FOODS OF THE UKRAINIANS

In the southern part of the Ukraine, plains called steppes have what is considered some of the most fertile soil in the world. Abundant rain and a mild climate made the Ukraine famous for its chornozem, or

A visiting politician is greeted with the traditional Ukrainian welcome of bread, representing hospitality, and salt, representing friendship. The specially decorated loaf of bread and the salt are offered by young women dressed in folk costume.

AP Photo/Richard Drew

"black earth." For centuries, the Ukraine was called "the breadbasket of Europe."

Ukrainian cuisine stems from peasant dishes based on the plentiful grains and staple vegetables grown in the country. Staple crops include sugar beets, potatoes, grapes, cabbages, and mushrooms. These are often key ingredients in soups and salads. The most popular dish is borshch , a hearty soup made in a variety of ways, depending on the person who is cooking it. Mushroom, bean, and pea soups, and thick millet (a type of grain) chowders are also common. Other vegetable dishes include holubtsi (stuffed cabbage) and kartoplia solimkoi ("straw potatoes"). Kotlety Po-Kyivskomy (Chicken Kiev), a chicken breast stuffed with a buttery filling, is a well-known dish outside Ukraine.

Cabbage Borshch

Ingredients

• 3 cans beef broth (approximately 6 cups)
• 1 pound cabbage, shredded
• 1 beet, peeled and grated
• 1 medium onion, grated
• 3 medium tomatoes, diced
• ½ Tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper (or more, to taste)
• 1 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon sugar

Procedure

1. Measure the beef broth into a large pot. add the vegetables, celery salt, and pepper.
2. Cover and cook over medium to low heat for 25 minutes.
3. Add the lemon juice and sugar. Cook an additional 5 minutes.
4. Serve with bread.

Serves 6.

Holubtsi (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

Ingredients

• ¼ pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 cups cooked rice
• 4 cups water
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ¾ cup tomato juice
• 1 medium cabbage, core removed
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar

Procedure

1. To make filling: cook rice according to package directions.
2. In a frying pan, add the oil and heat over medium heat.
3. Brown the onions and hamburger.
4. Combine rice, onion, and hamburger in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F.
6. In a large pot, bring the water and vinegar to a boil.
7. Place the cabbage into the pot and simmer long enough for the cabbage leaves to become limp, about 5 to 10 minutes. Do not overcook.
8. Remove cabbage and tear off cabbage leaves from the cabbage head.
9. Remove the hard center part of the leaf.
10. Place a spoonful of the rice mixture into the center of the leaf and roll tightly.
11. Place cabbage rolls into a casserole dish and cover with the tomato juice.
12. Bake for 1 to 1½ hours.

Makes 20 to 30 cabbage rolls.

Kartoplia Solimkoi (Deep-Fried Straw Potatoes)

Ingredients

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled
• 3 cups vegetable oil
• Salt, to taste

Procedure

1. Cut the potatoes into small strips, about ⅛-inch thick.
2. Drop them into a bowl of ice water, then drain.
3. Spread out onto paper towels and thoroughly dry.
4. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over high heat. Drop small bunches of potatoes at a time into the oil and fry until golden brown.
5. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.

Serves 4 to 6.

Grains, such as wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, and buckwheat are cultivated and made into many different types of breads. Some examples are agnautka , a flat whole-grained loaf that is commonly eaten at meals; polianitsa , a large, round white bread; and ikrainka , a heavy, dark wheel-shaped loaf weighing about three pounds. Nachynka is a baked cornmeal side dish served with meat.

Nachynka (Cornbread Stuffing)

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 3½ cups heated milk
• ½ cup half-and-half cream
• 2 eggs, beaten

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a frying pan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, but do not brown.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, salt, sugar, and pepper. Add to frying pan and mix well.
4. Pour in the heated milk gradually and stir well until mixture is smooth and free of lumps.
5. Add the eggs and mix well. Pour the mixture into a greased casserole dish.
6. Bake the nachynka uncovered for 1 hour, or until golden brown.

Serves 6 to 8.

Kotlety Po-Kyivskomy (Chicken Kiev)

Ingredients

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 8 Tablespoons butter (1 stick)
• 1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped fine
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup flour (approximately)
• 1½ cups soft bread crumbs
• Vegetable oil for frying

Procedure

1. Cut the butter into eight equal parts, each about the size of your little finger. (Cut the stick of butter lengthwise into quarters, and then cut the quarters in half crosswise.)
2. Roll the butter rectangles in parsley to coat, and set them aside in a cool place.
3. Place the chicken breasts, one at a time, between two sheets of wax paper, and pound them with a rolling pin or kitchen mallet until they are thin. Carefully remove the wax paper.
4. Place one butter rectangle on each chicken breast, and roll the breast around the butter. Press the roll together to form a compact roll. Repeat until all 8 breasts have been rolled.
5. Beat the two eggs lightly in a shallow dish. On a sheet wax paper, spread some flour; spread some bread crumbs on another sheet of wax paper.
6. Dip the rolls first into the flour, then the eggs, and then the bread crumbs.
7. When four rolls are done, heat some oil in a large skillet, and carefully add the rolls. Fry, turning several times, for about 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken rolls are golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a serving dish, cover, and repeat with the remaining 4 rolls. (Keep the first batch warm in the oven set at the lowest temperature.)

Serves 8.

In Ukrainian cuisine, when the dough isn't baked, it is usually boiled, such as kasha (hot cereal), or fried in the form of dumplings or fritters. Freshly made dumplings called varenyky are a common Ukrainian staple. Varenyky is dough stuffed with a variety of foods, such as potatoes, meats, cheeses, sauerkraut, and even fruit, such as blueberries or cherries, for dessert. Each region, restaurant, and family has its own recipe.

The foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, located in the western Ukraine, provide pastures for grazing beef and dairy cattle. Meats, such as kovbasa (sausage), poultry, and pork are important to the Ukrainian diet.

Pork is considered the national meat and pork fat is often used in cooking. It is used mostly for frying, but also can be eaten smoked or with salt. Common dairy products include milk, syrnyky (cottage cheese fritters), nalynsnyk (cheese-filled crepes), and riazhanka (fermented, baked milk).

Desserts are often baked into sweet breads, cakes, and cookies, and made with honey and fruits, such as plums, blueberries, and cherries.

Dinner Menu for Sviaty Vechir (Christmas Eve)

Kutya (a type of wheat porridge)

Borshch (hearty vegetable soup)

Baked or fried fish

Oseledsi (pickled fish)

Holubtsi (cabbage rolls)

Varenyky (dumpling) with potato, sauerkraut, and prune filling

Cooked beans

Kapusta and peas (sauerkraut and peas)

Beets with mushrooms

Stewed fruit

Date: 2015-01-11; view: 954