THIS PUBLICATION IS UNOFFICIAL AND UNAUTHORIZED. IT HAS NOT BEEN PREPARED, APPROVED, AUTHORIZED, LICENSED, OR ENDORSED BY ANY ENTITY THAT CREATED OR PRODUCED THE WELL-KNOWN TELEVISION SHOW GIRLS .
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Copyright 2013, 2015 by Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin
Smart Pop is an imprint of BenBella Books, Inc.
10300 N. Central Expressway, Suite 530
Dallas, TX 75231
www.benbellabooks.com
www.smartpopbooks.com
Send feedback to
e-ISBN: 978-1-942952-38-1
First e-book edition: October 2015
All image credits appear adjacent to the images in the text.
Copyediting by Brittany Dowdle, Word Cat Editoral Services
Proofreading by Jenny Bridges and Kristin Vorce
Supplemental proofreading by Brittney Martinez, Isabella Yeffeth, and Erin Files
Cover design by Aaron Edmiston
Text design and composition by Faceout Studio, Emily Weigel
Supplemental text composition by Aaron Edmiston
Distributed by Perseus Distribution
www.perseusdistribution.com
To place orders through Perseus Distribution:
Tel: 800-343-4499
Fax: 800-351-5073
E-mail:
Significant discounts for bulk sales are available. Please contact Glenn Yeffeth at or 214-750-3628.
Girls is a television phenomenon, one of the most controversial and widely talked about new television series in years. The show captures in fine, sometimes painful detail a particular time in its characters livesand often its these little details that tell us the most about them.
As cookbook authors, were always curious about what characters in television and film eat and drink because it connects us to their lives and gives us a flavor, literally and figuratively, of the world in which they live. This e-book comprises nearly two dozen recipes connected, in one way or another, to the HBO hit TV show Girls .
We have two recipes from Caf Grumpy, where Ray and Hannah work: Bundt cake, which Hannah makes for a dinner party, and French press coffee, which Joshua, the recently divorced doctor Hannah spends a weekend with, brews for breakfast. Many Girls fans asked us to include the White Russian recipe from Tom & Jerrys, the Manhattan bar where Jessa stops for a drink before her scheduled abortion, and the owner was happy to provide it. You can try your hand at authentic pierogies from Christinas Polish Restaurant, a short walk from Hannahs Greenpoint apartment, or the recipe for Jessas wedding cake from a bakery that caters to the Foundry, where Jessa and Thomas-John tie the knot. When Elijah complains that he was always paying for Hannahs burrito add-ons in college, we were inspired to contact Agave, the burrito shop in Oberlin, for a recipe.
With these recipes, we hope to enhance your appreciation of both Girls and the city that forms the backdrop for the lives of its characters. And if you finish it wanting more insight into the world of Hannah and her friends, we encourage you to check out the full version of The Unofficial Girls Guide to New York .
Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin
Christinas Potato
and Cheese Pierogies
Courtesy Christinas
Polish Restaurant
Reviewing the pros and cons of becoming Hannahs roommate, Elijah notes, I do love pierogies. He could get them at Christinas Polish Restaurant at 853 Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint, a short walk from Hannahs apartment on India Street. Christinas is a casual spot with a welcoming atmosphere and affordable prices where owner Krystyna Dura serves authentic Polish and American fare to loyal patrons. Dura hails from a family of opera singers, and many of them, and their actor friends, have made the pilgrimage to Christinas while visiting New York to get a little taste of home. Former New York Governor George Pataki is a customer, and Nicole Kidman and actor Wallace Shawn have also been by.
Since 1993, Dura has offered traditional Polish favorites, including her very popular pierogieshalf-moon-shaped dumplings that are filled and boiled or friedalong with stuffed cabbage and mushroom, goulash, potato pancakes, and cheese blintzes. While she brought several of her pierogi recipes from her native Krakow, including meat and cabbage-mushroom, she developed the spinach-ricotta recipe here as another vegetarian option. The perennial favorite, though, is cheese and potato, and she shared the recipe for The Unofficial Girls Guide to New York .
Pierogies can be served as an appetizer or a main course. Christinas serves seven pierogies on a plate with fried onionsthe traditional Polish accompanimentand sour cream, butter, or applesauce.
Christinas Polish Restaurant on Manhattan Avenue
Note: Vegeta is an Eastern European vegetable, herb, and spice seasoning that can be purchased online and in specialty stores. Farmers cheese is solid pressed cottage cheese.
FOR THE FILLING
1 1/2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
12 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (plus additional if serving with fried onions)
8 ounces farmers cheese (see note)
Salt and pepper
12 pinches Vegeta seasoning (see note)
FOR THE DOUGH
1 pound all-purpose flour (about 3 1/2 cups), plus additional for forming the dough and for flouring the board
13 ounces (370 milliliters) hot water
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
FOR SERVING
Fried onions
Sour cream
Butter (to melt on pierogies when warm)
Applesauce
- 1. To make the filling: Place the potatoes in a medium pot. Add cold, salted water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Drain and cool completely.
- While the potatoes are cooking, pour olive oil in a small frying pan, add onion, and saut until lightly browned.
- Return the potatoes to the empty pot. Add onions and cheese, and salt, pepper, and Vegeta to taste. Mash or mix well until large lumps are gone. (You can also use a food processor to mix the filling.) Set aside while you make the dough.
- 4. To make the dough: Combine flour, water, eggs, and salt in a food processor until dough forms. Add additional flour if necessary. Remove to a well-floured surface and roll with a rolling pin until dough is about 1/8-inch thick. Using a glass or a cookie cutter (approximately 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter), cut dough into circular pieces.