A Ukrainian Christmas

Here in the United States the holiday season already seems a distant memory. In Ukraine, however, families throughout the country gathered together this past week to observe their Christmas traditions. In honor of their celebrations, we had a small Ukrainian Christmas dinner last night for week two of our culinary adventure.

According to my lovely assistant, Oksana who lives in Odessa, Ukraine, Christmas Eve is celebrated on January 7 as the last day of a 40-day fast without meat, milk or eggs. Although many families do not observe the full 40-days, some still fast the day before. On Christmas Eve, once the first star has risen in the night sky, each family sits down to a 12-dish feast of fish, vegetables, grains and fruit.

Since I wasn’t going to attempt cooking a dozen different dishes, Oksana gave me a few suggestions of things to try for our own mini Ukrainian Christmas. I also invited some friends over to witness my first attempt at Ukrainian cooking; after all, what is a holiday if you can’t share it with others?

Traditionally, the first of the 12 dishes served is Kutya, a porridge of wheat, poppy seeds, nuts and honey, so naturally I had to put this at the top of our menu. I also decided to make Vareniki, Ukrainian-style dumplings, and Borsch, a beet and cabbage soup. To drink, a warm spiced honey mixture spiked with real Ukrainian vodka.

Bread is the staple of any Ukrainian celebration. Abundant wheat crops from fertile soil have made bread the symbol of health and hospitality. Intricately decorated loaves accompany any special occasion such as holidays or weddings. Our dinner also included a large round of crusty bread and a bulb of roasted garlic.

Each recipe was relatively easy to make because basically everything was boiled, but easy or not I’m sure my borsch was nothing compared to the one Oksana enjoyed with her family. Although one of our guests, Jimmy, did go back for a second helping…

The kutya took the longest to prepare since the main ingredient, wheat berries, had to be soaked and then simmered for four hours. Actually, according to the recipe the wheat berries were supposed to be soaked overnight, but since I didn’t realize that until cooking day I crossed my fingers that an hour would be sufficient. After the berries had plumped up, I drained most of the water and added some dark honey, an amazing amount of ground poppy seeds, chopped roasted almonds and diced dried apricots.

Our unanimously favorite part of the meal, the kutya didn’t have the gravel-like consistency I was afraid of, but was soft and lightly chewy with a nice crunch from the almonds. As much as we enjoyed it however, I feel that kutya would be better suited as a breakfast dish served with yogurt rather than as an “appetizer.” Good thing since I will likely be eating it for breakfast for the next week.

While the wheat berries were cooking I began preparing the beets, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, onion and garlic for the borsch. My hands still have a slight tinge of that beautiful deep red from grating the beets, but at least my kitchen no longer looks like a murder scene. Everything went into a pot with some diced tomatoes and the soup done.

Only seasoned with salt and pepper, the borsch was a bit plain, although I’m sure as with most soups it will be better today than it was yesterday. Dipping a piece of the bread with a spread of roasted garlic into the soup brought out more of the flavor so I think if I attempt to make it again I will add more garlic and perhaps some beef stock.

Since there was no meat to be had at this dinner, I figured Mr. Meat-and-Potatoes would like the vareniki the best. Usually stuffed with an assortment of fillings such as sauerkraut, cottage cheese or cherries, I opted for a non-threatening mashed potato with onion and smoked cheddar variety served with sour cream. Still, Mr. M and P liked the vareniki least of all.

I didn’t think they were quite that bad, although again I think they would have benefited from a little more seasoning. Or perhaps a practiced hand skilled at making a more delicate and less heavy pasta.

Even though he didn’t eat much at all of his dinner, Adam still did his part for the occasion by procuring the vodka. An odd coincidence, it was donated the day of our dinner by a man Adam had happen to tell about our around-the-world food adventures.

By itself, Nemiroff Birch vodka has a slightly sweet, herbaceous flavor with a sharp, biting finish. Mixed with a warm concoction of honey, clove, allspice, cinnamon and orange zest, the bite was tamed and the vodka smoothed into a pleasing beverage that warms from the inside out.

For dessert, our guests also tried their hands at Ukrainian cooking with delicious snow cap cookies. A light pastry topped with chopped walnuts and a coconut marange, the cookies were unfortunately the only dish we didn’t have leftovers of.

Another successful night of first experiences under our slightly loosened belts, thank you to Oksana for being my tour guide and to Jimmy and Rene for being my taste testers; you are welcome back any time you want to bring me more cookies.

Week One: Cuba

As the first destination of our journey around the world, we chose a country whose flavors would distract us from our cold and snowy New England surroundings and transport our taste buds to a tropical getaway.

For a true taste of Cuba we ventured out last night to the highly recommended Soul de Cuba restaurant on Crown Street in New Haven.

A cozy hole-in-the-wall, Soul de Cuba boasts authentic recipes handed down through generations to two of the co-founders, brothers Jesus and Robert Puerto. With a mere nine tables and a six-seat bar, Soul certainly has a home-cooked feel, as if it were modeled after the Paladares, the independent, family-run restaurants common in Cuba.

Awash in earthen tones, the walls are adorned with ancestral photos, brightly colored artwork and framed cigar box labels. Lively island music further invites each guest to sit back and relax while sipping a fresh Cuban mojito.

Made with fresh mint, lime and Cuban-style Matusalem Platino rum, the Soul mojito was a refreshing way to start to our meal. Soul also offers an impressive variety of Caribbean rums, South American wines and island-inspired cocktails.

In order to get an idea of what to expect from our first flavor adventure, I researched a few different recipes and found that Cuban cuisine is a mixture of predominately Spanish, African and Caribbean influences that relies heavily on garlic, onion, green peppers, oregano, cumin and citrus. Slow-cooked meats, plantains and rice and beans are also staples.

During my research I kept seeing mention of a dish called Ropa Vieja, tender shredded beef in a tomato and green pepper sauce served with rice and black beans. Although the name (translation: “old clothes”) hardly makes the mouth water, I had already decided to try it when we arrived at the restaurant. Upon reviewing the menu, however, I was swayed in a different direction.

For our first course we ordered the tostones, fried green plantains with a side of mojo for dipping. Typically used as a marinade for meat or vegetables, mojo usually consists of garlic, sour orange juice, onion, oregano, cumin and black peppercorns. Since unripe plantains have a rather mild flavor, almost like a potato, the distinct garlic flavor of the thick mojo was a necessary accompaniment. Although I thought the sauce made the dish, my esteemed colleague and tasting partner, Adam, did not much care for it.

For my main course, instead of the ropa vieja I had planned on, I decided to try something really different and ordered the rabo encendido, oxtails stewed in a savory red wine sauce. The segmented meat was extremely tender, making it easy to extract from each of vertebrae, and I soaked up the remaining sauce with the white rice and beans.

A misconception about Cuban food, one that I obviously share, is that it is spicy. I was expecting a bit of a bite when in reality, the traditional flavors are more simple and subdued. In Cuban cooking it is the meat itself, rather than intense spices or heavy sauces, that provide all the flavor. Hence the prevalence of slow-cooking techniques, over low heat and several hours the meat has a chance to break down to its most tender and flavorful point. This is what makes Cuban food delicious.

For his entrée, Adam ordered the bistec de pollo milanesa, a lightly breaded and fried chicken breast topped with a slice of smoked ham, grated parmesan and a chunky tomato sauce. Basically chicken parmesan with rice and beans, the pollo was a bit bland compared to my oxtail, but Adam still seemed to enjoy it.

Even though we were stuffed to the brim with arroz y frijoles, we couldn’t end our Cuba experience without flan. A thick custard served with a light caramel sauce, Cuban flan is actually a bit spongier than the creamy Mexican flan I’ve had before, yet it was still deliciously simple and just the right size.

A fairly inexpensive meal, $65 for the two of us, Soul de Cuba is open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner and Sunday for dinner only. Soul also offers some of their sauces, such as their traditional mojo, for sale.

For a night of firsts, our first taste of Cuban cuisine, my first bite of oxtail and our very first Passport to Dine dinner, I’d say we met with success. Now I’m off to plan our adventure for next week, but before I do that, it’s time for some leftovers.