How to make a remote 12-dish meal for Sviata Vecheria / Christmas Eve

In 2020, my family had a remote Sviata Vecheria. Everyone prepared food separately, and we traded food. Then, we enjoyed a video dinner with everyone together.

With health restrictions in some areas returning, I wanted to share how we prepared our dinner.

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Instant Pot Traditional Kapusta: sauerkraut and dried peas

Sauerkraut and peas, admittedly not my favourite dish for Sviata Vecheria, but the traditional recipe is far easier and faster to make in the Instant Pot. Made with dried green split peas, this Instant Pot version eliminates the overnight soaking time.  Also, the cooking time is decreased, and you can make it ahead and reheat for your Sviata Vecheria.

Update: I’m honoured this recipe was featured in the Kyiv Independent’s article about Sviata Vecheria under Vegetables. The Kyiv Independent is a great source for English-language news about Ukraine.

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Instant Pot Canadian Maple Kutia

Here’s a Canadian interpretation of kutia [koo-tcha], also spelled kutya.  Using a traditional recipe but adding some maple flavour, this kutya is really easy in the Instant Pot.  Plus, it saves so much time when you’re busy getting other 11 dishes of your Christmas Eve dinner together.

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Instant Pot Marinated Beets

These marinated beets are very simple to make in the Instant Pot.  They’re easy to make ahead (you kind of have to make them ahead to allow them to marinate), and they’re easy to serve as a colourful side dish in the winter.  Also, a great addition to your table for Sviata Vecheria.

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Instant Pot Beets and Mushrooms with roasted garlic

These beets and mushrooms are a great side dish – or one of your twelve dishes for Sviata Vecheria.  It works for summer as well as it does for Christmas.  Bright and colourful.  Make-ahead and served cold or at room temperature.  It’s easy and no-fuss.

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Gluten-free Instant Pot Traditional Kutia

Kutia, a sweet mixture of cooked wheat, poppy seeds, and honey, is the most important dish of the Ukrainian Christmas Eve meal.  Part of the tradition is for everyone to eat some.  But, what if you have friends or family members who are celiac or avoiding gluten?

Here’s a kutia recipe that uses oat groats instead of wheat kernels. And, you’ll be done in 60 minutes!

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Instant Pot Ukrainian Compote – Stewed fruit

With all of the hectic activity around the holidays, it’s nice to have something that’s super easy.  On Christmas Eve, a fruit compote (or stewed fruit) made with dried fruit is a traditional end to the meal.  The Instant Pot makes the dish amazingly easy and much less time consuming than soaking the fruit overnight.

I use prunes, dried apricots, dried apple rings and raisins.  But, you can use any combination of dried fruits.

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Baba’s best perohe-varenyky-pyrogy dough

What would make a woman who made pyrogy (peroghies, perohe, varenyky, and so on) change the recipe that she had used for over fifty years?  Here it is – the best dough recipe ever.  Or at least my baba thought so.

This is a soft dough that’s easy to roll out and shape.  It’s just the right ratio of everything – and a cup of butter or margarine can’t hurt.  The dough doesn’t use the Instant Pot but the fillings will.

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Pampushky – Ukrainian Donuts with poppy seed and raisin filling

Pampushky are a traditional Christmas dessert. Starting with a bread dough, they are deliciously filled with poppy seeds and dried fruit and deep fried.  My grandmother used to make prune pampushky.   But, here I’m making poppy seed and raisin filling.

It’s a recipe that only uses the Instant Pot for the rising for the yeast dough.  You can also put the dough in a warm place – like an oven.  But, this is not a quick recipe.

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Instant Pot Pidpenky – Dried Mushrooms with Gravy

This traditional recipe works with any kind of dried mushrooms – morels, cepes, or shiitake.  And, using the Instant Pot saves more than an entire day of soaking time.  If you want to forgo even that hydration time, use fresh mushrooms like cremini.

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