Olga's Ukranian Babka

So, I've got a little brother living in Croatia, he's been gone for a year and has another year to go before we see him again. I've been missing him a lot lately, and so I went looking for some Croatian recipes that I could make and eat. I love ethnic foods, especially when they remind me of someone special. So, here's the recipe in all it's deliciousness, from a lovely blog I found online- www.ukranianclassickitchen.ca The recipe is as follows: This is a very spongy Babka. In this recipe I used fresh yeast. I love fresh yeast, it makes the dough rise very quickly and it does not have that yeasty smell or taste. I did not have golden raisins so I used dark raisins. If you are using tall cylinder cans don't go over 7 inches in height or use coffee cans or honey cans. Don't make the Babka too high or it will hit the top of your oven and Babka will settle when you take it out. It is best to use parchment paper well greased to line your pans. Make sure parchment paper goes a few inches above your can. I used butter flavoured Crisco shortening to grease the pans. You can add flavourings of your choice to your Babka - such as grated rind of 1 lemon and 1 or 2 teaspoon vanilla extract or other favourite flavourings. This is a thick batter dough. For a very yellow Babka I use Naturegg Omega PRO eggs - sold in Loblaws. 2 Tablespoons active dry yeast (2 envelopes) 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional) 1/4 cup lukewarm water 1 cup scalded milk 1 cup butter OR 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup oil 1 teaspoon salt 3 eggs, large 6 egg yolks, large 6 cups all purpose flour 1 cup golden raisins 1/2 cup sugar (add more if you like your Babka sweeter up to 1 cup sugar) 1/3 cup dark rum Proof the yeast with the 1 teaspoon of sugar and ginger if using in the warm water. Combine the scalded milk with the butter and 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Stir to melt butter and then let stand till lukewarm. Add the eggs beaten with yolks. Check temperature and stir in yeast mixture. Add half the flour and beat 5 minutes with an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. You can do this by hand using a wooden spoon but you must mix longer. Add the rest of the flour to make a very heavy batter which holds together but is too soft to knead. Continue beating well until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise till double. This dough will rise fairly slowly so do not be impatient. While dough is rising, soak raisins in rum. Stir batter down, drain the raisins, reserving the rum and stir the raisins into the dough. Turn dough into a large 9 cup greased tube pan or Babka mold.

If you are using cylinder pans grease pans and grease parchment paper and fill them 1/3 full only. To fill cylinder pans grease your hands and pull up pieces of dough and gently drop them into the can to fill 1/3 full. With floured finger tips press and smooth out the top and if any raisins show on top just push them into the dough. I can't tell you how many pans to use because I don't know the size of your pans. Let them rise until double in size.

Preheat oven for 450º F.

As soon as your Babka is ready to bake LOWER the temperature to 350º F. and place them in the oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a instant read thermometer reads 200º F. (Less time baking required for smaller Babka).

If you bake your Babka in a cylinder pan take them out of the oven and place them on something soft like folded soft towels on their side with the pan. Occasionally turn them. After about 15 minutes remove them from the pan by pulling on the parchment paper and they will come out easily and keep them on their side until they cool and gently turn them once in a while or they will settle and become too wrinkled.

If you bake your Babka in a tube pan or Babka mold remove from pan and cool on rack.

To frost Babka - sift icing sugar into a bowl and stir in some of the reserved rum until spreading consistency. Decorate with sprinkles.

Note: If you have an instant read thermometer, you can tell more precisely when your loaf is done. Insert the thermometer into the center of the loaf; the bread is done if the internal temperature is 200°F. Some breads are done at slightly different temperatures, but the range for most loaves falls within 5 or 10 degrees of 200°F., so it is a good figure to keep in mind.

Vegetarian Lasagne

Our family tries to eliminate a lot of meat from our meals. 1- healthier 2- cheaper! 3- less trips to the grocery store, especially in the summer/fall when my garden is producing. One of my forays into made-up meals is my veggie lasagne. I love using whatever I have on hand for this dish, replacing the meat with whatever beans I have on hand (I pressure can my own beans, so this is even healthier by avoiding the additives you find in commercially canned beans). This way, you can create whatever flavors you want in this dish- stick with Italian, go Mexican or Greek, the door is wide open depending on the herbs/spices you use and the vegetables you add. My current favorite is Mexican, tho I am working on an Indian version (curry and lasagne, YES PLEASE!) For the current version, create as follows:
9 lasagne noodles, cooked just shy of al dente according to package directions
2 T butter or oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (if you love garlic like me, add more!)
1 cup chopped red or green pepper
1 cup corn
2-3 cups tomato sauce (depends on how saucy you like your lasagne, I tend towards 2)a,./
2 cans black or red beans (sometimes I use the second can to puree then mix in the other can beans for a more spreadable layer- and a more cohesive final product)
1/2-1 T cumin (i don't often actually measure what I put in, I just add till it tastes good :D)
1/2-1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp-Tbsp chili powder (I trend toward the low end due to the unsavory reactions of my halflings)
1/2-1 tsp oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
1-2 cups cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded and divided
1 T parsley
2 eggs or 4 egg whites

Heat oven to 350
K, so you get the oil hot in a large frying pan over med hi heat, add the onion, and red pepper, saute till beginning to soften, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, cook till fragrant. Add herbs and seasonings, cook 1 min. Add tomato sauce, corn and beans, cook till hot and flavors are well blended, about 5 min.
In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese, 1 cup MJ cheese, parsley and eggs.
In a 9x13" pan, place a small amount of the tomato mixture in the bottom and spread around to coat the bottom of the pan (this prevents the lasagne noodles from sticking, no oil needed!)
Then layer 3 times 3 noodles, tomato mix and cottage cheese mix. Top it off with the remaining 1/2 c MJ cheese.
Cook for 20 min, or till heated through.

Beef Vegetable Stew with Tender Cheddar Biscuits

I took my inspiration for this from a pot-pie version of beef stew. I'm not so much a pot-pie person... wet bread just doesn't do it for me... ever. Second, the pot-pie version made two 9x13 pans of food, and I have a family of five, and three of those are half-lings who aren't likely to eat more than half a cup of anything. Third, it's snowing here in Utah today, we got four inches outside our house, and stew just sounded like it would hit the spot.
So, here's the basics:
2-3 T butter, melted in a large pot
1 large onion (if you like a sweeter stew, use a spanish or walla walla), chopped
3-4 parsnips, peeled and sliced into 1/4" slices
4-5 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4" slices
1-1 1/2 lbs stew beef ( I had a can of chunk beef, so I used that)
2 tsp rosemary leaves
2 tsp thyme leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 cups water
2 T flour or cornstarch
1 cup frozen corn
1 tomato, chopped
5-8 brussels sprouts, cut in eighths or quarters, depending on size

Preheat oven to 450
Saute onion, parsnips and carrots in butter for about 8 minutes on medium-high heat or till lightly browned and soft. Add stew beef (if raw, brown for about another 8 min), rosemary, thyme and S&P. When they are fragrant, you can add the flour (if using cornstarch, add this after the water has warmed), mix well and cook a few minutes to let the flour lose it's flour-y taste. Add water, mix well and bring to a boil (add the cornstarch at this point, BUT MIX IT FIRST WITH A LITTLE COLD WATER. Trust me, you don't want to skip that step or you'll just get a lumpy mess that doesn't thicken). Let simmer at least 10 min. 5 min before serving, add corn, tomatoes and brussels sprouts, let simmer another five min before serving.

Around the time you add the water, start your cheddar biscuits
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
2 T butter, softened
3/4 cup milk ( I add 1/2 tsp vinegar to mine to make buttermilk)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, sharp is best

In medium mixing bowl, sift dry ingredients together. Add shortening and butter, mix with pastry cutter, two forks or fingers if you're more tactile, till mix resembles coarse cornmeal which clumps when gently pressed. Add cheese, mix to coat the cheese with flour mix. Add milk (or buttermilk) and mix till flour is just moistened. Drop biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet, bake 10-12 minutes till lightly browned. It should finish about the same time as your stew

ENJOY!!! Be forewarned. If you don't like parsnips or brussels sprouts now, you may find yourself a little addicted. Especially when you smell the parsnips caramelizing in the pan, or get that slightly chewy/crunchy wedge of sprout in your mouth with the rest of the softer stew ingredients. This is a new family favorite!