…we’re trying to bring people back to their culture
By: Pat Tanner
I have always been struck by the similarities between traditional
Easter dishes and Passover seder dishes, especially in Eastern European cultures.
The obvious exceptions, of course, are the absence of leavening and pork products
in Jewish cooking, but beets, horseradish and eggs are integral to both cuisines,
although their associated symbolisms may differ.
I was ruminating about this recently while enjoying a communal dinner at St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church in Hillsborough, which opens its doors to the public the second Wednesday of every month and for $10 a person ($5 for children) serves
up what it terms a Slavic dinner. These are mounted by the church’s resident
executive chef, Ted Petrock, a parishioner who runs the church’s catering arm,
Heavenly Catering.
"Many of our parishioners are Ukrainian, Russian, Slovakian or Polish," Mr. Petrock explains, "and we’re trying to bring people back to their culture. My family is Ukrainian, but with each generation we are losing our culture." Mr. Petrock grew up in the food business: His grandfather was a butcher and his father cooked at St. Mary’s before him. He learned to cook in the military at the Pentagon he cooked for the likes of Colin Powell and Caspar Weinberger then
attended culinary school in New York, and was, at one time, executive chef
at Rutgers University.
Anywhere from 200 to 400 people attend the monthly dinners,
which feature excellent, made-from-scratch versions of idiomatic Slavic dishes,
including stuffed cabbage rolls, kielbasa and cabbage, potato pierogi topped
with sour cream, buttery bowtie pasta with cabbage, and mashed potatoes and
gravy. This bargain meal is rounded out with salad, rye bread, sheet cakes,
soft drinks, and coffee and tea.
As I was happily devouring this feast, I began to ruminate about my own Easter dinner. The bowties, I thought, would make an excellent side dish for traditional Easter centerpieces such as ham and roast pork. When I asked Ted Petrock for the recipe, he put me onto the cookbook produced by the women of St. Mary’s, where I found a few other recipes to give an Eastern European flair to Easter dinner. Most of the book, however, reflects American melting-pot cuisine everything
from taco salad and New England boiled dinner to Jell-O pie. The beer bread
recipe, below, is another example. It yields a crusty white loaf with a flavor
reminiscent of pretzels. While it conjures up neither Easter nor Eastern Europe,
it is so easy I include it anyway.
St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church is at 1900 Brooks Blvd., Hillsborough. For information on the Slavic dinners held from 4 to 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month, call (908) 725-0615. For information on Heavenly Catering, call Ted Petrock at (908) 698-1919.
PICKLED EGGS
adapted from "Taste & See,"
St. Mary’s Rosary Society,
Hillsborough
1 dozen hard-boiled eggs, preferably still warm
1 12-ounce jar sliced pickled beets
8 ounces white vinegar
Shell the cooked eggs and place in a 1-quart glass or non-reactive
bowl or jar. Add the jar of beets, pour the vinegar into the empty jar, swish
it around, and add it to the eggs. Seal the bowl with a lid and refrigerate.
After a few hours, gently stir the eggs in the liquid. The eggs may take up
to 2 days to color. (The eggs will take up the color and flavor more quickly
if the eggs are warm when the beets and vinegar are added.) Keep refrigerated.
To serve, remove eggs and slice.
HORSERADISH AND BEET RELISH
"Taste & See,"
St. Mary’s Rosary Society,
Hillsborough
2 cups shredded cooked beets
½ cup prepared horseradish, drained
2 tablespoons onion juice (or finely grated or pureed onion)
½ cup sugar
½ cup vinegar
Lightly toss all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Serve hot
or cold.
Makes 3½ cups.
CABBAGE AND NOODLES
"Taste & See,"
St. Mary’s Rosary Society,
Hillsborough
1 large head cabbage
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1½ to 2 sticks butter
1 16-ounce box bowtie pasta
- Cut the cabbage into quarters.
Cut out and discard the core; chop the remaining cabbage. - Melt 1 stick of
butter in a heavy pot and add the chopped cabbage. Sprinkle with salt and
pepper, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for about 1 hour, stirring often
so the cabbage does not burn. - Melt ½ to 1 stick of butter in a skillet and
add the onions. Sauté until
soft. (Do not cook the onions with the cabbage.) - Meanwhile, bring a pot of
water to a boil and cook the bowties as directed on the package. Drain and
add bowties to the cabbage and combine well. Add the sautéed
onions, mix, and season to taste.
Serves 8 as a side dish.
TWO INGREDIENT
NO-KNEAD BEER BREAD
"Taste & See,"
St. Mary’s Rosary Society,
Hillsborough
2½ cups self-rising flour (not self-rising cake flour)
12 ounces beer, freshly opened, chilled or at room temperature
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Put flour in a
large bowl. Add beer and stir with a rubber spatula just until mixed and flour
is moistened completely. Scrape into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes, until
top is lightly browned, sides pull away from the pan, and a pick inserted near
the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then
carefully turn out onto rack to cool. When ready to serve, cut into 1/2-inch
thick slices with a serrated bread knife. Store airtight at room temperature
for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Makes 1 loaf.

