So I tried the Kutya recipe from my last post tonight (a day late for traditional Kutya consumption, but oh well). I'm a true lover of everything oatmealy, ricey, breakfasty-chewy, so I decided it would be fun to try it out.
And then I realized why they only have it once a year on Christmas.
The wheat berries had to soak for 24 hours. The dried apricots had to be chopped. The poppy seeds had to be scalded (first time I've ever scalded something on purpose). And then drained (how exactly does one drain poppy seeds?). And then soaked. And then pureed in a food processor. Seriously? They're microscopic. And then the wheat berries had to boil. And then be left to simmer for three hours. And then, after all that, everything had to be combined into a casserole dish to bake in the oven for an additional 20 minutes. Good grief, quite the process!
But it turns out that everyone liked it (even though it looked a bit like the crawling mush from Better Off Dead...) Even the little boys wanted seconds and thirds. Which I was grateful for - it was a lot of work for no one to like it! And even though Ukrainians traditionally serve it as the first dish of their Christmas meal, it seemed more like a dessert so we had it after dinner. We also discovered it tastes really good with a tiny bit of sweetened condensed milk or a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar on it.
So, all in all, I think it's definitely something I would make again - maybe as a fun tradition to incorporate at Christmas time.
Except next time I'm leaving out the poppy seeds...
Great job JOE! Sounds like quite the process, you were always better than me at cooking! you will have to make it for all of us to try when you get back!
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