In TributeTo Our Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Heritage

Detailed Contents: In Tribute to our Ukrainian Heritage-The Ukrainian Recipes-Holubtsi, Cabbage Rolls-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls : No. 2-Cabbage Rolls with mushroom sauce-Ukrainian Cabbage Holubtsi (Rolls)-Sauerkraut Holubtsi (Rolls) No. 1-Sauerkraut Holubtsi No. 2-Beet-leaf Holubtsi-Buckwheat filling-Variations of Buckwheat Filling-Rice Filling-Variations of Rice Filling, Milk Rice, Soup Stock, Rice and Tomato, Rice and Mushroom, Rice and Bacon, Rice and Dill   , Meat and Rice Filling-Bread and Mushroom-                       

Pyrohy (Varenyky-Perogies and Pyrizhky) (Filled Dumplings), The Standard Recipe-To Reheat Varenyky (Pyrohy)-Cheese Dough for Varenyky (Pyrohy)        -Yeast-Raised Dough for Varenyky (Pyrohy, Also known as Pyrizhky-Quick or Lazy Linyvi Varenyky (Pyrohy)-Fillings for Varenyky (Pyrohy), Cottage Cheese Filling, Sauerkraut and Mushroom Filling, Cabbage Filling, Mushroom Filling

In Tribute to our Ukrainian Heritage

Many Canadian pioneers, especially in the prairie provinces, were of Ukrainian decent; and with them they brought their food as well as their customs and traditions.

Most Canadians are now familiar with everything from Ukrainian breads and Easter Eggs to Borscht, Holubtsi, Lokshyna (noodle dough), and Pyrohy, the later four being the focus of this chapter.

As you will soon discover through your reading, while most Canadians are now familiar with these items, by name; it is surprising how little many self-proclaimed experts actually know about the subjects or how they were actually produced.

The Ukrainian Recipes

Although they have all been adapted, written and re-written many times over the years; most of the original recipes came compliments of my former in-laws, from the town of Mundare Alberta; or courtesy of the Ukrainian museum, which is located a few miles outside of Mundare.

See also the recipe for Ukrainian Borscht- Main Dish Soups, Chowders, and Stews.

Please note how different real Ukrainian Borscht (actually all the forms of borscht) is from anything you have eaten or seen in a restaurant.

Holubtsi

Holubtsi, used in the plural form, is the Ukrainian name for stuffed cabbage rolls, which in literal translation means “little Pigeons”. The filling traditionally is buckwheat or rice with only a small amount of hamburger or almost any other meat (unlike other East European cabbage rolls, which are mainly meat with a small amount of rice. Cabbage rolls are also known as golubvci and by other names depending on their origin.

Apart from being a popular family dish, it is also an essential item on the menu at all festive and community dinners. At the Christmas Eve supper more than one preparation of Holubtsi may be served. For that special occasion, a meatless filling is made, using either a vegetable shortening or cooking oil.

 Fillings for Holubtsi vary, but the one made of rice or buckwheat finds the greatest favour. Any palatable combination of meat and cereal, vegetable and meat, mushrooms and cereal or other ingredients makes an economical and sustaining dish of Holubtsi without unduly straining the food budget. Holubtsi is a versatile dish capable of a number or variations in ingredients and proportions. In the summer, beet, lettuce, or spinach leaves may take the place of cabbage. In the grape growing areas of the Ukraine the filling is often encased in grape leaves. This practice, however, is strictly regional and not generally known to many cooks, I have however seen it practiced in the Vancouver area, and when my grandmother lived on Knight Road, and her neighbour grew grape vines for that express purpose.

Holubtsi may be cooked with, or without a liquid depending on the nature of the filling. A ready-cooked filling requires little or no liquid. When a liquid is used, it may be one, or a combination, of several of the following: water, soup stock, mushroom stock, meat drippings, tomato juice, (because they did not exist as a food item, any-thing containing tomatoes are of course a fairly recent innovation), and sour cream. Some fat is always added to the liquid for a richer tasting product.

The choice of the liquid depends on personal preferences, regional customs, and available ingredients on hand. Many Canadian-Ukrainian homemakers now rely on canned tomato soup for the liquid, using it alone or in combination with sour cream, tomato juice (see above), soup stock, or water. Modern Canadians of course, love their meat, love their tomatoes, and demand their convenience; and that is why I have chosen to start this chapter with three excellent modern recipes.