chaim!
Serves 4. My cost approx. $5.42 total – about $1.36 per serving.
*Jewish dietary laws prohibit the pairing of meat and milk (or milk products) on the same plate. GMN