Ripper Records: An Archive of Jack the Ripper and the 1888 Whitechapel Murders

Items

• Borscht Story and Recipes I - III
  Borscht Yudel the waggoner, having banished the bad taste of a long journey with a dose of brandy, was immersed in a plate of borscht. "Yudel," his neighbor Yankel yelled into the kitchen, "something terrible has happened!" The waggoner continued to eat with intense concentration. "Yudel, you idiot," cried Yankel, "prepare yourself for bad news. Something terrible, I tell you, has happened!" Still Yudel ate, unperturbed. "Yudel," Yankel persisted, "you poor man. Your wife has just died." The news had no apparent effect. "How can you eat so calmly?" Yankel rebuked him. "It isn't natural." "Make no mistake!" The wagonner looked up from his plate for a moment. "When I finish this borscht, will I give a yell!" Undoubtedly, Yudel must have been eating a nice hot bowl of borscht made from one of our choice recipes! Beet Borscht I 2 lb. boiling beef (flanken or brisket) 1 large bunch beets 2 medium sized onions 2 Tbsp. sugar 1 large clove garlic 2 medium size nuggets sour salt or 1 large lemon (juice of) salt and pepper to taste Simmer beef in water to cover generously. Skim to clear. Add sour salt (or lemon juice), sliced and peeled onions and beets, sugar, and seasoning. Mince garlic fine, add to broth. Cook until meat is tender (about 3 hours). Correct Seasonings. Serve hot. Borscht II Lois Levenson 1 lb. lean beef and bones 1 bunch peeled beets and greens 1 whole onion 1 #2 can tomatoes 2 Tb. sugar 1 Tb. Or more salt Juice of 1 lemon Put pot of water on to boil with meat. Cover. When boiling, remove scum. Add beets, greens, salt, and onion. After ½ hour, add tomatoes, lemon juice, sugar, and more salt if necessary. Cook 1-½ to 2 hours. Borscht III Anya Finkel 1 to 1-½ lb. soup beef 1 C. large lima beans 1 medium onion 2-½ qts. Water 1 can tomatoes (1 lb. 4 oz). 1 can beets (1 lb. 4 oz.) Salt to taste Juice of 1 lemon Sugar to taste Cook first four ingredients for about 1-½ hours or until meat is tender. Add tomatoes, beets, and salt and cook 20 minutes more. Add lemon juice and sugar and cook about five minutes more.
• Potato Latkes
  POTATO LATKES 6 Potatoes Pepper to taste 2 eggs 1 small onion grated 2 Tb. flour 1/4 t. baking powder 1 t. salt Grate potatoes and drain. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls into at least 1/4 inch deep hot fat. Fry until brown on both sides, turning only once so that pancakes do not get soggy. HINTS FOR POTATO LATKES Mollie Rossin 1. Before grating potatoes, grate the onions first, so that the potato doesn't stand around any longer than necessary. Add a pinch of baking soda to the potato and onion mixture. This keeps the potatoes white. This is especially good when making a kugel as you have to grate so many potatoes and they are apt to turn brown. 2. Instead of adding plain flour as a thickener, use any ready made pancake mix. This keeps the latkes light and fluffy. 3. Fry in hot deep fat and turn over only once. Latkes get soggy and heavy if turned over and over.
• Romaine Salad with Spiced Pecans
  Romaine Salad with Spiced Pecans ½ cup balsamic vinegar 2 garlic cloves, mashed 1 cup olive oil ¼ teaspoon cumin ¼ teaspoon thyme Salt and pepper to taste 3 heads romaine lettuce, torn into pieces 6 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled Spiced Pecans (below) For the dressing, combine the vinegar and garlic in a bowl and mix well. Add the olive oil gradually, whisking constantly. Season with cumin, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss the lettuce with the cheese and dressing in a large bowl. Divide among 6 plates. Top with Spiced Pecans. Yield: 6 Servings Spiced Pecans 2 teaspoons butter 1 tablespoon sugar ½ teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon water ⅔ cup pecan halves Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the sugar, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and water. Cook until the mixture bubbles. Add the pecans. Cook for 5 minutes or until the sugar begins to caramelize, stirring until the pecans are coated. These pecans can be prepared 1 day ahead and stored in an airtight container. Yield: ⅔ cup
• Chicken Parmesan
  Pollo Parmigiana (Breaded Chicken Breast with Parmesan) Serves 4 1 egg ¼ cup milk ¼ cup flour 3 cups Panko bread crumbs 1 Tbs. minced garlic ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated 1 Tbs. fresh basil, chopped 1 Tbs. fresh oregano, chopped ¼ cup chopped parsley 4 5 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast Coarse salt and ground black pepper Cooking and assembling the chicken ⅓ cup olive oil 2 cups Tomato Basil Sauce (see below) ½ lb. spaghetti, cooked al dente 4 slices mozzarella cheese, thinly slices 2 Tbs. Parmesan cheese, grated 4 fresh basil leaves, as garnish Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine the bread crumbs, garlic, Parmesan, basil, oregano, and parsley, and mix well. Set aside. In a separate bowl beat the egg with the milk. Set aside. In another bowl add the flour and set aside. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Dust the chicken breast lightly in flour, then dip in egg wash. Coat the chicken breast on both sides with breading and press lightly with hand to adhere. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and saute on each side for approximately 3 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove the chicken from the heat and place on a baking sheet. Top with mozzarella slices and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in oven for 2 minutes or until cheese melts. In a large sauce pan, heat the Tomato Basil Sauce along with spaghetti. Transfer the spaghetti with tongs to individual plates and top each with a chicken breast. Sugo Di Pomodore (Tomato Basil Sauce) Makes 2 Quarts 3 24-oz. Cans chopped tomatoes, preferably Hunts ½ cup extra virgin olive oil 6 medium size garlic cloves ⅓ cup tomato puree 2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed, coarsely chopped 1 ½ Tbs. coarse salt 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 Tbs. honey or pinch of sugar (optional) In a food processor or blender, puree the olive oil and garlic. Pour the mixture into a medium size sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Stir in chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, salt and pepper. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in honey and fresh basil. Makes about 10 cups.
• Creamy Broccoli Soup
  Creamy Broccoli Soup Serve with croutons for a festive touch. 2 ½ pounds broccoli ½ cup chopped onion ¾ cup chopped celery ¾ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon nutmeg 2 bay leaves 1 ½ cups water 5 cups chicken broth ¼ cup butter 4 tablespoons flour 2 cups milk 1 cup light cream Cut stems from broccoli. Combine broccoli florets, onion, celery, seasonings, water, and broth in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil and simmer about 30 minutes. Strain soup, reserving broth. Remove bay leaves, and puree vegetables with 1 cup of reserved broth. In same stockpot, melt butter. Add flour, stir until smooth. Add reserved broth, pureed vegetables, milk, and light cream; stir until thickened. Garnish with croutons. Serves 12 to 16.
• Kreplach
  A Jewish mother was much distressed over the problem of her young son who was afraid to eat the popular dish known as kreplach. She took the boy to a psychiatrist for consultation. After hearing the case, the doctor said, "Now, Madam, this is very simple. Take the boy home, take him out into the kitchen, and show him how kreplach are made. This should probably eliminate the condition." Hopefully the mother followed his advice. On the kitchen table she put out a small square of dough beside which was a small mound of prepared chopped meat. "Now," she said, "there is nothing here you should mind." The lad beamed and nodded encouragingly. The mother then put the meat in the center of the dough and folded over one corner. The boy smiled and all seemed to be going well. She folded over the second corner and the third. The boy was nodding, and the experiment seemed to be progressing most favorably. Then she folded over the fourth and final corner; whereupon the boy groaned and muttered ........ "Oi, KREPLACH!" What the psychiatrist didn't know was to tell her to try one of our recipes for kreplach. They're guaranteed to not only remove all phobias, but to nurture a life long affection for the luscious dish as well! Kreplach I Bessie Ginsburg 1 cup flour 1 or 2 small eggs ½ t. salt Mix together. Knead until elastic using a floured board. Add flour until smooth and elastic and dough does not stick. Roll out on floured table and cut into 2-2 ½ inch squares. Filling: Grind meat, beef or turkey that has been cooked. To ½ cup meat, add 1 egg and some browned onion and season. Place 1 t. Filling in each square. Dampen edges with water and fold over to seal in a triangle. Boil in salted boiling water 10 minutes Usinig [sic] a wooden spoon, stir to prevent sticking. Drain in a colander and rinse in cold water. Serve in chicken soup or roast in oven, or heat in oven with salt and chicken fat. Makes 2 dozen. Kreplach II Naomi Lansky Dough: 1 egg Approx. ⅔ C. flour ¼ t. salt Filling: Any cooked meat or leftover (⅓ lb. meat is sufficient) ½ t. onion juice Finely chopped celery Schmaltz to hold meat together Salt and pepper to taste To make dough, beat egg slightly. Add salt and enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead well on floured board. Invert bowl over dough and let stand, covered, ½ hr. Roll out as thin as possible. Dough should not be sticky but not too brittle. Cut dough into squares. Fill and pinch ends together. Cook in boiling salted water for 15 minutes. Drain To make filling, grind meat very fine, add other ingredients, season to taste, and mix well.
• Pasty
  Pasty. Make a rich pie crust. Roll out as for pie, fill with thin sliced potatoes, round steak cut in small squares, large piece of butter, salt and pepper. Close as for turnover in half-moon shape, and bake in a moderate oven about 3/4 of an hour or until potatoes are cooked. Parsely or thin sliced turnip seasons nicely. Mrs. Sheley.
• Squirrels
  Squirrels The following is all I know about cooking squirrels. First catch your squirrel. Skin him, etc. Parboil in a little water in a kettle, add salt, pepper, and enough butter to fry it brown. Then eat. If the animal is tough parboil a little more till he is tender. F.A. Lyman