The Christmas table is an important part of Christmas celebrations in Ukraine. The dishes of a traditional Christmas dinner preserve traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation.
The symbolism of the Christmas table is manifested in the number of dishes, which should be exactly 12. this number is not accidental: it symbolizes the 12 apostles, and each dish has its own meaning.
UNN made a selection of recipes for dishes for your Christmas table-2024 from Evgeny Klopotenko.
One of the main dishes that must be on the Christmas table is kutia. Kutia is a traditional Ukrainian ceremonial dish that symbolizes prosperity, family unity, and the honoring of ancestors. It is prepared mainly on Christmas Eve.
TRADITIONAL WHEAT KUTIA. RECIPE FOR KUTIA WITH RAISINS AND POPPY SEEDS
Ingredients
350 g of wheat
50 g of walnuts
50 g raisins
50 g of burnt poppy seeds
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
honey to taste
Step 1
Wash 350 g of wheat to get rid of specks and excess husks. Now the stores sell ready-made wheat specifically for cooking kutya, but we use ordinary wheat.
Step 2
Cover the washed wheat with water and cook for 30 minutes after boiling. For 350 g of wheat, you will need 1.4 liters of water, that is, the ratio should be 1:4. if you like more boiled kutya, cook a little longer.
Step 3
Put 50 g of poppy seeds in a bowl and pour boiling water for 15 minutes, then drain. Rub the steamed poppy seeds in a makitra or mortar. An electric coffee grinder or blender with a special nozzle is perfect for grinding poppy seeds. In this case, the poppy can not even be soaked, but ground until the poppy milk begins to form.
Step 4
Chop 50 g of walnuts. I advise you to do this with a thick plastic bag and a rolling pin. You just need to put the nuts in a bag and beat them off with a rolling pin. This makes it easier to control the degree of grinding, because in a blender you can quickly beat the nuts to the state of flour, and we do not need this.
Step 5
In a large bowl, put the cooked wheat and add the chopped nuts and poppy seeds, add 50 g of raisins and add honey to taste.
Step 6
Add the lemon zest to a bowl and squeeze out the lemon juice to taste. This will add a little sourness and an incredible citrus flavor to the kutya.
Step 7
Mix everything well and add warm water to the desired consistency of the finished dish.
Another equally important component of the traditional Christmas table is dumplings with various fillings. Usually they are stuffed with cabbage, potatoes, mushrooms, beans. They also make sweet options, for example, with cherries, cottage cheese or poppy seeds.
DUMPLINGS WITH POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS FROM EVGENY KLOPOTENKO
Ingredients
For the test:
360 g flour
180 ml of water
½ tsp. salt
2 tablespoons butter
For the filling:
130 g potatoes
200 g champignons
1 onion
2 tablespoons butter
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
⅓ Tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
sour cream or roast for serving
Step 1
Add 180 ml of water, ½ tsp of salt and 2 tbsp of oil to 360 g of flour. Knead a smooth dough and leave to rest.
Step 2
Peel 130 g of potatoes, put them in a saucepan and cover with water. Cook for 25 minutes, checking the readiness with a knife: it should easily enter the potatoes. Drain the water from the potatoes and mash.
Step 3
Cut 200 g of mushrooms into slices and the onion into smaller slices. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms for 5 minutes. Add the onion to the pan and fry for another 3-4 minutes. Mix the mushroom fry with the potatoes, add 1/3 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
Step 4
Roll out the dough to about 0.5 cm thick, cut out circles with a glass, and shape into dumplings. Gather the rest of the dough into a ball, roll it out again, and finish the dumplings.
Step 5
Boil water in a saucepan, add the dumplings and cook for 5 minutes from the moment of boiling. Put the dumplings on a plate, brush with 2 tablespoons of oil and serve with sour cream or mushroom roast.
Among the drinks on the Christmas table must be traditional uzvar. This is a drink that is usually made from dried fruit and honey.
UZVAR FROM DRIED FRUITS: A RECIPE FOR A TRADITIONAL UKRAINIAN DRINK
Ingredients
350 g of dried fruit
3 liters of Water
7-8 tablespoons honey
3 clove buds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Step 1
Put dried fruits and berries or their finished set in a colander and rinse thoroughly under running water.
Step 2
Then put it in a large saucepan and add 3 liters of water. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes under a lid to make the flavor more intense.
Step 3
Turn off the heat and add 3 clove buds and 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds, mix well and leave the uzvar to cool.
Step 4
When the uzvar cools down a little and becomes warm, add honey. stir until it dissolves. We add 7-8 tablespoons of honey, and you can give a little less or more, try it.
Step 5
Cool the drink well and serve it to the table.
Lenten dishes are usually served on Christmas Eve. However, for Christmas dinner, the table can also be filled with something meat. Therefore, we suggest making an unusual salad "Christmas wreath".
FESTIVE SALAD "CHRISTMAS WREATH" BY EVGENY KLOPOTENKO
Ingredients
For salad
1 pack of arugula (75 g)
2 large Tangerines
100 g Gorgonzola Cheese
50 g nuts
100 g prosciutto or Jamon
For refueling
juice of 1 Tangerine
50 ml soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
Step 1
In a saucepan, squeeze the juice of 1 Tangerine, 50 ml of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix. Place the sauce pan in the center of a wide plate.
Step 2
Peel 2 tangerines and cut them into small circles. Break 100 g of Gorgonzola cheese into small pieces. Chop 50 g of nuts with a knife.
Step 3
Place the arugula, tangerine slices, cheese slices, jamon, and nuts around the sauce pan and serve.