Recipes

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia

Latvia is located along the Baltic Sea, and the sea provides food such as herring and cod to Latvian cuisine. Latvia has its own distinctive language and, despite nearly 700 years of being under foreign domination, first by Sweden, then Poland and then Russia, it has managed to preserve its own special Latvian culture. Like Poland, Russia, Lithuania, and the Ukraine, staple foods in Latvian cooking include potatoes, wheat, barley, cabbage, onions, eggs and pork.

Pretzel Roll Undens Klinger Makes 3 dozen This is somewhere between a fresh pretzel and a bagel. It will take a little practice to shape the roll/pretzel, but it can be a fun (if messy) learning experience. 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons caraway seeds 2 tablespoons butter 1-1/4 cups water 2 tablespoons sugar 1 package quick-rising yeast 2 teaspoons salt 6 cups all-purpose flour In a small saucepan, heat the milk, butter, sugar, salt, caraway seeds and water. When the butter is melted and the sugar and salt are dissolved, set the pan aside to cool to warm, about 105F. When the liquid mixture reaches this temperature, place it in a heavy-duty mixer (Kitchen Aid works well) and add the yeast to the liquid. Stir to dissolve thoroughly. Add 5 cups of flour to the bowl and mix on low until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about ten minutes. Using the dough hook, knead in the remaining cup of flour until the dough is very smooth, another five minutes. Place on a plastic cutting board or sheet, cover, and allow to rise until doubled, about one hour. Punch it down. For each pretzel, cut off a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll it into a snake about 10 inches long and form into a pretzel, looping one end just past the middle of the snake and crossing the other end over it, pinching the dough slightly where the ends meet. Place the pretzels on a floured tea towel and allow to rise for about 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F. Bring 8 quarts of water to a boil and gradually boil the pretzels, about 5 at a time, until they float. Remove them carefully from the water with a slotted spoon and place them on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400F until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. These can be frozen right when they come out of the oven, and reheated later in a 350F for just a few minutes.

Alexander’s Cake Serves 12 to 16 Cake: 1 pound soft butter grated rind of one lemon 3/4 cup sugar 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 eggs Preheat oven to 375F. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Add the lemon rind and flour. Mix until a smooth dough is formed. Grease 2 9 x 13-inch sheet cake pans and line each with waxed paper. Divide the dough evenly between the two pans. Using a spatula, spread the dough smoothly and evenly. Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes, or until just golden brown. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans. Filling: 1-10-ounce jar of red currant or red raspberry jelly Invert one cooled sheet cake onto a serving platter and peel off the waxed paper. Whisk the jelly to thin it out, and then spread it evenly over this first sheet. Carefully invert the second sheet cake on top of the first and peel off the waxed paper. Glaze: juice of two lemons 1 pound of powdered sugar, sifted Prepare the glaze by stirring the lemon juice gradually into the powdered sugar with a fork. If it does not spread easily, add water, one teaspoon at a time, until you get an icing that is easy to work with. Spread the top of the cake with icing and allow it to set. Cut into diamonds or 1-inch by 3-inch pieces. Recipes from The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors by Jeff Smith, Avon, 1990, p. 307-308 and p. 312.