Charlie D's Ukrainian Recipes

[Alix]

Originally Posted by CharlieD

Let’s decide what do we call things here, Golubtsy, or as it is pronounced in Ukrainian Holuptsy, are cabbage rolls.

Charlie, I am referring to cabbage rolls, I merely spell phonetically as I have never seen the word in print! Just heard my family speak it. Thanks for helping me out here!

Originally Posted by CharlieD

The pirozhki, what kind do you make? I make both the pastry dough and the yeast kind. But really prefer the pastry, first of all for the taste and second of all, for convenience to be able to buy ready made frozen pastry dough.

OK, the kind I make is homemade dough, with various fillings. Mostly we make the potato and cheese filled ones because that is what the kids will eat! I have made the sauerkraut ones and cottage cheese filled ones. No one but me will eat those ones though! I also make some dessert ones with blueberry or apple filling.

[CharlieD]

Borscht Cold, red.



Perfect for hot summer day.



Water -3 quarts

Onion finely chopped or diced – 1

Potato – 2-3

Carrots – 2-3

Beets – 1-2 (could be canned, but not pickled)

Cabbage I buy coleslaw salad – 1-2 cups.

Salt to taste.

A sour salt also known as citric acid or lemon juice also to taste.

Egg – 1



For garnish:



Green onion

Radishes

Cucumber

Hard boiled egg

Sour cream





Start by boiling the whole beets and onion. While beets are cooking peel all the vegetable and cut slice or grate anyway you like your veggies in soup. I cut potatoes in cubes and grate the carrots, at the end when beets are ready I grate them too.

When beets are close to be ready put potato in, let it cook for few minutes, then carrots, then cabbage. Let it cook till veggies are done, about 20 minutes or so. During cooking take, the beets out and grate them and add back into soup. If you are using canned beets, grate them and add some time after carrots. Add salt to taste, right before soup is ready add a pinch of sour salt or juice of maybe a quarter or a half of a lemon. It should have just a hint of tartness but not to be sour or tart at all.



At that time, I take a bowl of just liquid and let it cool. Beat the raw egg in a separate bowl and slowly add the warm soup into it stirring constantly so egg doesn’t cook, it has to dissolve in the soup. Not sure, what the process is called in English. Add this mixture back to the pot, again stirring to make sure that egg doesn’t get cooked. It can be done when Borscht cooled down a bit. Now put in refrigerator and let it cool completely. I like to eat it when its room temperature or slightly below that. Some people like it very cold.

To serve garnish the bowl of Borscht with a t-spoon of sour cream, finely chopped green onions, cucumbers, radishes, sliced boiled egg, or any other fresh veggies that you like. Or don’t put anything. Now this is how I like to eat it, some people tell me I’m weird, but never the less it tastes great. I serve the borscht with a slice of good bread, with some sour cream spread on it and couple of slices of smoked salmon, also known as lox. What a treat on a hot day. This is a meal in it self. There are plenty of calories to keep you going till evening. The whole preparation takes about an hour, and if you use canned beets then it’s even less.



Enjoy.

[CharlieD]

Alix, I'm not sure about Holuptsi with thre grain. Also I make mine out of fresh cabage.

As far as pirozhki goes I do pretty much the same. I do love the meat ones, the cabage and the green onion egg mixture, but just like in your case I'm the only one eating it. My wife likes potato and kids of course like jem/jelly filling.

[CharlieD]

Expatgirl asked me Borscht recipe, which I do not have on paper yet, but here is an ingreedient that could be made in advance.

... in Russian it’s called Priprava (an additive, hm, kind of). I actually use it for many soups, meat dishes, it’s great with spaghetti. Here it goes.

10 red bell peppers
10 hot peppers (depends on size and on heat, I like it medium spicy if you like it really hot add more)
2-3 heads of garlic
2 medium to large parsnip roots or parsley (you will need more parsley because root is usually smaller)
2 table spoons kosher salt (I think in Russia it is plain rock salt)

Wash and clean the seeds out of peppers (again the hot pepper seeds will add heat, so if you like it you can just leave them in). The best thing to use is meat grinder if not you can use food processor but do not grind to fine; it should still remain some what coarse. Put everything thru the grinder then add salt and mix well. Salt works as the preservative. Put in containers, glass ones are the best. Keep in refrigerator. It will keep for whole winter. I do it when peppers are cheap. Double batch will last me till new crop.

[AllenOK]

Originally Posted by CharlieD

I'm sure you're not.

Okay here is one i have translated. Though it really is not a summer dish:

Zharkoe:



That is Ukrainian meat stew





Do you have a Dutch oven? You are going to need one.


I use either chicken or short ribs, or stew meet; shank is really good.
My Dutch oven is pretty big, I can cook probably up to 6-7 pounds of meat.

So lets say:

3-31/2 lb meat of your choosing;

[font='Bookman Old Style'][size=3]Or 1 whole chicken or chicken parts about that weight
1 large or 2 medium onions.
2-3-tb spoons oil
½ t baking soda
1-2 quarts boiling water
Salt, pepper to taste.

Charlie, could you please enlighten me as to what the baking soda does when you add it to the sauteed onions? I've never seen baking soda used like that.

[mish]

Charlie, will you marry me?! just kidding. Many of the foods you mention I haven't had since my grandma passed away Being of European descent Hungarian/Polish, dishes were called by different names, but still the same as the dishes you mentioned. Wish I had written down the recipes. Can't find the same homemade tastes in restaurants. Thank you.

[CharlieD]

Mish, there are some prety dicent restaurants in NY, Brooklin, Little Russia, you know. If you are ever there try them out. Oh, wait a minute you are in CA, go to LA there a lot of good russian restaurants there, or San Francisko, there too.

Okay, fine when I'm visiting my in laws in Sacraento I'll invite you over, where are you in CA? PM me, will set a date. My will not mind ;)

[CharlieD]

It will induce the brown color and in turn will help make meat look more brown, basicaly it just for looks.

[AllenOK]

*Slaps forehead

D'Oh!

I forgot about the sugar in the onions reacting with the baking soda.

[CharlieD]