Ukranian Fried Pastries

Ukrainian Fried Pastries (Verhuny”

Author: Ciao Chow Linda via Olia Hercules’ “Mamushka” cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz./235 g) flour, plus extra for dusting

• pinch of baking soda

• 1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) butter, cubed and chilled

• 1 egg

• 1 egg yolk

• 5 teaspoons (25 g) superfine sugar

• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

• 1/4 cup (2 oz. 60 g) sour cream

• 1 taablespoon vodka

• pinch of salt

• 1 cup (250 ml) sunflower oil

• 1/2 cup (2 oz/60 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

• 5 black caardaamom pods, crushed and seeds extracted, then ground into a powder

• dulce de leche or chocolate sauce, to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix the flour and baking soda together, then rub in the butter with your fingertips until well combined.

2. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the egg, egg yolk, sugar, vinegar, sour cream, vodka, and salt, then mix well into a firm pastry dough.

3. Flour your work surface really well and divide the dough into two pieces.

4. Roll one piece of dough out as thinly as you can.

5. Slice the dough into 1 1/2 inch strips and then diagonally across so that you end up with 20 diamonds.

6. (My cuts were more random and I had more thaan 20 cookies)

7. Make a slash in the center of each diamond and pull one of the ends through the slash.

8. Repeat with the second piece of dough.

9. Heat the sunflower oil in a medium saucepan until very hot.

10. Drop the diamonds in carefully and fry them briefly until they float to the surface.

11. Lift them out with a slotted spoon aand drain on paper towels

12. Mix the confectioners’ sugar with the cardamom and sprinkle over the pastries.

13. Dip into dulce de leche or chocolate sauce if desired.