For your Kūčios table

HERRING WITH VEGETABLES
Silkė  daržovių  rinkinyje

2 herrings
3 potatoes
3 carrots
2 red beets
2 onions
1 cup green peas
1/3 cup beans
2 Tbsps oil
Vinegar, sugar
Cook potatoes, carrots, red beets, beans and peas. Cut potatoes, carrots, and red beets into attractive slices or pieces, using a serrated knife and soak in a sweetened vinegar solution together with the onions. Drain, and mix with oil. Soak, skin and bone the herrings and cut into serving pieces. On a platter arrange the pieces into the shape of a fish, adding a head and the tail; spoon mayonnaise, or another dressing suited for herring, on top. Arrange the vegetables around the herring in little heaps, or rows, matching their colors. A variety of vegetables may be used interchange­ ably for this dish, depending on taste and availability of particular vegeta­bles. Fresh or pickled vegetables may be used.

DRIED FRUIT COMPOTE
Džiovintų  vaisių  kompotas

2 cups cut up mixed dried fruit
4 cups water
1 cup sugar
Cinnamon, orange peel
Boil water, add some of the sugar and cook the fruit. First cook the light-colored fruit: apples, pears. Remove when done, and add dark- colored fruit to the liquid: prunes, cherries.  Compote cooked in this manner will look attractive, because the light-colored fruit, cooked separately, will not loose its color. Also, the cooking time for various fruit is different; cooking each kind separately we avoid the danger of overcooking some of them. When dark fruit is cooked, remove from liquid. Add remaining sugar and spices to the liquid, simmer. Strain, let cool, and pour over the fruit.

CRANBERRY PUDDING
Spanguolių  kisielius

4 cups cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup potato starch, dissolved in
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/4 cup lemon juice
5 cups water
Rinse cranberries, removing any stems or brown berries. Place in large pot and fill with water, covering cranberries by about  1  inch. Bring cranberries to a boil and simmer, covered, until berries split and soften. Remove from heat. Strain berries and liquid into another large pot, forcing them through a sieve, or use a food mill. Slowly simmer until mixture begins to boil; gradually add sugar, lemon juice and potato starch mixture, stirring constantly.  Simmer until pudding begins to thicken. Adjust sweetness to taste. Pour into large serving bowl; cover with plastic wrap, placing it directly on the surface of the pudding so that a “skin” does not form.

STUFFED BAKED FISH
Kimšta  žuvis

1 3-4 lb. fresh whole fish (trout, pike, salmon or whitefish)
Seasoned salt
2 onions
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
4 cups dry bread crumbs
2 tsps lemon juice
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 apples, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
3 Tbsps oil
2/3 cup white wine
1/4 tsp thyme
2 Tbsps butter, melted
Sprinkle cavity of cleaned fish with seasoned salt; set aside. In large skillet, saute onions in oil; add celery, then mushrooms. In large bowl, mix bread crumbs, eggs, apples, parsley, thyme. Add the sauteed vegetables; mix thoroughly. Fill fish cavity with the stuffing. Place fish in roasting pan. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes, basting with mixture of white wine and lemon juice. About  10 minutes before it has finished cooking, drizzle with melted butter to brown the skin. Serve on a platter decorated with parsley and lemon rounds.

RED BEET SALAD
Burokėlių  salotos

Cook unpeeled beets or bake in oven. Peel and slice into very thin slices. Chop a salad onion very finely, add salt to taste, pepper, vinegar or lemon juice, and oil. Mix lightly with red beet slices. Let stand 2-3 hours so that oil and vinegar will soak into the
red beets. Serve cold as a side dish.