For Melinda Freed, Moreland Drive, a caterer and cooking teacher, perfecting her grandmother’s tzimmes was more than just following a recipe. It was a 20-year journey to successfully recreate a dish passed down for more than 100 years. This sweet Eastern European stew has deep roots in her family’s history.

The recipe came from Freed’s great-grandmother, Frances Brenner Caplan, and was shared without written instructions. Instead, Freed’s grandmother, Anne Freed, lovingly referred to as Grandma Dahl, measured by sight. Preparing the dish took hours, carefully scraping the fat off the meat, dicing the vegetables and peeling the carrots with a dull paring knife. She was meticulous about making sure everything was chopped uniformly.

“Once I cut the carrots in the Cuisinart,” Freed, a third generation Mt. Lebanon resident recalled. “She was upset because they weren’t all the same thickness. She said they might not cook evenly.”

Grandma Dahl also passed down the art of making perfect kneidels, dense dumplings that lighten as they cook. They are an important element in the family tzimmes recipe, served alongside chunks of meat, carrots and potatoes sweetened with brown sugar.

“She’d say, ‘Don’t potchkee with the dough too much; it’ll get tough,’” Freed said, adding that the Yiddish expression, meaning not to fuss, stuck with her over the years.

Freed fondly remembers how, in the 1960s, Grandma Dahl, who didn’t drive, would send meals by taxi from Squirrel Hill to Mt. Lebanon to feed her family members in need.

“There was no Tupperware back then. She’d wrap the pots in old tablecloths and aluminum foil to protect them during the ride and keep the food warm,” Freed said. “The cab would bring a big box with food, including tzimmes, wrapped up carefully to avoid jostling.”

Tzimmes, often a dish for special occasions, particularly at Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, varies from family to family. Freed’s family made small changes over the years, like using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes or adding dried fruits like prunes or apricots. Meat choices have also evolved.

“Grandma Dahl used short ribs, which were more affordable back then, but now the cut is considered trendy and expensive,” Freed said. “I switched to brisket or chuck roast years ago — More meat, bigger chunks.”

In her early 20s, Freed began experimenting with the dish. She made it alongside Grandma Dahl, writing down instructions for the first time. But something was still missing — a key element in the large flour dumplings that formed the centerpiece of the dish. They tasted right, but they lacked the proper texture.

After years of experimenting and searching through cookbooks, Freed finally discovered the missing ingredient in the library at Temple Emanuel of South Hills: baking powder.

“I was so excited when I figured it out,” Freed said. “It was the missing ingredient that allowed the dumplings to become light and flaky, instead of dense.”

With the mystery solved, Freed made her version for her family. They all agreed: it was perfect. “I knew that I had finally conquered that last thing,” she said.

Freed’s story is a reminder of how food connects us to our past. Even as recipes evolve, the heart of a family dish remains unchanged.

“It’s the aromas, the warmth and the memories it brings that make it special,” Freed said. “And that’s what I want to keep alive.”

TZIMMES

PREPARE STEW ON STOVETOP 

Combine in a large dutch oven and simmer 1 ½ hours on top of stove

• 2 lbs. carrots, sliced evenly
• 4 lbs. brisket in large chunks
• 2 lg. sweet onions, peeled, whole
• salt
• brown sugar (to taste)
• water to cover

add 

• 6 large potatoes, in thick slices
• more water, if needed

then cook additional ½ hour then remove from heat

PREPARE DUMPLING (KNEIDEL)

Combine

• 3 cups flour
• 2/3 cups vegetable oil
• 1 T baking powder
• ½ t salt
• chopped onion

add ice water and make “gently into a ball”

COMBINE KNEIDEL AND STEW

Set dough ball into center of large casserole or Dutch oven. Surround with stew and liquid.
Reserve extra liquid if too much.

Sprinkle with

• 1 T chopped celery
• 1 T chopped onion
• brown sugar, if needed

Finish cooking in oven

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until done.

Mt. Lebanon Magazine’s series, “Community Cookbook,” takes a closer look into the kitchens, recipes and traditions of Mt. Lebanon residents. The series will highlight different food traditions our community celebrates, from kebabs to Tiramisu to potato salad. What better way to learn about your neighbor than through the kitchen? This series will share family recipes while focusing on the nostalgia, meaning and memories behind the dish.

Whether your family has been here for generations, or you just moved to Lebo this month, we’d love to hear from you. Send your stories to mjantz@mtlebanon.org.