Holubtsi
Cabbage rolls can be stuffed with either rice or buckwheat. Although no meat or dairy products are used Christmas Eve, at other times ground seasoned meat can also be used.

Core a large head of cabbage and blanch it in a deep pot of boiling water, just long enough so the leaves soften and separate easily.
Sauté onion and a crushed garlic clove in oil until onion is tender and transparent.
Line a greased baking dish or roaster with the outer cabbage leaves. Put a tablespoon of filling (rice or buckwheat see below) onto another leaf and roll it, tucking in the ends as you go. Arrange the holubtsi in layers, adding some onions and garlic in between. When the dish is filled, you can place some extra cabbage leaves on top. Some people pour some tomato juice over the top for flavor. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the filling is tender.

Ingredients >
Rice filling >
2 cups rice
2 cups water
2 tsp. salt
1 medium onion, chipped
4 tbsp. olive oil
salt, pepper to taste

Parboil rice in just enough water to cover the rice. The rice may still be a little hard; it will finish cooking later. Sauté the onion in oil, then add to the rice.

Buckwheat filling >
2 cups buckwheat groats
2 tsp. salt
1 medium onion (chopped)
4-5 tbsp. olive oil
4 cups water

Brown groats slightly in the oven, then place in a pot with boiling salted water. Add olive oil. Cook until water is absorbed, then cover and bake at 350 degrees for half an hour. When buckwheat cools, sauté the onion and add to buckwheat.

Varenyky (Pierogies)
Varenyky are often served several times a week. While the traditional stuffing is mashed potatoes, sauerkraut is another favorite. You can even make dessert varenyky, stuffing them with prunes or other fruits.

Ingredients >
4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 eggs, well beaten (some recipes call for 1 tbsp. butter and 1 cup evaporated milk instead of eggs)
1 cup water

Combine flour and salt. Make a well, and slowly add the eggs and oil. Then add water as needed, and knead on a floured board until dough is smooth and elastic. Let rest five minutes, then divide the dough into two. Roll each half on a floured board until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut rounds with a 3-inch cookie cutter or glass. Then stuff each circle with 1 tbsp. of potato filling (see below). Crimp the edges together to seal. Drop the stuffed dumplings into boiling water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and place in lightly oiled pan. Serve with onions sauteéd in butter and top with a dollop of sour cream.

Potato filling >
2 cups mashed potatoes
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
salt, pepper to taste
Optional: 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Borshch
By tradition, foods served during the Christmas Eve dinner have no meat or dairy products.
Ingredients >
1 cup fresh or dried mushrooms
1 large chopped onion
3 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup tomato juice (or 2 tbsp. tomato paste)
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 or 3 medium beets
1 medium carrot, diced
1 potato, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. dill
1 tsp. parsley
8-9 cups of water
lemon juice or vinegar to taste
salt, pepper to taste

Method >
Drop beets into boiling water and cook until they can be easily pierced with a knife. Peel and cut them into thin strips. Sauté the onion until softened, then add mushrooms and garlic and cook a little longer. Add the sauteéd onion mixture, carrots and potato to the beets and water and cook until vegetables are tender. Add cabbage and cook until tender. Add tomato juice or paste, herbs and seasonings to taste. Add lemon juice or vinegar to make the borshch slightly tart. Cook a few minutes longer and serve very hot.

Food is an essential element in Ukrainian Christmas celebrations. Many dishes have their roots in ancient pre-Christian traditions, and were adapted when Christianity came to the country in 988 A.D.
Recipes varied from one village to another, depending on what kinds of foods were available locally. Some have since been adapted based on what is commonly available in American groceries. Following are some of the more popular traditional Ukrainian dishes.

Kutya
This traditional sweet pudding-like dish is served on Christmas Eve.
Ingredients >
2 cups wheat kernels (some substitute 2 cups Cream of Wheat)
3 quarts water
1 cup poppy seeds
1/3 cup honey
2/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Method >
Soak wheat kernels overnight in water. Dissolve honey in 3/4 cup of hot water. Bring wheat to a boil, then simmer 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally, until wheat kernels burst. Grind poppy seeds to a flour or paste. When wheat cools, add poppy, honey and other ingredients to it.

Grilled Fish With Tangy Achiote
Yields > 4 servings

Ingredients >
4 (5- or 6-ounce) fish fillets, such as halibut, tuna, mahi-mahi
8 ounces green beans, tops broken off
Olive oil
Coarse salt
Lime wedges for serving
Tomato salsa for serving

For the Marinade >
3 1/2 ounce package achiote paste (available in Hispanic stores and in the ethnic section of larger supermarkets)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice

Method >
1. Heat grill or grill pan to medium high.
2. For marinade, break up achiote in food processor. Add lime juice and process until smooth.
3. Drizzle fish with 2 tablespoons of marinade, smearing evenly over fish with back of spoon. Flip fish and repeat on the other side. Refrigerate remaining marinade to use for another meal.
4. Place green beans in microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons water. Cook on high power 4 minutes until crisp-tender. Drizzle with olive oil, and season to taste with salt. Set aside and keep warm.
5. Brush fish with olive oil on one side. Lay oil-side down on grill. Cook 3 to 4 minutes. Oil top sides of fish and flip over. Lay beans across the grates or place in grill basket. Cook, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes. When fish gives slightly to pressure, 3 to 4 minutes, remove from grill. Top with beans and serve with tomato salsa and lime wedges on the side.

Jicama Salad With Lime-Cilantro Dressing
Yields > 4 servings

Ingredients >
1 pound jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-by-2-inch sticks
1 bunch watercress, lower stems removed
4 large romaine leaves (optional), tough stems removed, and torn into pieces

Dressing >
3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 teaspoon lime zest
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
Fresh hot green chilies to taste
Coarse salt to taste

Method >
1. Whisk dressing ingredients.
2. In serving bowl, combine jicama, watercress and romaine. Drizzle 1/4 cup dressing over top. Refrigerate remaining dressing for another use. Season salad with more salt if desired.

Rosca de Reyes (Twelfth Night Ring Bread)
Yields > 2 large 12-inch breads.

Ingredients >
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Unsalted butter for greasing bowl

For the Dough >
1 cup sugar
14 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups all-purpose flour
8 egg yolks, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup water
Zest from large orange
Candied fruit for decoration
Dried bean or plastic baby to hide in dough

For the Glaze >
4 eggs yolks, beaten
1/4 cup melted, unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar

Method >
1. For starter, put flour, salt, sugar and yeast into bowl. Gradually beat in water and eggs. Using a dough hook, beat until a cohesive mass forms around hook, 5 minutes. Place on floured surface. Form into a round shape. Butter a clean bowl and sprinkle with flour. Put mass in bowl. Cover with greased wax paper and a towel. Set in warm place until mass doubles in volume, 11/2-2 hours.
2. For final dough, tear starter into pieces. Put in bowl with sugar and butter. Using dough hook, alternately beat in flour and yolks. Beat in water and zest, just until dough holds its shape. Put dough on lightly floured board. Form into round shape. Butter clean bowl. Dust with flour. Put dough in bowl. Cover with greased wax paper and towel, until it has almost doubled in size, 11/2 hours.
3. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each into round mass. Roll each into compact sausage shape 3 inches in diameter, pushing a bean or plastic token into one of the masses. Dampen ends with water, and connect ends to form rings. Place each on greased baking sheet, decorate as desired with candied fruits. Cover with greased wax paper until rings rise about half their size again. Heat oven to 375 F.
4. Brush both surfaces with beaten egg. Bake 15-20 minutes. Turn heat off and open oven door. Let breads sit 5 minutes in oven.
5. Transfer to racks. Brush with butter. Sprinkle with sugar.

Make it and fake it > Use ready-to-use dough brands and gently work in powdered sugar and candied fruit to taste. Following package directions, form into ring and let rise. Arrange candied fruit on top, pressing into dough, if desired. Liberally brush with egg yolk and dust with sugar before baking.

Three Kings Day marks the end of the Christmas season and gives us one more chance to celebrate with delicious foods from diverse cultures.

Twelfth Night dinner, Feast of the Epiphany, the Feast of the Three Kings or Three Kings Day, whatever you choose to call it, the celebration officially marks the end of the holidays.

These festivities, which cross many ethnic lines, recall the visit of the three wise men, or Magi, at Christ’s birth. For home cooks, it’s a time to revel in a culinary diversity with treasured dishes and traditions.

Three Kings Day is observed in Spanish-speaking countries as well as in France, Germany, Austria, Italy and England. Each country has its own tradition for observances, but most people celebrate with family, church and community gatherings.

Western Christians celebrate the Epiphany, when the three wise men visited baby Jesus, on January 6, 12 days after Christmas. In Spanish-speaking cultures, the holiday is called Three Kings Day, and it is also known as Twelfth Night.

On this evening, Puerto Rican children often leave grass under their beds for the kings’ camels. While the kids sleep, parents replace the grass with toys. The practice comes from the story about the wise men bringing treasures to the stable where Jesus was born.

In Europe, as far back as the 4th century, a King’s Day cake of some kind was part of the celebration. In 18th-century France, the cake of choice was a flaky pastry, gateau des Rois (cake of kings), filled with almond pastry cream. Today the most popular version, even in France, is a variation on brioche, a sweet dough embellished in whichever way the baker sees fit.

In Mexico, it is a time for giving presents to children and for having a merienda, or snack, of rosca de reyes, a sweet yeast bread made in the form of a ring. Hot chocolate is a favorite accompaniment.

Hidden in the dough is a token. The person who finds it has to give a party on Candelaria, or Candlemass, on February 2, a religious celebration of hope and light.

In Greek cookery, a sweetened, braided loaf is served during the Christmas season leading up to Epiphany, which is called “Christopsomo” or “Christ’s Bread”. But there is no token tucked inside the dough. A coin is inserted into the “Vasilopita” or “St. Basil’s Cake” which is served on New Year’s Eve. Instead, the Christmas bread echoes northern Europe’s traditional fruit-studded cake.

Because Twelfth Night concludes the Christmas holidays, people traditionally have marked it with large gatherings and feasts to close the season. Today’s recipes will get you started on that menu.

And don’t take off those party shoes so quickly, Twelfth Night is also the official start of the Mardi Gras Season or the Carnival Season.