Mrs Kostyras Babkas Recipes

MRS. KOSTYRA'S BORSCHT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place beets on a piece of parchment paper -- lined aluminum foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold up edges of foil and parchment to enclose beets. Place on a small baking sheet, and bake until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 1 hour. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel, and coarsely grate; set aside.
• Soak mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving liquid. Coarsely chop mushrooms; set aside.
• In a medium stockpot, combine stock, beets, mushrooms, mushroom liquid, celery leaves, parsley, garlic, sugar, a large pinch of salt, and a large pinch of pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.
• Add lemon juice or citric acid. Taste, and adjust for seasoning. In a small bowl, combine sour cream and flour, stirring until no lumps remain. Whisk in a ladleful of soup, then whisk the sour-cream mixture into the soup. Cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in dill just before serving.

MRS. KOSTYRA'S MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish; set aside.
• Warm the milk and tomato paste in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cheddar cheese, and 1/2 cup Swiss cheese; set the cheese sauce aside.
• Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook until pasta is al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain well in a colander. Stir macaroni into reserved cheese sauce.
• Pour mixture into prepared dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup Swiss cheese, and dot with butter. Bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 45 minutes. Serve hot with sour cream, if desired.

BABKA WITH MRS. KOSTYRA

Steps:

• Butter three 8-inch kugelhopf molds. In a small saucepan, heat lowfat milk till just below the boiling point. Add in 2 sticks butter, and stir till melted. Remove from heat, and let cold till lukewarm. Place yeast in a small bowl, and pour 1/2 c. hot water over, stirring with a spoon to break up the yeast and combine. Set aside for 2 to 3 min. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat Large eggs and egg yolks till combined. Add in sugar and salt, and continue to beat till thick and pale. Add in vanilla, orange-flavored liqueur, zests, and yeast mix; combine. Add in 4 c. flour gradually, then add in the lowfat milk mix, alternating with remaining 4 c. flour while beating on medium speed. Up to an additional 1 c. flour may be added if the dough is sticky. Add in currants, raisins, golden brown raisins, and almonds, and mix to combine. Transfer dough to a large bowl, and knead using a large wooden spoon till the dough pulls away and doesn't stick to the spoon, 8 to 10 min. Transfer dough to a large buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a hot place till dough reaches top of bowl, 1 to 2 hrs. Punch the dough down, and let rise again, covered in a hot place till the dough reaches the top of the bowl, 1 to 2 hrs. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 1 c. flour, 4 Tbsp. butter, light-brown sugar, and cinnamon to create crumb topping, and sprinkle proportionately between the three molds. Punch the dough down again, and turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for 1 minute, and cut into thirds. Transfer dough to prepared molds, covering loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise to top of pan. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush dough with beaten egg, and bake till golden and hollow sounding when tapped, 30 to 45 min. Turn out onto a cooling rack, and let cold. Makes three 8-inch babkas. Yield: 3 loaves

MRS. KOSTYRA'S KIELBASA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a pot of simmering water, poach kielbasa for 20 minutes. Remove from pot, and transfer to a roasting pan with about 1 cup of the poaching water. Using a fork, poke the skin of the kielbasa to prevent it from cracking. Roast until brown and crispy, about 20 minutes.
• Slice kielbasa on the diagonal into 1/2-inch slices. Serve with rye bread, horseradish, and mustard.

MRS. KOSTYRA'S MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then fit the sheet with a wire rack. Brush an 10-by-4 3/4-by-3-inch loaf pan with oil, and place on rack; set aside. Place bread in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade; pulse until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add ground beef.
• Place onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade; pulse until fine. Add to meat mixture, using hands to mix well. Add egg, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, salt, and pepper; use hands to combine thoroughly. Transfer to prepared loaf pan.
• Combine remaining 1/2 cup ketchup, remaining teaspoon dry mustard, and brown sugar in a bowl; stir until smooth.
• Brush mixture over meatloaf; place pan in oven, atop prepared wire rack set on parchment-lined baking sheet. Cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads 160 degrees, about 90 minutes. If top gets too dark, cover with foil and continue baking.