Wareneki

Join Loraine Wahl as she discusses a favorite place to find recipes, a delicious breakfast that can be made in large quantities, and a special German meal. She introduces a helpful cookbook with recipes reminiscent of those enjoyed by German Mennonites in southern Ukraine. Learn tips on stocking up and storing food, ways kids can help in the kitchen, and hear about Loraine's unique conversation starter at home. We wrap up with some of her favorite kitchen items and stories. You don't want to miss this episode! We're so glad you're here! 

(From the Mennonite Girls Can Cook book including a few extras by Loraine Wahl. 

Wareneki can be spelled various ways eg. vereniki, vareniki, etc.)

WARENEKI (Cottage Cheese Pockets) Serves 4-6

Dough Ingredients

• ½ tsp. salt * 1 egg white, slightly beaten

• ½ tsp. baking powder    (save yolk for the filling)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour * 1 cup sour cream

Dough Instructions

(optional:  use Bosch mixer for steps 1,2,3)

1.  Place dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. 

2.  Stir in egg white and sour cream.

3.  Knead until dough is soft and smooth.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4.  While the dough is chilling, make the filling (recipe follows).  Filling recipe is enough for 1 recipe of dough.

5.  On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 recipe of dough into a very thin rectangle. (I trim it to a 4-inch width; any length)

6.  Using a small ice cream scoop, place balls of filling along one edge of dough.

7.  Fold dough over filling.  Use a small round cutter* (~2 ½ to 3-inch diameter) to press down over each mound of filling.  The dough is very easy to work with and should stick together.  Pinch the edges to seal in the filling. *a glass or cookie cutter or biscuit cutter works well

8.  Place Wareneki on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to boil, or freeze them on the sheet until solid.  Store them in Ziploc freezer bags.  

Cottage Cheese Filling Ingredients

• 2 cups dry curd cottage cheese (if unavailable, allow moisture from regular cottage cheese to drain, using a strainer)

• 1 egg yolk, from the egg used in the dough

• 1 tsp. salt

• ¼ tsp. pepper

Cottage Cheese Filling Instructions

Mix together well.

Wareneki Cooking Instructions

1.  Bring to boil lightly salted water in a large saucepan.

2.  Drop fresh or frozen Wareneki into boiling water and boil for 5 minutes if fresh or up to 10 minutes if frozen.  Wareneki will float when they are cooked.  

3.  Remove immediately with slotted spoon and place in serving dish.  Slather with butter in between layers to prevent them from sticking to each other.

4.  Serve with cream gravy.

Wareneki Cream Gravy Ingredients 

• ¼ cup butter (I use drippings from the cooked Farmer’s sausage)

• 1 cup sour cream or heavy whipping cream

• Salt and pepper

• Cornstarch and cold water

Wareneki Cream Gravy Instructions

In a saucepan, melt butter; stir in cream (or mix sausage drippings with cream).  Bring to a light boil.  In the meantime, mix a small amount of cornstarch with cold water in a shaker bottle. Slowly whisk into cream mixture, stirring until thickened.  Add salt and pepper. (Optional:  add bits of sausage to the gravy)

(Farmer's sausage is good or kielbasa.)

Serve with:

Salad

Vegetable

Rolls

Obstsuppe (fruit soup), paska (see link below), or hot cross bunsObstsuppe

ObObstsuppestsuppeObstsuppe

Obstsuppe

Wareneki.pdf

Download PDF • 135KB

Another Wareneki recipe from recipe from Mennonite Girls Can Cook book, which includes optional ideas for Wareneki fillings: Mennonite Girls Can Cook: Wareneki

Paska - Mennonite Girls Can Cook: Paska

Obstuppe (German for Fruit Soup)

(By Loraine Wahl)

Ingredients:

2 cups raisins

2 ½ cups pitted prunes

3 cups dried apple slices

1 cup dried apricots

½ lemon, sliced

2 or 3 star anise pieces in a spice ball

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup cornstarch

about 2 cups cold water

Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Put fruit and star anise into a large kettle. Add enough water to cover the fruit. Stir. Bring to a gentle boil. Cook until fruit is soft but not mushy. Remove lemon slices and spice ball.

2. In a shaker bottle, mix ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ cup cornstarch, and about 2 cups cold water. Shake to mix thoroughly. Slowly stir into simmering Obstsuppe, until thickened.

3. Stir in 1 tsp. vanilla.

4. Serve chilled.

Obstsuppe (German for Fruit Soup) .pdf

Download PDF • 87KB

Breakfast Idea!

Granola

(By Loraine Wahl)

This recipe easily doubles or triples.

Ingredients:

10 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup wheat germ or ground flaxseed (golden)

2 cups raw sunflower seeds

1 cup sesame seeds

3 cups chopped nuts (almonds, pecans)

½ pound wide chip or shredded coconut

1½ cups coconut sugar or packed brown sugar

1½ cups water

1½ cups olive oil

½ cup honey

½ cups molasses

Ingredients:

1½ teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla

Chopped dried fruit:

2 cups apricots

3 cups dates

3 cups apple

3 cups raisins

2 cups cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.

2. In large bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, nuts, and coconut.

3. In large saucepan, combine coconut or brown sugar, water, oil, honey, molasses, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Heat until sugar is dissolved, but do not boil. Pour syrup over dry ingredients. Stir until well coated.

4. Spread onto baking sheets. Bake 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Bake 15 minutes longer for a crunchier texture. Cool. Add dried fruit. Store in airtight container.

Notes: This recipe easily doubles or triples. I usually make a triple batch and since I don’t have a mixing bowl large enough, I use my cooler as a mixing bowl.

The granola freezes well and keeps for several months, as long as it is packaged securely.  I put the granola into a new plastic bag, set it into a gallon ice cream bucket (or similar), twist the top of the bag, suck out the extra air using a straw, and tie the bag with a twisty.  Seal the bucket with a lid, and freeze.  The bag and bucket combo keeps it fresh longer. For smaller amounts, you can double bag (Ziploc) the granola, and suck out the air with a straw before sealing.

Granola makes a good ice cream topping, too.

Granola.pdf

Download PDF • 114KB

Recommended items:

The art program mentioned in the podcast: 

How Great Thou Art:  https://howgreatthouart.com/ 

(Barry Stebbing, the founder of HGTA, came to our farm home in Montana to teach art during The Katrina School of Art sessions.)

Bosch Mixers - Bosch Mixers USA