Holubtsi - sharing a Ukrainian dish:
I made a Ukrainian dish for dinner. I made it for the obvious reasons: Ukraine is on our minds. I wanted to connect, even if it’s an illusion of solidarity; I’d like to go a little deeper with that:
My niece Caroline, who is studying Gastronomy at Boston University, told me recently over the phone that she believes cooking is a form of witchcraft.
“You know, Aunt Heather, you do things to all those ingredients - and the ingredients matter - What are they? How are they made? What quality are they, or not? - You do things to those ingredients - and it matters what you do to them - and you create something that you will hand to someone to put in their body. That thing you made will do something to that body.”
The idea is powerful.
Because the Ukrainian people rule so many of our feelings these days, I wanted to research Ukrainian dishes, and prepare that country’s food while at the same time doing what I do every night - what we are all doing every night: hearing about and thinking about what happens to complex humans - who love and grow and work and love - when they meet one - just one - of our species with a full malevolent soul and an empty moral bank.
I wanted to make something that Ukrainians called theirs, the food their parents made, the food on every menu, the foods even children recognized as familiar. Holubtsi, traditional Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls, won that Google search, but I read that Ukrainians happily use all kinds of leafy greens to make these parcels.
I chose large Swiss Chard leaves, which became the tender, silky wrap for these small steaming packages of seasoned meat. Served over egg noodles tossed in a creamy sauce, this dish was literally a map to Eastern Europe; the flavors wrote a message from generations of solid people who farmed in very cold winters and hot summers, people descended from Balkan, Slavic, and Russian cities and towns.
This dish is earthy and elegant at the same time, a poetic combination. Served on a frigid March evening in coastal Massachusetts, the Holubtsi changed us for just a moment. It’s distinctly Eastern European taste and textures made a clear and direct connection - crisper than a phone call, more emotional than a news story - to Ukraine, proving to me the magic - maybe witchcraft - of a shared meal.
(Two things totally unrelated things I want to add: Cape Ann Today, the weekday interview show I do with Kory Curcuru, is now available on podcasts! - Apple, Spotify, all of the platforms. It’s a great way to consume our local Cape Ann stories.
Also, Serengeti Tea is the best tea company I’ve ever found: sustainably grown and harvested African teas. To me, these teas compare to popular, expensive brands of tea the way a beautiful home-grown tomato in August compares to a store bought one in March.)
Holubtsi - Ukrainian Swiss Chard Rolls over Noodles
serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs (local friends, I used 1 ½ Alexandra’s Bread small cobbles)
¼ cup milk
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork (NOTE: this made sound like sacrilege, but I used locally-produced ground chorizo from my freezer; I assumed the paprika and seasonings in chorizo would have an affinity with Ukrainian seasonings. I also didn’t want to waste such a great product. It worked beautifully.)
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt (divided)
1 teaspoon ground pepper
16 - 20 large swiss chard leaves
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (optional)
1 pound package egg noodles
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Start a large pot of water to boil. (For blanching the swiss chard leaves.)
Melt the butter in a medium skillet. Add the onion and cook until soft. Allow to cool.
Place the breadcrumbs in a large bowl, and pour the milk over them. Let stand for about 5 minutes. Stir in the onions, meats, egg, and ½ teaspoon salt (if you suspect your chorizo is well seasoned, be cautious with the salt; don’t add more than ½ teaspoon.) and pepper until well combined.
Once the water is boiling, lift the swiss chard leaves by their stem, and - one at a time, holding by the stem - into the boiling water for 30 seconds a piece. (Again, just the leaves; you hold them by the stem and dip them in for the 30 seconds.). Then lay the leaf out on paper towels. Continue with each leaf, laying them on the paper towels, until they are all blanched. You can then snip off the stems with scissors afterword. Blanching like this makes it very easy to roll the bundles, as the inner veins are softened, too.
(Reserve 4 - 6 leaves for the pan.) Begin rolling the remaining leaves: lay a leaf out before you lengthwise. Set about 2 tablespoons of the meat on the leaf centered ¼ of the way up the length. Fold up the bottom part of the leaf towards the meat. Now fold in the sides. Then roll the bundle all the way up, over the folded-in sides. Complete all the bundles.
In a 9 x 13 baking pan, lay down 2-3 leaves to cover the bottom of the pan. Set the bundles in rows over these leaves. Cover with the remaining 2-3 leaves. Pour the broth over all. Bake for about 1 hour.
When the dish is removed from the oven, carefully pour off the remaining broth and reserve. At this point you can refrigerate the dish over night, or until you are ready to make the meal. When you are ready, rewarm the bundles in a 325 degree oven.
Prepare the egg noodles according to the package. (Boil in salted water for 8 - 10 minutes.)
Pour the reserved broth into a small sauce pan and heat to medium. In a small bowl, mix well the flour and cream. Whisk that well into the warm broth, and bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking occasionally, for about ten minutes or until the sauce thickens. Taste and season with salt and pepper well.
Drain the egg noodles, and toss them immediately with ½ cup of the sauce, more if they are too dry. Serve the noodles into individual bowls.
Remove the bundles from the warm oven and lift off the top swiss chard leaves, discarding them. Serve 3 - 4 bundles on top of the noodles. Pour sauce liberally over the bundles. Sprinkle with fresh dill if desired and serve immediately.
