Shashlik

Shashlik is a variety of skewered meat commonly eaten in Central and Eastern Europe.

2 lb fatty pork, lamb or veal

3 medium onions, sliced

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup water

Cut the meat into 2 inch cubes. Put it into  a large glass dish. Add the onions, paprika, garlic powder,

cumin, nutmeg, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands, rubbing the spices into the meat.

In a medium bowl, mix the vinegar and water. Pour over the meat. Let the meat marinade in the fridge overnight.

Skewer the meat cubes on to the steel skewers, separating each cube with the sliced onion. Grill shashlik on medium high heat for 30-40 minutes, rotating the skewers frequently. Serve with ketchup, marinated onions, chopped parsley and scallions.

Cabbage Soup (Šviežių kopūstų sriuba)

Simple Lithuanian cabbage soup.

1 medium onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced

2 tbsp oil

1 small head of cabbage, shredded

5 cups water

3 tomatoes, diced

1 tbsp sugar

Salt, to taste

1/3 cup chopped dill weed

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and carrots, saute for 5 minutes. Add cabbage, tomatoes  water, sugar and salt. Simmer on low heat until the cabbage is cooked, about 1 hour. Add the dill weed, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Sour Cream Pockets (Grietiniečiai)

Lithuanian cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

3 cups all- purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 package cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl sift together 3 cups flour, baking powder and salt. In separate  bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add 1 egg and sour cream, beat well. Mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Knead a little on a lightly floured surface.
In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 egg, vanilla extract and 2 tbsp flour.
Roll out the dough  onto a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick and cut into 4-inch circles.
Place a large spoonful of the cream cheese mixture on one half of each circle. Fold circle in half, press lightly but do not pinch edges together.
Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with the  beaten egg.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Adapted from http://vifsla.blogas.lt/grietinieciai-14.html

Lithuanian Summer Salad ( Salotos su ridikėliais)

This is a very light and refreshing salad. Perfect for summer cookouts.

1 head butterhead lettuce, chopped

1 cup radishes, sliced

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1/2 cup chopped dill weed

1 cup plain Kefir or yogurt

Salt to taste

Place lettuce, radishes and scallions into a large bowl. 

In a small bowl whisk together Kefir or yogurt, dill weed and salt. Pour over lettuce and toss to coat. Serve immediately.   

Jellied Pork (Šaltiena, Студень)

Jellied pork-a cold meat appetizer, that is very popular in Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine and many more European countries.

2 pig's feet

1 lb stewing pork

1 onion

2 carrots

4 allspice peppercorns

1 bay leaf

Salt, to taste

Scrub the pig's feet under hot water. Put all ingredients in a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, cover with a lid and simmer on slow heat for 2 hours. When meat is cooked remove it from the water and chop. Strain the stock and skim off the fat. Discard the onion, peppercorns and bay leaves. Slice carrots and put them on the bottom of the large mold dish. Add the meat and pour in the stock. Let set overnight in a refrigerator.  To remove the jellied pork from the mold, dip the exterior of the mold in warm water and hold for 10 seconds. Turn out the jellied pork on to a plate. Serve with horseradish, mayonnaise or vinegar.

Adapted from THE BEST OF RUSSIAN COOKING by Nina Petrova

Boiled Beef Tongue

Beef tongue is a delicacy , that is  very popular all over the world.  You can find it in many European countries' cuisine  (Russian, German, Lithuanian, British, etc.) . I was raised on beef (and pork) tongue, it was (and still is) a must on my mom's holiday menu. 

1 beef tongue, rinsed

2 bay leaves

5 allspice kernels

5 black pepper kernels

1 medium onion

2 garlic cloves

Salt

Place the beef tongue in a large pot and cover with water. Add the whole onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, allspice, black pepper and salt. Boil covered on medium heat for 2 hours or more ,depending on a size of the tongue.

Remove from the pot, peel of the thick outer skin and slice. It can be served warm or cold with horseradish, mayo or your favorite sauce. 

Lithuanian Cold Beet Soup (Šaltibarščiai)

2 large beets, cooked, peeled and coarsely grated

2 cucumbers, diced

2 hard boiled eggs, diced

6 tbsp sour cream

4 cups plain kefir

1 cup boiled water, chilled

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1 cup scallion greens, chopped

salt to taste

Mix well all the ingredients. Garnish with hard boiled egg slices. Serve with hot boiled potatoes.

Adapted from LITHUANIAN TRADITIONAL FOODS by Birutė Imbrasienė

Potato dumplings (Cepelinai)

Cepelinai are Lithuanian national dish. These hearty potato-meat dumplings take time to make, but the result is well worth the effort .

10 medium starchy  potatoes

3 boiled and mashed potatoes

1 tsp. salt

3 tbsp. potato or corn starch

Filling:

7 oz. ground pork

7 oz. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp. oil

1 tbsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper 

Wash and peel potatoes. Then cut them into small cubes and process in a food processor until it’s liquid . Put the gratings in a double cheese cloth and squeeze dry. In a mixing bowl combine the gratings, mashed potatoes, salt and starch. Mix well. 

In a skillet fry onions with oil until golden brown. In a mixing bowl mix pork and beef, add onions, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Take  a  ½  cup of potato mixture, flatten it on your palm, put a spoonful of meet mixture in the center  and fold over, making an oval shaped dumpling.

Put the dumplings in a boiling water and cook for 30 min., stirring occasionally.  Be careful not to brake them. After Cepelinai are cooked take them out of the water and serve with sour cream and fried bacon and onions.

Adapted from LITHUANIAN TRADITIONAL FOODS by Birutė Imbrasienė