Grandma's Yom Kippur Break Fast Recipes

This Sunday night through Monday at sundown is Yom Kippur (pronouncedYome Ki-poor'), the Jewish Day of Atonement. Every observant Jewish person considered to be "of age" (thirteen and over) is required to fast for the 24-hour period and refrain from doing any kind of work. It is the Jewish annual day of prayer for forgiveness of sin against God and anyone else they feel they may have wronged. See my previous Associated Content article on the Jewish High Holidays here. The meal at the end of Yom Kippur is called the break fast meal (yes, break and fast are two separate words).

My wonderful yiddisha bubbie (Jewish grandmother) would make our Yom Kippur break fast meals. Here are some dinner and next-day recipes for the folks who will be very hungry.

Dinner at the Break Fast Sundown (this year it is this Monday night, Sept 28):
Cold Chicken with Challah Bread and Dill Pickles

(This recipe needs be made the day before Yom Kippur, because cooking is considered "work" and no work is allowed. This year, that means cook this before sundown on Sunday Sept 27. If this article is published too late for that, save for next year - or cook it any time!)

Ingredients (serves 4-6):
1 whole chicken
2-4 stalks celery, chopped in quarters
2-4 carrots, chopped same
1 large onion
1/2 tsp. each, salt and pepper
Your other favorite ingredients and seasonings for chicken soup (because nobody knows exactly what else grandma put in it!)
1 large Challah twist (Jewish egg bread), unsliced
Aged dill pickles

-Grandma boiled the whole chicken and other ingredients in her famous chicken soup (make the chicken soup with the above and your usual additions). It is very important for the chicken to be cooked in the soup for this recipe. You'll see why.

-When cooking is finished, allow to cool and refrigerate altogether, the chicken still in the soup, before Yom Kippur begins.

-At break fast time (dinner the next sundown), take out of the refrigerator immediately before eating. The soup should be solidified into a jello-like substance. This only happens because of the chicken fat, that's why the chicken must be cooked and left in the soup. Cut the chicken and plate it out for individuals, surrounding it with scoops of the gelatin soup, pieces of onions, carrots and celery.

-Serve with big chunks of the challah bread (ripped apart, not sliced) and aged dill pickles. The taste of everything together is superb!

Breakfast Next Morning: Fried Egg Matzoh

Yes, this sounds like it would be for Passover, but it's great on Yom Kippur too.

Ingredients:
2 pieces egg and/or onion flavored matzoh for each person
1 large egg for every two people
1/2 tsp. each, salt and pepper
Margarine or butter enough to coat a frypan
1 tbsp. of leftover chicken soup gelatin

-Coat the frypan with margarine or butter.
-Heat the chicken soup gelatin until it is soup again.
-Scramble the chicken soup and eggs, salt and pepper.
-Break the matzoh into bite-size pieces and add to the egg mixture.
-Put egg and matzoh mixture into frypan and fry until eggs are done and matzoh is golden-brown. Serve immediately.
-Depending on how many you are serving, you may need more margarine/butter and chicken soup.

Lunch: Chopped Liver (serves 3-4 people):
Ingredients:
1 lb calf or chicken liver
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 small onion
salt and pepper to taste

-Pan-fry the liver with any frying ingredient (if not kosher, butter is OK).
-Cut liver into choppable portions
-For pate: Chop ingredients in food processor
-For chunky chopped liver: chop by hand

Serve in sandwiches or with crackers and...are you ready?...ketchup. Yummmm! Hope this all satisfies your Yom Kippur break fast taste buds.