Once, while visiting Le Monde des Épices (see page 26), I asked the owner which Jewish cookbook in his large selection he especially liked. His favorite one at the time was 150 Recettes et Mille et Un Souvenirs d’une Juive d’Algérie (150 Recipes and 1,001 Memories of an Algerian Jewish Woman) by Léone Jaffin, one of the steady stream of North African Jewish cookbooks since the 1970s. This book includes such unusual recipes as these Swiss-chard bestels, traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah. North African Jews frequently use the bright-green leaves of beets or Swiss chard, called blette. A prayer is recited over the vegetable, called salek in Hebrew, meaning to remove or throw out, with the hope that in the coming year enemies will be removed from the community’s midst. I have added curry powder, pine nuts, and currants to this tasty turnover, which I sometimes serve with salad as a first course.
You can also substitute prepared puff pastry, baking the bestels at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. If you like it spicier, add a tablespoon or two of harissa (recipe follows) to the filling.
Recipe information
Yield
about 36 bestels
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
If the Swiss chard or spinach leaves are small, leave them whole. Otherwise, remove and discard the stems and rough-chop the green leaves. Blanch the leaves for 15 seconds in boiling, salted water. Drain completely, pressing to get rid of any excess water.
Step 2
Brown the pine nuts in a hot pan for a few minutes. Then mix the leaves with the hard- boiled eggs, the currants, and the pine nuts. Season with the curry, allspice, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste.
Step 3
Place a tablespoon of the stuffing in the center of each wrapper. Moisten the edges with water, fold into a triangle, and crimp the edges with the tines of a fork. Put all the turnovers on a baking sheet lined with wax paper, and refrigerate or freeze until ready to fry.
Step 4
Heat 2 inches of peanut or vegetable oil in a wok until it reaches about 375 degrees. Fry about five bestels at a time on both sides, about 2 minutes on each side, until golden. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
