On our blog talk radio show today Charly and talked about some more Christmas traditions – this time the Ukrainian ones. The most important event is a ritual meal consisting of 12 dishes (symbolising the 12 apostles).

The table is set with the best tablecloths (traditionally there are two – on top of each other – one for the ancestors and one for the living members of the family. Some hay is put either under the tablecloth or around the “kolach” which is a form of bread which is always put in the centre of the table. The Kolach has a candle in the centre.

It is also customary to put an empty chair at the table and set the place – the interpretation of this custom varies – one is, that it is for the ancestors, the other one is, that this place is reserved for unexpected guests.
A bushel of wheat (or mixed grains) is placed into one corner of the room under the icons. The stalks of grain symbolise the ancestors and it is believed that their spirits reside in it during the holidays.

I explain more about some of the dishes and talk about more customs connected with Christmas Eve in our blog talk radio show of 8.12./9.12.2008.

Here are the recipes:

Kutia

2 cups of wheat  (whole kernels)
2-3 l of water
1 cup poppy seeds
some sugar
1/2 cup honey dissolved in 1 cup of hot water

Optional: chopped walnuts, pieces of apple

Soak the wheat over night in plenty of water. The next day boil it for 3-4 hours till the kernels are really soft and the skins split. Let the wheat cool. There should be no excess liquid left, if there is, strain the wheat.

Mix the hot water, honey and sugar and then mix with the wheat.

Grind the poppy seeds finely and mix them in. Chop the nuts and add.

This dish is supposed to be eaten cold.

Modern women use rice instead of wheat – it is much easier to cook.

Borschch

I think few dishes stir up as many emotions and discussions as this famous beetroot soup. It is Ukrainian in origin but different variations are served in the neighbouring countries. Everybody claims that it is their national dish. It seems to date back to times well before Christ was born. Of course, over the years it has evolved and changed. Potatoes were only added to it in the 1800’s.

Each woman has her own family recipe – I have 4 different recipes, here is one of them:

You need a large pot, so the soup can boil away without you having to watch it all the time.

1 onion

1 clove of garlic

2 grated carrots

1 green capsicum, cut into small cubes

4-5 tablespoons of tomato paste

2 bay leaves

some olive oil

Fry onion in olive oil, add garlic, grated carrot, capsicum and tomato paste. Fry for a little longer.

Add 3 litres of soup stock (wwhatever you fancy, made from stock cubes, vegetable broth…)

Bring to the boil.

In the meantime:

Peel and grate 3-4 medium beetroots, add them to the soup and add the juice of 1 lemon. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Peel and cube 4 small to medium potatoes, add. Boil for 5 minutes or so.  Skin and chop 2-3 tomatoes (or use a tin), add.  Add a tin of baked beans, sauce and all.

Finely shred a wedge of cabbage (about 1/8 of a whole head) and add. Keep boiling for another 15 minutes or so.

Add fresh chopped parsley (a few tablespoons). Taste and add more salt and/or lemon juice or vinegar. In some regions the soup has a distinct sour taste, other regions prefer it sweeter.

Serve with a dallop of sour cream and some freshly chopped dill.

Varenyky

These are filled dumplings. It is easiest to cut circles out of the rolled out dough with a large cookie cutter or an upturned glass (seems to be the traditional way).

Varenyky dough varies a lot – the simplest version consists of only flour, water and salt and a touch of oil.

The more elaborate versions have sour cream, butter, eggs, egg yolks etc. added to it. The richer the dough, the more it melts in your mouth.

I found this one to be a good compromise:

4 cups of flour
Salt
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons oil
14 tablespoons water (or half milk, half water)

Make dough in food processor, shape into a ball, put into a bowl, cover with a wet linen tea towel and let rest for ½ hour.

Onion dressing
Finely chop and fry 1kg of onions in oil or ½ oil, ½ butter, till they caramelise. (takes about 1 hour). They go dark brown and sweet, but NOT burnt. You have to keep an eye on them and keep stirring them. The darker they get, the more you need to watch them.

Filling:

Potato
3 large potatoes, peeled, chopped, boiled and mashed (drain the water first)
Add
1 tablespoon of butter
60g of grated cheese
150 g Farm cheese (or Ricotta)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of the caramelised onions

Sauerkraut filling:
1 large chopped onion
3 ½ cups of Sauerkraut, rinsed, squeezed and chopped
1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/3 cup soup broth

Divide the dough in half and shape into two balls.  Keep one ball
covered with the towel.  On a floured surface with a floured rolling
pin, roll out the dough to a very thin sheet, about 5mm thick,
making sure it doesn’t tear. (you can also make pasta sheets in one of those pasta machines – this will give you an even thickness of the dough)

With a round cookie cutter or upturned glass, cut out circles about 6-7cm in diameter. Gather the scraps together into a ball and set aside, covered.

Have a bowl with water by you.  Place a heaping teaspoon (or less) of
the desired filling in the middle of each circle.  Fold the dough
over the filling to form a semi-circle.  Brush the edges with water
and press the edges firmly together with the tines of a fork to
seal.  Place the vareniki as they are made on a lightly floured large
baking sheet (or non stick baking paper) about 1″ apart and keep covered with a damp tea towel.

You could freeze the varenyky on a tray and once frozen store them in freezer bags. Do not thaw them after freezing, plunge them into boiling water while still completely frozen.
When finished with the first batch, roll out the second ball of dough and make a second batch.  Add the leftover scraps of dough to the scraps left from the first batch, knead into a ball, and roll out for
another batch of varenyky.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 3 litres of salted water to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium so the water simmers and carefully lower some of the varenyky into the water.  Boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking, until they rise to the surface and float on their flat side and are cooked through, six to seven minutes.

With a slotted spoon, carefully remove the varenyky to a colander and drain thoroughly.
Transfer to a deep serving bowl and toss with some of the butter and fried onions.  Repeat for the rest of the varenyky.

Sauerkraut filling
Put some butter or oil into a pot. Add the onion to the skillet and saute, stirring frequently over medium heat until nicely browned, almost 15 minutes. (or use some of the already fried onions).
Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the kraut, and saute, stirring, until softened and cooked throughout, 10 to 15 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste, sugar, and broth.  Reduce the heat to low, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature before using to fill the varenyky.
Enjoy!

Till next time,

Connie and Charly

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