Schmaltz and Gribenes
Locale: Ashkenazi
Source: Jeffrey Yoskowitz/Liz Alpern, The Gefilte Manifesto
[p. 35]
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 c poultry fat and/or poultry skin, cut into 1-inch strips
- 1/4 c water (optional)
- 1 small onion, sliced (optional)
Steps
In a heavy bottomed pan, combine the poultry fat and/or skin and 1/4
cup water (if using) and set the pan over low heat. Once a thin layer of
liquid fat has collected on the bottom of the pan, add the onion (if
using). Increase heat to medium-low and cook for 45-90 minutes, stirring
regularly to avoid burning or browning. When skin and onions turn a bit brown, strain the fat (schmaltz),
and discard the onions. Heat oven to 400F. Place the skins on a rimmed
baking sheet, and bake for 7-10 minutes, until puffy and crispy.
Notes
I collected skin and fat from four chicken thighs, plus a small amount
of fat trimmed from the whole chicken I cut up and browned for
Crispy Chicken With Tsimmes. I
consulted another recipe, and roughly followed it from memory, so
my procedure was different: I used a nonstick pan; no water; I added
the onion after draining most of the schmaltz, and crisped it in the
pan along with the chicken skin, so I never bothered with the oven
step. The recipe here treats the water and onion as aids in flavoring
and clarifying the schmaltz, whereas the recipe I followed made the
onion part of the gribenes. This wasn't an essential part of the meal --
more like a side-experiment. I think I used a couple spoonfuls of the
schmaltz in another recipe, but that was more because it was handy
than by plan. I served the gribenes as a side dish, adding a dash of
salt. They weren't very popular, but I thought the cold leftovers
delicious. I boiled the thighs, then used the meat and stock the next
day for chicken and biscuits. I'll use the schmaltz for some future
project.
Log
- 2017-10-06:
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