SC - about gifillte fish & recipes

[Seton1355 at aol.com]

Hope this answers your question Lord Stephan.  I got this info from the 
Jewish Food Archives:
 http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/rfcj/FISH/Gefilte_Fish_2_-_pareve.html

This URL will take you to the gifillte fish page and from there you  could 
look around at other recipes if you wanted to.

It occurs that gifillte fish could be served as an illusion food as well.  If 
you buy a whole fish with head attached.  Slit open the body.  Take out & 
disgard the innards.  Cook up the flesh as in the recipe and restuff the 
skin.   I have had it served to me this way in several homes.

YIS, Phillipa Seton
<<  I've seen the word before and may have seen it in the grocery. So, what 
is "gifilte" fish? Is this a way of perserving/pickling fish? >>

**GIFILLTE FISH**
Stock
Head and bones from 2 pounds of firm, white-fleshed freshwater
fish such as whitefish, pike or carp
10 cups water, or enough to cover
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, cut into chunks
1 stalk celery
Several sprigs parsley
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Put everthing in a large stock pot.  The water should just cover the fish   
trimmings.  
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. 
Strain the stock to remove all the trimmings and vegetables.  
Place the clear stock in another large pot.  Set aside. 

**Gefilte Fish**
2 pounds boneless, skinless firm, white-fleshed freshwater fish such as
whitefish, pike or carp
2 medium or 1 very large onion
3 eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup matzoh meal
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

Wash the fish and remove any scales. 
Grind fish and onions together (you can use a food processor, but   make sure 
it doesn't get gluey).  
Add the eggs, salt and pepper and mix well.  
Gradually blend in enough matzoh meal to just bind the fish mixture.  It    
should have the consistency of raw hamburger -- not too soft or too     firm.
Add the sliced carrots to the strained stock. 
Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.  
Bring the stock to a gentle simmer.
Wet your hands with cold water and shape the fish mixture into egg- sized 
balls (they get bigger as they cook).  
Gently lower the balls into the stock (a long-handled slotted spoon     works 
well here).  
Cover and simmer for about 1 hour.
Let the gefilte fish cool in the stock until about room temperature.  
To serve without broth, put each gefilte fish on an appetizer plate and     
serve with horsradish.  
To serve cold, remove the fish to a large bowl, garnish with the cooked     
carrot slices and pour the fish stock to cover.  
Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight or until the stock     
has jelled.  
Makes about a dozen pieces of gefilte fish.
Note:  This tastes NOTHING like that horrid stuff in jars.
***************************************
More GF recipes:
Here are a few tips, first:
  - Whether you go for a sweet fish or peppery, the mixture will need some 
sugar (even if only a couple teaspoons). If  you're leary of tasting the raw 
mixture, at least taste the stock by the time the cooking is half done. The 
amount of   sugar needed depends on the kind of fish you use Carp, for 
example, is naturally a sweet fish, so needs less.
 
- - Use a pot which is higher than it is wide (like a stock pot),  with only a 
few inches of water in it. The fish release a lot of moisture as they are 
cooking. The less water used,   the better the liquid gels afterwards.
 
 - The above necessitates removing the fish fairly quickly  after the cooking 
is completed. If you make only patties, as I do (rather than stuffing 
slices), this can be tricky, but  it's do-able. (Since I use only carp, which 
tends to be  sticky, it can be a challenge, but it yields a delicious product 
and fish soup which gels firmly.)
 
- - White pepper is excellent for gefilte fish, but bear in  mind that it is 
stronger than black. I often use a combination. Bear in mind that the stock 
will taste much spicier while hot than it will when it's cooled. If you're  
not generous enough with the salt and pepper, the fish will not be 
sufficiently seasoned.
 
- - Freezing: Yes, you can successfully freeze gefilte fish. The key is to thaw 
them thoroughly, squeezing out the excess liquid, if necessary. I place the 
fish in a colander and put that in a pot or bowl to catch the liquid. If you 
then boil the liquid, it will set up again as a gel.
 
 My mother's basic recipe is:
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 2 kilos (4.4 pounds) ground fish
 3 or more large onions, ground or finely minced
 3 eggs
 3 Tablespoons matza meal
 2 teaspoons +/- sugar 
 several sliced carrots and a large onion, roughly diced, for  the pot
 The key to preparing this recipe is to mix the mixture extensively, to 
introduce air for lightness, as you would  for a cake. I use a wire whisk.
 
 While mixing, set the pot to boil with the sliced carrots,  the one chopped 
onion, salt and pepper in about three inches of water.
 
 Form the fish into cakes/patties, layering them on top of  one another. 
Cover the pot and bring to a rolling boil. Lower the heat and simmer slowly 
for three hours.
 
 Yield: About 2 dozen pieces
 
 Bruria's Hungarian-style Gefilte Fish
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 In addition to the ingredients noted above, my friend fries 
 two or three finely diced onions sprinkled generously with sweet paprika  in 
oil until they are well browned (but not crisp). She then uses another two or 
three raw onions along with the fried ones.
 
 For *true* gefilte fish, you would get a large fish like a carp, cut into 
slices. Form the filling into a ball and fill.each slice, mounding it up. 
Some people will have the fishmonger cut the head in half and fill each half, 
also. The bones and tail also go into the pot, of  course, to enrich the 
stock. Most of my family and friends prepare a combination of filled slices 
and patties.