Riverhead Table: GRETEL AND THE DARK by Eliza Granville
Riverhead Table is back, and this time we’re serving up classic German and Hungarian recipes inspired by Eliza Granvile’s “haunting, lyrical and enchanting” (Library Journal) debut novel GRETEL AND THE DARK, which just came out in paperback.
We re-read the book for recipe ideas and were immediately taken by this passage:Â
“Josef put down his pen, reluctant to revisit the moment of change. Instead he made his way to the kitchen, drawn by his nose to the prospect of freshly made Shlishkes…To perch on a stool amid the scrubbing and chopping, the beating and mixing, the basting and tasting, transported him back to childhood, when his grandmother had taken charge of his father’s house, especially as Gudrun was familiar with so many old Hungarian recipes. He took advantage of Gudrun’s turned back to palm surreptitiously one of the warm dumplings with its coating of sugar and caramelized bread crumbs.”Â
Granville magnificently parallels the world of fin-de-siècle Vienna with Germany during World War II in GRETEL AND THE DARK, and while fantasy also interweaves between these two timelines, it’s the food of the region that brings characters together and back into reality. These two dishes specifically, so grounded in Hungarian and German culture, help create the haunting atmosphere of the book.
Shlishkes (Gnocchi with Toasted Breadcrumbs) with homemade marinara sauce
Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel)
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
Shlishkes (serves 4-5; prep & cooking time approximately 2 hours, depending on how fast you work)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
6 tbsp butter or 1/3 cup olive oil
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Prick each potato all over with a fork, place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes to one hour. Set them aside to cool; once they are, peel them and either run them through a potato ricer or grate them over the large holes of a box grater into a large mixing bowl. Add in the flour, salt and egg. Use your hands to mix the ingredients and to knead the dough in the bowl. (Tip: Add a bit more flour if the dough is still too sticky!) Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and separate into 6 small, fist-sized balls. One by one gently roll each ball out into long ropes that are about 3/4” thick. (Tip: Keep the other balls covered in plastic so that they don’t dry out.)Â
Cut the rope into 1 inch pieces. Place your nearly-finished shlishkes on a lightly floured baking sheet while you cut the rest of your dough ropes. Then, working in batches, place the dough pieces into a pot of lightly salted boiling water. As soon as the pieces rise to the top of the water, remove them using a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.
Melt your butter or heat up your oil in a separate pot or pan. (Tip: We used the same pot we used to boil the dough!) Add bread crumbs and stir until toasted, then add your cooked shlishkes and toss until coated.
Homemade Marinara Sauce (makes around 3 cups; prep & cooking time approximately 30 minutes)
1 28oz can whole tomatoes (or 2 14 oz cans of chopped tomatoes)
5 garlic cloves, minced (or more, depending how much you like garlic)
(NOTE: The shlishkes are great without sauce, but we loved having marinara on the side…and drenched all over the shlishkes, I mean who are we kidding?)
Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and squish them with your hands. Put 1 cup of water into the tomato can to pick up leftover juices, then set aside. Heat the oil in a small saucepan and sautĂ© the garlic, but don’t brown them. When the garlic sizzles add the tomatoes and water from the can. Add chili pepper flakes, salt, pepper and dried oregano to taste, then stir. Place the basil sprig on top of the sauce. Allow it to wilt and then submerge it into the liquid. Simmer until the sauce has thickened a bit, about 15-20 minutes. Continue cooking down until you get the consistency you want, and add more seasoning if you like. Remove the basil before serving. Â
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad (serves 6; prep & cooking time approximately 30 minutes)
Finely grated or shaved Parmesan cheese, to taste
(NOTE: This isn’t in the book but we figured we needed a salad. Also it’s easiest to use a mandolin or other adjustable slicer for this but a sharp knife works well, too.)
Slice the sprouts as thinly as you can (don’t hurt yourself!) and then toss them into a salad bowl. Separate the layers where you can. Crush the toasted walnuts and add to the bowl. Add the rest of your ingredients and toss well.
Apfelstrudel (serves 8-10; prep & cooking time approximately 2 ½ hours)
1/3 cup room temperature water
1 tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil (you’ll separate this into two ½ tsp portions)
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus a dash more for dusting
2/3 cups fine bread crumbs
3 tbsp rum or room temperature water to soak the raisins
2 lbs MacIntosh apples - peeled, quartered and cored!
whipped cream (technically option but sooooo good if you use it)Â
(NOTE: This recipe has a lot of steps, so we’re going to break it down as best we can!)
Make the dough: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Mix your water water, one tablespoon of vegetable oil, vinegar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add about half of the flour and stir well, then slowly add the rest of your flour until you can work the dough with your hands. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth (about 8-10 minutes), and occasionally slam it onto the counter. Add a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky. Roll the dough into a ball, then put it in a clean bowl brushed with oil. Brush the dough itself with oil, as well. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rest for an hour at room temperature.
Now make the filling: Melt butter in a pan over medium heat, then add breadcrumbs (stirring constantly) to toast. Remove crumbs from heat and set aside. In a separate bowl mix the sugar and cinnamon together, then add it to the buttered breadcrumbs. Stir then save for later. Soak your raisins in rum or water until they soften, about 10 minutes. Take your prepped apples and chop every piece into ¼ inch thick slices (Tip: cover them with lemon juice so they don’t brown). Drain your softened raisins then add to your apples.
Prepping the strudel! First of all, have a lightly floured dish towel or table cloth ready and waiting nearby…you’ll need it soon enough. The, using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. When the dough is about 15 inches in diameter, pick it up and stretch it in the way you would for a pizza, with your knuckles. When the dough gets bigger and is pretty thin, put it down on the lightly floured cloth that you prepped earlier (we told you you’d need it) and straighten out the wrinkles in the dough with your hands. Gently stretch the dough into a rectangular shape from the middle to the outside edges, all the way around, until it is paper-thin. While making sure to leave 1 inch of space next to the edge, brush half the dough with half of the melted butter. Now sprinkle your sugar, cinnamon, breadcrumb mixture over the other half of the dough, and spread the apples on top of this half only. Slightly fold the edges of the long sides of your rectangle inward. Then slowly roll the dough using the cloth (you HAVE to use the cloth), starting at the half with the apples and working all the way down to the other side. Gently roll your strudel onto a slightly buttered or greased baking sheet, making sure none of the filling escapes. Brush the top of the strudel with melted butter.
Bake your strudel! Put your strudel in the middle of the preheated oven and bake it for 30-45 minutes. Our oven was a little bit fickle so check on things after about half an hour. You’ll know it’s ready if the crust is golden brown and crispy-sounding if you tap it gently with the back of a wooden spoon or plastic spatula. Take it out of the oven, let it cool down until it’s just warm. Dust powdered sugar on it for presentation, then slice and serve with whipped cream.
And there you have it! These comfort foods will impress your friends at your GRETEL AND THE DARK book club. Give them a try, and don’t forget to share your photos using #RiverheadTable on Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.Â
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