rainforest location). My charming host is Dima, who grew up and still lives in a small town 30 km from Kiev/Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. I have been told weeks ago (by the friend who introduced me to Dima) that the country is now referred to simply as Ukraine and not the Ukraine (since independence in 1991). I find it surprisingly difficult to remember. You can imagine there are many occasions to practice this evening! It is reassuring to find out that even Obama has slipped up a few times in the past. Though using the pre-independence 'the' can be politically sensitive, Dima kindly never corrects me...because he knows I am aware of the issue, and he prefers not to interrupt!
During the preparation of the varenyky, which is quite a lenghty process, we do get into some historical and political issues, including the gruesome Holodomor, a mass famine which killed millions of Ukrainians in 1932-33. I only had a very vague knowlege of this when Dima mentioned it, but will not forget it again soon. Especially after hearing Dima's grandmother could recount stories of a neighbour so crazed by hunger that he killed and ate several children in the village. Turning to cannibalism actually was widespread during this year of terror, incredible as it may seem. The Soviet central government was the direct cause of the famine, setting unrealistic quotas for the kolkhozes (communal farms) and enforcing them brutally. It is not hard to imagine anti-Russian sentiments linger, compounded again and again by more recent events.
I actually have ancestors from Ukraine myself. My Jewish-American grandmother's parents both grew up there (in Zhitomir, then 35% Jewish) but came to the US in the 1910s, long before the Holodomor. They left Ukraine due to the unpleasant atmosphere for Jews in those days. We still have photos of my great-grandfather Jacob painting pottery in a Ukrainian workshop. Apart from pottery skills, he and his wife also brought a love of the local cuisine with them, which was passed to their daughter who then taught my father how to cook. Unsurprisingly, his 'Jewish-American' meal for this blog actually features dishes which are all familiar to Dima. Though I love borsht, I am quite happy not to have a repeat of it; apart from my dad's version, it has also been featured in the Belarusian and Lithuanian entries already!
Lucky for me, Dima has chosen for the labour intensive varenyky dumplings. He has prepared the dough (flour, water, egg and a tiny bit of oil) in advance, to let it 'rest' for a bit. As quite a few other hosts for this blog, he has called his mother beforehand to check a few details to make it truly authentic. She has advised him that the consistency of the dough should be supple; "it should feel like your earlobe between your fingers!" I love this description.
For this version, we have two different fillings: diced chicken and mushrooms, both fried up with onions.
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| The shaped dumplings ready to be boiled |
Ideally, the mushrooms would be wild ones, collected in the woods, but due to matters of convenience, Dima has opted for storebought chestnut mushrooms. Once the filling is prepped, the dough is rolled out and circles are formed with a glass. A spoonful of chicken or mushroom mix is dropped in the middle and the sides are simply squeezed together to shut firmly. I help out and my first attempt looks like a malformed triceratops (you might be able to spot it in the photo at the right). Thankfully progress is quick, and my subsequent efforts are deemed acceptable.
The dumplings are boiled for a few minutes, then fried up in butter, and served with lashings of sour cream and crispy fried garlic. Dima proudly sends a quick pic of the final results to his mom, and within seconds receives the joking reply:"And it only took you five hours!" We share a laugh and quickly dig in before the varenyky get cold. Very hearty, and true comfort food. Having seen that the amount of work involved is intimidating, I might try to get some frozen ones to create an easier approximation at home. Dima has done this often as well, though the taste is obviously not quite as good. The one thing you definitely cannot skimp on is the amount of sour cream, an important element of Ukrainian cuisine in general and crucial for the success of this dish!
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| The boiled and fried dumplins with crispy garlic, sour cream and a side salad. |
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