Pierogi Party!

Quinn (right), Matt (center), and Tanvi (left) getting things
situated in the kitchen

Toward the beginning of Basic, a couple of my classmates and I were talking about pierogis; funny little half-circle dumplings that I had seen in the grocery store, but was not compelled to try.  I thought they looked a little strange (mostly because they are so pale), but my friends assured me that they are delicious, and insisted that we get together sometime to try some homemade ones.

Last weekend was finally that “sometime!”  Quinn and Matt decided to make us an entire Ukrainian meal which included, but was definitely not limited to pierogis.

We arrived at their apartment on Saturday, January 26^th, ready to try these mystery dumplings.  Chad and I were the first ones to get there, so we played Banannagrams with Quinn and Matt and had an authentic Ukrainian beer (which was really good) while everyone else was on their way.

Real Ukrainian Beer!

Real Ukrainian Vodka!

After everyone had arrived there were 11 of us, more than there were seats in the (absolutely beautiful) apartment.  The plan all along was to have an indoor picnic, so, once everyone was ready, Matt and Quinn brought out the first course: Borsht, Pampushki, and Vodka.  The Borsht was a beet and vegetable soup served with sour cream (which Matt MADE!) and fresh dill.  It was so good!  Almost everyone went back for a second bowl, even with the knowledge that the feast wasn’t over.  The Pampushki were delicious little dinner rolls topped with butter and garlic and herbs, and the Vodka was authentic – it came all the way from Ukraine!

The group (minus Leslie, who took the photo) having our picnic

The Borsht (bottom) was delicious!  Here, there is also the
Pampushki and real Ukrainian Vodka

It was great to see all of my friends out of school.  It was the first time Chad and I had socialized with so many of them at once, rather than in groups of three or four.

The next course: Pierogis and Cabbage Rolls.  The pierogis were delicious, and Quinn and Matt had made over 100 of them by hand just for us!  They were filled with mashed potatoes and cheese, and I couldn’t get enough.  We ate them with Matt’s homemade sour cream and caramelized onions.  I think I had 6 or 7 of them by the time I stopped eating.  The cabbage rolls were filled with rice and herbs.

Cabbage roll (left), PIEROGIS! (center), and sour cream and
caramelized onions 

Quinn and Matt made so many!

Between courses, while the pierogis settled deeper into our stomachs, we played a game of pseudo-Anomia, which was hilarious.  It was a little unfair, because the game requires shouting out words that fall into certain (sometimes pretty bizarre) categories, and the majority of the attendees speak English as a second language.  It was still really fun!

Quinn and Matt were so organized!

Quinn and Matt even made dessert!  I’m afraid I don’t remember what it’s called, but it was large donut-shaped bread (it looked like King’s Cake to me) swirled with a ton of poppy seeds. 

Throughout the entire visit, The Food Network was playing in the background.  (Aside: it was really great to have it on.  Since Chad and I don’t have TV service, we only watch shows that have an online broadcast.  I find myself missing the random Food Network shows that are always playing in my parents’ house.)  It was still on after we finished eating, and many of us were about to peacefully slip into a food coma.  At the same moment, we got quiet and started to watch the last two rounds of an episode of Chopped.  It was hilarious!  With a mix of pastry and culinary students at our little picnic, everyone chimed in at least once with a, “WHAT?!” or “Gross!” and go on to comment on how strangely the chef was handling the dish.  I know it isn’t right for us to be so critical of chefs with more experience than us, but it was still fun to watch the show together and laugh at how the chef made a (really gross-looking) sauce out of chocolate Hostess cakes.

The food was delicious, the conversation was great, and the games were fun; but I think my favorite part of the night was sitting next to our friend, Dina.  She’s from Russia, and most of the food we ate had a very close Russian equivalent. She would tell us all about the Russian version of the food, what they eat it with, and how her family makes it. She even told us stories about the entire family sitting down for two days in autumn to make hundreds of pierogis to freeze so they would be fully stocked for the winter.  Watching her eat Quinn and Matt’s versions of these foods was really nice – she looked like she was home!

The party was laidback and fun and packed with carbs.  It was the perfect precursor to the next day: The Day we Ran a Half Marathon.