Ukrainian Christmas

Christmas number two for me: a weekend filled with copious amounts of food, wine and lots of talking! Everything about it is delicious, maybe with the exception of the cabbage and mushroom rolls!

CHRISTMAS EVE

Friday night (Christmas eve) is a 13 course feast of traditional Ukrainian foods. I don't think Australia has much traditon to share, so I am very happy to adopt! 

As I sat down to the beautifully decorated table, I recalled the previous year. Attending the celebrations for the first time, I was terrified that I wouldn't like any of the traditional food. Yet, I was excited to be experiencing a tradition different to my own. Needless to say, the food was delicious and left me feeling like I would explode with any sudden movement.

Pickled herring and onion on pumpernickel bread. I need to remember for next year that this is the first of many courses and I should perhaps have just one (or two) piece of this so I have room for everything else!

White fish with a tomato and carrot reduction. So delicious. I had some the day after (there is an abundance of leftovers!) and I could have happily eaten bowls of the carrots!

Not a great photo but any how, this is white fish with a delicious herb crust created by Pete's sister.

Borsch (beetroot soup) with mushroom dumplings. For someone who doesnt like, what i define as, the dirty taste of beetroots, borsch is rather delicious. Mushroom dumplings on the other hand, they find themselves in Pete's bowl rather quickly.

Without a doubt, these little bundles of carby goodness are what I look forward to devouring the most! Varenyky - a type of dumpling which I think is traditionally of the potato variety, (above photo) but they come in all sorts of flavours - potato and cabbage, cabbage, potato and cheese, even sweet flavours such as cherry. They are cooked in butter and onions so probably not that great for the hips, but it is Christmas, so who cares!?

Holapchi - a rice and mushroom mixture wrapped in a cabbage leaf and baked. For someone who doesnt like mushrooms, (this was about 80% mushroom) I didnt find it all that appealing. I am one to try new things though, so I gave it one bite. Nope, sorry, I found the one thing that I dont like.

A very traditional dessert consisting of cracked wheat (I think it was), nuts, dried fruit and poppy seeds. Im a big fan, and im told it makes a delicious breakfast for days after.

CHRISTMAS DAY

 

The entree -

I love salmon but my continuous baking of it and sprinkling with sea salt saw me get tired of the flavour very quickly. This salmon on the other hand, was amazing. Marinated in a soy mixture and cooked in the webber, served on lettuce leaves with lemon juice. Bravo, Roman!

The main -

As much food as I could shove on a plate! The variety of food on Christmas day is much similar to what the Australian culture has to offer. Ham and turkey, salads, roasted vegetables, a delicious mango and coriander salad and those little onion tarts that I can never only have one of.

A lovely weekend with beautiful company.

щасливого Різдва

New Years!

Like us, all our friends are from interstate so went back to their respective home states for new years. Pete and I decided to take advantage of the quiet time and spend the night outside in the garden, it was a lovely warm night, with delicious food and delicious chilled wines and champagne.

I got home from work and the preparations began. Setting the table and chairs into the garden, plating up the selection antipasto yummies and getting the first celebratory drinks poured.

Setting the scene...

Our delicious antipasto selection: dips, bbq grilled pittas, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, cheese stuffed bell peppers, ham, salami and grain waves of course!

This kept us very full for the remainder of the night, so the decadent, creamy pasta was definately put on hold for our first dinner of 2012!

***

First day of 2012, and I woke up craving a delicious fruit salad and Jamie Oliver's eggy crumpets that I had watched him create on tv just days before. So up I got to shower and run off to the shops. Then here is what evolved...

Fruit salad of apricots, mango (my love has re-ignited!), grapes, blueberries and strawberries, topped with passionfruit pulp. I swear the passionfruit pulp makes fruit salad so much better.

Warm, comforting amazingness!

Breakfast eggy crumpets

Ingredients

2 eggs

2 crumpets

Sprinkle of chilli flakes or fresh chopped chilli

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon butter

Method

1. Crack your eggs into a bowl and give them a little whisk with a small pinch of salt and pepper and most of the chilli.

2.  Push the crumpets into the egg and chilli mixture. Turn them a few times – they’ll soak it up like a sponge.

3. Heat a large pan over a medium heat and add butter. Add the crumpets to the pan and fry them for a few minutes until golden, then turn them over and fry them on the other side.
Serving hints: Serve the eggy crumpets topped with the crispy bacon, with a dollop of brown sauce or a drizzle of maple syrup. To finish, you can sprinkle over any extra chopped chilli, if you’re a chilli freak like me. Perfect – heaven on a plate.

Serves 1

Source: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/egg-recipes/breakfast-eggy-crumpets

Dinner was pretty delicious; actually, REALLY delicious. Creamy pasta with bacon, mushrooms and spring onions. Such a guilty pleasure, but it is the indulgence period of the year, so it allowed! Pete had been asking to try a creamy pasta of sorts for a while, so I thought I would allow us the treat, and a new cooking experiment for me!

A little piece of creamy heaven!

Creamy boscaiola

Ingredients

500g pasta

6 bacon rashers, trimmed of rind, roughly chopped

200g button mushrooms, sliced
600mL cream
2 spring onions, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped flat parsley

Method

1. Cook the pasta in a large pan of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain return to the pan and keep warm.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan, add the bacon and mushroom and cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until golden brown

3. Stir in a little of the cream and scrape the wooden spoon on the bottom of the pan to dislodge any bacon that has stuck

4. Add the remaining cream, bring to the boil and cook over high heat for 15 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon .

5. Stir the spring onion through the mixture. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with the chopped flesh parsley.

Source: http://www.pasta-recipes-online.com/boscaiola-sauce.html

Christmas lunch

I had a very quick trip home to Adelaide this year. Because I had to fly home Christmas Day afternoon (to work the dreaded boxing day sales), we had family Christmas lunch instead of dinner this year which was a very pleasant change up! I dont think anything beats food on Christmas. Its such a happy time and everything just seems to taste so much better!

We started our day with cups of tea and present giving, followed by our breakfast tradition of english muffins with baby spinach leaves, smoked salmon and creamy scrambled eggs. SO DELICIOUS! I was obviously so eager to eat that it didnt cross my mind to take a photo!

Christmas lunch Linda (my mum) style!

Modern prawn cocktail: lettuce and avocado with barbequed prawns, a dollop of cocktail scauce and a squeeze of lemon.

Probably one of my favourite foods ever: mum's baked ham with lime jam glaze.

My first experience with duck fat potatoes. They came with a truck load of guilt, but it was Christmas Day after all and they were just SO good. And the delicious baby baked carrots - also worth a mention!

Lunch is served! :)

I had to run to the airport soon after I had consumed the above and them some more; so no dessert for me.