Warm and sweet memories

Passport & Plate - Macaroni casserole with apples and cheese

Ukraine | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Macaroni - 500 grams;
Apples – 700 grams;
Cottage cheese – 300 grams;
Semolina – ½ glass (around 125 grams);
Butter – 100 grams;
Sunflower or olive oil – 3 tablespoons;
Sugar – 1 glass (around 250 grams);
Salt – just a bit;
Vanilla sugar – 25 grams;
Milk – 700 - 800 grams;
5 Eggs;
Cinnamon – just for flavor (very little amount);
Cocoa powder – 3 tablespoons;
Baking soda – 1 tablespoon;
Vinegar .

 

How to prepare this recipe
Just remember in order to enjoy food you need to cook it in a good mood and happily. So, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and give it a stir, cook macaroni for 30 seconds after it started boiling again. Place the strainer in the sink, and carefully pour the pasta and water into it. Once all the water has drained, return the macaroni to the pot and add butter. Don’t worry the pasta shouldn’t be fully cooked, just a bit boiled.
Let’s prepare apples. Rinse the apples with water. To peel, use a vegetable peeler or paring knife; start at the stem end and circle around to the blossom end. Cut the apple into four pieces through the stem and blossom ends. Cut away the core and seeds, stem, and blossom ends, then slice each quarter as desired ( I usually cut in on half) and add cinnamon for flavor.
Whisk Eggs with 100 grams of sugar, and mix it with milk, plus add semolina (125 grams), cacao powder, vanilla sugar, 3 table spoons of oil, add baking soda but put it out with vinegar.
The remaining 150 grams of sugar burn down on frying pan till it becomes brown.
Take a big pot and mix macaroni, apples and cottage cheese, add ready mix of milk, eggs, other ingredients and burned sugar. Make sure the liquid covers over macaroni and apples.
Preheat oven 190-200 degrees C. Bake the casserole 60 to 70 minutes in oven, then let it cool down for an hour or two.
Enjoy your meal.

 

The story behind this recipe
The story behind is really simple, the flavor of this recipe brings back warm childhood memories. This dish was always present on the table with other dishes when the whole family gathered at my Grandparent's house, we all came to visit them from different parts of Ukraine, so it was the funny times of family reunions. I am from West of the Ukraine. And this recipe is from Bukovina - it's unofficial/historical name of the Chernivtsi region (It's the place where my grandparents lived). My country has difficult history so traditions and dishes may differ by regions even if they are really close to each other, and it's easy to explain, 'cause the territory was divided between different countries and each brought their own traditions. Bukovina belonged to Romania till the end of II World War. My Grandmother was a good story teller, so in the evening all children were sitting around the table, eating yummy food and listening to her stories, about our traditions, history, family stories. I still remember pictures that were in my imagination back then. I always liked those stories and local festivals. Now when I want to make something yummy for my guest and something with the link to my roots I cook this casserole with apples and cheese, 'cause it was one of our favourite. My granny knew many good recipes, but this one is really yummy, brings back memories and I can always make it even with the possibilities that I have in my flat. As I live in a city and don't have big traditional stove and wood. My Grandparents are no longer alive. I really miss those times when we all gathered at their place.