www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Easter Basket

What should the contents be in a traditional Pascha basket?

Paska (bread), Butter, Boiled eggs, Hrudka (paschal cheese), Cheese, Ham, Kolbassa, Beets with Horseradish (Hrin), Veal, Lamb, nut roll, poppyseed roll, roshki, wine

a candle to be lit for the blessing

Thank you. I had to look up Roshki. We are going to make it before Pascha. Sounds yummy.

Roshki http://www.iarelative.com/recipe/roshki.htm

Basically it's all the food things from which you have Fasted.

Someone in our Parish even has a bottle of wine in his each year

I have a recipe for everything but the Hrudka--that extremely rich cheese that's like freshly made mozarella.

BOB

Do you mean dry cottage cheese? That is what we call it in Canada and it is sold by a Ukrainian company MCC.
There are various recipes. In my family we add just melted butter and salt, but many people add sour cream to it or sweet cream and even sugar.

Talk about culture-bound!

When I was in shape to do it, I used to make my own kulichi and cheese Pascha - delicious! I'm tempted to try making Pascha again, using moscarpone, but I'm not about to make any more kulichi. Pity, but I'm just not up to it.

Fr. Serge

We here in Canada may include salt, a krashenka ( coloured

hard-boiled egg still in its shell), and a new pysanka/pysanky.

The cream cheese is made from dry cottage which will have

hard-boiled eggs yolks, sugar, salt,vanilla and may/maynot have a

sweet liqueur.

Unworthy

Kolya

Oops I forgot

The cheese mixture is called "Syrnyk"

Kolya

I make syrnik with one dozen eggs and a quart of milk, some salt, sugar or vanilla if you like. Mix the eggs and milk and cook in a double boiler until scrambled consistency. Place in double layers of cheesecloth and squeeze out all of the liquid by hanging over a sink. Place in a bowl in the refrigerator overnight and squeeze again. You'll have a nice egg cheese loaf to decorate with cloves and get blessed. I did a demonstation of a traditional Ukrainian Easter basket at a local RC church a few years ago. It was featured in the Muncie, Indiana StarPress.

Henry Peresie

I like the sounds of that! Never considered that. My sister makes it every year. I am going to have to ask her to try this...

The recipes - including Bob's Hrudka. If this is new to you, don't be afraid to tackle the basket, it is an awesome thing. Pray the Holy Spirit will lead you, and it becomes a family affair and tradition it isn't already.

THE SLAVONIC EASTER MEAL

# 1 IN ALL THINGS – PRAYER
CANDLE
(can place a little dish of salt to hold the candle when it is lit)
PASKA – BUTTER – SALT
(ANYTHING YOU ARE GOING TO NEED FOR PASCHA DINNER)
(DON’T COOK ON PASCHA – ENJOY)
HAM – BACON – KOLBASI
COLORED EGGS
VEAL – LAMB
HRUDKA CHEESE
HRIN
NUT ROLLS & POPPY SEED ROLLS
CHOCOLATE EGGS AND CANDY
COFFEE-TEA-MILK
SOME OF EACH THING IS PLACED IN THE BASKET TO BE BLESSED BY THE PRIEST AFTER THE RESSURECTION LITURGY!


PASCHA BREAD
2 cakes yeast
2 C scalded milk
4 eggs, beaten
1 C sugar
1 tsp. Salt
½ C melted butter
8 C flour
1 C white raisins – optional

1- Dissolve yeast in milk, which has been scaled but cooled to lukewarm.
2- Add 3 cups flour and ½ cup sugar.
3- Mix, cover, and let rise in a warm place, until double in bulk and bubbly; about 2 hours (that will vary depending on the area & warmth your dough is in).
4- Then add the rest of flour, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, raisins (use enough flour to make a light dough).
5- Knead well.
6- Allow the dough to rise again, while covered, in a warm place till double in bulk.
7- Turn out onto the board or table to knead again adding enough flour to make a medium dough. (more flour may have to be used)
8- Reserve a small piece of dough, enough to make your braids to go around the bread or for a cross in the center of the bread or both.
9- Shape into 2 round loaves, place in round pudding pans (I use corning or anchor hocking round baking dishes – you can find some good used ones in the thrift stores. Some folks use coffee tins, it is just what you prefer).
10- To make braids; roll the dough out between your hands long enough to make long stands – a bit thinner than a pencil, this too will rise when baked.
11- Then braid equal pieces of dough, like you would if you were braiding a little girl’s pigtails. This takes some practice but well worth the time and effort. We place a three-bar cross on our breads, with the braid encircling the bread. If you don’t have time to braid just use a straight rolled out piece of dough to form the cross in the center of the bread.
12- Let the dough rise for the last time, until double in bulk.
13- Next, gently brush top of loaves with beaten egg.
14- Bake 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes.
15- Brush bread with butter when removed from oven to keep the tops of the breads soft.


PASCHA BREAD #2
1 Tsp. Sugar 6 Eggs, well beaten
1 C. Sugar
1 C. lukewarm water
1/2 C. Melted butter or oleo/margarine
1 Large cake yeast
3 C. Scalded milk
1 Tsp. Sugar
9-12 C. Flour To these ingredients always add 1/4 cup oil & 1/2 cup
extra sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup white raisins
2 extra eggs and a lot of love.

Always bless your bread with the Sign of the Cross, praying
constantly asking God's blessings upon your labor.

Dissolve sugar in lukewarm water and sprikle yeast over it. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Combine luke-warm milk, eggs, salt, sugar, and melted butter in large kettle (add 1/4 c. oil, 1/2 c. more sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla), then add yeast mixture. Add 1 c. cooked cooled, drained raisins if desired. Add flour, a little at a time, kneading well after each addition until a soft dough is formed and the dough comes off your hands.

Cover, let rise in warm place until double in bulk.

Cut into 5 or 6 peices (reserving some dough to braid for the top of your loaf) knead, and shape into round loaves. I use round corning baking dishes, some folks even use coffee cans, some just shape them into balls and let them rise that way.

Let them rise again( this is the second time).

While the loaves are rising, take bits of dough and rolling it between your hands till you make 3 long ropes. Then take the ropes of dough and braid them together like you would a little girls pig tails.

Cut the ropes so you have enough to form a cross on top. I make a three bar cross in the center. I also have enough braid to circle the
top of the bread.

Brush the bread and braids with a beaten egg. Bake in a 350
degree oven for 35 - 40 minutes on the middle rack, which allows enough room
for you to get the bread easily out of the oven and not injure the braids.

Brush with butter when removing from oven, this will keep the top of your breads soft.



BRADED BREAD
1- Use this same recipe as above, following all the directions except the preparation for the pans.
2-After the second rise and your dough is now ready for the third rise, divide your dough into six pieces.
3- Make your pieces long, but the same length, and not thin.
4- Then braid the three pieces, so you have two breads.
5- Place on baking sheet.
6- Let raise until double in bulk.
7- While waiting for it to rise die an uncooked room tempature egg in red dye, dry it.
8- Place the red egg in the center of the bread to be baked. (it will cook as the bread bakes)
9- Brush the bread with beaten egg, but not the red egg.
10- When you remove it from the oven, brush with butter.

Now this is my own way of doing braided bread, there may be an easier way, but a lot of people asked me for it, and this is the way I figured out how to do it. So don’t be afraid to experiment!


TWO HOUR NUT ROLL
2 Cakes of yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup of water
6 Cups flour
1 Tsp. salt
3 Tbs. sugar
1/2 Cup butter or margarine
3 Eggs, beaten
1 Cup sour cream

Combine flour, salt, sugar, eggs, butter, and sour cream.
Add yeast and blend well (the less time you work dough with your hands the better off it is).
Divide dough into 4 parts.
Roll each part thin, as though for a jelly roll.
Spread nut filling or poppy seed filling.
Roll up and place on a greased pan.
Place a peice of aluminum foil between the rolls.
Allow them to rise for 1 hour or until double in size.
Brush the rolls with a beaten egg if desired
Bake in a 350 oven for 35 - 40 minutes
Brush with butter or margarine when you take them from the oven this will keep the loafs soft.

Nut Filling -

1 Lb. ground walnuts
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup honey
1/2 Cup warm milk

Sprinkle sugar over ground nuts in bowl.
Add honey and warm milk and mix.
More milk may be added to make it spread easier.
Brush rolled out dough with melted butter.
Then spread on nut filling.

Poppy Seed Filling -

1 Lb. ground poppy seed
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup honey
1/4 Cup warm milk
2 Tbs. butter

Combine poppy seed and sugar in bowl.
Add melted butter, honey, and warm milk and mix until well blended.
Brush dough with melted butter.
Spread on rolled out dough.

EASTER CHEESE - CIROK
12 Eggs, slightly beaten
1 Qt. of milk
1/2 Tsp. vanilla
Sugar to taste (between 1-5 Tbsp.)
Pinch of salt
Cheesecloth

Combine the above ingredients and cook over medium heat in double boiler until mixture curles.
Stir constantly!
Place in cheesecloth
Squeeze in cheesecloth
Tie to form a ball
Hang until well drained, for several hours
When cool remove from cloth
Refrigerate and enjoy!

HRUDKA - EASTER CUSTARD
2 Dozen eggs
1/2 Cup sugar
1 Tsp. vanilla
5 Cups milk
Need Cheesecloth and string
Place for either:
1. A weight for flat surface to make loaf shape
2. A place to hang the chesse as it drains for round shape

Beat eggs, add milk, sugar, vanilla and beat well.
Cook over low heat until mixture begins to curdle and only water remains.
Pour into cheesecloth, squeeze and tie tightly.
Place on flat surface with the weight on top for several hours for the loaf.
Or hang up and drain for a round type of cheese.


HRIN

4 cans whole baby beets beets (drained)
1/2 to 1 cup horseradish (depends on taste)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar

Cooking Instructions:
Put beets in blender or food processer and grind
mix with the horseradish
add other ingredients, mix
and store in jar in the refrigerator.

Ignorance is bliss! My ignorance of the Pascha basket has led me to these blissful suggestions.

What do you do with the Hrin?

Put it on everything!