Meat blintzes are something that I make once a year, for Passover. It’s a great way to use up the chicken leftover from making vats of chicken soup (if I have a chunk of leftover brisket I’ll add it to the filling), and I just like them. Wrapped in a thin blettle and browned in oil before eating, I will often enjoy them for lunch during Passover.
[Side note: The filling is the same filling I use for meat kreplach or knishes and the bletlach/ wrappers can be filled with cheese, potato or fruit fillings.]
If you make them ahead of when you need them, they freeze well. Once frozen store them in an air-tight container or freezer bag until you’re ready for them. When ready, thaw and brown in a saute pan with a light coating of oil over medium heat until golden brown.
To make the blintzes, start with the filling (see filling recipe box below). When that’s done, make the bletlach/wrappers (see recipe box below). Then you’re ready to assemble.
Assemble: Place one wrapper on your work surface with the cooked side up. Place approximately 1/4 cup of the meat mixture along the bottom edge of the wrapper and roll it up from the bottom so that the filling is covered with the wrapper. Fold the left and right sides in so that both ends are closed then continue to roll up from the bottom, using the whole blettle (see the images at the bottom of the post). Continue with the rest of the bletlach and filling.
Once all of the blintzes are made, you can brown them in a little oil in a pan over medium heat and serve immediately. Or, refrigerate or freeze and brown and serve later.
Makes approximately 24 blintzes.
Meat Filling
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. chicken schmaltz or oil
- 1 lb. / 454 grams yellow onion, peeled and chopped.
- 1 lb. / 454 grams red potato, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 lbs. / 910 grams cooked chicken (from chicken soup)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup chicken broth
Directions
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Put the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Cover and place over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, 20-30 minutes. Use a colander to drain well and cool.
- Place the chicken in the bowl or a food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times, to break up the chicken. Add the potatoes and pulse several more times, until the chicken and potatoes are almost combined.
- Add the salt, pepper, and the cooked onions. Pulse a few times to start, and then run the machine until the mixture starts to form a past. This will take a couple of minutes.
- With the machine running, slowly pout ¼ cup | 60 mL chicken broth into the mixture. Stop the machine and check the texture. If it’s very dry, add more broth. The final filling should be free of chunks, moist but not wet, and it should stay together when you scoop some of it out.
- Taste and check for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if necessary, and mix in.
Blintz Wrappers (Bletlach
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup cool water
- 10 Tbsp. potato starch (4 1/2 oz. | 120 grams)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- oil for the skillet or cooking spray
Directions
- Whisk the eggs, water, potato starch and salt together in a large measuring cup and let it rest for a few minutes. Whisk again, making sure you get rid of any potato starch lumps. Heat an 8″ non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Lightly brush the pan with oil or spray with cooking spray. Whisk the batter again and pour some into the pan — swirl the pan immediately so that the batter forms a thin layer and pour any excess batter back into the measuring cup.
- Cook until the blettle (single bletlach) starts to bubble a little, the top is dry to the touch, the bottom just starts to brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn the blettle out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Continue with the rest of the batter, whisking before each blettle and brushing with oil after every 2 or 3 bletlach — you should get 24-30 bletlach from one batch. Separate the layers of bletlach with parchment paper.
Pam's Kitchen 
[…] Meat Blintzes […]
I used brisket, soup chicken and liver in my blintzes with sautéed onions. My babe’s recipe
Bube’s recipe