Sunday, March 14, 2010

Ahhh Sunday...and Easter Thoughts.


Today was a beautiful Sunday, for some reason it made me think of my Sundays growing up in San Francisco and going to church with my family.
Most of the time after services, which in the my church lasted about 3 hours, standing, you were always ready to leave.
Well I was always ready to leave.

I was thinking of church today and it being a great beautiful day, what I would have to do to find a Russian Church in Mexico.
I am sure there is one in Mexico City, but the Lord will have to accept my feeble reverence since that pilgrimage is not doable.
I will offer up a extra votive light in front of my small Icon, in it's place next time I have a votive light.

A lot of the time my grandmother would take us to a restaurant for an lunch. That seemed to be a special time where we could order stuff we never got at home.
We use to go to the Red Roof restaurant on California street. Last time I drove by it was something else, perfect example of nothing lasts forever, especially the restaurant business.
We had lots of rituals that we did with my grandmother

One of them was making Russian food stuff for the celebration of Easter.

She only made it once a year and I use to help her. One of the rewards was to clean the mixing bowl after she made the Paska. Paska is a Russian dessert that is made in a form like a pyramid and is made from bakers cheese, lots of eggs, butter, all those low calories real healthy items.
She always would make Kulitch also. That is a most sweet bread something like the Italian Panitone, but sweeter and much more dense and heaver. This was baked in metal coffee cans that were about 8 inch in diameter and 12 to 14 inches high.

One of the cans was made by Hills brothers they discontinued making those cans in the early 50's for some reason, maybe because instant coffee was becoming popular.

Easter is coming up next month and I am debating on making a typical Russian table for friends. Russians would always put on a big table with lots of items to eat. Herring, beets, several smoked fishes, lots of different salads, a ham and sometimes a turkey or roast beef.

I sometimes miss those days of over indulgence, mostly for the memories that they had.
There us a cheese that is similar to bakers cheese in Mexico it is called Requeson it is the cheese I have found, kind of like Ricotta. That is as close as I can come to the real thing, I'm thinking of trying it. At least right now. Sometimes my ideas fizzle out, closer to D day....

So I just need to dig out the form and gather up some eggs and find some fresh vanilla beans and cholesterol city here we come.

Anyway, I will probably post it on my recipe site, and see how it turns out....
The Paska and Kulitch have XB on the sides, those are the letters for the words in Russian for Christ has Risen, for those of you who were wondering.
Anyway, that was today's Sunday memory moment.

9 comments:

Bob Mrotek said...

Христос умер, Христос воскрес, а Христос вернется.

Tancho said...

Thank you Bob, I knew I would spark the old Russian Language Comment from you. you old Polish friend!

Steve Cotton said...

He is risen, indeed.

Don Cuevas said...

Do we get to taste a sample of those Easter specialties?

Saludos,
Don Cuevas

Bob or Tancho, may we have a translation of that text?

DC

Tancho said...

Of course.

Christ Died, Has Risen, and Christ will return......

But only for the believers ( That I added)

And I am considering maybe doing a dinner, and there will be samples!

Michael Dickson said...

I love requesón, goes great on English muffins after you spread the orange marmalade.

Don Cuevas said...

About pashka making in Mexico: would it work to blend a small amount of Queso Philadelpha with the requeson?

Saludos,
Don Cuevas

PS: What do you think about pelmeni or vareniki?

- Mexican Trailrunner said...

Ooooh. Dinner. What time?

Tancho said...

Felipe,
I haven't tried that, it will be tested and reported in the future!
The big dinner was usually after coming home from the midnight mass, which was usually about 4 am.....The there was 3 days of having guests show up, for partaking of the open table. Kind of an old Russian tradition.
If I do it, I trust it will be an late afternoon.....maybe it will inspire me to make a commitment....