Primitive and Delicious

Feeling a little thwarted in my Paleo Ukrainian Christmas planning lately.  Puzzled and trying to find ancient solutions with today's tools.  Cultural anthropology anyone?

Armed with a recipe for non gluten varenyky that requires non gluten all purpose flour from the health food store.  Not sure I am going to like garbanzo bean flavoured dough.  Sure enough, pyrohy don't stick! Back to the health food store for another variety that uses rice, tapioca, quinoa and something else.  Doesn't sound like something pra-baba used.

amk2013

It got me thinking about this whole wheat issue.  If it is true that wheat has been around for thousands of years, clearly the first farmers harvested only small amounts, and used what they had.  Milling would have been way to much a process for the ancients, not in a big way at least.  So they must have ground what they needed, as they needed. 

I've discovered that wheat doesn't instantly produce gluten, it needs to be worked - ie kneaded to produce the gluten properties, then....Well, it seems that rolling dough thin enough for sticky dough varenyky was probably not easy for the ancients.  And compounded with that, finger pinching pyrogies in the coldest, darkest time of winter was probably not all that comfortable. 

So, it got  me thinking about  korzh  iz makom - корж із маком, the way my mom makes it.  Actually, this recipe is probably something her grandmother brought from her mother, when she left to be married at 12 years old.  Yah, that's my pra-baba, and that's an old recipe.

amk2013

It's a basic dough for varenyky, kneaded soft, and rolled out onto a greased pan, like a flatbread.  No yeast involved.  Bake it, cool and break into chunks while warm and dress it with a warm liquidy mixture of poppy seed, honey and water.  Suitable for a meatless meal anytime!

So, in all practicality, the Ukrainian kutia кутя is probably a real starting point in culinary tradition.  And varenyky вареники are probably based on the enhanced properties of gluten wheat flour.  Interesting. Korzh iz makom корж із маком is probably somewhere in the middle of the journey in Ukrainian cookery - hope you enjoy the recipe.  In my eyes, this is truly winter lenten fare - primitive and delicious.

Try this recipe for a lenten korzh корж - 3 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 3 tsp baking powder, 1 cup soya milk.  Mix the dry ingredients and add the wet, mix and knead well.  Roll to 1 cm thick and place on sprayed baking sheet.  Prick all over with fork and bake for 45 minutes in medium oven.
Or try this recipe for a non lenten korzh - 3 eggs, well beaten, 1 cup milk, 1 tsp salt, 3 tsp baking powder, 4 cups flour.

Beat the liquid ingredients, add the dry and knead until soft and pliable.  Roll thin and drape in vegetable oil sprayed cookie sheet, pricking the dough in several places.  Bake in medium oven for 45 minutes.  After the palyanitsia паляниця cools, break chunks into a bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, soak 1 cup poppy seed in boiling water, drain the water and grind the seeds.  Add sugar or honey to taste.  Moisten the palyanitsia паляниця chunks with boiling water, adding the sweetened, ground poppy seeds and mix.  Serve warm.

Still have to find solutions to the non gluten varenyky problem - help!

Ukrainian Schavel' - Wild Sorrel Soup (Green Borsch?)

Schavel from my garden in Calgary

My schavel' is growing so quickly in my garden this year - it must be because of all the lovely spring weather Calgary has been having.  Such lush and healthy green!  Time to make soup!  It always makes a summer supper better to have fresh garden soup as the first course.  Will another year pass before I actually enjoy this treat?  I think not. 
A little basket and a small knife, and out to cut the common garden sorrel - schavel'.  I am not sure which of the technical names to use, but there are several wild sorrel - schavel' species growing in North America too.  I'll need a fair bit - it has to cut down to about 8 cups chopped.  

I make a great green borsch in the springtime, use up all the sorrel - schavel' on the garden.  It is a green spinach-like garden lettuce.  Tastes lemony and has a good tang. As you might expect from a vegetable this tart, any recipe using schavel' or sorrel will use cream or milk to temper the tang. With the cream or milk, the soup becomes such a bright, sparkling, green borsch - the spring borsch to wake all those digestive enzymes. 

Some articles on line call it Wild French Sorrel.  Puzzles me, why French?  Gotta think back in history, way back to Anna Yaroslavna - she was the daughter of  Yaroslav the Wise - Kniaz of Rus' way back a thousand years ago.  At the time of Kievan Rus', the Rurik Dynasty had impressive ties with the royal houses of Western Europe.  All the royal families of Europe wanted to foster familial ties with Kievan Rus'.  So, a King of France was married to Anna Yaroslavna - the daughter of the ruler of Kievan Rus'.  She, and her entire retinue went across the European continent and brought many treasures from Ukraine.  She became Queen of France!  Until recent times, the Bible she brought - written in Old Slavonic - was the Bible used for the official oath taking of Kings, and Presidents.  Not sure whether that is still the case, but an interesting fact.

In any case, whether Anna Yaroslavna brought Schavel' to France, - or whether Schavel' is a French food brought to Ukraine - it has been in the recipe box for about a thousand years.  Hope you enjoy!!

You will need a fair bit of sorrel - schavel' to make this recipe, it cooks down quickly.  You can purchase it at some supermarkets, sometimes at the farmer's market in the spring, but the best way to assure you have some in the spring is to have some in your own garden.  All you need is one or two plants stuck somewhere in the corner of the garden and it will produce for years.  You can plant it from seed, but I got the plants from a Ukrainian woman from church.  Thanks Pani O. ).

Nadia’s Hot Sorrel Soup  - Sorrel Soup (Schavel’)

Yield: Makes about 8 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup finely chopped white and pale green part of green onions, washed well

½ cup finely chopped onion

2 Tbsp. butter

1 pound boiling potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces)

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups milk

½ pound fresh sorrel  - stems discarded and leaves rinsed, spun dry, and shredded course (about 8 cups)

1/2 cup cream

¼ cup snipped fresh chives or to taste, plus, if desired, additional for garnish.

Preparation:

In a large saucepan cook the green onion and the onion with salt and pepper to taste in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, add the potatoes, broth, and simmer the mixture covered for 10 – 15 minutes, or until potatoes are almost tender.  Stir in the milk, heat til scalded, then add sorrel and simmer for 1 minute.  Puree the mixture in a blender in batches, transferring it as it is purred to a bowl, and let it cool. (I do not puree the soup, because the sorrel pieces floating in the soup are nice.)  Stir in the cream, chives and salt and pepper to taste.  I like the soup served hot, but you can chill it, covered, for at least 4 hours or overnight and serve it sprinkled with additional chives.