A Taste Of Lithuania

Hey guys! Greetings from Lithuania! So recently, it occured to me that while I've talked a lot about other countries, I have yet to introduce you to my motherland. My country can be proud of various delicious, traditional cuisines. My stomach couldn't survive without Lithuanian cold beet soup and of course potato meat dumplings. Don't believe me? Check it out!

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Enjoy your meal!!!! (SKANAUS!!!)

Lithuanian Potato-Meat Dumplings (Cepelinai)

I'm pretty sure there are Steemians among us who love potatoes and meat. Great news! We have something special for you. It's call Potato-meat dumplings(Cepelinai). We are obsessed with them. Believe it or not, we even have song about this dish. you're probably asking, what's so special about it? Basically, there are 2 ways to cook them. You can just boil them, or fry them. To fry them, you only need to cut an already boiled potato-meat dumpling into 2 pieces, and fry it in a pan. It becomes really crispy. Don't forget to pour on some sour cream and/or bacon. It will make your dish more tasty!

The Cepeliniai(potato meat dumpling) Song

Ingredients for the dough

6 lb potatoes (ideally russet or Idaho)
1 pill vitamin C (or ½ lemon)
2 tablespoons salt

For the filling
1 lb ground beef (or pork)
1 onion , chopped
2 tablespoons salt
For the gravy
4 oz. bacon , diced
2 onions , chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
Salt
Pepper

Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes. Crush the vitamin C pill and place in a large mixing bowl. Alternatively, press the juice of half a lemon.

2. Grate the raw potatoes with an electric or manual potato grater into the bowl. Regularly mix the potatoes so they do not turn dark.

3. Place some of the grated potatoes into a cheesecloth over a separate bowl and squeeze until the potatoes are almost dry. Repeat with the remaining grated potatoes.

4. Slowly pour away the potato juice from the bowl to collect the layer of potato starch settled at the bottom of the bowl. Incorporate the potato starch with the drained grated potatoes, add salt and knead until well combined.

Filling

1. Combine the ground beef (or pork), chopped onions, pepper and salt. Mix well.

2. Fill a large stockpot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt, and bring to a boil.

3. Take a portion (size of a tennis ball) of the potato dough and flatten in your hands. Take a smaller portion (size of a golf ball) of the meat filling and put in the center.

4. Fold the potato dough to seal the dumpling and form the shape of a zeppelin. Repeat with the remaining dough and meat.

5. Once the water comes to boil, reduce heat to medium and slowly lower the cepelinai into the boiling water.

6. Boil for 20 minutes or until the meat filling is cooked through. Carefully remove the dumplings from the stockpot with a slotted spoon.

Gravy

1. Add the diced bacon and chopped onions into a large frying pan. Sauté on medium heat for about 8 to 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper.

2. Turn the heat off, then add the sour cream. Mix well and thin the gravy with a little hot water or chicken stock if necessary.

3. Serve the cepelinai generously topped with the gravy!

Šaltibarščiai/Lithuanian Cold Beet Soup

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a summertime taste bomb- Ms. Cold beet soup( Šaltibarščiai)! The bright pink color, soft taste, really healthy (you can enjoy this soup guilt-free) will for sure refresh you in the hot summertime days. Foreigners who come and taste it later can't to resist this incredible soup. Just ask my boyfriend, he wants more and more. It was funny how my friend from Japan become crazy for it too. She even called this soup "A pink soup". Now, you too can taste this soup. I'm sharing a recipe. Just make your stomach happy!

Ingredients
2-3 medium to large red beets (about 1 pound)
water
2 medium cucumbers
2 scallions or chives
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 cup sour cream
4 cups buttermilk (alternatively, use “kefir” or “huslanka” instead of buttermilk/sour cream, available in Eastern European delis.)
fresh dill
salt

Preparation

1. Clean, trim and peel beets, cover with water and boil until tender.

2. While the beets are boiling: Peel cucumbers and dice;
   peel hard-boiled eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Chop the whites very finely.
   Chop the scallions and mash with egg yolks and 1/4 teaspoon salt to release the onion flavor.
   Chop fresh dill, to taste
   When the beets have finished boiling, remove them from the water and reserve the liquid.

3. Cool the boiled beets under cold running water (or pop them into the refrigerator to cool for about an hour).

4. When beets have cooled, grate them coarsely.

5. In large mixing bowl, add buttermilk to the beet water and blend in sour cream; then add beets, cucumbers, egg whites, egg yolks and onions. Stir until well blended.

6. Place in refrigerator to chill. Serve with chopped dill as garnish.

Thank you for following me and for all comments. Love you all guys!!! Just be open with me and of course, if you have some questions, comments or suggestions, write me below.

See you soon ,
Ruelle

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