Kalitka is an open Karelian rye dough pie.
Today, Anna Ankhimova, public relations specialist at the Kizhi Museum-Reserve, tells NeMoskva how to prepare the national Karelian dish, kalitki.
If you thought the name of Karelian pirozhki (pastries) had something to do with a small gate in a fence, it's not. "Kalitka" sounds similar to the Karelian word for an open pie—kalita or kalittoa. Another theory is that the name could have come from the word "kalita," which in ancient Rus' was a purse tied with a drawstring—a bit like the folds of dough on kalitkas.
"Every nation has its own kalitka shape. The Veps always made round ones, the Karelians made oval ones, and square-shaped ones were common in the Leningrad region. In Zaonezhye, you can find kalitkas with five or six corners," the museum employee continues. "In the old days, kalitkas were made on Sundays, except for Easter, and were always served to guests," explains Anna Ankhimova. "The dish requires eight ingredients. That's what the folk saying goes—kalitkas require eights."
1. Ingredients for making pies: rye flour, sour cream, butter, kefir, salt, water, egg, filling.
Ingredients for making the doughFor 20-30 pies you will need: 1 cup of kefir, 2-3 cups of rye flour, salt.
2. Pour kefir into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and gradually pour in the flour, stirring with a whisk or whisk.
3. Start kneading the dough with your hands. When it becomes firm enough, knead it on the table and form it into a "sausage."
4. "This was always done while holding the dough, so it felt like it was alive in your hands. Under no circumstances should you stretch it out on the table," Anna notes.
5. Divide the resulting shape into small pieces - this is the base for the pies - skantsy, roll the balls, sprinkle with flour on all sides and begin to roll out with a rolling pin until you get a thin dough the size of a palm.
6. Filling. Anna suggests making two types of kalitki: one with mashed potatoes and the other with a traditional filling—porridge made with water. She chose millet. Each housewife prepares the mashed potatoes and porridge made with water according to her own recipe.
Place about two tablespoons of filling on the finished skanetz and roll it out (do not leave it in a mound) so that 1,5-2 cm of free dough remains around the edges.
7. There shouldn't be too much filling, so the flavor of the dough can be felt. Now it's time to close the pie. This is done by joining the dough and filling around the entire perimeter of the pie.
8. Place the finished kalitki on a preheated baking sheet lined with parchment paper (without adding vegetable oil). To ensure a delicious crust, brush the filling with a batter before baking.
To prepare the chatterbox you will need: 2 tablespoons sour cream, one egg and salt to taste.
9. Bake the kalitki for 12 minutes in an oven preheated to 250 degrees Celsius. You can tell they're done by the bottom, which shouldn't be soft.
When the pies are ready, brush them with melted butter.
