Ukraine Food Recipes

GOLUBTSI RECIPE; A CLASSIC UKRAINIAN FOOD - Голубцы

Steps:

• Rinse 2 cups white rice and cook in 3 1/2 cups water with 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Or do the same thing in a rice maker.
• Fill 2/3 of large soup pot with water. Bring to a boil. Add 1/2 Tbsp salt and 4 Tbsp vinegar.
• Peal and discard the top two leaves from each cabbage. Use a knife to cut out the core of each cabbage (see picture). Put first cabbage in water, cork down, for about 5 minutes, then rotate and continue cooking another 5-6 min. You will pull off leaves as they begin to soften. The leaves will cook faster if they are pulled apart. Remove the leaves to a platter to cool when they are done. You know they are done when they are soft and yellowish and larger leaves will turn a dull green. Repeat with the second cabbage, adding more water if needed. Reserve about 3-4 cups of water from the pot!
• Mix ground meats and rice together in a large bowl.
• Grate and saute 4 carrots in approximately 3 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter over med/high heat. Once they are soft, add 1 cup of mushroom marinara sauce and saute another minute.
• Add carrot mixture to rice and meat. Add 2 eggs and 1 Tbsp salt. Mix well.
• Large leaves: cut the leaves in half down the center removing the tough stem portion- you will end up with 2 leaves. Place 2 Tbsp meat mixture at the top of each leaf (or as much as you can fit - leaf sizes vary). Roll the leaf into a cone shape with the thicker part of the leaf at the base and stuff the wide part into the top. As you stuff your cabbage, arrange them either in the same pot you used to cook the cabbage or in a cast iron dutch oven.
• Small Leaves: slice off the raised surface of the tough center stem just to flatten the leaf and make it easier to roll. Fill each cabbage leaf with about 2 Tbsp meat mixture. Place the filling over the stem/ bottom portion. Roll like a burrito and stuff both ends in with fingers.
• Heat approx. 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Saute remanding 2 grated carrots with 1 tsp of Mrs. Dash. Stir until soft. Add 1 Tbsp sour cream and 1 cup of mushroom marinara sauce. Saute another minute and remove from heat.
• Pour Podliva over the Golubtsy and add enough reserved water to almost cover goloobtsi (2 1/2 to 3 cups).
• If using the pot, bring to a light boil, then cover and simmer 40 minutes over medium heat.
• If using a dutch oven (recommended method), cover and bake at 450 ° F for 20-25 minutes on the bottom third (one step below the center rack). When it bubbles, reduce heat to 350°F and bake 1 hour.

UKRAINIAN KOTLETI (PORK PATTIES)

Steps:

• Add all of the ingredients for the patties into a mixing bowl. Grate onion on the smallest side of the protruding holes on the grater.
• Shape patties into oval like shapes. (If you work with wet hands, the meat will not stick to hands as they are shaped.)
• Add the ½ cup bread crumbs to a large bowl. Once patties are shaped, coat the patties in the bread crumbs.
• Cover the bottom of a large skillet or pan with oil. Once oil is hot, fry the patties 4-5 minutes per side over med/high heat until fully cooked inside.
• Enjoy, friends!

HALUSHKI RECIPE (TRADITIONAL UKRAINIAN DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Prepare ingredients for the recipe.
• Place the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a little well in the middle. Place whisked eggs, water, and melted butter into it. Using a fork, work the ingredients together to form the dough. Finish up combining the ingredients by hand until you get a smooth, even texture.
• Divide the dough into eight even pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece into a long string. Dice each string into small pieces.
• At this point, you can either freeze the raw dough for later use or move onto the next step to cook them.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Toss in the raw dumplings and boil them until they float to the top.
• Gather the topping ingredients.
• Dice mushrooms and sauté them in a buttered skillet for about 5 minutes. Dice the onions and add them to the skillet, cooking them until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir in bacon pieces, sauté for 5 minutes.
• Place dumplings into a nonstick skillet and add in sautéed mixture and butter. Cook until they turn golden brown.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!