Three Men Making Kovbasa

rk2013 - note the sunflower plate and lovely
 furniture on the deck, the broom handle
in red to display the lovely rk homemade kovbasa

So I mentioned a while back that my husband was bound and determined to make his own Ukrainian sausages - kovbasa, for Easter.  I was very skeptical, because the idea of meat grinding, casings, random spices and tons of garlic, all combined with men drinking beer in my lovely clean kitchen, really didn't make me happy.  But then again, I can be surprised from time to time.

So he bought a smoker.  The box came into the house where he proudly picked up the instruction manual first - I was impressed.  Then he bought the meat grinder for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  And he read the instructions again, double impressed!  Then he found a video online and watched the expert about 3 times - again, triple impressed.  He went to the butcher and bought twelve pounds of pork shoulder which needed to be marinated overnight in salt, pepper, marjoram, garlic and other stuff.  He bought hog casings too.  Then it was time to invite the boys over - I got scared again.  But when he showed me the instruction video they were following, I almost believed again.

He insisted it was a "boys night" to make the kovbasa - you can see why I was beginning to worry.  Then he chose a night when I wasn't going to be home, and had to leave them unsupervised.  Leaving them to stuff meat through a grinder, and then into casings, but again, I can be surprised, it seems. Bob and Andrij, the boys,  arrived, drank beer, had an entertaining time.  I returned home to find the kitchen actually looked quite presentable.  And so did the kovbasa! They looked like the real thing to me!  All that remained was smoking, storing and tasting at Easter Breakfast. 

Well, Easter is over and though I had little confidence in his first kovbasa project, it was a success!  In fact, at the Easter breakfast table there were rave reviews for his home made, home smoked kovbasa.  Gotta get him to try it again!

Maybe you can try it too!  How to Make Homemade Sausage - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPQP4TC3E1w.
 

Spring has a Ring - of Kovbasa

Naturally, my husband is interested in the glorious ring of smoked meat Ukrainians call kovbasa. Kubasa, kobasa, kubie, it has a variety of endearments - and there is definitely a ring in the air this spring.  

 

The kobvasa  has such a prominent place in the Easter tradition - a ring of smoked meat, meat served as a sacrifice after a long lenten period.  It is but one of the special foods I will take to be blessed in my Easter basket!  Braided Paska bread, sweet Babka bread, cheese, butter, ham, horseradish, and kovaba, then some fresh green onions and beet-horseradish, and decorated with boiled eggs, colored krashanky eggs, and of course newly scribed Ukrainian Easter Eggs -pysanky!

 

So you know that Calgary's Ukrainian community has a variety of tastes, a variety of pleasures - but Ukrainian food draws everybody's attention it seems. And the Ogden House Ukrainian Cultural Society in Calgary is a great group of people with community on the mind.

 

If you have "Eastered" or if you are on the way to "Paska", or you do both, or neither, The Ogden House Ukrainian Cultural Society in Calgary is pleased to bring to you Kubie Madness!...Naturally another wonderful evening of food and entertainment to help ease the transition from Winter into Spring!

 

So now you know, my husband is interested in kovbasa.  More so now because he just bought himself a new toy - a smoker!  It may not happen too quickly, but there may be a new flavour of kovbasa for my festive table soon - will keep you posted.  (Really, how much garlic do you like in your Ukrainian sausage?)