Two kings from neighboring kingdoms once met and shared a meal together. A state dinner with many delicacies was served. One of the items on the menu was kishke. Traditional kishke is actually the intestines of a kosher animal stuffed with matzah meal and oil/schmaltz/fat and all sorts of spices. It is a special dish on the Shabbos (Sabbath) table and many times served in cholent.

Kishke was served at the royal dinner and the visiting king loved it. He asked his host to send the recipe to his royal kitchen. The hosting king graciously promised to do so. After the visiting king’s departure the royal cooks wrote down the recipe and sent it by a special messenger to the neighboring king’s chefs.

The day finally came when the king was told that he would be served kishke at the dinner meal. He sat down hungrily. Out came a tray, but a foul odor came from the tray. The smell was almost overwhelming. With great anticipation the king took off the cover from his plate and took a bite. He immediately spat out the piece and ordered the tray removed and the kishke thrown away.

A letter of official protest was immediately dispatched to the king who sent the recipe. How dare he send a recipe for such a vile food! The king received the distressing letter and summoned his cooking staff for an explanation.

Initially, the royal kitchen staff was confused. They went over the recipe and could not find the problem. After quite some time and in a moment of inspiration, one of the junior cooks observed, “We told him how to stuff and spice the kishke, but we never realized that we needed to tell him to clean it out before he stuffs it!”

This story is about teshuva (repentance). Many people wanting to do teshuvah and change their lives begin to think more and more about ways to improve. They give tzedakah (charity), pray earnestly and do good deeds. Surely good deeds are important in the process of change. Teshuvah/repentance is best when a person takes an honest assessment of oneself in order to correct any areas in their behavior that need fixing. Otherwise even with all of the spices (good deeds) in the world, a person may remain a stinking kishke…

KISHKE

This is a versatile recipe. If using oil, the Kishke is pareve. If using shmaltz, the Kishke is fleishig. For Pesach/Passover delete the flour and use only matzah meal. For Pesach/Passover one could use ¾ cup of cake meal and ¾ cup of matzah meal

INGREDIENTS

2 stalks celery with leaves, chopped		½ cup vegetable oil or shmaltz
1 carrot, grated		1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or matzah meal
1 large onion, chopped		2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt		½ teaspoon ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

Blend all ingredients except the flour/matzah meal and paprika in the blender. Do not blend too smooth: a coarse texture will make a more interesting kishke.

When blended, add the flour/matzah meal and paprika. Spoon half of the mixture onto a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Shape like a cylinder. Fasten the foil securely at the top and the sides. Do the same with the other half of the mixture.

Place both rolls on a baking sheet (there might be some leakage). Bake in a 350-degree F. oven for 45 minutes. Carefully turn the kishke rolls over (to prevent burning on one side) and bake for approximately 45 minutes more. If additional browning is desired, turn the kishke rolls over once again and open the foil a bit. Remove the foil, slice, and serve.

Essen Gezunteheit

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two.

Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others