Lithuanian Kuldinas

 

Lithuanian Kuldinas

My family has traditions and special recipes, though instead of ethnic recipes they tend to be of the zucchini cake, cinnamon roll variety. It is understandable that the foods of our origin have become a bit muddled as we are an ingredient packed recipe of Celtic and western European descent, so we made our own. It is due to this, I have become fascinated with other cultures and my thirst for knowledge of ethnic cuisine is insatiable. So, when I married a man with very close ties to his Lithuanian heritage, investigation seemed inevitable.

Enter; my mother in-law Lorraine, who’s family immigrated from Lithuania* in the early twentieth century, ultimately settling in a strong Lithuanian community in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Lorraine loves to cook, our visits are always packed full of spicy soups, and balsamic braised sausages and we usually end up surrounded by mountains of cookbooks, discussing recipes. When Phil wanted to introduce me to Lithuanian stuffed cabbage, Lorraine was keen to oblige us with her recipe. Eastern European food had been a total mystery for me up till then. I had a vague idea that an extraordinary amount of cabbage and beets were consumed, but had no idea about the extraordinary flavors that were developed in this area of the world. The recipe was a hit and I began to ask Lorraine to make her Lithuanian specialties for us on our visits.

On our last visit to my in-laws home in Scranton in May, Lorraine really put on a show for us. We had stuffed cabbage, kugelis ( bacony potato casserole), haluski (cabbage noodles) and the subject of today’s post, kuldinas. My mother in-law had not made these little filled pastries in twenty five years and it was the piece de resistance of her heavily laden Lithuanian table. These pot stickers of Eastern Europe are filled with deliciously seasoned beef or pork, boiled and pan fried to golden perfection. The dough itself is a family recipe she learned from her Lithuanian mother. The kuldinas were delicious and each platter on the table held another insight to my husbands history, something I believe is important to discover as we create our own.

Kuldinas are yet another half moon shaped pastry on a list that circumnavigates the world, once more proving Michael Feldman‘s unifying knish theory. My mother in-law usually fills hers with a delicious beef and onion mixture, while others use cabbage. I wanted to start my own page in our family’s history and opted to make a potato and mushroom filling and in the spirit of frugality in these difficult times I have built my filling on leftover mashed potatoes.   

Kuldinas Dough

2 cups All Purpose Flour

½ tsp Sel de Mer

1 egg

½ cup ice water

Sift the dry ingredients together into a bowl. Add the egg and incorporate, before slowly adding in the water. When the mixture begins to come together, turn your dough out on a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth. Divide the dough in two and wrap well in plastic wrap so the dough does not dry out. Allow to sit for at least fifteen minutes, before proceeding.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface until very thin. Using a large biscuit cutter or glass, cut dough into circles and set aside to be filled. Place a dollop of filling in the center of each circle. Be careful so as not to overfill. Wet the edges of your circle and seal, pressing together with a fork.

Boil water in a large pan and add the kuldinas a few at a time, cooking each of them for 5 minutes. Remove and allow to drain. Heat a large skillet, and add a good quantity of olive oil to pan fry the kuldinas. When the oil is nice and hot, add the kuldinas and fry until golden. Drain on a paper towel and serve immediately.

Mushroom Filling

1 TBS Butter

2 oz. Polish Mushrooms, reconstituted and diced (porcini is fine) water reserved

1 TBS Fresh Tarragon, chopped

 ½ Sea Salt

½ Freshly Ground Pepper

1/2 Yellow Onion, diced

1/2 cup Cottage Cheese

1 cup Leftover Mashed Potatoes

Strain the mushroom liquid through a sieve and educe the it to only a few tablespoons.  Melt your butter in a skillet and sauté the onions and mushrooms. Season lightly with salt, pepper and tarragon. Cook until tender and a little brown.

In a medium bowl mix together the mushrooms, reduced liquid, cottage cheese and potatoes. Use to fill kuldinas.

 * Phil’s maternal family hails from Vilnius in the southeastern area of Lithuania and came to The United States in the early twentieth century.

* All photos were taken by Phil and the food was prepared by his mother.

*I’d love to hear about your family recipes. Please share!