Izzy Kaplan’s Rub
Four parts sweet Hungarian paprika, two parts salt and one part garlic. That’s the recipe for one of the simplest, tastiest rubs for grilling meat, Izzy Kaplan’s Rub. Isidor “Izzy” Kaplan and his wife, both Holocaust survivors, migrated eventually to the Catskill Mountains from Eastern Europe after WWII. Kaplan, who had been a butcher before the war, set up a business as a meat vendor, flavoring meat with his colorful, tasty rub while grilling it to sell to tourists. His recipe was given new legs when his daughter, Evanston resident Esther Kaplan, revived it by contributing it to the expansive collection of recipes on The Spice House website. She tweaks the recipe when she uses it today. “Of the four parts paprika my father used, I now use three parts Hungarian sweet paprika and one part spicy paprika,” Kaplan says.
The Spice House
1512 North Wells
(312)274-0378
1941 Central Street, Evanston
(847)328-3711
thespicehouse.com
Best of Chicago 2011
