lithuanian

Old-fashioned Lithuanian Cracker Filling

celery

onion

butter

Saltine cracker crumbs or milk crackers

milk

eggs

parsley

poultry seasoning (to your taste)

Salt and pepper

OPTIONAL: Chopped giblets or some chicken livers

Cook celery and onions in butter until tender, adding chopped giblets if desired.

Crush crackers coarsely (hand crushing in the sleeve for saltines works well.) Pour into mixing bowl.

Scald milk, then add to coarsely crushed cracker crumbs. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Gently, but thoroughly stir in onion mixture, eggs, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix gently but well.

Spread into buttered casserole dish. (Filling will puff lightly when baking due to the eggs, use a deep enough dish)

Bake 350F for 50 - 55 minutes or until nicely browned on the top.

Lithuanian all-pork meatball popular in the Schuylkill County section of the Coal Region.

Coal Region Bundookies

saltine cracker crumbs

evaporated milk to wet crackers

pork

salt

black pepper

allspice

onions,

All-purpose flour

Tablespoons bacon grease

Fry the very finely chopped onions in some bacon grease over medium-low heat until soft and golden, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a  mixing bowl, place crushed crackers and add a splash of evaporated milk, enough to moisten the crackers and make a "mush" the consistency of cooked oatmeal. About 5 or 6 Tablespoons -- amount will vary with brand of crackers used.  Stir  and allow to set for 2 or 3 minutes.

In the same bowl, add the remainder of ingredients except the all-purpose flour and bacon grease and mix well until thoroughly blended. Mixture should be soft.

Form into approximately 1 inch thick, 2 inch long shapes (oblong, not round); about 1/4 cup of the mixture.  Dredge in the all-purpose flour, shake off excess. Quickly pan fry in some bacon grease, oil or lard until browned on all sides, gently turning while browning - two forks work well to help turn and shape the bundookies as they brown. (You are just browning the surface, not cooking them through at this step. You will finish cooking these in the oven.)

Place the browned bundookies in a 13 x 9 casserole dish or baking pan, pour 1/4 cup water in the bottom of the pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350F degrees for 45 minutes or until cooked through (depends on the size of the bundookies).

Lithuanian Cepelinai

Russet potatoes (unpeeled weight)

potato

ground pork, beef, chicken, or turkey (or combination)

onion,

Salt and pepper,

parsley and dill to taste for the filling

bacon,

Butter

Bacon grease or oil

Sour cream

dill

Wash potatoes.  Place 1/3 of the un-peeled potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to boil.  Boil for 15 minutes or until tender.  Drain then cool slightly until able to handle;  peel.  Put the potatoes through a potato ricer or food mill or mash them until very smooth.   Set aside.

Meanwhile as potatoes cook and cool, prepare the filling by mixing the meat with very finely chopped onion.  Season with salt and black pepper, add finely chopped parsley and dill to taste.  Mix together well. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.

Peel the remaining raw potatoes and very finely grate them using the finest side of a box grater or an electric potato grater.  Line a bowl with cheesecloth or a clean cotton towel, dump in the grated potatoes. Use  cloth to squeeze out all the juice into a small bowl; reserve juices.  Allow the juice to sit aside for 5 minutes; it will start to separate and the heavier potato starch will drop to the bottom.   Reserve for use in the next step.

In a mixing bowl add the riced/mashed potatoes, the squeezed raw potatoes, salt and the 1 Tablespoon dry potato starch.  Now pour off the  top watery potato juice slowly from the bowl you squeezed the juices into; you should see a wet potato starch in the bottom of the dish; add this starch to the potato mix, too.  (The dry and wet potato starches bind the mixture together.)  Mix together well.

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add a pinch of salt

Divide potato mix into 6 parts.  Taking one, shape it into a flat patty in the palm of your hand, then add a tablespoon of the filling to the middle, bring up the edges of the potato patty to completely enclose the filling, pinch and shape into an oval or round dumpling. Repeat with the other 5 pieces of potato mixture.

Put in half or all of the cepelinai, depending on the diameter of the pot; boil for 15 to 20 minutes (until filling is thoroughly cooked), stirring gently and occasionally.  Remove with slotted spoon to serving plate.  Top with onion sauce (below), crumbled bacon, sour cream, parsley, dill.

Dice onion.  Heat 2 Tablespoons butter and 2 Tablespoons bacon grease or oil in a frying pan.  Add onion, season with salt and pepper, if desired. and saute about 5 to 7 minutes or until golden and translucent.

Spoon sauce over cepelinai, top with dollop of sour cream and the bacon bits,  chopped fresh dill and parsley if desired.

Sauce

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Old-fashioned Lithuanian Cracker Fi...

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Old-fashioned Lithuanian Cracker Fi...

Coal Region Bundookies

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