Ukrainian Chicken Broth Nachynka Spoon Bread Food

NACHYNKA:

Steps:

• Saute chopped onion in butter.
• Do not brown.
• Turn heat to low.
• Add cornmeal to butter and mix well.
• Add the sugar, salt and warm milk.
• Stir slowly until the cornmeal begins to thicken.
• Remove from heat.
• Add the eggs and baking powder. Mix well.
• Pour into a greased 3-quart casserole. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 1 hour.

CORNMEAL CASSEROLE - UKRAINIAN NACHYNKA

Steps:

• Fry the bacon crisp in an oven proof dutch oven.
• Remove bacon and set aside.
• In a separate pot, scald the 6 Celsius milk. Add the chicken bouillon mix, keep hot.
• Meanwhile, add butter and onion to the dutch oven - saute until onion is tender.
• Add cornmeal, mix well.
• Carefully add the milk to to cornmeal mixture to avoid lumps.
• Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Salt and pepper to taste.
• When thick, turn off heat.
• Add bacon to the cornmeal mixture.
• Whip 6 eggs to a nice froth, add the sugar.
• Fold into cornmeal mixture. When it is uniformly mixed, do the same with the cream.
• Butter large casserole, pour mixture inches.
• Bake 30 - 45 minutes in a 350°F oven depending on if you prefer it like breakfast cereal or more like cake.

CHICKEN BROTH

Steps:

• Combine the chicken, vegetables, herbs, and peppercorns in a large stockpot. Pour in enough water to just cover the chicken completely. Heat the water to just under a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a very low simmer, so that 1 or 2 bubbles break the surface of the broth about once a minute. Skim any fat and scum from the surface with a ladle, large spoon, or skimmer. (To prevent losing a lot of stock when skimming, put the skimmed liquid into a degreasing cup, and return any useable broth back to the pot.) Cook for about 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through but not dry.
• Remove the chicken from the pot, but continue to simmer the broth. Cool the chicken for about 10 minutes. Cut the chicken meat from the bone, and reserve for a chicken salad, soup, or other recipe. Return the bones to the pot and cook for 1 hour.
• Strain into a non-reactive container, like another pot, a large bowl, or plastic quart or pint containers. Fill the sink with a mixture of ice and cold water so it comes about halfway up the sides of the container. Nestle the broth in the ice bath. (Stirring the broth speeds up the cooling process.) Cover and refrigerate or freeze the broth for future use. Broth can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If the broth is unused after 5 days bring it to a boil before using.

UKRAINIAN NACHYNKA (CORNMEAL DRESSING)

Steps:

• Saute chopped onion in butter.
• Do not brown.
• Turn heat to low.
• Add cornmeal to butter and mix well.
• Add the sugar, salt and warm milk.
• Stir slowly until the cornmeal begins to thicken.
• Remove from heat.
• Add the eggs and baking powder.
• Mix well.
• Pour into a greased 3-quart casserole.
• Bake at 325 degrees F.
• for 1 hour.

UKRAINIAN CHICKEN BROTH NACHYNKA (SPOON BREAD)

Steps:

• Add the corn meal gradually to the boiling chicken broth, and stir until smooth and free of lumps.
• Cook the mixture until most of the liquid is absorbed.
• This mixture should not be very thick.
• Stir some of the hot cereal into the beaten yolks, and then blend it with the rest.
• Cook it over a low heat from 5 to 6 minutes.
• Serve hot or cold with any meat preparation.
• serves 7 to 9.

NACHYNKA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil and sauté onions until tender. Add cornmeal, sugar, salt and pepper, mix well. Heat but do not brown; remove from heat.
• In another large saucepan, bring milk and cream to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
• Gradually add milk mixture to cornmeal mixture, a small amount at a time, stirring constantly. Turn heat to low and continue stirring until mixture is very thick.
• Mix 4 tbsp of cornmeal mixture into beaten eggs to warm the eggs. Stirring constantly, slowly stir this mixture back into the rest of the cornmeal mixture.
• Pour into greased 2-quart casserole dish. Bake uncovered until golden brown, about 1 hour.

UKRAINIAN MEAT FILLED CABBAGE ROLLS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sautee onion in butter until tender. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool. When the onion is cool enough to handle, mix together the ground pork, bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper until well blended.
• Place the head of cabbage in a large pot, and add enough water to cover the cabbage halfway. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 2 minutes. As the outer leaves become translucent and soft, remove them one at a time by peeling them off with a wooden spoon. Trim off the thick ribs at the leaf stem.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, and line the bottom with outer cabbage leaves. Lay a few more leaves on a clean work surface. Place a large spoonful of the pork mixture at the base of each leaf. Roll up towards the top. Repeat until filling is used up. Arrange the finished rolls over the leaves in the dish, and pour in just enough broth to cover the rolls. Place extra cabbage leaves over the top.
• Cover, and bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. When finished, drain off broth from the dish into a small saucepan. Whisk together the flour and sour cream. Gradually stir the sour cream into the broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until heated, about 5 minutes.
• To serve, arrange cabbage rolls on a platter, cover with sauce and sprinkle with dill. This goes perfectly with homemade noodles, or millet kasha.

BASIC SEITAN - CHICKEN FLAVOR

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the wheat gluten and water until it becomes elastic. Knead dough anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes.
• Cut into you desired shapes and sizes.
• In a medium sauce plan, bring all of the broth ingredient to a boil.
• Add prepared seitan into broth.
• Reduce heat and cover with lid.
• Let simmer for 50-60 minutes stirring every 10 minutes, until MOST but not all of the broth has reduced completely, this can take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes.
• Use chicken flavored seitan immediately in your dish of choice or store in the refrigerator for up to 6 days, or the freezer for up to 6 months. If you use the seitan imemdiately after simmering, it will seem quite soft and tender. If you allow it to cool and then use it in a dish, it will have a bit more texture to it.

UKRAINIAN BABA'S PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Pat meat dry with a paper towel and rub with 2 tablespoons flour and salt. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown meat on all sides. Add the sliced onions, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for about one hour, adding a little water if necessary. Turn meat twice during the roasting process.
• Place beets in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until beets are tender. Drain, reserving liquid. Chop beets into cubes and add to the roasting pan. Add prunes and beet water, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove roast to a platter. Mix 1 tablespoon of flour with sour cream. Pour into roasting pan and mix well, scraping the sides and bottom. Simmer until sauce thickens. Season with paprika and taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

WHITE BORSCHT

Steps:

• Cut kielbasa into 4 equal lengths, and cover in a pot with 3 quarts cold water and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then let gently boil for 25 minutes more until swollen and cooked through and beads of oil have formed. Pull sausages from the now smoky and seasoned water, and set aside. Save that water!
• While the kielbasa simmers, split leeks in half lengthwise, then soak and rinse in cold water to thoroughly remove all sand. Slice leeks into 3/8-inch half-moons from whites to dark greens, as far up as is viable.
• Peel potatoes, trim all four sides to stabilize on the cutting board and trim both ends to "box" the potato. Save the scraps. Cut the boxes into large cubes, about 3/4-inch square.
• In a sturdy soup pot, melt 1 stick butter over low heat until foaming. Stir in onion, garlic and a healthy pinch of salt, and let them sweat for a full 5 minutes until translucent.
• Stir in remaining butter, the sliced leeks and another generous pinch of salt, then let sweat slowly over low heat for 8 minutes until moist, bright green and glossy.
• Add potato scraps, the cube of bread and half the kielbasa boiling liquid. Let gently simmer 10 minutes while the potato scrap softens and the bread hunk becomes flabby and swollen. If you need to increase the heat to get a little simmer going, do so.
• Meanwhile, slice kielbasa in half lengthwise. Place two pieces back into the soup pot as is, and then slice the remaining 6 pieces into very thin, 1/8-inch half-moons, and set aside.
• Retrieve the soggy lump of sourdough bread with a slotted spoon, and don't worry if you also get a few bits of leek or onion or whatever is floating in the soup when you pull it out. Also remove about 1 cup of liquid, and set aside.
• Add potato cubes and the rest of the kielbasa liquid to the pot. Add another pinch of salt and half the black pepper. Let it come back to temperature, and then to simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 25 minutes more.
• Using either a stick blender or a traditional blender, purée the sodden hunk of bread until foamy, using some of the liquid you pulled in Step 8, if needed. Stir this back into the soup pot once the potatoes are cooked through, and add the sliced kielbasa as well.
• Whisk the crème fraîche with 1/2 cup of the hot reserved liquid; stir mixture into the soup. Stir in the chopped dill and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon pepper. Serve very hot.