Recipe lovers since August 2004 |
Most people have special foods which they eat on New Year's. Among them are pork and sauerkraut, black beans and rice, etc. For the Greek Orthodox, it is traditional to have a rich bread which is called Vasilopeta (St. Basil's bread whose name day is celebrated on January 1). Here is a recipe for the bread and directions for embedding the silver coins. VASILOPETA 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1/4 cup warm 105° to 110° water 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter, softened 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup milk 1 1/2 tsp. whole cardamom seed or 1 tbs. ground cardamom or mahlepi 2 3/4 to 3 cups flour 1 egg, beaten 1 tbs. water 1 egg 3 tbs. sesame seeds Sprinkle yeast over water. Mix until dissolved. Combine sugar, butter and salt in large mixing bowl. Heat milk to scalding. Pour into mixing bowl. Stir until butter melts. Cool to lukewarm. Crush cardamom seeds with mortar and pestle. Stir into mixing bowl. Stir in one cup flour. Beat well. Add beaten egg and dissolve yeast. Beat well. Gradually mix in remaining flour to make a soft, but not sticky, dough. Place on floured surface. Cover. Let rest 10 minutes. Knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Shape dough into ball. Place it in a lightly-oiled bowl. Turn to grease all sides. Cover. Set in warm place 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size. Punch down. Let rise another hour until almost doubled again. Turn dough onto floured surface. Divide into 3 equal parts. Shape each part into a ball. Cover. Let rest 10 minutes. Grease a baking sheet. Set aside. Use hands to roll each dough ball into an 18-inch rope. Taper ends. Line ropes 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Working from the middle to each end, loosely braid ropes. Be careful not to stretch dough. Pinch ends together. Tuck them under slightly. Cover. Let rise in warm place about 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Beat water and remaining egg together. Brush gently over braid. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds. Bake at 375°F. 25 minutes or until crust is deep, amber brown. Cool slightly before serving. Delicious with coffee. Special note: The cook places a silver coin, wrapped in foil, somewhere in the dough before baking. Before dinner, the head of the house cuts a slice for each member of the family, naming each slice as he cuts. The slice containing the coin is believed to bring good luck to the recipient for the coming new year. There is also one slice cut for the house, which denotes that the whole household will be happy and lucky for the year. |
January 2004 |
Whatever you call them holupki, stuffed cabbage or piggies, everyone likes them. But there are those who remove the cabbage and eat the filling only. Then there are those who ask for the extra cabbage used to line the bottom of the pot. Here is a recipe for unstuffed cabbage which gives everyone a choice without wasting food. You can use your favorite recipe for the ingredients using the method suggested here. UNSTUFFED CABBAGE 1 small head cabbage 1 can tomatoes 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef 1 egg 1/2 cup raw rice salt and pepper Chop cabbage fine. Place in heavy pot. Break up tomatoes and add all to the cabbage. Cover. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, put ground meat, egg, seasonings and washed rice in a bowl. Mix well. Shape into small meatballs and set aside. Combine: 1 small can tomato sauce 1 Tbls. cider vinegar 1 Tbls. lemon juice 2 Tbls. brown sugar (packed) Mix well and pour over the cabbage. Add meatballs in layer over the cabbage and simmer for one hour or until meatballs are done. This recipe can be made in your electric skillet. |
February 2004 |
March 2004 |
Did you notice that our traditional recipes take a long time to prepare but it doesn't cost much to make them? Now, we want recipes that don't take long to prepare and don't mind the cost. This month I am sharing a recipe for Lenten Mushroom Soup, which has been requested it's both time and cost efficient. And a recipe for Father M. who loves pasta with clam sauce but became very ill when eating it out here's a recipe. Stay well. MUSHROOM SOUP 1 jar canned mushrooms 3 potatoes 1 small onion 3 Tbls. Flour 3 Tbls. Oil 4 cups water salt and pepper to taste Peel potatoes, cube. Boil until soft but not mushy, this takes about 10-15 minutes. Add mushrooms and salt. Put aside. Put oil in pan. Add chopped onion and brown. Take onion out. Add flour to pan, mixing quickly as you don't want it to burn. Keep stirring until medium brown. Dip some liquid from potatoes. Add gradually to flour, stirring constantly until smooth. Add to potato and mushroom mixture. Simmer 5 minutes. (May add a bit of garlic powder, if desired.) PASTA WITH WHITE CLAM SAUCE 2 Tbls. oil or oleo 1 large clove garlic, minced 2 Tbls. Flour 2 cans (6 1/2 oz. each) chopped clams 1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth milk (may be skim) 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped 1/2 tsp. Thyme salt and pepper to taste 1 lb. pasta, cooked and drained Put oil or margarine in small saucepan. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Do not let it change color. Stir in flour and cook over low flame for two minutes. Drain clams, reserving liquid. Combine the reserved clam juice and white wine. Add enough milk to make two cups liquid. Add to flour mixture gradually and cook until sauce thickens slightly. Add parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer about 10 minutes. Add clams and heat through. Serve over hot, well-drained pasta. |
The blessing of Easter food is traditional among most people of Eastern Europe, both those of the Orthodox and Catholic faiths. They include in their baskets almost the same foods: eggs, cheese, butter, ham, kolbasi, horseradish, salt and a candle. Among those who come from the present Slovakia, a type of meatloaf is included. It is called Polnina or Sekanice. Many years ago, a friend, Ann, from the Cleveland area, brought a loaf when she visited us during Bright Week. I include her recipe for this delicious addition to my Easter menu. SEKANICE (Easter Meat Loaf) 2 lbs. boneless veal 1 1/2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder 1 large onion 3/4 lb. saltine crackers 1 Tbls. chopped chives 18 eggs 2 cloves mashed garlic salt and pepper to taste Place meats and onion into a large pot. Add water to cover. Cook until meat is tender. Remove meat, reserve broth. Discard onion. Grind meat. Add crackers, salt, pepper and chives to about 4 cups of reserved broth that meat was cooked in. Beat eggs. Add with mashed garlic. Mix well. Add to greased baking pans until about 3/4 full. Bake uncovered at 350° about 1 1/2 hours or about 250° for 2 hours until brown and crusty. Most people bake theirs in a roasting pan after taking out some to make a small one to place in the Easter basket to bless. The small one will bake sooner. |
April 2004 |
Such a beautiful name and such a beautiful custom! RADONITSA. The word is derived from radost or joy and is given to the tradition of visiting the graves of loved ones to share the joy and hope of the Resurrection with them. The Church has set the ninth day after Pascha, which comes on a Tuesday for this, but in America this can take place on any day until Pentecost. Here it is sometimes combined with the American Memorial Day. Traditionally, a procession is made to the cemetery, complete with clergy, singers, parish members preceded by the banner carriers. Once at the cemetery, a service is held at the Cross for all people buried in the blessed grounds and then people request private prayers at the site of their family plots. While waiting for the individual prayers at their grave, people visit and it was a common practice to have a picnic lunch at the gravesite. Anyone going by was invited to share food and memories about the departed ones. Tradition has it that this keeps alive the person's spirit in the hearts and minds of those left behind. "Vechnaya Pamyat" "Eternal memory." A blessed egg, cracked open, and bits of some of the other food are left on the grave to be shared with the birds and other small animals which may inhabit the cemetery. Truly a feast of life for all. One of the items often served are peroshki, little meat pies. I share a recipe using frozen bread dough. PIROSHKI (MEAT PIES OR BUNS) 1 pkg. (3 lbs.) frozen bread dough 2 medium size onions, finely chopped 2 Tbls. butter 2 lbs. ground beef (chuck) salt and pepper 1/2 tsp. garlic salt 2 Tbls. fresh dill, chopped 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped 2 Tbls. Milk Completely thaw frozen dough. While thawing, saute onion in butter until golden brown. Add ground beef and fry until brown, stirring to keep it crumbly. Season with salt, garlic salt and pepper. Remove from heat and mix in finely chopped eggs and dill or parsley. Set aside. Cut one loaf of the thawed bread dough into 12 rounds of about 1/2 inch thick. Roll out on a lightly floured board, about 6 inches in diameter or as thin as possible. Place a heaping spoonful of meat filling on the dough, being careful not to put any on the edges, and bring the opposite sides together, pinch to close. Make a plump center with tapered ends. Place seam down on well-greased baking sheet. Repeat with the five remaining rounds and the other two loaves. Brush top with milk or, better yet, light cream. Bake in 400° oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes three dozen. These can be frozen but omit the egg whites as they get tough when frozen. Meat filling is the most popular, but other fillings can be used. |
May 2004 |
Here in Northeast Pennsylvania most churches, no matter what denomination or of what ethnic background, use perogi-making as a fundraiser. Besides this, perogi are made by many companies and sold frozen in the supermarkets. To serve the perogi they are usually boiled and served with onions, sauteed in butter or sour cream. Sometimes they are fried. The ones with potato cheese filling are favorites. One of my readers from Kansas wrote that perogi are a big fundraiser in her area, brought there by people of German ancestry who had lived in the southern part of Russia for many years. They sell thousands at the state fair. Here the ones made with cottage cheese are favorites and are served with a cream ham sauce. I tried the sauce with the store bought potato cheese filling perogi and it was a winner. KANSAS PEROGI SAUCE 3 Tbls. butter 2 cups (12 oz) ham 3 Tbls flour salt and pepper 2 1/4 cups milk Chop the fully-cooked ham. Melt butter or oleo in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Add ham. Cook over medium heat until light brown. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Mix. Add milk all at once. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly. Serve over cooked perogi. |
June 2004 |
My father often talked about his experience on the boat coming over from Europe. He traveled on a German ship sailing out of Hamburg, Germany. We enjoyed listening to his reminiscences, especially at his astonishment that the Germans put sugar into the sauerkraut they served the passengers. Years later, living in Germany, I was served the sauerkraut with sugar in it. And I liked it! Here is the recipe I received from a neighbor who lived in the same "haus." ASTONISHING SAUERKRAUT 1 can sauerkraut 1 onion, chopped 1 apple, chopped fine 1 bay leaf 5 juniper seeds 1 Tbls. sugar 1 potato, grated 1 Tbls. oil or butter Drain sauerkraut, saving juice. Put sauerkraut into a pot of boiling water and let return to boiling. Drain, saving water. In a saucepan, saute onion and apple in a little oil or butter for a few minutes. Do not let them change color, only wilt. Add drained sauerkraut, bay leaf, juniper seeds and sugar and 2 cups saved water or white wine. Cover. Simmer about 1 hour, adding more saved water or wine as needed. Mix frequently. Must be quite moist. Grate potato. Add to kraut. Mix well. Simmer for 15 minutes more. Taste. Add more sugar or reserved sauerkraut juice to taste. Serve as side dish. |
July 2004 |
The Dormition Fast is observed this month from August 1/14 through August 14/27. This fast is easy to keep, as there is such a variety of fresh vegetables in gardens and in the markets. Corn is especially flavorful this time of year. When cooking, there always seems to be a few cobs left over. Following babas' example, we won't throw them away, we will remove the kernels and make corn fritters with them. Just think, if we freeze these fritters, we sure will enjoy them at a later day and while eating them they will bring back pleasant memories of the time when we made them. This also adds a little variety of foods to those who are fasting. PUFFY CORN FRITTERS 1 Tbls. butter 2 cups cooked corn kernels 1/4 cup chopped green pepper 1/4 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup flour 1/2 teas. baking powder 1/2 teas. salt 1/4 teas. pepper 2 eggs, beaten 2 Tbls. milk 2 dashes bottled hot pepper sauce 2 to 3 Tbls. cooking oil Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add pepper and onion. Cook, covered, for 8 min., stirring occasionally. Cool slightly. Add cooked corn. In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Add eggs, milk and hot pepper sauce. Mix well. Stir in slightly cooled vegetables. In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Drop heaping tablespoons of mixture into oil. Four or five fritters can be made at a time. Flatten slightly with back of a spoon. Cook about 4 minutes or until brown, turning once. (If they are browning too fast, reduce heat.) Remove from pan. Drain on paper towels or brown paper sack. Makes about 12 - 3 1/2 inch fritters. Note: Fresh, uncooked corn kernels can be used and are better. Add them together with the pepper and onion to the saucepan and cook, covered, for 8 minutes. Then proceed to follow rest of recipe. |
August 2004 |
September 2004 |
Although we may purchase tomatoes and corn all year round, we are happy when August comes and we can buy these vegetables fresh from the local farm. We compare these we purchase all year to cardboard or declare that they have no taste. The same holds true of apples. Like most Russians, my father was a fancier of apples. We always had a bushel in our klodovka (cool storage space). He knew which ones were good keepers, were the best for eating and best for use in cooking or baking. Last fall, I hungered for a Northern Spy apple. I bought one of many varieties at the local supermarket, but none tasted or had the texture of the Northern Spy of my memory. I spoke of this to a Belorus zemlyok and he was kind enough to make a search of farmers' markets in upper New York State looking for Northern Spy apples. He was unsuccessful for over a month but then found some which he promptly sent me. I hoarded them for several months in my klodovka and found them as good as I remembered. My friend, Foma B. learned that this species is no longer grown for several reasons they are now considered heritage apples. I will not presume on our friendship to ask for apples this September but I find that there are several baking varieties which are perfect for this unusual old country recipe. It is easy to make and delicious! Belarus Apple Pie (Yablochni Pirog) 6 apples 3/4 cup melted 1/2 cup sugar butter 1/2 teas. cinnamon 1 egg, beaten 1 cup flour pinch salt 1 cup sugar Peel, core and slice apples. Fill pie plate 2/3 full. Mix in 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teas. cinnamon. In a large bowl, blend the flour, 1 cup sugar, egg, melted butter, and salt. Mix until smooth. Pour mixture over apples. Mixture will be thick. Place filled pie pan on a cookie sheet to catch any drippings during baking. Bake in 350 oven for about one hour. |
There are some families which still meet on Thanksgiving Day and celebrate it the same way they have for years. They serve the same menu with the same person making the same dish. But there are a growing number of families who choose to go out to a restaurant. No matter what you do, you might enjoy having this spectacular pumpkin dish in the evening. Prepare it ahead of time, stick it in the oven and forget it until the aroma gets to be too much. Take it out of the oven and serve over the ice cream or vanilla pudding. I'll bet it becomes part of your yearly Thanksgiving festivities. FOR LATER PUMPKIN SAUCE 1 medium pumpkin 2 cups sliced apples 1 cup raisins 1 cup walnuts cinnamon (about 1 tsp.) to taste nutmeg (about 1/4 tsp.) to taste lemon juice (about 1 Tbls.) to taste 1 cup or less brown sugar 2 qt. ice cream Slice top off the pumpkin and reserve. Scoop the seeds from the pumpkin, leaving the pumpkin intact. Combine the apple slices, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and lemon juice and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the pumpkin and replace the top. Put the pumpkin on a baking pan. Bake in 350° oven for 40 minutes to 2 hours depending on the size of the pumpkin. It will be done when it tests tender. Place on serving dish. Decorate with ivy or other greens. Either scoop out mixture and place on ice cream or allow your guests to scoop out the mixture and place on their servings of ice cream or pudding. Serves at least 12 and brings lots of ahs. |
November 2004 |
This recipe for Hospitality Cakes is a very old one. Its name is Chestnija Torte. I am told that the word chestnija has the same root as chestnovat, which means to treat. These cakes were given to carolers in the old country. The carolers put them into a bag and, when they finished their rounds, they divided the gifts, which they had been given, among themselves. These cakes were always a favorite for they had dates, which were rarely found in the village. CHESTNIJA TORTE 1 1/2 cup flour dash salt 1/4 tsp. baking powder 2 egg yolks 1/2 cup butter FILLING 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup chopped dates 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1 cup sour cream Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Work in butter until mixture looks like cornmeal. Add the lightly beaten egg yolks. Work in until dough holds together. Chill at least an hour. Meanwhile, make the filling. Mix the brown sugar, dates and walnuts. Add the sour cream. When dough is ready, roll out as for pie crust. Cut into rounds to fit muffin tins, the smaller the better. Fit the rounds into the ungreased muffin tins, making little cups. Fill 3/4's full with filling. Bake in 350° oven for 30 to 45 minutes. |
December 2004 |
Kitchen Corner Archive 2004 |
This page contains recipes from the Year 2004 issues of The Orthodox Herald. |
