On 1/6/2011 10:40 AM, Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> Background: Today is Christmas Eve for some observant Orthodox
> Christians. A meat and dairy fast. A special Christmas Eve meal, 12
> meatless dishes. One of the "staples" of that meal is a wild mushroom
> sauce, flavored with sauerkraut juice. While it sounds gross, it's THE
> dish my guests always want more of.

Picture me yakking at the taste.
>
> SO, because I'm fixing the macanka (say ma-CHONK-uh) for guests tomorrow
> night, I needed a consult with Sister Julie (the only remaining Orthodox
> faithful in our tribe) about the prep. I asked if she uses only dried
> mushrooms and she said she also includes canned mushrooms. Hmmmm, says
> I. "Commercial?" "No. I went to Mark's last fall and picked some ‹ he
> has them in his yard." (I knew about Mark's local supply of wild
> mushrooms.). Me: "I didn't know you had a pressure canner." She: "I
> don't." Me: "How'd you can them?" She: I boiled them for a few
> hours." Silly ME! My tongue was bloody because I bit it so hard, but
> there's no way in hell she's going to change her method because of
> anything I might say. "I've always done it. . . ." and you know the
> rest of THAT.

So much for advances in home preserving science.
>
> Now, to be fair about it, the mushrooms will cook on top of the stove
> for enough time to disarm anything nasty, but still. . . . it's a bad
> example. I gotta say this is the first time I've ever been glad I
> WASN'T invited to her house for dinner on Christmas Eve.

I'm glad you weren't either, friends are hard to come by when you get
old and I hate funerals.
>
> BTW, I'll be using dried mushrooms from my cousins in Slovakia and some
> dried porcinis I bought in Italy three years ago. They're rehydrating
> now. :-) Mama would be proud.
>

Your Mama was always proud of you and you know it.

It's 65F outside right now with bright sunshine, how are things in
Southern Canuckistan?