Taste of home away from Home

Hello, reader, my name is Maryam. I come from Ukraine- the land of bounty, the country of beauty and the cuisine of heart! If you have heard of Ukraine before, you probably associate it with the famous red Borsch or savory Potato dumplings? Maybe you know about cabbage Golubtsi or even Chicken Kiev? Yes, yes this is where the the famous golden-brown, roasted chicken cutlet comes from- Kyiv, my hometown!

Indeed, Ukraine is a "cold" country with a warm heart: It is surrounded by the sea of Azov and The cold Black sea that influence it's long and dark winters. And what do you do during such nights? You feast! The tradition of feasts is deeply rooted in my culture, due to seemingly endless winters, of course, during which we created and perfect hearty, multi-layered flavors. Today you will learn how to make sweet cherry dumplings, the ones we call Va-re-ni-ki or Varenyky. The name means - "the boiled ones"

This is how I remember my own introduction to the family recipe of cherry dumplings: It is a dark night outside and my mother gathers my siblings and I in the small, brightly lit kitchen of our apartment. Was it the primeval fear of darkness or the inherent desire to share a communal meal- but us four happily sat under the warm yellow halo of the kitchen lamp. My mom had already pulled out frozen summer cherries- the sweet, dark-red ones and the scarlet sour ones. They had thawed out and mom had additionally sprinkled them with sugar and so they sat in the sieve, waiting for their turn patiently, releasing aromatic juices into the enamel pot underneath.

I remember the small square tv hanging in the corner, broadcasting some evening musical program. My siblings were shooting jokes, mom - laughing and I remember feeling at peace. Therefore, every time that I need to find comfort of home, I go back to this warm and cozy memory and make the dumplings in the country that is many.. many miles away from Ukraine.

And so my mom measured four glasses of flour and sifted it into a bowl. As she did that the water had boiled on the stove, and so she ladled the hot water into the now empty glass. Meanwhile my sister had whipped an egg with a pinch of salt..

My mom made a deepening in the pile of sifted flour and poured the hot water right in. Even now I still admire her ability to make the deepening just wide enough, so that the flour doesn't crawl away and the water doesn't escape. Working quickly, mom kneaded glutinous mass thoroughly, adding the flour from the edges to the center of the ball. At her signal, my sister poured in the beaten egg and the sphere of dough formed, soft and pliable.

Mom carefully wrapped the dough in a kitchen towel and placed it back into the bowl to let it rest for an hour. Meanwhile my brother had brought the cherries to the table commencing the part filled with most fun! We dug our nails into the succulent cherries, carved out the pit. Many cherries made it to the Varenyky pile. Many- met their end in our mouths. The red juices trickled down our forearms, stained our cheeks, summoning shrieks of excitement. Mom lit the burner under the enamel pot with cherry juice and it reduced simmering.

After a while my mom placed the dough onto the table surface and rolled it out nice and wide. The dough resisted and tried to shrink, and happily, I pinned it's edges with my little thumbs, as my sister cut the circles with the one-and-only, utility glass. Each circle we filled with three cherries and pinched the edges of the dough. We competed against each other, seeing who can make more and soon the entire one and a half meter table was lined with straight rows of beautiful (and not so beautiful) creations. A new pot of water came to a rolling boil. The dumplings were submerged and given a swirl. They boiled no longer than a minute, got fished out and scooped into bowl. Mom scooped generous heaping of cold sour cream into our dishes, right on top of Varenyky. Sprinkled white sugar and poured the cherry sauce on top. And so, one long and cold winter night we feasted.

THE RECIPE

1. Flour - 4 cups
2. One glass of hot water
3. one egg/a pinch of salt (can be made without the egg)

ENJOY!