It all started with recipe-sharing in Brownsville, Brooklyn, back in the day.
At midcentury, the Lenrose website observes, "Brownsville was a veritable melting pot of many ethnicities." A neighbor's knish recipe went for an Italian spin all those decades ago — unfamiliar flavors were introduced, the shell was fried — but it was only recently that "family and friends ... urged us to share it." And then to add more varieties: Broccoli-cheddar (shown) is new to the menu, as is a zippy version that sports peas and jalapeño. The original Italian knish (I tasted only a sample-sized cross-section) might be the most appealing of all: mashed potato is tweaked by sautéed onions and the featured ingredient, provolone.
Lenrose Food
www.TheItalianKnish.com
At the annual Ferragosto celebration
Arthur Ave. between Crescent Ave. and 187th St., Belmont, Bronx
www.Ferragosto.com
(The 2014 Ferragosto was held on September 7)
See the Lenrose Facebook page for retail and popup locations, such as San Gennaro
