The varenukha is an authentic Ukrainian hot beverage, which is made of vodka or liquor with dried fruits, raisins, etc., honey, cinnamon or spicy roots. It is peculiarly cooked – mixed ingredients are placed in clay pot topped with dough or with a lid on, and then put into heated oven (from 5 hrs to 24 hrs). It is an easy-to-cook beverage however lots of time is required. Therefore if you want to surprise your guests, it’s better to take care of it beforehand.
Ingredients
Dried pears 100 g
Dried apples 100 g
Dried cherries 100 g
Prunes 60 g
Honey 600 g
Vodka 2.5 l
Ground cinnamon 0.5 tsp
Cloves 0.5 tsp
Allspice 0.5 tsp
Bay leaf 3 pieces
Fresh ginger 0.5 pieces
Flour 200 g
Vegetable oil 1 tsp
Stages of cooking
1
Properly rinse all the fruits. Put them into big nonmetal bowl, cover with water and let them rest for 5-6 hrs.
2
Combine the flour with a little of water and vegetable oil; make a stiff dough – its consistence should bear resemblance to plasticine.
3
Pour the vodka with soaked dried fruits into the enamel or ceramic casserole; add the honey, ginger, spices and bay leaf.
4
Heat oven to 90-100C. Put the lid on the casserole and seal its edges with prepared dough. Put a weight on it and set in oven for 10-12 hrs.
5
After being cooked for 12 hrs, the varenukha should be drained and served. It can be poured either hot or cold. Also, the varenukha can be bottled and stored in the dark cool place.
Discover the secrets of traditional Ukrainian cuisine
Install our unique App and inspire yourself with the most delicious Ukrainian recipes!
The hrechaniks with meat are soft, tender cutlets made with buckwheat and mince meat. So it can be served as a main course or a side dish. You can use any mince meat to your taste. The dish is usually served with either tomato or garlic sauce, and salad.
Olivier is popular in the former USSR countries winter salad. It is regularly served at Ukrainians' New Year table on par with dressed herring and meat jelly.
The salad combines several interesting ingredients: boiled vegetables, eggs and meat. Meat choice may vary - from poultry to pork. Some housewives add beef tongue instead of meat in order to
Ukha is thin hot fish dish, somewhat reminiscent of fish soup. Zaporizhian Cossacks used to cook it during their campaigns, since they could catch fish in the river, and vegetables were always at hand.
Different fish - mostly crucian, perch, redeye, carp - is used for making ukha. At the same time it is not recommended to make ukha from herrings, b
Sochniki is a traditional Ukrainian delicacy. This Ukrainians' favorite desert is a small cottage cheese patty from sweet short pastry. The cottage cheese can be not only a stuffing, though, but a component of the dough for sochniki.
Some stuff sochniki with different berries and fruits: cherry, strawberry, blueberry and other.
They are served as a
