The Kiev Me

As promised, I'm trying to redeem myself for betraying my Ukrainian roots by preparing a New Year's feast. However, I read tonight that Ukrainian New Year's was actually yesterday, so now I'm confused. Alright, to be honest, I've never really celebrated Ukrainian New Year's before. I don't even know why it's different from ours. What's really going on? Is this a portion of something that people would eat in the Ukraine? It wouldn't be the first time the internet has lied to me!

At any rate, I'm saving the cabbage rolls for later in the year. It seems like a waste to pair up two perfectly good entrs into one dinner. Instead, I just prepared the Perogies. I hadn't had a perogy in years and I'm glad I got around to making some. It's definitely cheaper to make your own than buy them prepared in the supermarket. They're quite easy and fun, but notably time consuming. You can make a large batch and freeze it, if you like. The dough itself is quite versatile and can be filled with whatever you like, but I prefer it with bacon and cheddar. This would be sacrilege for a traditional celebratory feast (no meat is to be consumed) but it's perfectly welcome at my dinner table. No complaints about this recipe whatsoever, they turned out perfectly.

Of course, you can't have a Ukrianian meal without some Kielbasa. I'm not a big fan of sauerkraut, but apparently it goes quite well with it. Kielbasa is common enough that you can find it quite easily in any sausage shop or supermarket. It's a relatively mild ham sausage and tastes even better fried, which is how I prepared it tonight.

I can't say I'll even be a fan of borscht, but I'm a big fan of Beets in general. It's a shame that I don't make them very often. I think this project might be a good excuse to incorporate them into more meals. Ukranian recipes are simple and these beets are no exception. They're tasty and satisfying and the hint of lemon juice adds a hint of pickled flavor.

Malanka!