THE LITHUANIAN TRADITION
Cepelinai (Zeppelins)
Ingredients: Pork and Lamb Filling
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- cup onion, finely chopped
- 4 ounces ground pork
- 4 ounces ground lamb
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- salt & black pepper, to taste
- 4 medium potatoes
- 2 pounds potatoes
- salt, to taste
Ingredients: Sour Cream Sauce
- 8 ounces bacon, diced
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup fresh button mushrooms, chopped, or dried forest mushrooms, reconstituted and chopped
- black pepper, to taste
- 12 ounces sour cream
Pork and Lamb Filling: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and transparent. Place the onions in a mixing bowl. Add the ground pork, lamb, marjoram, salt and pepper and mix well. If made ahead, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Peel and dice 4 medium potatoes. Cook them in a pot of boiling water until tender; drain well. Rice or finely mash the potatoes in a large bowl and set aside.
Peel and shred 2 pounds of potatoes using the food processor shredding disc. Transfer the shredded potatoes to a bowl and remove the disc. Attach the processor's steel blade, return the shredded potatoes to the processor bowl and finely grate the potatoes. Place about one-forth of the grated potatoes in a double thickness of cheesecloth and squeeze out the liquid over a bowl until dry. Repeat with the remaining grated potatoes. It is important to remove as much liquid from the potatoes as possible. Place the grated potatoes in a large bowl. Reserve the potato liquid and let the starch settle to the bottom of the bowl. When the starch has settled, pour off the liquid and mix the starch with the grated potatoes.
Add the grated potato and starch mixture to the mashed potatoes. Season with salt and mix well. Shape about to cup of the potato mixture into a round form. Using your thumb, make an indention in the center of the potato mixture. Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling into the indention and form the potato mixture into an oblong "zeppelin" shape. Be sure to seal in the filling completely. Repeat the process with the remaining potato mixture.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Lower the zeppelins into the boiling water (do not crowd). Reduce the heat to medium-high (maintain a low boil) and cook for about 15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes for larger zeppelins. The zeppelins will rise to the surface when fully cooked. Sour Cream Sauce: Partially cook the diced bacon in a skillet for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and mushrooms and continue cooking for 5 minutes more, or until tender. Season the mixture with pepper. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the sour cream. (If a thinner sauce is preferred, thin the sauce with a small amount of milk or cream.)
To serve, cover the Zeppelins with the Sour Cream Sauce. Makes 8 to 10 zeppelins.
Vegetable Nuts
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
- cup onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup cooked peas
- 1/2 cup cooked navy beans
- 1/2 cup cooked mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups cooked carrots
- 3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- salt & black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
- all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saut until tender.
Using a food processor, pure the cooked onion, peas, beans, mushrooms and carrots. Transfer the vegetable pure to a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of canola oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Form the vegetable mixture into walnut-sized balls. Coat them with flour, shake off the excess and fry in the skillet until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the Vegetable Nuts briefly on paper towels. Arrange them on a serving platter and top each with a small dollop of sour cream. Makes 24 to 30.
Beets with Horseradish
Ingredients
- 4 large beets
- to 1 cup prepared horseradish, to taste
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- juice of lemon
- salt & black pepper
Peel and dice the beets. Cook them in a pot of boiling water until tender. Drain the beets, place them in a large bowl and cool briefly. Add the horseradish, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix well. Serve the beets at room temperature or chilled. Serves 6 to 8.
Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and shredded
- 4 or 5 garlic cloves, minced
- mayonnaise, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Serve the salad at room temperature or chilled. Serves 6 to 8.
Recipes by John Staniunas and Jim Grimes.
