Home cooking used to mean purchasing your ingredients at the grocery store or farmers market and then making it a family affair, where parents & children all took turns chopping up vegetables, stirring the stews and garnishing the end-product. Unfortunately, the busier that life becomes, the more reliant families across Canada become an easy & economically inefficient meal solutions, including fast-food restaurant meals or frozen dinners. At Yo Baba, we want to bring cooking back into your home’s kitchen where memories, laughter and wonderful creations are made. Here are 2 Ukrainian recipes that you could create in your own home:

Nachynka

One of our favourite dishes here at Yo Baba must be our Ukrainian Nachynka, which is a cornmeal casserole that is easy to make and takes delicious. TO ensure the meal is cooked efficiently, you will need to ensure you have the following ingredients:

• Onions
• Butter
• Cornmeal
• White sugar
• Table salt
• Milk (1% or 2% & keep it warm)
• Eggs
• Baking powder
• 3-quart casserole container

How to Cook Nachynka:

To cook the dish, you must begin by chopping a fresh onion and then sauté it in melting butter. Be sure not to brown the onion. Keep your cooking temperatures at a low and then start adding cornmeal to the pan of sautéed onion. Next, add salt, sugar and warm milk to the pan. Grab a whisk and begin stirring the meal until it reaches a thick texture. Remove the pan from the heat and then add eggs and baking powder and mix thoroughly. Once completely mixed, pour the product into a 3-quart casserole container. Ensure the container is greased. Place the casserole dish into your oven and then bake at 325°F or 162°C for one hour.

Nalysnyky

Also known as Ukrainian Crepes, Nalysnyky remains a staple in Ukrainian cuisine. These tasty baked treats can be enjoyed at any time of the day and be customized to ensure your favourite flavours are included. To cook these crepes, you will need to have the following ingredients:

• Minimum of 4 large eggs
• Carton of milk
• Coldwater (6 tablespoons)
• All-purpose flour
• Table salt
• Cottage cheese
• Egg yolks
• Whipping cream
• Dill weed
• Butter
• Cheesecloth

How to Cook Nalysnyky Crepe:

Begin by grabbing a mixing bowl and use a mixer to beat the eggs until they are soft and creamy. Add water, flour, salt and milk into your mixture and whisk it until all the ingredients above and batter are smooth. You’ll need to grab a 6” pan and place it on your stove on medium heat. Next, butter your pan and add at least a quarter of the mixed batter into the frying pan. Stir it until the batter is evenly spread across the surface of the pan. Cook the pan on medium heat for approximately 60 seconds until you notice a subtle browning. Remain cooking on one side – ensure you do not flip them. Remain cooking the crepes and add butter to the frying pan as you do it. Heat your oven to 250° F and place the crepes in it to keep them warm.

How to Cook Nalysnyky Cheese Filling:

You will need to place the cottage cheese in cheesecloth to expel all the moisture from it. Moving the cheese into a mixing bowl, you will then need to add yolk, cream salt, and finally dill weed – be sure to mix this concoction thoroughly. Take your crepes out of the heated oven and increase the oven temperature by 100°F. Remove individual crepes from the tray and placed the browned part onto a smooth area. Next, take a spoonful of cheese filling and stuff it into one side of the crepe. Revolve the crepes over the cheese filling and pinch each side to ensure none of it falls out. Grab a casserole pan and butter it, then be sure to layer the crepes along the surface of the pan. Dabble each crepe with a little bit of butter. Bake in your preheated oven (350°F) for about 20-22 minutes. Voila, they’re ready! Serve them with sour cream!