Special to The News It’s just three cookbooks, but they feel very heavy. Their weight, however, is due much more to their content rather than to their actual mass. I think you’ll understand why they feel that way when I say the cookbooks are what I found at the […]
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Special to The News
It’s just three cookbooks, but they feel very heavy. Their weight, however, is due much more to their content rather than to their actual mass.
I think you’ll understand why they feel that way when I say the cookbooks are what I found at the library on Ukrainian food. Technically, only one is specifically Ukrainian and the other two are more Russian…which might seem very politically incorrect, but honestly, my heart is heavy for all the people involved in the current terrible violence.
I can’t type any words that make anything better for the families that are suffering; I can’t make the pain, destruction, heartache, terror or loss go away.
One very small thing I can do, however, is cook Ukrainian recipes. The table is such a central aspect of how we live out community, and though Ukraine is across the globe, I want them to feel not so far away. I want to show honor, respect and sympathy, to somehow use bread, honey and dill to send a hug all the miles over. Ukraine’s common ingredients and culinary traditions are rich, strong and full of history, and it’s a privilege to draw from those flavors to bring food to our table.
I always find that the more I research a country and taste its food, the more connected I feel and the more I love it. Food is never just food: it tells stories on the plate.
As I paged through the recipes, a few themes emerged. Poppyseeds and mushrooms both showed up way more than I expected. Hardy vegetables like potatoes, onions and beets are common, as you might have expected, but produce choices certainly aren’t limited to them, as a variety of herbs and fruits also feature prominently, and summers are warm enough that home gardens are popular and productive. They enjoy lots of cultured dairy products, which of course I love, as well as a wide selection of fermented vegetables and fruits, way beyond sauerkraut.
Researching recipes also showed me that we in Kansas have a special connection to Ukraine. There’s nothing more Kansas-y than bright yellow sunflowers stretching under a blue sky, or golden wheat waving as far as the eye can see, right?
Apparently there might not be much more Ukraine-y, either!
Kansas is the Sunflower State, and Ukraine’s official national flower is the sunflower. Sunflowers have been grown in Ukraine since the 1700s, and their oil is crucial in traditional cooking, especially during Lent when animal products are abstained from in the Orthodox church. Sunflowers are now emerging as a symbol of solidarity for Ukraine in this conflict.
Kansas is considered the breadbasket of the U.S., but Ukraine is the breadbasket of the world, purportedly home to the best climate to grow wheat! Not surprisingly then, flour is one of the most prominently featured ingredients in Ukrainian cuisine. Breads of all shapes, sizes, and flavors; doughnuts, rolls, dumplings, noodles, cakes, the list goes on. From savory to sweet, baked to fried, simple to elaborate, everyday to holiday, they have amazing options for flour.
Though it’s a little early according to the calendar, and technically shouldn’t be made during Lent due to all the eggs and dairy, I baked up a traditional Easter bread last week. It is called paska, in eastern Ukraine it is sweeter, taller and topped with icing; and in western Ukraine it is breadier, rounder and topped with designs of dough; but in both, it is delicious, large and celebratory.
Like the cookbook it was in, making the bread felt heavy. Partially because I didn’t give mine enough time to rise well, so it actually was too dense. But mostly it felt heavy because I so want the promise of Easter, of life after darkness, to be true for the people of Ukraine right now. I want this season of Lent, of waiting and sorrow, to be over for them. But it’s not yet.
So for now, we eat paska, bread that is sweet and heavy and takes time, bread that is eaten each year as it symbolizes Easter joy after Lenten sorrow. And with each slice, we hope and pray for Ukraine.
Ukrainian Easter Bread [Paska]
Traditionally baked in very large loaves (using up to 5 pounds of flour), paska announces the end of the fast with plenty of eggs and butter. I decreased the recipe size but not the flavor, combining the cloves of one style with the citrus of another style; that might sound wintry to us, but somehow it tastes exactly like Spring, too. This can be served with a very similarly-named pascha, which is a sweet spread made from a cultured cottage-cheese-style cheese called tvorog; you may see a recipe for that in the future, because it’s super delicious, but you can also just add vanilla and lemon to sweetened cream cheese.
Prep tips: as noted, this does take quite some time to rise, as it’s a very heavy dough. Give it at least five hours, but remember that is hands-off time and this is really very simple.
1 ½ tablespoons instant yeast
¼ cup warm water
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs
4 tablespoons melted butter
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 teaspoon cloves
½ cup warm whole milk
5-6 cups flour
In a large mixing bowl, whisk yeast and water with a pinch of the sugar. Let it set until it bubbles, five minutes. Mix in the remaining ingredients, starting with the lesser amount of flour. Knead by hand or with mixer for several minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary. Let rise until doubled. Knead again slightly and shape into a round, placing into a buttered round casserole dish, and letting rise until doubled again. Bake at 325° for 45-60 minutes, until fully golden and firm. Let cool, remove from pan, and ice with a simple powdered-sugar glaze and/or serve slices spread with cream cheese (see note).
To contact Amanda Miller, email her at hyperpeanutbutter@gmail.com
