A year in Dnepropetrovsk
An American volunteer in UkraineArchive for baklazhannaya ikra
Rosh Hashana
Friday, September 26
3 days until erev Rosh Hashana
Since the entire Joint office would have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off, and since not everyone works on Sunday, the office Rosh Hashana celebration was set for the Friday before the holiday. Someone had heard Sharon talk about making sushi for her family, and soon all the women were asking her to teach them (there are quite a few sushi restaurants in the city, but at least in the office, only Lena really goes to any of them. Many people had never tried Japanese food, in fact). Well, one thing led to another, and Friday’s Rosh Hashana lunch was a homemade sushi feast! We all helped prepare, rolling the maki, preparing the sumka (a type of salmon, I don’t know what it’s called in English), setting up the ginger and wasabi, making a platter of all the Rosh Hashana foods– apples, honey, pomegranate, and challah (the sushi was the fish)– and of course, since this is Ukraine after all, setting up platters of pickles, pickled mushrooms, and olives.
It was a wonderful lunch! Everyone had filled out small cards for at least five other staff members, and we all exchanged these. Drinks were poured, and toasts were made. Wine abounded. Everyone was in good spirits, and lunch lasted quite a few hours (as meals here tend to do). Read the rest of this entry »
Baklazhannaya Ikra
This eggplant spread is another very common Ukrainian dish served at most major gatherings. It is even easier to prepare than vinaigrette! What you need:
- 4 eggplants (keep in mind that Ukrainian vegetables are much smaller than American roid-raging ones)
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 tomatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 tsp parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 lemon, squeezed for juice
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
A year in Dnepropetrovsk 