www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Easter Dinner

So what did you all have for your Easter dinner?

Alice...

finishing her second week of the Fast and wanting to hear about your exciting non-fast holiday meals!

My family is Greek Catholic, so their Easter was today. I had to stare at but not eat Ham, Kolbasi, Sirek and the other yummy goodies! I probably went through a pack of cigarettes while they ate.

I am not Slavic, so many times I have to consult 'google' to find out what these foods you guys are talking about are! In this case, 'google' doesn't come up with any food called 'sirek'.

Alice, *confused*

It's also spelled siretz or hrudka. It's basically a big cold scrambled egg and milk ball. Believe me, it's delicious!

Meat Loaf made from ground chuck, mashed potatoes and corn. Hadn't eaten meat since the day before Ash Wednesday. Gave it up for Lent.

Lamb kabob cooked on the grill.

Converted Viking

Baked ham, with my secret glaze :p
Sweet potatoes, with whiskey and butter
Corn-cheese bake
Green bean-tomato salad, with lemon dressing
Steamed asparagus with butter
Peach pie, with vanilla ice cream
Champagne
Cabernet sauvignon

mmmmmmmm.... I'm getting hungry again

Yummmm!

Like Etnick's family, we partook of the blessed foods from the Pascha basket. We had kolbasi (sausage), paska bread, Russian paskha cheese, ham, bacon, lamb butter, chrin (beets with horseradish). That was our lunch after Divine Liturgy. For dinner, I made a small leg of lamb in the rotisserie with fresh rosemary, garlic, olive oil and oregano. Many of these foods are a one-a-year treat.

Today, we'll make some egg salad with the blessed pysanky (eggs) from the basket.

Penthaetria, your Pascha feast sounds wonderful!

Etnick, you should talk to your priest, but it is often suggested when at someone else's house that you should partake in what they're eating and not set yourself off from them. Just do so in moderation is what I've been told.

I thought about talking to Father about it, but I've been trying to stick to the letter of the law. Mom insists on making a mini version of yesterdays feast for me when Pascha rolls around, but I said no, don't knock yourself out just for me.

Oh, Alice!!! Why thou hast tormented all the Orthodox Christians still on Great Fast to have eyes bigger than our stomachs by reading these aromatic foods???

Ohhh Alice!!!

SPDundas
Deaf Byzantine

Same here. That was rough, but I feel it is important to hold the fast (and no one even noticed that I did not partake of the tasty meat products).
With much, much, much difficulty, I was able to quit smoking one year ago after 27 years of addiction. I will pray that you can quit also!

Peace and blessings,
R

Thanks Recluse. I've tried to quit on several occasions, but I'm still too much of a slave to the habit. I guess I enjoy it too much. Have a good lent.

No feast yet! As an organist/music director for the Latins, I was too busy to think much about food. I had services/masses Thursday, Friday, Saturday night, and 4 more on Sunday. Sunday afternoon my whole body hurt, so I slept well into the evening. However, I am taking a trip to good St. Kroger's today and will make up for all that. Of course, I did have plenty of good chocolate to help me through all my Holy Week trials.

That was cool that she offered though.

Speaking personally, though I don't know your personally, I would rather you had sausage and ham rather than resort to smoking.

You're right. At least the shunka and kolbasi have some nutritional value.

Not much--and no good for cholesterol levels.

Ohhh...but does it taste good!

Indeed!

On the table here: baked ham, kielbasa, hrudka, hrin, Polish mustard, green beans and corn from last year's garden, rolls, Pascha bread, and chocolate cake. I made my own hrudka and Pascha bread this year; last year I cheated and had deli farmer's cheese, and bought Pascha bread from my parish.

FOOD:

Baked Ham with currant jelly glaze
Pork Roast, slow-cooked in barbecue sauce
Pascha loaf with butter lamb (salted butter sculpted as a lamb)
Dyed hard-boiled eggs with salt
Garlic mashed potatoes
Fresh Asparagus
Spinach salad with bacon bits
Tossed salad
Cheese cake
Coffee cake
Fresh-baked Apple Pie with crumb-crust

DRINK:

For the kids, Sparkling Apple Cider, Root Beer and 7-Up
Newcastle Brown Ale
Stella Artois Lager
Karl Strauss Amber Lager (Brewed here in San Diego)
Camelot Merlot
Seattle's Best Coffee (Sorry, no Mystic Monk)

FEASTERS:

Nine adults, five teens, eight kids, three babies

I'm waiting for some vegetarian friends - who are magnificent cooks - to give me their Easter dinner menu!

Fr. Serge

Dear Father Serge,

No offense meant, dear Father, but after 40+ days of vegetarianism, I do not believe that such a menu will entice me!

Like a good Greek, I am looking forward to a nice piece of lamb!

In Christ,
Alice

ALICE:

So no one could tempt you with "tofurkey" at Pascha? Wonder what a block of tofu carved like a leg of lamb would be called? Or what it would taste like?

I asked a colleague about that at Thanksgiving--what would happen at his grandfather's place if anyone dared put a block of tofurkey on the table. His answer--someone would be in serious trouble.

BOB

LOL!!

Dear Alice,

No offense taken - I'm certainly not a vegetarian either! If you care to share some recipes for the traditional Greek Paschal menu, I shall be grateful and delighted. My two friends serve fantastic food, and are also rather broad-minded and down-right generous about taking me out to dinner frequently when I visit them so that I can satisfy my carniverous nature.

All in good time!

Fr. Serge

Dear Father Serge,

I was just teasing! I do recall past menus which you have shared, and they have been most impressive, despite being vegetarian!

Now--back to the fast. *yawn*

(Actually, today is a feast day in which fish is allowed in the Greek tradition...I would have MUCH preferred if it had been dairy!)

In Christ,
Alice

The monthly "Pastor's Potluck" was moved to this weekend. He prepared kielbasa & kraut. The black eyed peas were demolished by the time I'd unvested and made it through the line A couple of other salads, potatoes, a variety of deserts (including my daughter's pizza-sized chocolate chip cookie with a frosted Byzantine Cross, and the key lime pie I found. Oh, and the white-chocolate covered strawberries . . .)

Then at home, I learned not to put the ham in the lower rack of the smoker unless I'm actually steaming :(, but most of it was fine. Add mashed red potatoes, home-made Pascha bread, crescent rolls done by habit, which didn't get eaten :), deviled eggs, lime-jello with pears & a yogurt-based upper layer, sparkling cider for the kids, and home made white zinfandel and a white whose label had fallen off. Most of us never made it to the freshly made cherry cheesecake (but it was great last night!)

hawk, who didn't make beer in time to bring it to Holy Resurrection Monastery for theirs in four weeks.

X. B.

If there is one revelation from this FORUM is that what I took for granted as standard operating procedure is not. Here, on the Queen of Sabbaths like the Jews all foods are precooked and served cold. In my home coffee is not even an option. Yes I know of variations as one lady likes hot ham for dinner so blessed her meat uncooked so she can cook it Sunday. There are others with jaws of spaghetti sauce and pepperoni sausage.

If you follow the lore of the Cyrenean you basket would contain Passover essentials as stated in the blessing �� as Moses during the exodus of Israel from Egypt and the liberation of Your people from the bitter bondage of Pharaoh, You commanded a lamb to be slain foreshadowing the Lamb voluntarily slain on the cross�; lamb, salt, parsley, radishes, horseradishes, and eggs that were transformed into decorated pysanky (Easter eggs) in Simon�s grocery basket when he carried our Lord�s cross. The wine is Manischewiyz �kosher for Passover�. Other follow the other blessing prayers too �breads�lamb of Abel� and ram Abraham offered� the fatted calf slain for the prodigal� and all other flesh meats� so various roasts are prepared. �Bless these cheeses, butters, eggs and all other foods set before You�� cheese casseroles and dairy items as predicted in �the promised land of milk and honey�. Honey is saved for the Holy Suppers of the eve of Christmas, Circumcision and Epiphany. The salt is used all through the year especially if needed for medicinal reasons. There are many other customs and reasons for them.

There are folk lore for the various styles of decorated eggs, the bribe the Mother of God colored for Pilot that was washed by her tears, the bribe left in the puddle of blood at the foot of the cross, the breakfast eggs of the myrrh bearing women that blushed red hearing of the resurrection of Christ. These eggs are shelled and diced to be added to the potato salad so it too is blessed.

The first wave of immigrant pioneers only ate blessed foods all bright week through to the Sunday of St. Thomas. Come bright Monday these foods are wormed and served in different fashion. The roasted meats are sliced and added to a gravy so Monday could be lamb, Tuesday beef, Wednesday pork Thursday ham salad and so on. When there was a couple slices of this and a few of that left it was combined in the gravy sauce, my father referred to it as �gafelta (sp?) meat�. The sweeten pascha bread and zesty red horseradish relish was used for packed lunches with hardboiled eggs. The trick was not in the use of the blessed foods it was in the disposing of the holy garbage. It had to be recycled so it was used for feeding the livestock, or buried for fertilizer, burned for fuel or cast upon rushing water for the fishes. If I neglect to dig my garbage pit which would have to wait until Wednesday as Monday and Tuesday were holydays, and it starts to smell my wife has been known to turn on �rushing waters� from the kitchen faucet and turn on her garbage disposal.

As far as fasting on Easter, my Baba (grandmother) would never eat anyone�s pascha bread before her own, but to turn down anyone�s Easter feast she though was not in keeping with the homily of St. John Chrysostom �If any be pious and loves God, let them delight in this fair of the radiant festival� do honor to this day. You who fasted and you who did not fast be glad for this day. The table is full so all may fare sumptuously. The calf is ample; let no one go forth hungry� enjoy the banquet of faith, enjoy the wealth of righteousness. �the Kingdom is made manifest to all� Christ is risen, with the angels rejoice�� One friend asked me if I thought he was wrong eating fish on Easter that his mother in law cooked specially for him. I told him I doubted if the Lord noticed that he ate fish, but his mother in law would definitely be credited for trying to accommodate him according to her understanding, which was that Christ is risen for all and forever.

I am so glad so many had a happy Resurrection Day, according to your own ways. Besides every Sunday is the day of resurrection. Christ is rise!

thank you, Mykhayl, for answering a question for me before I'd even asked it.....I wondered about what to do about the inedible leftovers from the blessed foods, and knew I couldn't just pitch them in the kitchen can as they are blessed.

I wonder, though, could I give the ham bone to the dog?

X. B.

In the old country we had live stock to feed, in the new world we have pets. If the dog doesn't like it you can always bury it as compost. I tend to lean more to the spirit then the letter of Tradition.

My first visit to Ukraine I noticed the flight attendant after collecting the lunch leftovers was setting the bread aside. I wondered if they reserved it. Upon exiting the plain I asked and she said "God's bread for God's birds". This ugly American surely should have known better. Even after formal Soviet atheistic indoctrination the basics taught in the kitchen church stuck.

For those in reasonable distance of New York's Lower East Side, may I offer an unpaid and unsolicited plug for Kurovytsky's butcher shop! They make and sell far and away the best kolbassy I have ever had anywhere; their hams can put filet mignon to shame, and so forth. But in the interests of preserving your sanity, put in your order for Pascha well in advance.

Fr. Serge

Lamb-fakey?

"uneaten"? "passed-over"?



hawk

Amen!

To the dog? NO! You put it in a pot, cover it with water, add an onion, some carrots and celery, salt and pepper, and boil it to make stock. Later you use this for bean soup or split pea, or something else. Heck, this year I even saved (and used) the water/cooking sherry mixture I cooked my kolbasi in!

Dave

Now, now. The dog deserves something festive too!

I suppose you could bury the inedible leftovers in the garden - people who know more about such things than I do could tell us if that would be good for this year's crop of vegetables and fruits.

Fr. Serge

In response to a question:



Hmmm. How about "the lamb what ain't"?

Fr. Serge

X. B!
C, I, X!

First year of marriage I forgot to dig a hole for garbage as was done at my parents house for Easter. As no work was acceptable on Pascha Sunday and field work was avoided Bright Monday and Tuesday I dug it on Wednesday. My wife handed me a plastic bag of biodegradable ""holy" garbage. I buried it.

A month later my spouse decided to plant a small vegetable garden where I buried the �holy� garbage. The pitchfork pierced the bag and the stench of decay enveloped the neighborhood for a good square block. I never forgot to empty the biodegradable from the bag and just pitch the plastic.