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Kruchenyky
Pork rolls with mushrooms and prunes
Kruchenyky (крученики): pork rolls stuffed with mushrooms and prunes, braised in sour cream
UkrainianKruchenyky, literally 'little twists', are the festive rolls of central Ukraine, made for name days, weddings and the big family table around Poltava and Kyiv. Thin slices of pork are pounded, wrapped around a filling of fried mushrooms and onion with chopped prunes, tied, browned and then braised gently in sour cream until the meat is tender and the sauce turns pale gold, sweet-savoury and lightly tangy. Some cooks use beef; pork neck or loin is the most common choice. Serve with buckwheat, mashed potato or boiled potatoes with dill. Boiling the sauce hard after the sour cream goes in is the slip that splits it into grainy flecks; keep it at a lazy bubble. Chef's tip: let the mushroom filling cool before rolling, otherwise the warm filling makes the thin meat sweat and the rolls refuse to hold together.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the rolls
- 1 ½ lb pork neck or loin, bonelesscut into 8 slices 1 cm thick
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
For the filling
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 9 oz button or chestnut mushroomsfinely chopped
- 2 ⅞ oz pitted prunessoaked 10 minutes in hot water, chopped
- 1 garlic clovecrushed
- ½ tsp salt
For braising
- 7 oz sour cream (20% fat)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp fresh dill (optional)chopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp of the 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the 1 onion for 5 minutes until soft, add the 9 oz button or chestnut mushrooms and fry 8 minutes until their liquid has evaporated and they brown.
13 minStep 2: Stir in the 2 ⅞ oz pitted prunes, 1 garlic clove and ½ tsp salt, then spread the filling on a plate and let it cool for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 3: Lay the 1 ½ lb pork neck or loin, boneless slices between cling film and pound to about 4 mm thick. Season with the 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper.
6 minStep 4: Spoon filling onto the narrow end of each slice, fold in the sides and roll up tightly. Tie with kitchen string or secure with cocktail sticks.
8 minStep 5: Heat the remaining 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the rolls for 6–8 minutes, turning, until golden all over.
8 minStep 6: Pour in the 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock, add the 1 bay leaf, cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes, until the rolls are tender.
25 minStep 7: Whisk the 7 oz sour cream (20% fat) with a few spoons of the hot liquid, then stir it into the pan. Simmer, uncovered, on the lowest heat for 10 minutes, turning the rolls once, until the sauce coats a spoon and a probe in the centre of a roll reads 160°F.
10 minStep 8: Remove the string or sticks and serve the rolls with the sauce spooned over and a scattering of 2 tbsp fresh dill.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 33 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kruchenyky take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of button or chestnut mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
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