Maslinitsa – Russian Butter Holiday

Maslinitsa – Russian Butter Holiday

Maslinitsa is a week long holiday period that celebrates the coming of Spring. It is called the "Butter Holiday" and is celebrated by the eating of blini & pancakes with lots of butter!

The 1st day of Maslinitsa week is called "Meeting". Traditionally people of one village went to visit those from another village and to show themselves. People gathered at highlands & ice hills. There a fire was built & pancake songs were heard far & away from the bonfire site.

The 2nd day of Maslinitsa is called "Play beginning". Traditionally the main show is a noisy & merry siege of a snow fortress, horse race & other boisterous & joyful competitions. Masked people called "Riajenyi" walked around a village singing funny songs & greeting everyone with "Maslinitsa!" Maslinitsa used be a simple sheaf of straw that was decorated little by little as it went with the Riajenyi while visiting each house in the village.

The 3rd day of Maslinitsa is "Sweet Tooth" in Russian, Lakomka. Everyone in each village ate blini or pancakes with much delight & glee. Sour cream, butter & strawberry jam was kept on a large table right in the center of the village so everyone could just help themselves. Mothers-in-law invited their sons-in-law & daughters to be served with her most delicious blinis. Everyone praised their blinis.  Blini & pancakes were in evidence everywhere all of the time. Every neighbor was treated with mouth watering "golden suns" as the blini are also called.

The 4th day of Maslinitsa is named "Big Thursday". The revival of sunny days soon to come is celebrated by great-grandparents. At the same tine the Maslinitsa sheaf is left on top of the hill where the 1^st day's bonfire was situated . Everyone added more straw to it.

The 5th day of Maslinitsa is "Mother-in-law's Evenings". Just married couples treated their parents with blinis. All the small kids have fun on ice hills.

The 6th day is the "Daughter-in-law's Parties". Young daughters-in-law welcome all of their husband's relatives. Good cheer is accompanied by gifts & warm words. It is from this time on, that the daughter-in-law becomes an accepted & equal family member. This holiday serves as a pretext to find peace of mind with everything & with everyone. At the end of this evening, the  Maslinitsa farewell iss celebrated. The bonfire is rekindled and the Maslinitsa sheaf is burned to the accompanying shouts of "Bye. bye, Maslinitsa!"

The 7th day of Maslenitsa is called "Forgiven Sunday". You beg pardon to each other for any hurt feelings. Do not forget about this wonderful tradition it can mend fences & make relationships stronger.

Here are some recipes for blini.

Basic Bliny
Categories: Ethnic, Russian, Ukrainian, Bread, Maindish
Yield: 28 Each
 

-BATTER-

3 1/2 c  All-purpose flour
1 1/2 pk Yeast dry & active
4 ts Sugar
1 ea Egg
1 ea Egg yolk
3 3/4 c  Milk
4 tb Butter unsalted, melted & cooled until only warm
1 tb Corn oil
1 ts Salt

 -GARNISH-
2 c  Sour cream
1/4 lb Butter unsalted & melted

Prove Yeast:
Place 3 tb of luke-warm water in a small bowl then add your yeast, 1 tb sugar & 1 tb flour.
Mix well, cover then sit in a warm place for 30 mins.

Making Batter:
Put flour in a large bowl.
Add egg, egg yolk, salt, 2 1/2 cups milk, remaining sugar then add yeast proving mixture.
Beat for 5 mins. using a mixer.
Add butter & corn oil.
Beat those in then cover.
Set in a warm place & allow to rise for 1 hour.
Warm remaining milk then add to batter.
Stir it In with a wooden spoon.
Cover batter with a cloth.
Allow to sit in a warm place for 30 mins.

Cooking Bliny:
Heat skillet over med-low heat.
Grease with a small amount of butter.
Ladle in 2 tb batter then cook your blin.
Be sure to tilt your pan so batter covers entire bottom of pan.
Cook for 1 min. + 10 secs, then turn it over & cook for 30-45 secs more.
Turn out onto a heated plate, slather with melted
Butter & your pick of a selection of garnishes.

ORIGIN:
Chef Mikhail F. Rubinov, Minsk-Belorussia, circa 1998

Grechevnye Bliny - Buckwheat Bliny
Categories: Ethnic, Ukrainian, Russian, Bread, Maindish
Yield: 28 Each

 
2 c  Buckwheat flour
3 3/4 c  Milk
5 ea Eggs seperated
1 ts Salt
1 1/2 pk Yeast dry active
4 tb Butter unsalted & melted
1 1/2 tb Sugar
2 c  All purpose flour

Mix yeast with ½ ts sugar.
Place buckwheat flour in a large bowl.
Stir in 1 cup cold milk.
Warm 2 cups milk to 180 deg-F,.
Gradually add to flour mixture.
Cool to 105 deg-F then mix in yeast mixture.
Cover & allow to sit in a warm place for 20 mins.
Blend egg yolks with remaining sugar.
Mix melted butter, egg yolks, salt, all-purpose flour together until smooth.
Beat for 6 mins.
If it gets too stiff or thick add some of reserved milk & beat for 1 min. more.
Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form then fold into batter a small bit at a time.
Cover batter, set in a warm place then wait for 45 mins.
Cook  by dropping 2 tb batter into hot skillet.
Cook for 75 secs. then turn it over & cook for 30 secs.
Serve with the usual garnishes.

ORIGIN:
Chef Mikhail F. Rubinov, Minsk-Belorussia, circa 1998

Krasnye Bliny - Beautiful Bliny
Categories: Russian, Ethnic, Ukrainian, Bread, Maindish
Yield: 30 Each

3 1/2 c  All-purpose flour
3 tb Waterm warm 105F degrees
1 1/2 pk Yeast dry
3 3/4 c  Milk warm 105-F degrees
1 tb Sugar
1/2 c  Heavy cream
1 ea Egg white
2 ea Egg yolks
1 ts Salt
4 tb Butter unsalted melted &cooled until just warm

 
Mix 1 tb flour, warm water, 1 ts sugar & yeast together in a small bowl.
Cover & sit in a warm place for 15 mins.
Mix 1 1/2 ts of sugar, flour, milk, yeast mixture & salt in a large bowl.
Beat by hand for 4 mins.
Cover then sit in a warm place for 1 hr.
Mix egg yolks & remaining sugar then add to the batter along with butter.
Beat with an electric mixer for 3 mins. or by hand for 8 mins.
Whip egg white separately.
Whip cream as well until very stiff.
Fold in cream then egg white making sure to mix well.
Cover again then sit in a warm place for 45 mins.
Grease skillet with butter.
Heat skillet.
Place 2 tb of batter in center of skillet.
Cook for 1 min. then turn blin over & cook for 35 secs.
Serve smothered in sweet butter with any of your favorite blini garnishes.
 
ORIGIN:
Ludmila Gorbachenkova, Kyiv-Ukraine, circa 1998

Blini Fillings & Garnishes:

Georgian Grilled Chicken Blini Filling
Categories: Ethnic, Poultry, Blini, Rus
Yield: 1 batch

 
6 c  Grilled chicken meat minced
4 ea Garlic cloves minced
2 ea Onions minced
1 c  Walnuts shelled & chopped
Sour cream as required

 
Mix chicken, walnuts onion & garlic in a bowl.
Spread in a line along the center of a blini & top with sour cream.
Roll blini & eat.
 
ORIGIN:
Layla Bukavnadze, Batumi-Rep. Of Georgia, circa 1992

Krasnaye Ikra – Red Caviar Blini

Categories: Blini, Ethnic, Rus, Ukrainian,

Yield: 1 batch

1 lb Red caviar

1 ea Onion minced

1 oz Cognac

Mix caviar, cognac & onion.

Spread along centerline of blini.

Roll blini slather with a huge dollop of sour cream & eat.

ORIGIN:

Dr. Galina Berokova, Moscow-Russia, circa 1997

Yaitsa-Ikra Blini – Egg & Caviar Blini

Categories: Egg, Caviar, Rus, Ukrainian, Ethnic, Blini

Yield: 1 batch

6 oz Caviar

4 ea Eggs hard boiled shelled & minced

½ c Onion minced

1 lb Tvorog cheese sieved

Sour cream to taste

Mix all ingredients together.

Place along centerline of blini.

Roll blini.

Smother with a generous dollop or 3 of sour cream & eat!

ORIGIN:

Nadezhda Novichuk, Zhitomir-Ukraine, circa 1996

Copyright © 2007 Donald R Houston, PhD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the author's consent.