Traditional Christmas dishes

Ukrainian Dishes for Christmas Eve

The evening before Christmas is the last evening of the lean. According to the tradition, on the eve, one should not eat anything, until the first star appears in the sky, marking the birth of Jesus Christ. On the feast table, Ukrainians put 12 dishes, which symbolize the 12 apostles. The abundance of dishes is also called a Rich Dinner.

            Ukrainian Christmas Kutia

Holy Supper is the central tradition of the Christmas Eve celebrations in Ukrainian homes. With the appearance of the first star which is believed to be the Star of Bethlehem, the family gathers to begin supper.

Kutia (boiled wheat with honey or rice with raisins and nuts) is the most important food of the entire Christmas Eve Supper, and is also called God’s Food.

There are 12 dishes in the Holy Supper, because according to the Christian tradition each course is dedicated to one of Christ's Apostles. According to the ancient pagan belief, each course was for every full moon during the course of the year. The courses are meatless because there is a period of fasting required by the Church until Christmas Day.

To the Ukrainians, Christmas is not Christmas without Kutia, a ritual dish and an integral part of the Holy Night Meal, is served only during the Christmas cycle of holidays which ends with the Feast of Jordan on January 19.

  The origin of this dish goes back to days immemorial when the early Ukrainian ancestors first cultivated wheat.

       Ingredients

2 cups of cleaned wheat berries

3-4 quarts of water

1 cup of poppy seeds

1/3 cup of honey

2/3 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of hot water

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans

        Directions

 1. Wash wheat in cold water and soak overnight in the 3 to 4 quarts of water.

 2. The next day bring the water to a boil then simmer for 4 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

 3. The wheat is ready when the kernels burst open and the fluid is thick and creamy.

4. Chop the poppy seeds in a food processor (or coffee grinder) (or you can buy ground poppy seeds in some deli's) and set aside.

5. Mix honey, sugar and hot water.

6. Mix the honey mixture, poppy seeds, and chopped nuts and wheat.

7. More honey can be added to taste. Keep in the refrigerator.

Ukrainian Blueberry Varenyky W. Blueberry Sauce

                  INGREDIENTS (YIELD 36 varenyky)

BLUEBERRY SAUCE: 2 cups blueberries (wild blueberries preferred), 12 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon all - purpose flour, 2 tablespoons lemon juice,

2 tablespoons melted butter, sour cream, at room temperature

FILLING: 2 cups blueberries, 20 cup granulated sugar,

1 tablespoon all - purpose flour,

DOUGH: 3 cups all - purpose flour, 12 teaspoon baking powder,

1 egg, 32 cup milk, 2 tablespoons butter, cold water

DIRECTIONS

1. FOR THE SAUCE: In saucepan, stir together blueberries, sugar and flour; add lemon juice and 1/4 cup water. Simmer over low heat until blueberries are soft and sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

2. FOR THE DOUGH: In large bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. In separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk and butter; stir into flour mixture. Add cold water, 1 tablespoons at a time (6 to 7 tablespoons total), until soft dough is formed. Knead until dough is smooth. Cover with plastic and let rest for 10 minutes.

3. Roll dough to scant 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out 3 inch rounds.

4. FILLING: Whisk together sugar and flour; set aside. Stretch out cut out dough rounds slightly and fill each round with scant 1 teaspoons flour/ sugar mixture and 1 tablespoons blueberries. Pull dough over filling; pinch edges together to seal.

5. Continue until dough and filling are used up, letting reworked scraps rest slightly before rolling (keep unrolled dough and filled dumplings covered with a clean tea towel).

6. In large pot of lightly salted boiled water, boil dumpling, in batches if necessary, until dough is tender at thickest edges, about 7 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to serving plate; drizzle with butter to prevent sticking. Serve with blueberry sauce and sour cream on the side. Make 32 to 36 dumplings.

Uzvar

Uzvar for Christmas is traditionally served along with kutia. In short, it is a compote of dried fruit and is one of the most common traditional drinks. Meanwhile, in the summer, uzvar is prepared from fresh berries; in autumn or winter, it is made from dried cherries, apples, pears, apricots and others fruit. The name of the drink comes from the word ‘to brew’ or zavarivat in Ukrainian.

Merry Christmas!

Hello to all,
I am happy to introduce you 
our traditional 
Italian Christmas dishes. 

Italian Christmas Dishes

At school we prepared Christmas Cupcakes'

Brunella, our fantastic cook

Christmas Snack:

Torrone-Nougat, Panettone, Pando

To decorate our Christmas table, we

usually place in the centre the works

made by our children.

Nice place cards
for adults and
children!

CHRISTMAS' EVE

Christmas Eve at the table is synonymous WITH FISH.

The Italian culinary tradition is clear:

from the appetizer to the second, the entire menu must smell of the sea -

except for the dessert, of course!

My family always celebrates 'Christmas Eve'.
We all gather together to have dinner,
to spend a peaceful evening and to wait 
for the birth of Jesus. For children 
it is also the expectation of 
the arrival of Santa Claus.

On Christmas Eve on our table, there were:

- spaghetti with clams

- vegetables with pinzimonio

- sauces (tuna, artichokes, cocktails, chili peppers)

-cod 'with potatoes and cherry tomatoes

- vegetables (spinach, peppers, salad)

- cow, sheep and buffalo cheeses

- local wines

- tiramisu dessert for everyone

- sparkling wine for everyone

SPAGHETTI WITH CLAMS

         Ingredients (for 4 people)
Spaghetti 320 g
Clams 1 kg
Garlic 1 clove
Parsley 1 bunch
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Coarse salt for clams to taste

Preparation

Clean the clams to check that there is no more sand; put them in a colander and rinse them. Add plenty of salt and leave to soak for 2/3 h.

Heat the oil, add a clove of garlic, put the clams thoroughly rinsed and cook for a few minutes.

As soon as the clams are all open, turn off the heat and in the meantime cook the spaghetti. Finally pour the dressing into a pan, add the spaghetti and add the clams and parsley. One last blast and the dish is ready.

Vegetables With Pinzimonio Sauces

(tuna, artichokes, cocktails, chili peppers)

VEGETABLES (spinach, peppers baked 
peppers with oil, salad)