When my niece Ella phoned and asked for my mother’s recipe for farfel, I took a deep breath and came up blank. Farfel often accompanied Mom’s roast chicken on Friday night. Drizzled with the jus (a.k.a. schmaltz) from the crispy, garlicy, bird, it was the ultimate comfort food. I mumbled something about being sure that there were fried onions involved (fried onions were the starting point for a lot of Mom’s house specialties) and hung up. After several feeble attempts to recreate her recipe, I set aside my wooden spoon. Until now.
Pastrami Mushroom Farfel
For the uninitiated, farfel is an egg noodle often shaped like a tiny barley grain. This recipe for Pastrami Mushroom Farfel was inspired by a recent visit to Kiryas Yoel. Kiryas Yoel, a village of over 20,000 Satmar Hassidim, was hopping on Thursday night. We braved the crowds in the local grocery store for a sampling of takeout that included several varieties of schnitzel, kugel, cholent, and farfel with pastrami. This smoky, savory, side dish is sure to induce sighs of contentment from noshers old and young alike. Ella, this isn’t Bubby’s original recipe, but I’m sure that she’d give it two thumbs up.
Assemble your ingredients. There are many different shapes of farfel available. I like the “hand-grated” look of Ferencz’s Mama Farfel. Choose your favorite. Cut the pastrami into a 1/4-inch dice and set it aside.
Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large skillet (nonstick if you have one), or 3-quart saucepan, and warm over medium heat. Add the diced onion to the oil and sauté until softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until the mushroom liquid has evaporated. Push the mushroom onion mixture to the edge of the pan and sauté the pastrami until heated through, about another 2 minutes. Remove the pastrami and vegetable mixture from the pan and set it aside in a bowl.
Wipe out the pan (a paper towel is fine) and heat another 2 tablespoons of oil over a medium flame. When hot, add the farfel to the pan and toast, stirring frequently until fragrant and starting to turn golden in spots. Add the pastrami and mushroom mixture back to the pan. Add the water and seasonings. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cover the pan, lower the heat to a lively simmer and cook until the liquid is completely absorbed and the farfel is softened, about 25 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and serve.
Pastrami Mushroom Farfel
Savory and smoky, this is not your Bubby's farfel.
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce package farfel
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 medium cloves garlic, grated with a Microplane
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
- 6 ounces pastrami, sliced, and diced into 1/4 inch pieces
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 4 cups water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- couple grinds of fresh black pepper
Instructions
Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large skillet (nonstick if you have one), or 3-quart saucepan, and warm over medium heat. Add the diced onion to the oil and sauté until softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until the mushroom liquid has evaporated. Push the mushroom onion mixture to the edge of the pan and sauté the pastrami until heated through, about another 2 minutes. Remove the pastrami and vegetable mixture from the pan and set it aside in a bowl.
Wipe out the pan (a paper towel is fine) and heat another 2 tablespoons of oil over a medium flame. When hot, add the farfel to the pan and toast, stirring frequently until fragrant and starting to turn golden in spots. Add the pastrami and mushroom mixture back to the pan. Add the water and seasonings. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cover the pan, lower the heat to a lively simmer and cook until the liquid is completely absorbed and the farfel is softened, about 25 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and serve.
1 Comment
Sheryl
February 15, 2025 at 8:52 amYummmmmm!