The Hungarian Girl » Easter

Vienna’s Easter Markets

The Hungarian Girl — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:43:56 +0000

Easter Market Schönbrunn Palace. Photo courtesy of MTS Wien/Foto: Grinner.

Easter in Vienna is a very special time. Each year colorful and vibrant Easter markets are set-up throughout the city. These markets offer a variety of handcrafted Easter eggs, flowers and wreaths, local arts and crafts, and speciality foods.

The following is an overview of some of the most popular Easter markets in Vienna.

Easter Market Schönbrunn Palace

When: March 20 to April 05, 2010
Where: 1130 Vienna, Court of Honor Schönbrunn Palace U4 Schönbrunn
Opening Hours: Daily from 10:00am – 7:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: http://www.ostermarkt.co.at

This beautiful market is located on the main courtyard of Schönbrunn Palace. It features more than 45 exhibitors with flower arrangements and wreaths, handmade crafts, wood carvings, miniatures, glass, ceramic and stone objects, wooden and tin toys and more. The market also features daily jazz performances in an atmosphere ideal for relaxing and swinging with the beat. A variety of local culinary specialties is also available.

Traditional Viennese Easter Market

When: March 19 to April 05, 2010
Where: 1, Freyung
Opening Hours: Daily from 10:00am – 8:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: http://www.altwiener-markt.at

Located on the Freyung, the traditional Viennese Easter Market features exquisite craftwork, baked goods and a varied cultural programme. It provides a somewhat quieter and less touristic atmosphere.

Arts and Crafts Market Am Hof

When: March 19 – April 05, 2010
Where: 1, Am Hof
Opening Hours: Mon-Thu 11:00am -7:00pm and Fri, Sat, Sun 10:00-7:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: http://www.kunsthandwerksmarkt.at

This market is known for its unique hand-crafted works from local artists. Metal and glass objects, paintings on glass, knitted and felted wool items, ceramic figures, jewelry and much more are sold here.

Kalvarienbergmarkt

When: February 25 – April 13, 2010
Where: 17, Kalvarienberggasse
Opening Hours: 10:00am – 6:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: http://www.kalvarienberg.at

The Kalvarienbergmarkt, a traditional Viennese Lenten market offers a splendid Easter atmosphere. There is much to do and see, especially for children including rides, workshops, and live performances.

Ham with Pineapple and Brown Sugar Glaze

The Hungarian Girl — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:42:45 +0000

Ham with Pineapple and Brown Sugar Glaze

Ham is a common dish served for Easter throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

This particular recipe makes a very flavourful and robust ham.

Ingredients

6 – 8 lbs fully cooked spiral-cut ham
2 cup (500 ml) water, plus 2 tbsp
1 cup (250 ml) pineapple juice
1/4 cup (55 grams) packed brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 can (15 ounces) pineapple slices in juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).

Using a saucepan, add the pineapple juice, sugar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cloves and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tbsps of water. Whisk into saucepan and cook until mixture is thickened.

Place ham, flat side down, on rack in a roasting pan and pour in 2 cups (500 mL) of water. Pour half of glaze mixture over ham. Cover tightly with foil and roast for about 1 hour or until meat thermometer registers 130°F (55°C).

Remove ham from oven. Pierce ham in a diamond criss-cross pattern, cutting about 1/4-inch deep into the meat. Pour remaining glaze mixture over ham and return to oven. Bake, uncovered, at 400°F for the remaining 30 minutes, basting ham several times.

When the ham is done, place on a serving platter and garnish with pineapple slices. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Traditional Russian Easter Foods

The Hungarian Girl — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:55:27 +0000

Kulich, a traditional sweet bread made for Easter in Russia.

Easter is a special time in Russia, with many delicious foods prepared for the joyous occasion.

Celebrations are generally later than in the West. This happens because Easter dates are determined by different calendars. The Russian-Orthodox church uses the old Julian calendar, whereas the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches follow the Gregorian calendar.

Here are just a few of the traditional foods enjoyed in Russia for Easter.

Kulich – The most famous Russian Easter bread, kulich, is known for its tall narrow shape. It is usually made with lots of butter and eggs, plus additions of candied fruit, raisins, and nuts. The bulging top is iced and decorated, usually with Cyrillic letters standing for “Christ is risen”. Kulich is only eaten during the 40 days after Paskha (Easter) until Pentecost.

Paskha – Most often referred to as Russian cheesecake, paskha is a dessert made from curd cheese and is molded in shape in the form of a truncated pyramid. It is white in color, symbolizing the purity of Christ, the Paschal Lamb, and the joy of the Resurrection. Paskha is most often served with kulich.

Kurnik – This savory pie is made with chicken, rice, and mushroom filling with a creamy sauce. An authentic Russian specialty!

Soups – Given the long, harsh winter conditions in Russia, soup is always been a staple food even for holidays like Easter, such as borsch, rassolnik, and lapsha.

Salads – There are many types of salads that are a part of Russian cuisine and are eaten for Easter including beet salad, cucumber salad and egg salad. They are often served with various seasonings such as horse-radish, mayonnaise, dill, and garlic, adding special pungency to the dish.

Ham in the dough – Simply stated…delicious ham baked in a flaky crust.

Draniki – A type of potato pancake, draniki is often fried and stuffed with grated potatoes, onions or garlic and seasoning. This dish is also very popular throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

Ukrainian Easter Egg Gallery – Pysanky

The Hungarian Girl — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:34:38 +0000

Beauty Of Life

Burst Of Spring

Angel Egg

Happy Easter!

I just wanted to share another great website for decorated Easter eggs.

Made by artist Adriana who is a first generation Ukrainian-American. Her collection features traditional pysanky (Ukrainian styled eggs) including ones made using goose and ostrich eggs.

These eggs are available for purchase online.

The website also has a section on how to create your own pysanky with step-by-step instructions.

Pysanka by Adriana
http://www.pysanka.com

Tips On How To Cook A Great Easter Ham

The Hungarian Girl — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:54:41 +0000

Cooked Ham

After posting my article about “Tips On How To Cook a Great Easter Lamb”, I thought I would also share some useful advice about Easter ham.

Selecting

• Decide what type of ham you want such as bone in or boneless, dry-cured or wet-cured. There are both ready-to-eat hams and fresh uncooked hams available.
• For fresh hams select one that has a well-marbled lean section with a firm white layer of fat on the outside. For cured and ready-to-eat hams choose one that is firm and plump, rosy pink with a fine grain to the meat.
• Avoid hams that have a greenish cast as this may indicate bacterial growth.
• Always read the label carefully for the expiry date and exact cooking instructions for packaged hams.

Glazing

• Apply the glaze during the last 30 minutes of cooking the ham. It will add more flavor and a better look to the appearance.
• Most popular glaze ingredients for hams include sugar, honey, jam, marmalade and fruit. Other flavorings and seasonings used are mustard, vinegar, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger.

Cooking

• If time permits, roast at a lower temperature as it will make the ham more moist and flavorful.
• Do not baste the ham with its own juices during the cooking process as it will make it overly salty.
• When placing a thermometer in the ham, ensure the stem is not touching a bone because this can result in a false reading.
• Avoid sharp utensils that may pierce the ham as it may result in juices to escape. Instead, use other utensils such as large tongs or spatulas for handling the ham.
• Before carving, let the ham rest for about 15 minutes to keep the meat firm.

Recipes

Below are a few links for Central or Eastern European ham recipes. Happy Cooking!

Baked Fresh Ham (Russian) – Food Network
http://www.foodnetwork.com/saras-secrets/russian-easter/index.html

Easter Ham (Hungarian) – Budapest Tourist Guide
http://www.budapest-tourist-guide.com/hungarian-easter-recipes.html#ham

Easter Ham (Ukrainian) – Celnet Recipes
http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-ukrainian-easter-ham

Polish Easter Egg Gallery – Pisanki Art

The Hungarian Girl — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:59:56 +0000

Pisanki Art By Irena Dobucka

For those that would like to view hand-made decroated Polish Easter Eggs. You can visit Irena Dobucka’s personal website on Pisanki Art.

Her collection features several beautiful galleries of intricate eggs and art expositions including painted, crocheted, and new concept designs.

Simply gorgeous!

Be sure to sign her guest book when visitng.

Pisanki Art
http://www.pisanki-art.pl

Ukrainian Gift Shop – Easter Eggs & Supplies

The Hungarian Girl — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 00:19:18 +0000

Imported Ukrainian Goose Pysanka

Easter is just about a month away now and I thought I would recommend another great site for Pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs).

This website is actually a family-run store located in Roseville, Minnesota called the Ukrainian Gift Shop. The store sells a variety of supplies, books, DVDS, as well as imported decorated eggs from Ukraine and Poland.

There’s also a great section on the wesbite which features the history and background information about Ukrainian Easter eggs.

Purchases can be made online or in-store.

The Ukrainian Gift Shop Inc.
2782 Fairview Avenue North
Roseville, MN 55113
Tel: (651) 638-9700
http://www.ukrainiangiftshop.com

How To Make Your Own Easter Eggs

The Hungarian Girl — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:35:36 +0000

Traditional Easter egg decorating tools and supplies.

Decorating Easter eggs is an old tradition throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Many countries like Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, and Romania each have their own ways on how eggs are to be decorated and displayed for this significant holiday.

Below is a list of links arranged by various countries on how you can create beautiful and elaborate Easter eggs for your home.

Germany

How To Color German Easter Eggs -- German Culture
http://germanculture.com.ua/library/howto/htcoloreggs.htm

Hungary

Hungarian Folk Art Easter Egg Decoration -- Folkology
http://www.folkology.com/hungarian-easter-egg-decoration

Russia

Russian Easter Eggs -- Russianland Journal
http://www.russlandjournal.de/en/recipes/russian-easter-feast

Ukraine

How To Make Ukraine Easter Eggs -- LearnPysanky.com
http://www.learnpysanky.com

How To Make Edible Pysanky -- Reiquar Works
http://www.rejiquar.com/Pysanky/pysanky_howto.html

How You Can Decorate Your Own Ukrainian Easter Eggs -- Something a Little More Practical
http://www.lightlink.com/xine/bells/psanky.html

Symbolism Of Ukrainian Easter Eggs -- YouTube video from Mojo.com

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN0qAaF7FZk

Ukrainian Easter Eggs -- Family Corner
http://www.familycorner.com/homegarden/crafts/ukeggs.shtml

Ukrainian Easter Eggs -- Martha Stewart
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/ukrainian-easter-eggs?lnc=1aaeb0be557ee010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&lpgview=thumb

Easter Babka By Martha Stewart

The Hungarian Girl — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:49:25 +0000

Martha Stewart

It’s not too often that we get to see Martha Stewart cooking or baking traditional ethnic dishes.

So, I was quite surprised to stumble upon a recipe of hers for making Easter babka. Little did I know she is actually of Polish descent (I guess I better keep up with my research about famous polish people).

I’ve included a link below from her official website for her Easter Babka recipe. It has a video with step-by-step instructions from the “Martha Stewart Living” television show along with a guest appearance of Martha’s mother Martha Kostyra. Although sadly, Martha Kostyra passed away in November of 2007.

For those who are not familiar with babka, it is a yeast cake that is traditionally baked for Easter Sunday throughout Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and Western Russia. It usually contains a type of fruit filling such as raisins and is glazed with an icing, sometimes with rum added.

Happy babka baking!

Martha Stewart.com – Easter Babka Recipe
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/easter-babka