russak@phoenix.UUCP (Jan D. Russak) (12/19/85)
I realize this is a little late, but... I am cooking my first (full) Christmas dinner. There will be about 15 people. The "main bird" is going to be goose. I would appreciate any recipes for cooking a goose; recipes for goose stuffings, or any special really good Christmas recipes. I need to make lots of side dishes, so any and all suggestions/recipes for vegatables, potatoes, christmas pasta, etc. would be wonderful! My heritage is part Russian, but I don't know any Russian Christmas specialties (other than caviar and vodka to welcome the new year). I was hoping to have at least one Russian specialty to surprise my family. If any one knows anything about Russian specialties or where to find them, please, pass along a hint. If people mail to me directly, I will summarize and post the hints and recipes to the net. Thanks in advance! Jan Russak ihnp4!pegasus!phoenix!russak AT&T Info Systems, Lincroft, NJ
slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (12/24/85)
>My heritage is part Russian, but I don't know any Russian Christmas >specialties (other than caviar and vodka to welcome the new year). >I was hoping to have at least one Russian specialty to surprise my >family. If any one knows anything about Russian specialties or where >to find them, please, pass along a hint. >Jan Russak Well, this is Russian, but it's close. My husband Jim is Ukrainian--and his family serves some of the food from the old country for Christmas. I'd been thinking of posting these anyway, so here goes: WHEAT This is THE traditional Christmas dish. Jim refuses to eat it at any other time of the year, even though he loves it. It is symbolic of life, as wheat is the most important crop in the Ukraine. We eat it at every meal during the Christmas season. This is one of those handed down from generation to generation recipes--so pardon the lack of exact proportions. Buy some whole wheat (most health food stores have it). Boil it until almost tender. You want it to hold together, and be a bit chewy. Rinse and drain well. Put it in the fridge. Then take out enough to mix up each time you have it. (Once mixed it molds quite nicely in a few days--so you mix a bit at a time!) Prepare some poppy seed by putting in boiling water for 10 minutes to swell. Drain well. If you want to be quite authentic, grind it with a mortar and pestle. (A lot of work, and not really necessary.) Put it in the freezer. (This is the active molding ingredient!) To fix the final product, mix the wheat, cinnamon, sugar, poppy seed, and a small amount of water. For 4 cups of wheat, I'd start with a tablespoon of poppy seed, a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon, a tablespoon of sugar, and a teaspoon of water. Go from there-- however sweet and spicy you like it. Pirohi 3 cups flour 1 egg 1 tsp. salt Water to make soft dough Sift flour, combine with salt and slightly beaten egg; using enough warm water to make a soft dough. Roll out thin on floured board and cut in 2-inch squares. Place on each 1/2 to 1 tsp. of desired filling. Fold in half to make a triangle. Pinch edges securely to keep filling from escaping while cooking. Drop in boiling water until pirohi come to the top, about 10 minutes. Good with sour cream over them. Or hot bacon. Or 1 chopped onion sauteed in bacon grease and poured over them. Fillings Prune filling--1/2 lb. prunes, cooked and mashed. Cheese filling-- 1/2 lb. dry cottage cheese, 1 egg, beaten, 1/8 tsp. salt, dill (optional). Potato filling--3 potatoes, cooked and mashed; salt to season, cheddar cheese cubed and added to the hot mashed potatoes. 6 slices. Sauerkraut filling--Drain sauerkraut, about 2 cups, season to taste with salt and pepper. Brown slowly with onion in bacon grease or oil. -- Sue Brezden ihnp4!drutx!slb ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To search for perfection is all very well, But to look for heaven is to live here in hell. --Sting ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~