Dinner

Dinner, Ukrainian Dishes

Cabbage Rolls

Claudia's Cookbook - Cabbage Rolls

You don’t get any more Ukrainian than Cabbage Rolls. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was fed these as my first experience with “real food” as a baby. Not one special dinner has gone by in our family without cabbage rolls being served. There are many variations. But I can tell you now that nobody’s cabbage rolls compare to the ones that Claudia makes. They are simple the best. Not too tomato soupy, not too cabbagey. They are perfect little delights. However, I learned in this blog process that I apparently haven’t inherited the Ukrainian cabbage rolling gene, as I found the process extremely frustrating. My 1/4 Slovakian genes took over my hands and rendered me incapable of “tucking and rolling” the rice and cabbage. But do not fret kids….if you weren’t blessed with the Ukrainian cooking gene like me, it just takes a bit of practise and patience. …and Claudia laughing at you when you curse the rice that fell from your hands and onto your clean floor.

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Dinner

Nasi Goreng

First off, we want to say a big thank you to those who follow our lovely blog on Facebook and Twitter. We really appreciate all the comments and support! The comments inspired the next few recipes that we will be sharing on our blog. As the temperatures continue to cool down (well, unless you’re in Los Angeles), we asked our readers what their favourite meals are in the autumn season. The theme was easy to pick out – simple, warm and comforting.

Claudia and I thought her Nasi Goreng was the perfect mix of all those elements which our followers love in a recipe. Hearty wild rice, warm curry flavour, and buttery chicken. What more could you want on a cool autumn evening….besides a blanket that is.

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Dinner

Dill Potatoes

This particular recipe caused a lot of different philosophical cooking debates between myself and Claudia. The largest being that young garden potatoes should only be used in this recipe. ONLY THIS RECIPE. I learned this the hard way when Claudia called me up last week to tell me she dug out some “nice young potatoes” from our garden in Saskatchewan. When she told me this I was quite happy, as I had my eye on this great potato salad recipe that I wanted to make for her and my Dad the following week. BIG mistake. BIG. A mere two seconds went by after the words “use these young potatoes for potato salad” flew out of my  mouth when Claudia interjected with one word – “No”. Being quite a stubborn daughter and fond of debate, I then asked her why I couldn’t use the “young garden potatoes” for my potato salad. Her answer (said in a sarcastic ‘well aren’t you a piece of work’ response – quite possibly rolling her eyes at me): “Because, young potatoes are for dill potatoes only.” Fair enough Mom, fair enough.

Dill potatoes are very common in Ukrainian households. Maybe it’s because potatoes were a staple on the farm or in gardens. Probably because it was dirt cheap (no pun intended) to grow and cook with in general. Either way, they are so simple to make, yet so comforting and delicious. Best in summer when you have “young potatoes” and fresh garden dill. Now, when I asked Claudia her definition of “young potatoes” for this post, I didn’t get a really clear, definite answer. Essentially, they are potatoes that are pulled out of the ground at an earlier stage and not left to fully mature. P.s. they are delicious!

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Dinner, Healthy, Salads

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I will be the first one to admit that I can be pretty lazy when it comes to cooking. I would be lying if I said a tuna sandwich and basic salad (we’re talking chopped up romaine lettuce and salad dressing from a bottle) doesn’t find its way into my dinner rotation three-plus times a week. With summer here, and my own motivation for cooking dwindling, Claudia decided it would be best to share one of our all-time favourite salads. It is simple, colourful, and most of all – flavourful. Did I mention how easy it is? Seriously, the hardest part about this salad is grating some onion. I would have said slicing strawberries, but come on – grating onion is definitely more lackluster and not as glamourous as slicing strawberries. Back to the recipe!

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Dinner, Healthy, Soups

Curryflower Soup

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Curry is not a typical spice in the Ukrainian chef’s arsenal. But this soup has been a great addition to Claudia’s cooking over the past few years. I didn’t really grow up having this dish, which is a good thing. Both me and my brother were pretty fussy kids growing up. If it wasn’t in the realm of BBQ hamburgers, perogies,  and my personal favourite – Cheese Whiz sandwiches (yes, believe it!), we weren’t eating any of it. So, if Claudia put this in front of us prior to 1996, we would have probably made such a fuss that she never would have attempted this dish again. That, in itself, would have been a tragedy.

Curry (and other Asian culinary influences for that matter), began showing up in our household well after us kids became adults.  Curryflower Soup is now one of the more “exotic” dishes  in regular rotation. Its mellow curry flavour and hearty vegetables are perfect for the rainy days of summer and the freezing cold temperatures of winter.

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Dinner, Ukrainian Dishes

Nalysnyky

If you haven’t read the Inspiration section of this website prior to reading the rest of this post, I highly recommend you do. Mainly because it explains the copious amounts of sinful butter in this recipe. Well, it sort of does. It more or less justifies it as an essential in Ukrainian cuisine.

Nalysnyky (pronounced NAL-YES-NAH-KEH) is a staple on our family dinner table on all holidays. They are often made ahead of time and frozen until the day of the dinner event. I actually have never had them otherwise until I made this recipe with Claudia for the blog.  I have to admit, if you can, eating them fresh is the way to go. Nalysnyky is essentially cheese filled crepes (slathered in butter of course and baked). This recipe takes a total of one hour from start to finish and truly is worth every minute.

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