Salty Tears and Crispy Potato Kubbah
Like so many recipes of the old school genre, making potato kubbah requires time and patience. But the reward is great — completely yummy and totally comforting.
The best Sundays of my youth were spent at Bondi Beach—its unique natural beauty, beach vibes and cosmopolitan vibrancy spoiled me for life.
On one side of Campbell Parade is a bustling boardwalk lined with hip cafes, casual pubs, hotels and little shops. On the other side is a grassy reserve dotted with tall fir trees (Norfolk Island Pines), picnic tables and benches, a hardscape promenade and the historic Bondi Pavilion, that houses a theatre and exhibition space.
Then there is the iconic beach — an expansive crescent of golden white sand and rolling blue surf, framed by rocky sandstone bluffs rising on each end.
My last visit to Sydney was in February 2020. My first stop was breakfast with my Aussie aunt and cousins at the kosher cafe in Rose Bay (owned by my cousin Rachel’s husband). After settling in and quickly unpacking, I changed into a bathing suit and headed straight for a swim in Bondi’s legendary surf. After my refreshing swim, I indulged my nostalgia for old fashioned fish and chips, wrapped in the traditional white butcher paper. My companions (voracious, vexatious seagulls) and I ate at a picnic table with the most magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean.
Many of my memories of Bondi Beach include my grandmother Nana Aziza. On weekdays, after she had finished her cooking and cleaning, we would hop on the bus for a day at the beach, where she would always indulge us with ice cream and other treats.
While my aunt Rebecca loved to invite all of us to the Cosmopolitan and 21 cafes on the ritzy streets of Double Bay, my grandmother much preferred the landmark Gelato Bar on Campbell Parade in Bondi Beach, a cultural institution opened in 1958, by Hungarian Jewish immigrant George Berger. His menu featured old world European delicacies, like flaky apple strudel, Sacher torte and poppyseed cake. My grandmother loved their cappuccino. It was also where I developed my lifelong obsession with hazelnut gelato.
Late Saturday night, I was scrolling Instagram and I saw the breaking news about the terrorist shootings. With my heart in my throat, I sent a WhatsApp to my cousin Rachel.
“We are all FREAKING out! I left five minutes before. It was just luck,” she answered. “But my cousins and my friends saw dead bodies and blood all around them. My son’s friend was shot and my niece Zahara’s best friend was shot. Thankfully, they are okay. But they are just kids!”
She had been talking to Rabbi Eli Schlanger, organizer of the event and best friend of her younger brother Yacov, just fifteen minutes before he was murdered.
Much ink has been spilled in analyzing this horrific attack. I am not a political analyst, I can only say that tears flowed as I thought about the pain and the suffering. Truly a loss of innocence for my beloved hometown Jewish community. A small community, comprised of many descendants of Holocaust survivors, some Israelis, as well as a small number of Iraqi Jews from Singapore, Burma and India, who contribute greatly in business, the arts and architecture and philanthropy.
While my family in Sydney will be attending funerals and shiva for those lost in the senseless attack, we will have to celebrate Hanukkah and try to bring more light into this world.
This week, Rachel and I are sharing my grandmothers recipe for fried potato kubbah (another treasured memory of my youth).
What could be more comforting than a meat and potatoes croquette? The meat filling includes sautéed onion, finely chopped Italian parsley and pinenuts and is perfectly seasoned with baharat, which features warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, paprika and allspice. The shell is made of mashed russet potatoes that are coated in breadcrumbs, then deep fried. The contrast of the crispy exterior, creamy interior and savory filling is intensely delicious.
Like so many recipes of the old school genre, making potato kubbah requires time and patience. But the reward is great — completely yummy and totally comforting.
—Sharon
Fried Potato Kubbah Recipe
The Shell
2 lbs russet potatoes, washed and scrubbed
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten with a little water
1/2 cup oil, for frying
Carrot sticks, for frying
The Filling
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
In a saucepan filled with cold water, boil the potatoes over medium heat until fork tender. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the peel. Place in a medium bowl and add the olive oil, salt and pepper, then mash the potatoes until the mixture is a stiff consistency.
In a large frying pan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté until golden brown. Sprinkle in the paprika, cinnamon, allspice, cumin and cardamom.
Lower heat and add the meat, salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat into small pieces and sauté until cooked. Remove from heat and place in a bowl. Mix in the parsley and pine nuts, then set aside.
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. With wet hands, take a tennis ball-sized portion of the mashed potato and roll it into a ball. Flatten the ball into the palm of the hand.
Place a tablespoon of meat filling in the center, then bring the sides up over the stuffing and seal.
Roll into an oval shape and dip in the egg wash. Coat the kubbah with the breadcrumbs and lightly flatten.
Arrange all the kubbah on the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Pour a little oil into a large frying pan and warm over medium high heat, then add the carrots. When the oil begins to sizzle, add a few kubbah and fry until golden on both sides.
Place on plate lined with butcher paper or paper towel.
Serve hot.
Note:
Store kubbah in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.
– Sharon
Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them
on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food.
