Shop, chop and roll

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This article was published 14/08/2017 (2444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

‘You know how most nations have one dish that is dough filled with something? For us, it’s a cheese pie,” says Tatjana Draskovic of Folkorama’s Serbian “Kolo” Pavilion.

The Serbian version is known as a pita, and it takes its place alongside such doughy delights as the dumpling, the perogy and the empanada as one of the cultural culinary contributions on offer during Week 2 of the annual multicultural festival, which runs to Aug. 19.

“Here we use phyllo pastry; at home, we make our own,” Draskovic explains. “You stretch a thin pastry and fill it with whatever you have. If you have a lot, you put lots of filling. If you don’t, say if you’re living in the country and you don’t have much food, then you put a little. Either way you get a meal.”

The pavilion at the St. James Civic Centre on Ness will be serving two versions: a cheese variety with a blend of cottage cheese and feta; and a meat pita stuffed with beef, onions and potatoes.

Draskovic explains that, owing to the country’s location in the Balkan peninula, separated from Greece and Turkey by Macdeonia and Bulgaria, respectively, Serbian food is a combination of Eastern European and Greek/Turkish/Middle Eastern cuisines.

“For example, Greeks have spanikopita,” she says. “We also have spinach pie, but we put less spinach and more cream and cheese, because it’s a country with more cattle and you use what you have. Baklava is a typical dessert, which is sort of Greek and Middle Eastern.”

The name of the pavilion, Kolo, is both symbolic and literal. It’s the name of a Serbian folk dance, but it’s also the name given to the Serbian Cultural Centre because it denotes interaction and coming together. “Kolo is loosely translated as circle, but it’s more specifically a circle that’s made by people holding hands,” Draskovic says. “Our dances at festivities and weddings and parties are done in the circle.”

Three recipes from Week 2 Folklorama pavilions are featured below.

 

 

Palacinke/Crepes

Serbian ‘Kolo’ Pavilion: St. James Civic Centre, 2055 Ness Ave.

 

 

250 ml (1 cup) flour

2 eggs

125 ml (1/2 cup) milk

125 ml (1/2 cup) water

1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt

30 ml (2 tbsp) butter, melted, or oil

 

Mix flour, eggs, milk water and salt until you have a consistent, homogeneous batter. Make sure to break apart any granules to ensure a smooth consistency.

To cook your crepes, you can use any frying pan (although a crepe pan may give better results). Grease the pan with the oil or butter; butter will give the crepe a crispier texture.

Once the pan is hot, pour less batter than you think you will need. As soon as you pour it, swirl the wrist you’re holding the pan with to spread the batter, ideally covering the whole pan with a very thin layer. Wait until it seems as if the crepe is ready to flip. You can verify this by trying to lift a corner of the crepe off the pan with knife. If it sticks, give it a few more seconds. Keep in mind that the crepes will cook faster the longer you use the pan because it’s getting increasingly hot. The crepe should only need a few seconds of cooking once its been flipped. You want the crepe to be a golden colour. Don’t burn it, and don’t undercook it!

When it comes to filling your crepes/palacinke, choices are endless: Cheese and ham (goat cheese or cream cheese); fruit and whipping cream; Nutella, alone or with your favourite fruit; jam, sugar; walnuts with caramel or honey.

Tester’s notes: We found we got the best results using a canola oil spray to coat the pan. It might take a couple of crepes to get the volume of batter and the technique down, but after that, it’s a snap.

 

Arroz Con Leche

 

Mexican Pavilion ‘Arriba el Norte’:  RBC Convention Centre, 375 York Ave.

 

 

1.75 l (7 cups) water

250 ml (1 cup) long-grain white rice

One 10-cm (4-inch) cinnamon stick

One 350-ml (12-oz) can evaporated milk

One 398-ml (14-oz) can condensed milk

250 ml (1 cup) whole milk

180 ml (3/4 cup) golden raisins

Ground cinnamon, for dusting

 

Put the water, rice, and cinnamon stick in a medium-sized heavy saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, uncovered, and cook until the rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Strain out the liquid, discard the cinnamon and reserve the rice.

Return the rice to the saucepan. Stir in the evaporated milk, condensed milk and whole milk. Continue cooking over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick, about 20-25 minutes. Add the raisins, and stir well.

Transfer the pudding to a serving bowl. Dust the top of the pudding with ground cinnamon and serve.

Tester’s notes: We could only find condensed milk in a 10-oz can. However, the recipe worked very well with that substitution.

 

 

Aloo Tikki

Punjab Pavilion: Punjab Cultural Centre, 1770 King Edward St.

 

 

3 large potatoes

160 ml (2/3 cup) fresh or frozen peas

2.5-cm (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 to 2 green or red chilis, seeded and finely chopped

5 ml (1 tsp) ground cumin

1 ml (1/4 tsp) asafetida

1 ml (1/4 tsp) garam masala

1 ml (1/4 tsp) chat masala

2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) paprika

7.5 ml (1 1/2 tsp) sea salt

5 ml (1 tsp) mango powder (also called amchoor)

1 ml (1/4 tsp) fresh cracked black pepper

Sesame oil for frying (optional)

2-3 pieces of white bread, made into crumbs, for binding the material

 

Boil or microwave potatoes until tender. Meanwhile, boil the peas in water for 2 to 3 minutes until just tender. Drain and transfer to a small bowl. Add the ginger, chilies, cumin, asafetida, garam masala, chat masala, paprika, mango powder and 2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) of salt. Mash to a coarse meal and set aside.

When the potatoes have cooled, peel and transfer to a large bowl. Mash well. Add the remaining 5 ml (1 tsp) of salt and bread crumbs, and season with black pepper. Stir well to combine. Knead the potato mixture until smooth and divide into 8 to 10 portions. Rub your hands with a bit of oil, roll each portion into a small ball and then flatten into a small patty about 1.5 cm (1/2-inch) thick.

Spoon 5 ml (1 tsp) of the pea mixture into the centre of each potato round and gently fold the edges together. Flatten into a 6-cm (2 1/2-inch) patty. Repeat until each round is filled. In a large non-stick frying pan, heat a teaspoon of oil over medium-low heat. When hot, add some of the patties to the pan, taking care not to crowd them (try working in two batches). Fry for 15 minutes per side or until a golden crust forms.

The patties can also be baked instead of fried. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat an oven to 175 C (350 F). Place the patties on the baking sheet, brush with a little oil, and bake for 15 minutes. Brush with a bit more oil, gently flip, and bake for another 15 minutes.

Serve hot out of the pan or oven with chutney.