1063
One of the oldest Ukrainian Christmas traditions is the Holy Supper on December 24 (January 6 according to the Julian calendar). As a rule, there should be 12 dishes on the table this evening, quite modest, because until Christmas there is still fasting. According to one version, the number 12 means the number of months in one year, according to another, the number of apostles. Which option to adhere to - everyone decides for himself. We stopped at the dishes that are traditionally prepared for the holy evening. We tell you what to cook and even add a recipe.
1. Kutya is the most important dish on the table. It is made from wheat, which symbolizes the union of the world of the living and the world of the dead. After all, they believe that on this evening the spirits of ancestors come from their world and wander our streets.
A simple recipe for kuti: 2 cups of wheat, 3 liters of water, 1 cup of poppy seeds, half a cup of chopped walnuts, 1 apple, 5 tbsp. honey, 1 cup of granulated sugar.
Dry the wheat in the oven at a temperature of 200-250 degrees for 1 hour. Stir periodically so that it does not burn. Then wash the wheat and soak it in cold water overnight. Dilute honey in 3/4 cup of hot water. Put the wheat in 3 liters of water and bring to a boil. Cook for at least 3 hours. Next, it is necessary to steam poppy seeds in boiling water and crush them in a mortar. You can add half of the sugar while grinding. When the porridge cools down, add poppy seeds, honey, chopped nuts, finely chopped apples sprinkled with sugar. Put it in the cold.
There are many options for additions to kuti: various nuts, candied fruits, dried fruits, etc. But traditionally, kutya should be modest, with only honey, poppy seeds and nuts.
2. Uzvar: 200 g of dried fruits, 3 liters of water, half a glass of sugar.
Wash the dried fruits in warm water, cover with water and cook for about 30 minutes. Add sugar and cook for another 5 minutes. Drinks must be completely cooled before serving.
Dried fruits can be different, only apples and pears, or various berries.
3. Dumplings with rice and mushrooms. We remind you that the dishes on the evening before Christmas should be lean, so we are preparing cabbage rolls with mushrooms. It is better to prepare them the day before the holiday, because they are tastier when the night falls.
We need: 250g of rice (raw), 50g of dried mushrooms, 2 onions, half a kg of fresh mushrooms (champignons or white mushrooms are better), one large cabbage or two small ones, tomato paste. Add spices to taste.
To prepare, you need to cook and cool the rice, steam the dried mushrooms, strain and cut them. Chop the onion and fresh mushrooms. Separate the cabbage into leaves and steam it for 15-20 minutes.
After that, fry onions and mushrooms, cut hard veins from cabbage leaves. Mix rice, onion with mushrooms and add spices. Now you can form cabbage rolls, preferably of a small size. We put them tightly in a banyak. Heat a broth of dried mushrooms and tomato paste in a pan and pour this liquid over the cabbage rolls. We send them to the oven for an hour and a half on medium heat.
4. Dumplings. This dish on the table symbolizes the prosperity of the family.
For the dough we need: 500g of wheat flour, 250g of cold water, 3 tbsp. oil and a pinch of salt. Mix all these ingredients, knead the dough and let it rest for 1 hour. The dough will be quite elastic, so it can be rolled out thinly.
There are many options for the filling: potatoes, stewed cabbage, potatoes with cabbage, potatoes with mushrooms, with cheese, salty or sweet, with cherries. But they traditionally make a large portion of dumplings with potatoes, and they throw in a few "with a surprise". Whoever gets the buckwheat will have wealth, whoever gets the sugar will have a sweet life, etc.
5. Lean borscht. Perhaps this dish is not so popular on the table on the holy evening, but it used to be a must. As a rule, borscht was prepared with prunes and mushrooms. He symbolized peace and harmony. So we also add a recipe for borscht.
Ingredients: Beets - 1 large or 2 medium, 1 small carrot, a quarter of a large cabbage or half of a medium one, 1 small onion, 3-5 potatoes, 2 tomatoes, 3 tbsp. tomato paste, 5-6 pieces of prunes, a medium clove of garlic, oil for frying, marinated porcini mushrooms and a quarter of a glass of marinade from them. Spices to taste.
First, prepare the vegetables: cut the potatoes into small cubes, rub the carrots and beets on a coarse grater, finely chop the onion, cut the prunes into strips, and cut the mushrooms in half. Finely chop the cabbage and mash it with your hands.
Fry onions and carrots in a well-heated pan, add mushrooms, tomatoes and tomato paste to them, sprinkle with spices and add a pinch of sugar. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
Take another pan, put the beets and prunes there, pour in the marinade and let it boil.
We heat water in a pan, throw in potatoes, after 5 minutes cabbage, after another 5 - all other vegetables, add spices and cook for another 15 minutes. You can sprinkle with garlic and parsley. Allow it to cool and infuse a little before serving.
6. Cutlets from peas — symbolize the tears of the Mother of God, shed for the sins of people.
For the dish you need: 2 cups of peas, 4 tablespoons of semolina, 3 spoons of oil, 2 eggs, 3 spoons of breadcrumbs and a small onion.
Soak the peas in water the night before cooking. Then boil it and mash it. Cook semolina from groats and add to peas. Fry the onion, grind it and also mix it into the puree. Next, add beaten eggs with spices (salt, pepper) and mix well. Form patties, roll them in breadcrumbs and fry until golden brown.
7. Fried, baked or marinated fish. Fish is a symbol of faith, which is an integral part of Christianity, so it must be on the table.
Baked fish with mushrooms: 1,5 kg of fresh fish, 50 g of dried mushrooms, 2 medium onions, 100 g of oil, a spoonful of mustard, 2-3 medium cloves of garlic, a bunch of greens (dill and parsley), salt.
Clean and dry the fish, cut into portions and coat with garlic mashed with salt. Leave it in a cold place for at least an hour. Boil the mushrooms and cut them. Take a baking dish, line the bottom with mushrooms and onion cut into rings. Put fish on top, onions and mushrooms again on top, fish again and place tightly with onions and mushrooms on top. Fill the container with the broth left over from the mushrooms, mixed with mustard and oil. Bake for about 1 hour on medium heat. Before serving, pour the sauce from the bowl and sprinkle with herbs.
8. Salad of pickled cucumbers, sauerkraut and onions
Here everything is very simple: take 1 fresh onion, several pickles and cut into rings. Mix them with sauerkraut in such proportions as you like. You can add a little oil and salt.
9. Deruna songs: a recipe for a medium portion, because there should be a little bit of everything on the table.
For 1 kg of potatoes, you need 1 onion, 100 g of oil, pepper and salt.
Grate the potatoes and onions into a puree, or use a blender or food processor. Remove excess liquid from the puree. Salt and pepper to your taste. Next, you should heat the pan well and fry the drumsticks in oil. So that they are not too greasy, you can put them on a napkin to remove the oil.
10. Boiled potatoes, smeared with crushed garlic and oil. Here the proportion should be determined by you, based on the number of people at the table.
Potatoes need to be cleaned, cut into cubes and boiled, seasoned with salt, pepper and a bay leaf. Add crushed garlic and a little oil and pound into a puree.
11. Stewed cabbage with mushrooms — symbolizes power, cohesion and joint fruitful work.
For the dish, we need: 700g of sauerkraut, 350g of fresh mushrooms, 1 medium onion, a clove of garlic (if desired, you can leave it out), 3 tbsp. oils, spices to taste.
Cover the cabbage with water and simmer for about half an hour. Squeeze out excess liquid. Finely chop the mushrooms and onions, first fry the onions in a hot pan, then the champignons, add the cabbage and season with spices. Cook for 15 minutes, until excess moisture evaporates. It can be served both cold and hot.
12. Kalachi or bread. An irreplaceable dish on every festive table of Ukrainians is bread. It is customary for the hostess to bake bread or holiday cakes on the day of January 6, on the eve of the holiday and on Christmas.
Every corner of Ukraine had different kuti recipes and some of the 12 dishes differed. And what do you cook at home for Christmas Eve?
