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.

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.

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.

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.

--
Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Holy Order of the Sacred Sisters of St. Pectina of Jella
"Always in a jam, never in a stew; sometimes in a pickle."
Pepparkakor particulars posted 11-29-2010;
http://web.me.com/barbschaller