This is something new that I learned about this week...
The Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral (a beautiful church located at 10th and Main in Vancouver) hosts a monthly Friday Night Supper. On the first Friday of every month the church's volunteers make the ultimate Ukrainian feast and it's open to the public from 5-8pm. They have several options on their pre-set menu. $3.00 gets you a bowl of borsch with rye bread. $11.00 gets you a plate of 6 perogies, 2 cabbage rolls, sauerkraut (or salad), Ukrainian sausage, and coffee. There are more dinner options, including a takeout menu for those who want the taste of Baba's homemade Ukrainian cooking in the privacy of their own home.
Since my mother's side of the family is of Ukrainian heritage, traditional Ukrainian dinners on Christmas Eve were a part of my upbringing. Although our Christmas Eve dinners are diverse potlucks, it's not a real Christmas Eve dinner without the Ukrainian elements of perogies (filled with potato, dill, and cheese, then boiled and smothered with friend onions and sour cream), homemade cabbage rolls, and Ukrainian garlic sausage. Just the smell of this food brings back fond memories of family get-togethers and Christmas. The fact that I generally only really eat this food once a year makes it a particularly special occasion.
Now what's weird is that I don't normally think about homemade Ukrainian dinners, but 4 weeks previously I was determined to make my own perogies from scratch. I love to bake and cook on occasion, but perogies were completely new territory for me. Likewise, my mother, despite growing up in a perogy-making environment, had never attempted to make them on her own either. I expect that her childhood experiences of witnessing all-day perogy-making in the kitchen takes away from the urge. She insisted that it takes a long time. However, I was determined and found a simply recipe online. It only took me 3 hours and they were fantastic.
So, when somebody posted a recommendation for the Ukrainian church's Friday Night Supper, I really wanted to go. Alas, it's a rainy Friday night and we decided to go for a cheap sushi dinner somewhere closer instead.
... but now I have an awful craving for perogies!
Friday, November 7, 2008
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4 comments:
Out of interest what kind of cheese dis you use when you made perogies?
Most people use cheddar, and had I not forgotten to buy some, I probably would have used some too! :) Instead I used cottage cheese which I drained in a colander first, then added to a mixture of mashed potatoes, fresh dill, and fried onions.
ever explore the valley?
Hi Andrea,
Are you talking about the Fraser Valley? If so, yes. Why do you ask? :)
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