LITHUANIAN TRADITIONAL FOODS

BLACK RYE BREAD

BLACK RYE BREAD

• 3 k coarsely ground rye flour• 1 l water• starter• salt STARTER:• 1/2 k rye flour• 50 g fresh yeast• 1 l warm water

• Starter is usually a leftover of dough from the last bread baking. Just before baking, the saved piece of dough is dissolved in warm water and is added to the newly mixed dough.

• Mix all starter ingredients, keep in a warm spot to ensure maximum fermentation. This starter should be ready in 24 hours. It gives bread an agreeable, pleasant sour taste. Every starter has its own particular taste.

• To make dough, heat water to 40-45C, pour half of the flour, starter and mix well. Sprinkle dough with flour and set in a warm spot to ferment. During fermentation the volume of dough will almost triple. Fermentation is complete after about 14 hours. Then beat dough, add remaining flour, salt and knead well. Smooth top of dough, dampen with wet hands, cover and set in warm spot to rise for about 3 hours.

• Prepare baking pans by lining them with maple or cabbage leaves or dust with flour. • Form oblong loaves, smooth tops with damp hands. Bake in preheated oven at

200C, for about 2-3 hours. Bread is done when it gives off a solid sound. Dampen tops of loaves with cold water, cover loaves with a light linen cloth and let cool at room temperature. Do not place freshly baked loaves in a cold place for that will cause the crust to separate.

• Black rye bread remains fresh for up to 2 weeks when refrigerated.

COLD BEET SOUP

COLD BEET SOUP

• 2 cooked red beets (peeled and coarsely grated)• 2 fresh cucumbers (finely cut)• 2 eggs (hard boiled)• 100 g sour cream• 1 l sour milk or butter milk • 1 cup boiled water• 8 sprigs fresh dill (finely chopped)• 1 cup scallion greens (finely chopped) • salt to taste

• Crush egg yolks with scallion greens and salt. Add cucumber, finely chopped egg whites, sour cream, sour milk or butter milk, beets and 1 cup of boiled but chilled water. Mix well.

• Serve in individual bowls sprinkled with dill, with hot potatoes.

GRATED POTATO CAKE 

GRATED POTATO CAKE 

• 1 k potatoes (peeled)• 1 cup milk• 2 eggs• 2 onions (finely chopped)• salt to taste• butter or oil for frying onion

• Grate potatoes, remove some of the potato juice, tilt the bowl and spoon off the collected juice.

• Bring milk to a boil and pour over the grated potatoes. This is done to disperse potato starch through the grated potatoes.

• Fry onion and mix into potatoes, add eggs and salt and mix well.

• Pour the mixture into a medium depth, greased baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 180C, until the top is well browned.

• Cut into squares and serve with bacon fried with onions and sour cream.

ZEPPELINS

ZEPPELINS

• 1 k raw potatoes (peeled and grated)• 4 cooked potatoes• salt to taste

• Put raw potato gratings in a double cheese cloth and squeeze dry. Save the potato liquid, let potato starch settle at the bottom, decant potato liquid and mix starch with dry potato gratings.

• Rice boiled potatoes and add to raw grated potatoes, salt and blend well. Take about 1/2 cup of potato mixture and flatten, making a round form.

• Place a spoonful of filling in the center of the round, fold over, seal seam, make an oblong shape.

• Put zeppelins into boiling water and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring gently.

FILLING FOR ZEPPELINS: BEEF OR PORK FILLING• 300 g ground meat, pork or beef, or a mixture

of both• 1 onion (finely chopped)• 1 teaspoon marjoram

• Pork is the traditional meat filling for zeppelins, rather fat, cut from the shoulder.

• Fry onion and add to ground meat.• Season with salt, pepper and marjoram. Blend

well.• Meat filled zeppelins are served with fried

bacon bits or with melted butter and sour cream.

POTATO SAUSAGES

POTATO SAUSAGES

• 1 k potatoes (peeled and grated)• 200 g bacon (finely chopped) • 2 onions (chopped)• 1/2 teaspoon marjoram• salt and pepper to taste• natural pork casings

• Fry bacon and onion, add to grated potatoes. Add seasonings and mix well.

• Fill pork casings with potato mixture and place sausages into a greased baking dish with 1/2 inch layer of water.

• Prick sausages with a needle so that they do not break as they expand while baking.

• Bake in a preheated oven at 180C, until sausages are nicely browned, baste several times with baking liquid, while sausages are baking.

• They are served for lunch with fried bacon.

Inga Žilionytė 3c kl.