KULEBYAKA RECIPES

Steps:

• To make a dough: In a small bowl, stir together the yeast, sugar, and warm milk; put it aside for about 10 minutes until the mixture starts to foam. In a large bowl, combine the flour with salt. Add eggs, melted butter and yeast mixture. Knead until dough is well mixed. Cover with an overturned bowl or loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour.
• To make the crêpes: Brush a crêpes pan with a little oil and heat. Ladle in a little bate and tilt the pan to cover the bottom thinly. Cook the crêpe for 1 minute. As soon as little holes appear all over the surface, turn the crêpe over and cook the other side for 30 to 40 seconds. Transfer to a plate and cook the rest of the batter, stacking the crêpes interleaved with waxed paper as they are cooked. You should have 7-8 crêpes.
• To poach salmon: fill medium shallow saucepan or skillet with enough water to cover about two-thirds of the salmon fillet. Bring water to a gentle boil over medium heat. Add the wine, thyme, salt, pepper and salmon, cook 10 minutes or until salmon just begins to flake. Remove salmon from poaching water and cool. Flake into bite-sized pieces.
• To make a mushroom stuffing: In a deep, ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add chopped onion, garlic, the salt, and pepper. Cook until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chopped mushrooms and sauté a little more 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice and cooked eggs. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the fresh dill.
• Assembling the kulebyaka: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough. Cover with the 3 cold crêpes. Down the middle, lay fish stuffing. Cover with 2-3 cold crêpes. On a top lay mushroom stuffing and cover with the rest of the crêpes. Fold the crêpes over and brush the edges of the dough with egg wash (1 egg yolk + 2 Tbsp. milk or water + a pinch of salt). Fold one of the longer sides of the dough over crêpe-wrapped stuffing. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash, then bring the other side up over the first side. Fold up the ends. Turn the kulebyaka over onto a baking sheet and start your decorations.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F/ 180C.
• After decorations, brush kulebyaka with egg wash completely. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Serve the kulebyaka whole at the table and slice with a very sharp knife. You can serve it hot or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Kulebiaba meaning retangular pie. This is considered the King of Pies. DOUGH: Chill a large bowl.
• Combine the butter, shortening, salt and flour.
• With a pastry cutter, cut the hutter and shortening in till it resembles coarse meal.
• Add 10 Tbls. of ice water or milk all at once. Mix. If it's still crumbly add a litte more ice water or milk till it forms a ball.
• Divide dough in half, dust each piece with a LITTLE flour. Wrap separately in plastic or waxpaper. Refrigerate 3 hours until firm.
• FOR THE SALMON FILLING:
• Combine 3 quarts water, the wine, the onion, celery, carrots, peppercorns, 3 tablespoons salt, in stainless steel pot. Bring to boil over high heat, then lower the salmon in and reduce heat to low. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes until fish is firm to touch. With a slotted spatual, transfer to large bowl. Gently remove any skin or bones that may have been left of the fillets. Separate the fish into small flakes with a fork. Set the bowl aside.
• In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbl. butter on high heat. Add the mushrooms, turn down heat and cook until soft. Place them in a bowl and toss with lemon juice, a bit of ground pepper and 1/4 tsp. salt.
• In the same skillet melt 1 tsp. butter on high heat. Add the onion, holding aside 1 Tbl. of onion. Cook onion on lower heat until they are done, but not brown. Stir in 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Scrap into bowl with mushroom.
• Melt 2 Tbl. butter in skillet on high heat and add remaining tablespoon of onion and turn down the heat. Cook until soft.
• Add the rice to the skillet that has the tablespoon of onions. Cook the rice for 2 to 3 minutes. Stirring to coat each grain of rice with the butter.
• Pour in the Chicken stock and bring to boil. Turn down the heat and cover. Cook rice until rice is tender and fluffy.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the dill.
• Add the cooked rice with the dill, onion, mushrooms and chopped eggs into the bowl with salmon. Toss lightly, but throughly evenly distribute everything. Taste to see if you want more seasoning. Set aside to cool.
• FOR THE CABBAGE FILLING:
• Cook the cabbage in a pot of boiling water with salt. About 5 mintues. Drain the cabbage in a collander. Set aside.
• Melt butter on high heat and add the chopped onions. Reduce heat and cook until soft and lightly browned. Add some of the cabbage juice.
• Add the cabbage and cover. Simmer over low heat until until the cabbage is tender. 30 to 40 mintues. Turn up the heat and boil until most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Drain the cabbage. Combine the eggs, dill, salt, sugar, and pepper. Taste if it needs more salt or pepper or dill add it. Set aside to cool.
• Butter a large cookie sheet into a long retangle
• Place the filling of your choice lenghtwise on the dough about the a little less then the size of the sheet, leaving 1" of pasty on all sides. Brush the edges with egg yolk and cream mixture.
• Roll second dough to the a little larger. Roll on to the rolling pin and roll over the filling as a top. Make a small round hole opening which will be the center of your flower. Press the edges together and crimp. Cut away any extra dough. Coat the whole dough surface with the eggs and cream wash.
• Roll out the extra dough and cut like slender leaves. Roll small balls of dough. Roll long stems. Make a flower in the center of the dough with the leaves. Add stems and leaves. Add the little round balls of dough to make them look like berries. Brush with egg and cream wash. Roll with your hands, but not stretching the dough into long twists. Brush edges with egg and cream wash. Add the twists to the edges. Brush all the edges with egg and cream. Refrig. 20 mintues.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter and pour into hole.
• Bake in preheated oven 400*. Bake in center oven for 1 hour or until golden brown.
• Serve with Dill sauce make out of dry white wine, butter, lemon, and pepper, reduce and the add chopped dill. Cool. Add cream a tad of flour or cornstarch to thicken. Heat and serve.