Name that Mushroom!

ei2014
wild morel mushrooms - дикі сморчки гриби ???

Ukrainians everywhere have a penchant for mushrooms!  And of course the folk songs tell of hunting for mushrooms in the fall, but there are special mushrooms hunters who get out there early in the spring too!

Ukrainians use a lot of mushrooms and cream in many recipes - and every Ukrainian cookbook comes with at least one favorite variant!  This one is from an old cookbook that gives advice on the social aspect of mushroom picking, packing a picnic and sticking together with an expert mushroom identifier. 

Wild mushrooms are a treat, but there is a Ukrainian joke that goes something like this.  What kind of wild mushrooms can you pick?  All mushrooms are edible, it's just that some mushrooms are edible more than once!!  

A friend in Calgary found these lovelies in a heavily wooded pasture with a creek, somewhere near Calgary, but unfortunately she is sworn to secrecy about the actual location! All the same here are a couple of great recipes to enjoy!

Mushrooms in Cream

1 pound mushrooms          2 T chopped onion
3 T butter                          2 T Flour
1/2 cup chicken stock       1/2 sweet cream
Salt and Pepper                1 t chopped dill

Use room temperature ingredients for best results!  Clean, wash, drain and slice the mushrooms. Cook the onion in the butter until it is barely tender. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes or longer. Blend the flour with the chicken stock to a smooth paste. Stir in the cream a small bit at a time to the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until the mixture boils. Season to taste, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, or longer. More cream may be added for a thinner sauce. When ready to serve, stir in the dill.

Mushrooms in Sour Cream

1 pound mushrooms          1 small onion, chopped
2 T butter                          2 T flour
1 cup sour cream              1/2 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper                1 t chopped dill

Clean, wash, drain and slice the mushrooms. Cook the onion in the butter until just wilted. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes. Blend the flour with a little of the cream to make a smooth paste, gradually stir in the remaining cream, and add to the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until the mixture boils. Add the garlic and season to taste. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or longer. When read to serve stir in the dill.

If the mushrooms look relatively clean, just damp wipe the mushrooms as they could absorb more water than you wish, and get mushy. You could also try a soft bristle mushroom brush!

Why do Western Canadians make such Tiny Pyrohy(varenyky)?



Calgary Ukrainian Festival 2012
 amk2013

Pyrohy are a phenomenon - and may be the essential National food of Canadians, and not only Ukrainian Canadians!  You can walk into any grocer these days and select from a growing variety of pyrogies, but as every Ukrainian cook knows, imitation is the highest form of compliment.  There is nothing like home cooked food! And anything that resembles it capitalizes on the powerful memory trigger of taste!  Nobody forgets the smells, and tastes of home.  And pyrogy - varenyky are passionately intertwined between food, culture, and memory! 

Cultural maven that I am, did you know that the term pyr- actually means baked?  And varennyk actually means boiled?  Nonetheless, pyrogies-varenyky are slow food.  It can be a process, unless you are efficient with your time, like the baba's of my youth who could process 12 dozen or more in one short afternoon by themselves!  Freshly made, soft, not frozen, pyrogies-varenyky are simple, comfort food designed to erase all memory of painful times, relationships or worries.  They are homely, honest and absolutely essential!  They are the reason family comes home for Ukrainian Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and every other weekend! 

Pyrogies, varenyky or however they are labeled can trace their presence in Canada to the arrival of people from Eastern Europe - those who came to settle the prairies with Vasyl Eleniak and others from Western Ukraine in 1891 and onward. A culinary classic largely representative of Ukrainian culture, varenyky or pyrogies are favorites at family gatherings, potlucks and family restaurants across the Canadian prairies.  But do not be fooled into believing it is peasant food!  Handmade, and filled with a variety of traditional or non traditional delicious tastes, everyone has their own preference - sauerkraut, saskatoons, prunes, sour cherries, wild mushrooms, potato, with cheese, sour cream or fresh dill, with sauteed onions - they are the best! They are simply the best evidence of the tenacious hold of culture on the palate - and the extensive and rich diversity of Ukrainian heritage across Canada's Ukrainian historical sites, architecture, landmarks, cultural events and festivals. 

But why the tiny morsels?  Experts say the smallest ones are the most work, and of course they come from experienced hands, not a machine!  Although pyrogy eating championships may appeal to some, they have an esteemed culinary history.  The soft pliable dough depends upon the gluten properties in the wheat which gained Ukraine the reputation for being the breadbasket of Europe. Whether thrifty, or simply elegant, the varennyk-pyrogy is always most appreciated when made with nimble, tidy fingers - and how best to demonstrate potential and talent to a potential partner, nurturer, mate/lover than to serve up a plate of deliciously tiny home-made varenyky? 

So from tiny pyrohy to the giant pyrohy, or pierogy, or varenyk, it is time to think about how this delicious morsel of food is being celebrated in Alberta!  Did you know that Glendon, Alberta has a Pyrogy Festival showcasing Ukrainian culture and cuisine every September long weekend?  Come to see the giant pyrogy that stands 27 feet tall, deliciously waiting for  hungry passer-by, tantelizing the senses, on a fork. Built in 1991 of fiberglass with a metal frame, it is a two hour drive north east of Edmonton into Alberta's Lakeland Kalyna Country, well worth the trip! Looking at it on the fork, it doesn't seem too big!  A fun weekend of great music, beautiful Ukrainian dancing, and a Pyrogy eating contest!  If you are intrigued by this amazing village, make time to visit - remember to make reservations to stay at the Glendon Pyrogy Motel on Railway Avenue, and then head to the Pyrogy Restaurant too.  Call  Mayor Johnnie Doonanco at 780-635-3807 for more information!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0ZfeClBk-Q

Personally, I think their monument looks much like the Varenyk monument in Synky village, Ukraine. Пам'ятник варенику при в'їзді в Кіровоградську область (біля села Синьки) з боку Черкаської області.  What do you think? 

 

Ukrainian Gingerbread Man?



amazon.com

Oh, little Gingerbread cookie, I can't hear your singing!  Please come closer! No, closer yet!  Oh, just jump here on this long tongue of mine so I can hear your sweet singing.....

The Ukrainian folk tale has its own little twists and its own folkloric charm.  Whether you call him Medivnyk, Prianyk, or  Kolobok, or Pampushok, or ......the Little Honey Bun Story is a fun story for this fall season.  Reading the story, considering all the beautiful ethnographic messages in the colorful illustrations, and then singing the melodies of the folksong to a loved little person - or maybe a loved grown up?  How much fun is that?

In the traditional Ukrainian folk tale, the little pyrih, or small honey bun, comes alive and escapes from Baba, then from Dido, then from the rabbit, and the bear, but the wolf loves to hear the singing!  Pryanik (or little Kolobok) sings, "I escaped from Baba, I escaped from Dido, and I will run away from you too!" to each of his captors, until the wolf asks him to come closer, closer and then.......

What a delightful way to enjoy time with the children!

wikipedia.com

Honey has been one of Ukraine's traditional riches for thousands of years.  So using honey to bind a variety of flours (rye), makes for crisp little honey and spice cookies that rise well in the oven and have an extended shelf life.  They have been a traditional part of the Ukrainian palate forever.  The word "pryanosti" refers to them being exotic and spiced! Local tastes like berries (for their color and flavour) and nuts have always played their part too!

Medivnychky gained international accalim early in the 9th century, during medieval times.  Kings and royalty of Kievan Rus' attracted a lot of affluent visitors, while Kiev itself was an early crossroads for international commerce of the day.  Exotic smells, flavours and techniques and imported spices like  cloves, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, and citrus fruits (candied peels), nutmeg and peppercorns made for a popular treat! 

Today, medivnychki, prianiki, and kolobok recipes involve cookie presses, they can be found in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, painted with icing, or dusted lightly with sugars!

 

For a great traditional Ukrainian Tistechko - Medivnyk - Pryanik- try this lovely recipe. Enjoy!!

(Baba used a variant of this lovely and easy recipe.  The last part, adding the last bits of flour to the dough is the best part, everyone can participate and use up the excess energy in the house!)

Mix together 3 eggs, and 1 cup sugar until thick, creamy and light yellow. 
Heat 1 cup honey over a low heat with spices until the honey bubbles at the sides of the pot. Spices to try - 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cardamom.  Next time through, choose different spices!
Combine the dry ingredients, 1 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp soda, 2 cups flour and use a standing mixer to make a stiff dough. 
Wrap the dough ball and chill it in a refrigerator for an hour. 
Prepare the pans with shortening and preheat the oven.
Remove the dough ball.  Gradually add up to 2 more cups flour to make a soft rolling dough, moldable and not sticky. The better the dough is mixed, the higher the cookies will rise.
Roll the dough 1 cm thick and cut out small 4 cm rounds, re-rolling to use up the excess.   
Leave plenty of room between the medivnychki-pryaniki.  You can brush them lightly with egg for a soft glaze at this point.
Bake 10-15 minutes, or until slightly brown at 350 degrees.
Medivnychki burn easily and they will come out of the oven soft, but will crisp up quickly.
Remove, cool on sheets, and dust with icing sugar, or glaze with icing. 
Simple, old fashioned, and delicious!  Enjoy!

Store these cookies in a sealed tin, the flavour will mature with time, but they probably won't last that long.

Pryaniky, pryaniky, ya tebe z'iim!

Perhaps it is time for tistechka z molokom???

http://ukrainiancalgary.blogspot.ca/2012/08/medivnyk-honey-cake-of-gods.html