Olivye - Oliver's Salad

Olivye is one of my favorite salads to make and eat. The different ingredients blend so well together you with catch yourself eating it all day.

Ingredients:

• 1lb of ham
• 1 can of sweet peas
• 3 potatoes
• 4 carrots
• 5-6 boiled eggs
• 3 pickles
• 1 bunch of green onions
• 1 bunch of fresh dill
• Mayonnaise to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil carrots, potatoes and eggs in advance and let cool.

2. Peel the boiled carrots potatoes and eggs and chop into small chunks

3. Chop pickles, green onions, dill and ham in the same size chunks and add all together with the sweet peas

4. Mix in mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

SMA-CHNO-HO! (Enjoy)

Cabbage Rolls

Hi folks! This week we're going to make Cabbage Rolls or like Ukrainians like to call it Holubtsi!

Ingredients:

1 head cabbage

3 lbs ground beef or turkey

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups cooked rice

3 teaspoons salt and pepper (or to taste)

1 teaspoon paprika

1 clove of garlic

1 large onion, minced

1 can of tomato sauce

1. Boil head of cabbage in large pot for about 10-15 minutes . Lift the cabbage out of the hot water, allow it to drain a bit. Start peeling off the tender leaves.
2. Cut up the onion in large chunks and peel the garlic. Place the garlic and onion in a blender with a small amount of water and puree them. Transfer pureed onion and garlic to a large saucepan and add the tomato sauce
3. In another bowl, combine the beef, eggs, rice, paprika, chopped onionand salt & pepper well with your hands.
4. Place a golf ball size of the meat mixture almost in the middle of a cabbage leaf. Roll all the way, stuff each open end into the roll, inserting the leave into the meat mixture with your finger.
5. Cover the bottom of a large roasting pan with a thick layer of the sauce, place rolls on top and then more sauce over the rolls.
6. Bake at 350 for 2 hours. Baste the sauce over the cabbe rolls during the baking time every 30 minutes to avoid dried out rolls.
7. ENJOY!

I know this is a long process but trust me it is worth it in the end!

SMA-CHNO-HO! (Enjoy)

Borscht

This week I will be teaching you how to make BORSCHT!

-Borscht gets its deep red colour from it main ingredient beets-

You will need:

• 2 lbs. beets
• yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic (the more the better)
• cup canola oil
• 2.5 litres beef stock
• cup white wine
• cup red wine vinegar
• 4 Tbsp. FRESH dill, chopped
• cup sour cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup sour cream

1. Peel and julienne the beets and onions
2. In a sauce pot, heat the canola oil, add the onions and garlic cloves, sweat over medium-high heat until browned and translucent
3. Add the beets and potatoes and saute quickly
4. Deglaze with white wine, allow to reduce, then add the beef stock. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer until the beets are tender, 20-30 minutes, depending on the size
5. Remove the soup from the heat, using a hand blender, puree the soup, adding the remaining ingredients (You may need to adjust the acidity to your liking by adding slightly more red wine vinegar, it should provide a fresh acidity to the dish)
6. For the garnish, serve with a spoon of the sour cream over the soup

SMA-CHNO-HO! (Enjoy)

Perogies

This wouldn't be a blog on Ukrainian food without the recipe for perogies. Perogies are dumplings filled with mainly potatoes and cheese topped with, my favourite, sautéed onions and bacon. YUM!

You will need:

• 6 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 4 pinches of salt and pepper
• 5 pounds of peeled potatoes
• 1 pound of shredded cheese
• 2 onions
• 6 strips of bacon

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes; drain.
2. To make dough: On a dry surface, combine flour, eggs and salt. Mix in a little water at a time until dough is somewhat stiff. Roll dough in small sections about 1/4 inch thick. Using a large biscuit cutter or drinking glass, make circle cuts.
3. To make filling: Mix together potatoes, cheese, salt and pepper. Fill each with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the potato and cheese mixture, fold over and seal edges.
4. To cook, bring a large pot of water to boil, carefully dropping in one at a time; stir continuously. They are done when they float to the top and boil for 3 minutes.
5. Topping: Sautee bacons and onions; drain excess bacon fat and garnish!

SMA-CHNO-HO! (Enjoy)