ARTOCLASIA

Father Andrew Harrison

Dilute yeast in ½ c. water. Add sugar, salt and stir. Add water and oil. Add 3 cups of flour mixed with cinnamon and stir until batter is smooth. Add remainder of flour until dough is soft but firm. Knead until bubbles appear on the surface of the dough and it is smooth and satiny in appearance. Divide the dough into 5 equal parts and place into 5" round pans. Let rise in pans until almost double in bulk. Bake in a 400º oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Remove from the pans and cool on racks for 10 minutes. Brush tops lightly with honey. When cool, sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

BLINI (Ukrainian)

Alexandria Lukashonek

Beat the eggs. Add sugar and vanilla. Add milk a little at a time and beat. Add flour. Fry in margarine. Filling: Use cream cheese/jelly or butter and roll up.. Various fillings can be used, i.e., sour cream, strawberries or other berries, or a mixture of cottage cheese, egg yolk, vanilla and sugar - mash and spread on pancakes, roll up and keep hot.

CESNICA - Traditional Christmas Cake

Vivian Tadin

Grease a round deep pie pan. Place three layers strudel dough, which is quite dry in the pan with melted butter in between the layers. Sprinkle ground walnuts and a few white raisins on next layers of dough. Continue on in this way until pan is filled with layers. In between top three layers of dough sprinkle melted butter (but no nuts or raisins). Trim edges. Press dough down slightly. Place a small glass top down in center of cake. With a sharp knife cut around glass down through the layers to the bottom. Remove glass. Away from this cut circle, slip a silver coin in between the layers. Cut diamond-shaped pieces in rest of pie. Pour ½ c. melted butter over all and bake at 350º until golden brown. Meanwhile, prepare a syrup. Cook 1 c. honey with ½ c. water. Pour that hot syrup over the "chesnica" as soon as it is removed from the oven.

CHRISTMAS MEDIVNYK (Ukrainian Honey Cake)

Mary Jo Werbiansky

Mix the honey with the spices, bring to a boil and cool. Combine the fruits and nuts; sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons of the flour and mix well. Sift the remaining flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Cream the butter with the sugar. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Stir in the lukewarm honey. Add the flour mixture and coffee alternately and mix well. Mix in the fruit-nut mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter. Line a baking pan with brown paper and grease it. Spoon batter into pan. Bake in a slow oven (300°) for about 1-½ hours or until done. Allow to stand for a few days before serving.

EASTER PASKA (Ukrainian Easter Bread)

Eugenia Wassilkowsky

Combine the softened yeast with beaten eggs, add sugar, butter, oil, salt, and water. Mix in the flour and knead until smooth and elastic. The dough should be a little stiffer than for bread. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Punch down and let rise again. Take dough, make a round base 1" thick and cover the bottom of a round 9" greased pan. Take 2 equal sized pieces of dough, roll each to 36" lengths. Place side by side and starting from the center, entwine each about the other, do the other half in the same manner. Place the entwined length on the base, in a circle along the edge. Roll 4 equal pieces of dough each to 10" length, entwine 2 lengths on the base to cross each other at the center, curl each end. Let rise until double in bulk.

KOLJIVO

Vivian Tadin

Soak 1 lb. Wheat overnight. Wash 10 times in cold water. Cook in water to cover until it boils and is tender. Then wash 3 or 4 times in strainer until white. Cook again until very tender, but not too soft. Take a clean sheet, put strained wheat on sheet. Roll it up and dry it completely. Then put in dish. Grind it fine (except for ½ c.). Add 1 lb. Sugar, 1-1/2 lb. Ground walnuts, ½ lb. Ground almonds, and 1 T. vanilla. Put aside 1 c. ground walnuts and ½ c. ground almonds. Mix it all up with the hands and mound it up on plate. Put ground almonds and walnuts over it. Sift powdered sugar over it generously. Press paper napkin on it with smooth strokes until pattern adheres. Trim with leftover wheat. (This recipe can be cut in half.)

KOULOURIA (Greek Easter Cookies)

Esther A. Poulos

Beat butter for 15-20 minutes, add confectioners' sugar. Beat and add eggs. Continue beating and add salt, cognac, baking powder and sifted flour. Knead well and shape as desired. For glaze - brush with egg yolk and bake at 350° until light brown (about 20 minutes).

KOULOURIA (Greek Easter Cookies)

Maria Vrame

Sift dry ingredients. Cream butter and margarine. Add sugar and beat well. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well, add whipping cream and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients. Knead dough until able to handle. Form dough into coils, circles or twists. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seed if desired. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets.

KULICH (Russian Easter Bread)

Eugenia Wassilkowsky

Boil milk, add butter and cool. Beat egg yolks and whites until light. Add sugar and beat again. Then add eggs to milk mixture. Add orange juice, rinds, vanilla, salt and yeast mixture, which has risen. Mix with a spoon then add flour and raisins (which have been washed, dried and mixed with a little flour). Knead and let rise. Knead and let rise again until double in size. Form dough into a ball, small enough to fill 1/3 of a coffee can. Let rise in a warm place, Bake in preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes.

KUTIA

Eugenia Wassilkowsky

Dry wheat in 250° oven for 1 hour. Stir occasionally. Wash and soak in water over night. Next morning, bring wheat to boiling point, simmer for 3 to 4 hours, until kernels burst open. Scald poppy seed; simmer 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, grind twice using the finest blade of food chopper. Set aside. Combine honey and sugar in hot water. Set aside. Before serving add sweetened mixture, poppy seed and nuts to cooled, boiled wheat.

Kutya (Koliva)---Alaskan Tradition

Ingredients:

3 cups of uncooked rice
6 cups of water
1 tsp. Salt
2 cups of raisins (Dole plump raisins preferred)
2 cups of fine grained sugar

Summary of process:

SIRNAYA PASCHA (Ukrainian Paschal Cheese)

Alexandria Lukashonak

Cream the butter with half the sugar, add beaten egg yolks and rest of sugar, then place in saucepan. Add well softened cream cheese, heavy cream, sour cream, and salt. Mix well (a very long time, stirring constantly) till blended. Add vanilla and continue to stir over low heat for a short while. Make sure all of the cream cheese has been melted sufficiently to form a smooth mixture. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Mix in optional fruits. Line a clean flower pot (or a mold with holes in the bottom) with cheese cloth (folded) and put in mixture. Fold the cloth over the top and place a weight on top. Stand over a wire tray with dish underneath to catch surplus liquid. Place in freezer until ready to serve. May be decorated with candy or fruit with letters "XB" (meaning CHRIST IS RISEN) or the shape of a cross.

TSOUREKIA (Greek Easter Bread)

Aristea Zekios

In a huge mixing bowl, pour the milk and warm water. While they are still warm, dissolve the yeast and 1 cup sugar. Let stand for few minutes until bubbles form. Add the rest of sugar and mix it with your hands until it dissolves. Add the melted warm butter. Blend with your hands. Add the beaten eggs and continue to blend with your hands. Add the mahleb and flour. Blend with hands until well blended. Transfer a few handfuls at a time into a food processor for kneading. Knead only a portion of the dough at a time. When the dough has formed a loose ball, transfer into a huge bowl that has been oiled. When all the dough has been processed and transferred into this bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Let rise until double in bulk. This takes about 4 to 5 hours or it can be left overnight. Divide the dough into 8 parts. Form each into desired shapes. I usually form a long cigar shape and tie it into a big knot. Place each on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Cover with towels and let rise until double in bulk. This will take another 2 to 3 hours depending on the temperature of the room. Bake in a preheated 300° oven until golden brown, usually about 25 to 30 minutes. When done remove immediately from cooking sheets and cool on wire rack. *Mahleb can be purchased in Greek and Middle Eastern grocery stores. Note: Loaves may be frozen after baking by wrapping in paper toweling, plastic wrap and foil. Will keep for months.

UKRAINIAN BAKED EASTER CHEESE

Alexandria Lukashonak

Place ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Brush top with egg yolk. Place in the oven at 325° for approximately ½ hour.

UKRAINIAN EASTER BREAD

Alexandria Lukashonak

Dissolve yeast in ¼ cup milk cooled to warm. Add butter to hot milk, then salt, sugar, and vanilla. Dissolve. Cool to lukewarm. Add yeast mixture. Stir in eggs. Add flour and raisins. Knead until smooth and elastic. Dough should be lighter than for regular bread. Let rise in warm place until doubled. Punch down and let rise again until doubled. Divide in halves and form to fit a 2 quart greased bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise again until doubled. Brush tops with egg yolks. Place in 325° preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes or until done. Trim the tops with crosses and/or the letters "XB" which means CHRIST IS RISEN

VASILOPITA (Greek New Year's Cake)

Esther A. Poulos

Cream butter until white, add sugar and eggs. (In the meantime, sift flour with baking powder). Then to butter mixture add orange juice, rind, liqueur, vanilla and flour. Mix until smooth. Add wrapped coin and gently mix again. Grease pan, preferably 12" x 12", and add flour to pan. Bake in 350° oven for 1 hour. Cool cake and remove from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon.