Title: Helzel+
Categories: Baked Chicken Thin Jewish
Yield: 1 Servings

1		Neck skin of a large chicken
		Turkey (at least 6 lbs. in s
		Including the triangular ski
2/3	c	Flour
2 1/2	tb	Diced, unrendered poultry fa
1	tb	Onion,; finely minced
1		Cl Garlic,peeled and finely
1	ts	Sweet paprika
1/2	ts	Salt
		Black pepper; to taste
		Chicken stock or water
		Fat; for roasting

Recipe by: Mimi Sheraton with special thanks to Freda Eisner If possible, buy poultry with a neck skin that is not split. That is probably possible if you shop at a live poultry market where the bird can b handled to your order. If only a slit neck skin is available, then work wit it as directed, cutting down to include the crop skin.

In either case, singe the neck skin and pull out all the feathers. Turn inside out, or open skin side down and clean off all tubes, bits of meat or sinews and large lumps of fat from around the edge, but do not remove the fat lining the inside of the skin. If the skin is a tube, turn inside out and sew one end closed. Turn skin side out. If the skin is split open, fold to form a tube, skin side out, and sew the bottom edge and three-quarters o one long side so you have a pocket that can be stuffed.

Place the flour in a mound on a wooden board or in a wide wooden chopping bowl. Chop the unrendered poultry fat into the flour in very fine bits, using a French chef's knife or a hand chopper. The result chould be a coars meal, such as you would have when making pastry. A pastry blender will not work for this, as it is not sharp enough to cut the fat. when you have a coarse meal, and when all the flour has been absorbed by the clumps of fat, blend in the onion, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper..

Fill the skin, being sure not to pack it too tightly. The ammount here should be just about right for the neck of a 6 to 7 lb. bird. Sew the neck skin completely closed.

Poach in simmering stock, or water to which you have added a pinch of salt and a little fat of some kind. Poach for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the filled skin stiffens and becomes firm. Place in a roasting pan with the bird, or lay over egg barley ready for baking. Bake in a 350 degree oven fo about 45 minutes, basting with fat several times and turning the helzel so it becomes crisp and golden brown on both sides. Serve a small slice or two as a garnish or an appetizer.

If you roast the helzel with a poultry bird that will produce gravy, spoon some gravy over the slices before serving.

typos by Mary Riemerman

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