What to cook for the Holy evening or Christmas. Christmas delicious meals. What to cook for Christmas What to cook for Christmas

minced meat

According to tradition, the table for Christmas should be rich. The Christmas meal is divided into two feasts: a Lenten table on Christmas Eve and a generous quick treat the next day. Moreover, among the festive dishes, at least one fish dish must be present on the table - in memory of the ancient Christians, who draw fish on the sand as a sign of belonging to the Church. And at least one dish should be whole - a goose, a baked fish, a pig or a big pie - as a symbol of unity. There should be 13 dishes on the table, symbolizing Christ and the 12 apostles. Moreover, the amount of food should far exceed the appetite of the eaters, so that no one gets up from the table hungry. An even number of appliances are placed on the table - what if guests come in?

The Russian Christmas menu is amazing in scope. Some dishes in a city apartment are difficult to cook, and you are not always lucky to buy a suckling pig, but for a goose or duck stuffed to taste, you can do your best. "Culinary Eden" offers you the following menu for the Christmas table:

Kutya (or sochivo)

Uzvar (dried fruit compote)

Salad from fresh tomatoes

Appetizer from the heart

Appetizer of squid "Three whales"

pies

Goose baked with apples and prunes

Potato baked with bacon and cheese

Rinse 1-2 cups of wheat thoroughly, pour into a saucepan and pour hot water so that it only covered the cereal. Cover with a lid and place in a medium heat oven. Ready wheat should be crumbly, moderately boiled and juicy (hence the other name of the dish - juicy). In the meantime, prepare raisins, dried apricots, prunes, poppy seeds, almonds - you can choose nuts and dried fruits to taste. Soak the almonds for half an hour in warm water, remove the skin and cut the nuts into medium-sized pieces. Poppy boil until soft. Rinse raisins and other dried fruits thoroughly and dry on a towel, cut dried apricots and prunes into cubes. Toss cooled wheat with nuts, poppy seeds and dried fruits. Dilute honey in a small amount of cold boiled water and pour into kutya.

Buy ready-made compote mixture or cook it to your own taste. Must be dried apples, prunes and pears, other dried fruits at will. Rinse dried fruits thoroughly in running water, put them in a saucepan and cover with clean water. Put the pot on the fire and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cool and strain.

To prepare this dish you will need royal or Tiger chrimp. Peel the thawed shrimp, leaving the tail. Heat deep fryer (flavorless vegetable oil) and dip the shrimp into boiling oil. Fry the shrimp for 1 minute until golden brown (don't overcook!). Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and pat dry on paper towels to remove excess oil. Serve on leaves green salad With soy sauce or make a sauce from a mixture of mayonnaise with spicy ketchup(2 parts mayonnaise to 1 part ketchup).

Ingredients:
200-250 g champignons,
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
50 g hard cheese
salt pepper.
For sauce:
200 ml 20% cream,
1 tbsp flour,
1 tbsp butter,
¼ tsp ground nutmeg.

Cooking:
Peel the mushrooms from the film and cut into thin strips. Finely chop the onion and garlic and fry in vegetable oil for 2 minutes. Add chopped mushrooms, pour in 2 tbsp. water and simmer over medium heat, uncovered, for 3 minutes. cook cream sauce: in a dry frying pan, heat the flour until light beige, add the butter, mix and pour in the cream. Mix thoroughly so that there are no lumps, salt and pepper to taste. Add sauce to mushrooms and remove from heat. Arrange in cocotte bowls or molds of suitable size, without adding 1-1.5 cm to the top, pour thickly with cheese grated on a fine grater and place in an oven heated to 200 ° C for 4-5 minutes.

Ingredients:
400 g chicken fillet,
1 orange
1 green apple
1 bunch of green lettuce.
Sauce:
3-4 tbsp olive oil,
1 tsp salt,
1 tsp Sahara,
ground black pepper - to taste.

Cooking:
Boil chicken fillet in salted water and set aside. Cut into cubes. Peel the orange from the peel and films and cut into pieces. Cut the apple and lettuce. Olive oil mix with salt and sugar and add some pepper. Mix all ingredients and season with sauce.

Fresh tomato salad. Classic of the genre: cut tomatoes into slices, add chopped onion and season with vegetable oil lemon juice and a crushed clove of garlic. Add ground black pepper to taste.

Appetizer from the heart

Ingredients:
1 heart
1 bunch of green onions
salt, ground black pepper, mayonnaise - to taste.

Cooking:
Boil the heart in salted water and cool in the broth. Cut into thin strips. Rinse the onion and cut lengthwise into strips. Mix, salt and pepper to taste, season with mayonnaise.

Ingredients:
200 g wheat flour,
200 g oatmeal,
2 tbsp oatmeal,
500-600 ml of milk,
2 tsp Sahara,
½ tsp salt,
3 eggs,
30 g butter,
3 g dry yeast.

Cooking:
Dissolve salt and sugar in 100 ml of warm milk, add oat flakes and yeast and put in a warm place for 20-30 minutes. Beat eggs, add milk, sifted flour, melted butter and knead the dough of the consistency of thick sour cream. Add the dough to the dough, mix thoroughly and leave for 30-40 minutes to rise (no longer, otherwise it will ferment). If it gets too thick, thin with milk. Fry, as usual, in a hot pan. Pancakes are thick and fluffy. Brush each pancake with butter. Serve with any thick meat sauce.

Ingredients:
3 squid carcasses,
1 can of cod liver
3 eggs,
100 rice,
salt, pepper - to taste.
For sauce:
150-200 g of hard cheese,
200 ml sour cream.

Cooking:
Clean and rinse squid carcasses. Boil the rice and cool, boil the eggs and grate on a coarse grater. Mix rice, eggs and cod liver. Fill carcasses and stab with skewers. Mix sour cream and cheese grated on a fine grater, pour over the squids and put the mold in the oven.

Ingredients:
4 legs,
3 carrots
2 large onions
2 slices of stale white bread
100 ml milk
1 garlic clove
salt, black ground pepper - to taste.

Cooking:
Rinse and pat dry chilled or thawed chicken legs. Carefully separate the skin from the meat and chop the bone at the joint. Remove the meat from the bones and chop in a blender or pass through a meat grinder. Soak white bread in milk and add to minced meat, salt and pepper. Cut the onion into small cubes, grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, fry the onion until transparent, add the carrots and fry the vegetables for 5-7 minutes, stirring, then cover, reduce the heat and simmer for another 5 minutes. Cool and mix with minced meat. Stuff the chicken skin with the mixture and stab with skewers. Place the chicken legs on a baking sheet covered with foil, grease with vegetable oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and place in the oven, preheated to 180 ° C. Bake until golden brown.



Ingredients:

8-10 potatoes,
200 g hard cheese,
100 g bacon
2-3 bulbs
1 carrot
1 sweet red pepper
1 tbsp mixture of butter and vegetable oil,
salt, black ground pepper, spices to taste.

Cooking:

Grease a deep baking sheet with a mixture of butter and vegetable oil. Peel the potatoes and cut into slices, place on a baking sheet. carrots and Bell pepper cut into small cubes and put on top of the potatoes. Also cut the bacon into thin strips and place on top of the carrots and peppers. Cut the onion into cubes, put a layer on the bacon, cover everything with a thick layer of grated cheese, salt, pepper and add spices as desired. Cover a baking sheet with foil and fold over the edges. Put in an oven heated to 180-190 ° C for 20-25 minutes.

Ingredients:
400 g flour
3 tbsp vegetable oil,
30 g dry yeast
300 g pike fillet,
300 g salmon fillet,
3 eggs,
300 ml milk
1 tbsp breadcrumbs without additives,
½ tsp ground black pepper,
1 tbsp Sahara,
a pinch of salt.

Cooking:
Dissolve the sugar in warm milk, add the yeast and all the flour and knead the dough well. Put the dough in a bowl, cover with a towel and put in a warm place. After the dough has risen 2 times, add 2 yolks to it, 2 tbsp. oil and mix well again. In the meantime, chop the pike fillet as finely as possible, salt, pepper and fry in vegetable oil. Cut salmon into thin slices. As soon as the dough rises for the second time, punch it down, roll it into a layer 0.5 cm thick, cut out circles with a glass. Put the pike fillet filling on each circle, on top - a thin slice of salmon and pinch the edges of the pies so that the middle remains open ("unbuttoned"). Place pies on a greased baking sheet and let rest for 10-15 minutes. After that, grease the pies with yolk, whipped with 1 tbsp. water and sprinkle breadcrumbs. Put in hot oven and bake until golden brown.

Ingredients:
1 goose
3-4 garlic cloves,
ground black pepper,
green apples,
prunes,
pomegranate sauce - for lubrication,
salt.

Cooking:
Rinse the goose carcass and dip it in a salt solution. The goose must be completely under water. Leave it for a day. After that, drain the brine and scald the carcass with boiling water. The skin will turn white and become thinner. Dry the carcass with a towel, place on a flat dish and refrigerate uncovered. Let the night lie there. The skin after all the manipulations will become thin and will crunch after baking. Cut the garlic into thin strips, roll in black pepper and stuff the goose. Peel and cut the apples into slices, wash and dry the prunes. Stuff the goose with apples and prunes and sew up the belly with a harsh thread or fasten with wooden skewers. Tie the legs and wings together, grease with pomegranate sauce, place the goose on a greased baking sheet and place in an oven heated to 180 ° C. Bake until tender, basting with melted fat.

In the old days, special gingerbreads were baked for the Christmas table - roes. Let's try to bake an old delicacy.



Ingredients:

400-500 g flour,
2/3 stack. brown sugar
½ stack Sahara,
½ stack boiling water
100 g butter,
1 egg
2 yolks,
a little salt
½ tsp ground nutmeg,
1 tsp ground ginger,
1 tsp ground cinnamon,
½ tsp soda.

For glaze:
2 squirrels,
1 - 1.5 stack. powdered sugar
food coloring.

Cooking:

Melt the brown sugar in a dry frying pan, then gently pour in the boiling water and stir well to dissolve all the sugar. Add sugar and dissolve it. Add oil and remove from heat. Cool down. Add the yolks and eggs, mix with a fork, spices, soda, salt and gradually stir in the flour. Knead the dough until it no longer sticks to your hands, put in plastic bag and put in the refrigerator overnight. Set aside for 15 minutes before rolling. Roll out into a layer 3-5 mm thick and cut out the figures. Spread the gingerbread on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake at 180°C for 5-10 minutes. Cool down. In the meantime, beat the whites in a strong foam with a pinch of salt, gradually adding powdered sugar to hard peaks. Add food coloring. Decorate the roes with a cornet and leave to set overnight.

Merry Christmas!

Hello dear readers. Christmas is no less important holiday than New Year, although many today forget about it completely. On this day we celebrate the birth of Christ, which means that the celebration should take place according to all the rules. Many of us, celebrating Christmas, completely forget about the true meaning of this holiday. It is for these reasons that we believe that any dishes can be prepared for the festive table. Although in fact there is a list of certain dishes that will be appropriate for a festive meal. This holiday involves the preparation of exclusively lenten dishes, so some of the usual goodies will have to be abandoned. At Christmas, the whole family gathers together at the same table, so it is necessary to prepare a sufficient number of festive dishes.

There are a huge number of similar dishes, but for the celebration of Christmas, you should choose the most suitable ones.

Of course, not everyone fasts today, but still some meatless dishes and today are traditional, and are served at the Christmas table.

What dishes are prepared for Christmas. What to cook for the Holy evening

If for the New Year we can cook absolutely any dishes, then for Christmas it is necessary to prepare a somewhat restrained menu. Ideally, all meals should be lean, which means that they do not contain meat, milk and eggs.

Now, many do not follow this important rule when preparing various meat delicacies.

But if you are used to sticking to traditions, then for the duration of the celebration you will have to give up the usual meat treats. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare traditional dishes for Christmas.

The main dish that everyone is used to preparing on this important day is kutya. Traditional kutya is made from boiled wheat, which is supplemented with liquid honey. In this case, it acts as a symbol of fertility and prosperity.

Today, a popular substitute for wheat is boiled rice, which is also served with a little honey. Each family prepares kutya according to its own special recipe, so today there are a huge number of variations of this traditional dish.

Dinner is prepared the day before Christmas, and during cooking, the hostess must be in a good mood. At this time, you need to forget about all the existing problems, because our mood can affect not only the preparation of dishes, but also the general festive atmosphere.

The festive table should consist of 12 traditional Lenten dishes, personifying all the apostles. Therefore, it is necessary to think in advance holiday menu, which will contain only lean dishes. Also, let me remind you that the Holy evening is better to meet in the circle of close people.

An obligatory dish is kutia, which is solemnly placed on the family table, giving the right to the owner of the house to be the first to try this goodies. Only after that, the rest of the family can taste the kutya, scooping it up with a spoon.

And now it's time to get acquainted with the rest of the festive dishes that will be present on the Christmas table.

12 Meals for Christmas - Recipes

Nowadays, not so many people will agree to give up roasted poultry or meat pie. In this regard, a festive menu was compiled, consisting of meat dishes, without which the celebration will hardly be considered successful. Although many still fast without experiencing any discomfort.

We will consider a modern version of the Christmas menu, which consists of a wide variety of dishes prepared according to a special recipe.

1. Kutia

If earlier this dish was prepared exclusively from wheat grains and honey, today there are a huge number of options for its preparation, which differ in a variety of ingredients.

Today, in addition to wheat, rice is also used, which is complemented by raisins and walnuts.

We will consider the following version of kutia, for the preparation of which we need such ingredients.

Ingredients:

- a glass of rice and wheat grains;

- a glass of raisins;

- 100 g of honey;

- sugar and salt to taste.

Cooking

The cooking process takes a small amount of time, so this dish will please any hostess.

First of all, it is necessary to boil the rice in lightly salted water, after which, move it to a colander and rinse under running water. We place the washed rice in a separate bowl, where we mix it with honey and sugar. We thoroughly wash the raisins, after which, pour boiling water so that it picks up moisture.

Add the softened raisins to the rice and mix well. Actually, the dish is ready, which means that it can already be served at the table.

2. Pie with cabbage and mushrooms

This dish is considered lean, because mushrooms are a substitute for meat here. This option is perfect for those people who still fast on these holidays.

That is, on the table there may be meat dishes, but it is always important to provide a choice to guests who can follow the good old traditions.

The preparation of such a pie will not take too much time, because for its base we will use ready-made dough.

Let's take a look at the list of products that will need to be prepared for making such a pie.

Ingredients:

- half a kilogram of puff pastry;

- 200 g of champignons;

- 100 g hard cheese;

- half white cabbage;

- a third of a glass of milk;

- 20 g of butter;

- two medium-sized potatoes;

- two tablespoons of vegetable oil;

- a mixture of dried herbs, salt, pepper.

Cooking

Despite the fact that this is a pie, it does not take long to prepare. At least most of the time will be spent on baking the pie itself. But first of all, you need to try to chop the cabbage as finely as possible, while salting and peppering it a little.

A small amount of vegetable oil is added to a heated frying pan, in which we will fry our cabbage until fully cooked. Cut the mushrooms into small slices and fry in a separate pan with basil. The frying process will take at least 10 minutes, while the prepared mixture must be poured with soy sauce.

Next, we proceed to the preparation of potatoes, which must be boiled until fully cooked and add the prepared butter and milk to it. In fact, we are preparing a puree that will become part of the filling. Mushrooms are mixed with cabbage and cheese, after which we add the cooked mashed potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 210 degrees, in which we place two layers of puff pastry. Already after 15 minutes, the cakes will be completely ready, after which they will need a little time to cool completely.

After the cakes have cooled, we distribute all the prepared filling on one of them, and cover with the second cake on top. Sprinkle grated cheese on top of the pie and place in the oven for another five minutes so that the cheese is completely melted.

3. Compote with dried fruits

Since it will be problematic to prepare compote from fresh fruits at this time of the year, dried fruits come to our aid, which will turn out to be an ideal basis for uzvar.

You can use not only dried fruits alone, but also various spices that will give the drink a special piquancy.

In order to prepare such an uzvar, we need:

- two liters of purified water;

- half a kilogram of various dried fruits;

- 3 tablespoons of sugar;

- a tablespoon of honey.

Cooking

To begin with, let's deal with our dried fruits, among which there will be: pear, apple, cherry and apricot. You can choose for yourself perfect combination fruits, that is, it is not necessary to use all.

We wash the dried fruits and leave them in warm water so that they have time to soften. We boil water for compote and add the prescribed amount of sugar, after which we put fruit in the syrup.

We boil the compote for about half an hour, after which we give it a little time to cool. Warm drink is supplemented with a spoonful of honey.

4. Light baking

No one festive table can not do without baking, but most often, we get by with the store option. On such a holiday, you can not be too lazy and bake delicious homemade pies on your own.

For this we need the following products:

- half a kilogram of apples;

- 500 g flour;

- 60 g margarine;

- 1 pack of yeast;

- one glass of milk;

- three tablespoons of sugar;

- 2 teaspoons of sunflower oil;

Cooking

It is necessary to dissolve the yeast in milk by adding a teaspoon of sugar. Beat eggs with melted margarine and sugar.

Pour a few tablespoons of vegetable oil into the mixture, and begin to introduce the prescribed amount of flour little by little. Gradually knead the dough, after which, leave it for about an hour so that it has time to rise.

We clean the apples and cut them into small cubes, which will need to be fried in a pan, adding a small amount of sugar. Next, we form the pies themselves, placing an equal amount of filling in the dough.

The pies will be ready 15 minutes after they are placed in the oven, while the oven must be preheated to 200 degrees.

5. Poloninsky salad

This salad belongs to lean dishes, so everyone will like it. In addition, it is quite simple to prepare, which will not take you too much time.

For cooking you will need the following ingredients:

- two small beets of the same size;

- about a dozen walnuts;

- one bulb;

- 300 frozen mushrooms;

- a few cloves of garlic;

- a teaspoon of vinegar;

- about five tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Cooking

The beets are baked in the oven for about an hour, after which they are peeled and cut into strips. Add some vinegar to it.

Grind the garlic and nuts with a meat grinder. Mix all the ingredients and season with vegetable oil.

6. Vinaigrette

Such a salad is familiar to everyone, because it is prepared from the most simple vegetables, which are pre-boiled until fully cooked, peel and cut into cubes.

For cooking, we need potatoes, beets, carrots, pickled cucumbers and beans.

All these ingredients are thoroughly mixed, and the salad is supplemented with vegetable oil and fresh onions.

7. Vareniki with potatoes

For dumplings, the usual yeast-free dough from wheat flour. The filling can serve boiled potatoes with the addition of fried mushrooms with onions. Mushrooms can be used both forest and porcini.

8. Cabbage rolls

Ordinary cabbage rolls are cooked with meat, but if you are fasting, then this ingredient can be replaced, for example, with the same mushrooms. Most often, rice is used for the filling, but you can also replace it with millet.

The lean version, consisting of mushrooms and millet, is complemented by stewed carrots with onions and tomatoes. The further course of action, for sure, is known to everyone.

9. Pickles

We need to create an interesting mixture of sauerkraut, tomatoes and frozen cranberries.

Absolutely everyone will like such a light, slightly spicy salad, and at the same time, it will serve as an ideal snack.

Cranberries and cabbage - the combination is quite unusual, but the taste is quite interesting.

10. Vegetable stew

To prepare such a lean dish, you will need carrots, celery, onions and parsnips. If this combination of vegetables seems boring to you, then you can supplement it with the same mushrooms. They will give the dish a special taste and aroma.

By the way, it is best to use dried mushrooms because only they can do vegetable stew so fragrant.

11. Cabbage

The classic version of this dish involves the use of meat broth, but if we fast, then it should be cooked on the water.

To prepare cabbage, we need sauerkraut or raw cabbage, to which millet is added. You can add potatoes or parsnips to the resulting mixture, the choice is yours.

Carrots are grated, and then fried together with onions in vegetable oil. Boil the dish until fully cooked.

12. Baked apples with honey and nuts

To prepare such a festive dessert, you only need sweet varieties of apples. The secret to evenly cooking apples is to pre-pierce them all over with a fork.

We remove the core from each apple and put inside each apple a teaspoon of honey and walnuts, which must be crushed in advance. Sprinkle the top of the apples with sugar mixed with cinnamon and place in the oven.

Please note that a small amount of water must be poured into the bottom of the mold so that the fruit does not burn.

Meals for Christmas

Each of the proposed recipes has several cooking variations. In fact, even from regular dish containing meat, you can prepare a lean version by replacing the meat with another ingredient that is similar in calorie content.

Traditional delicious food at Christmas are rich in a sufficiently large number of different vegetables, which makes them lean. If you are not used to fasting, then you can cook classic options such dishes.

Each of us wants to spend Christmas at the festive table, enjoying delicious homemade dishes. Someone strictly adheres to fasting, but someone does not deny himself anything even on such a day.

But for those and for others, there is an ideal menu, the dishes of which may vary depending on the ingredients used.

Prepare 12 dishes for Christmas that will decorate your table and delight not only you, but also your guests. I hope you enjoy the recipes!

Prepare 12 delicious meatless dishes for Christmas using the recipes from this article.

Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7th. On the eve of January 6, the 40-day Christmas fast ends, Holy Evening begins. Needless to say, Christmas has been popularized?

Many consider him one of the new year holidays, an occasion to meet with friends, eat at the table, skip a glass of alcohol. Not only do they not fast, but they do not even know elementary Christmas traditions.

But for our ancestors, Christmas had a special meaning, they prepared for it very carefully: they put things in order in their homes, went to church, observed religious canons, invited only their closest and loved ones to the house that evening. Perhaps you should think about the renewal of traditions? First of all, prepare the right meatless dishes for Christmas.

What festive dishes are served at Christmas?

Those who observe the Orthodox canons do not eat anything on January 6 until the first star lights up in the sky in the evening. She notifies the world that Jesus Christ was born. This means that you can sit down at the table and eat deliciously.
Festive dishes for Christmas are served according to certain rules:

  1. There should be 12 dishes, that's how many apostles Jesus Christ had. The Slavs also believed that 12 dishes on the table on Holy Evening symbolize 12 months, and how tasty the dishes are, so generous these months will be for food and harvest.
  2. Dishes must be lean. That is, on the festive table there should not be butter, milk, sour cream, eggs and meat. You can eat fish.
  3. Before preparing each of the dishes, you need to read a prayer.
  4. It is desirable that all family members take part in the preparation of food for the festive table.

IMPORTANT: There should not be alcohol on the table on Holy Evening!

Table setting for Christmas.

Each housewife has the right to choose which lenten dishes will be included in the festive menu. But two will be mandatory:

  1. Kutya. - a symbol of resurrection after death, it is always prepared for a wake. You can read about how to cook it deliciously in.
  2. Uzvar is also a symbolic drink, which was always prepared when a child was born in the family.

Together, kutia and uzvar denote memories of the birth and death of the Savior and every person who lived on earth.



VIDEO: Lenten Recipes

12 delicious meatless dishes for the Christmas table

So, an approximate Christmas menu, in addition to kutya, may include the following dishes:

Uzvar

The tradition of cooking uzvar originated in Ukraine, and later it was adopted by residents of many Eastern European countries. In fact, the drink is a compote of dried fruits, dried berries, honey and sugar. But not simple, because after boiling water it is not boiled, but immediately removed from the fire.

Uzvar turns out to be concentrated, since it is customary to take 0.5 kg of dry berries and fruits for 2 liters of water for it. Which ones - it's up to the hostess. Honey for the indicated volume of the drink is taken 3 tbsp. spoons, sugar - to taste.

Here is one of the uzvar recipes for which they take:

  • apple drying -100 g
  • dried plum or prunes - 100 g
  • dried pear - 100 g
  • raisins - 100 g
  • dried apricots - 50 g
  • dried cherries - 50 g
  • honey - 3 tbsp. spoons
  • sugar - 3 tbsp. spoons


  1. Dried fruits and dried berries needs to be soaked. They do it in different ways: at night, for 2 hours or for 15 minutes.
  2. Pour straightened, soaked fruits and berries, pour them with water, bring to a boil and immediately remove. Sometimes they do it differently - they just pour the ingredients with boiling water.
  3. Honey and sugar can be added immediately. But in boiling water, honey loses its strength, becomes harmful. Therefore, it is better to put it already cooled down.
  4. Uzvar is prepared 3-4 hours before the feast, so that it has time to infuse. Serve and drink either chilled or slightly warm.

IMPORTANT: Uzvar on the table on Christmas Eve replaces alcoholic drinks. It is drunk throughout the feast by both adults and children. Sometimes kutya is poured with a knot.

  • potatoes - 5 pcs.
  • carrots - 2 pcs.
  • onion - 2 pcs.
  • pickled cucumbers (medium) - 5 pcs.
  • parsley root (small) - 2 pcs.
  • tomato paste- 2 tbsp. spoons
  • lemon
  • different greens
  • salt, sugar, pepper
  • olives and olives
  • water - 3 l


  1. Potatoes are sent to the salted water first. To do this, it is cleaned, washed, cut quite finely. You can also throw in a bay leaf if you wish.
  2. At this time, dressing is being prepared in the pan: finely chopped onion, grated carrots, parsley root, cucumbers are sautéed.
  3. Add tomato paste and pepper to the sautéed vegetables. They will be kind of stewed, as cucumbers and pasta will give a lot of liquid.
  4. Add the dressing to the cooked potatoes. Boil the hodgepodge under the lid for 5 minutes. If desired, pickle from cucumbers, a little sugar are added to it.
  5. When serving, decorate the lean hodgepodge with chopped herbs, rings of olives or black olives, lemon slices.

Cabbage with mushrooms a simple dish? It will turn out festive if instead of champignons you take dried porcini mushrooms and beautifully decorate the stew.

  • white cabbage - 1 kg
  • dried porcini mushrooms - 300 g
  • carrots - 1 pc.
  • onion - 1 pc.
  • tomato juice- 0.5 cups
  • salt, pepper, herbs


  1. Porcini mushrooms are soaked for 1 hour.
  2. Prepare a roast of onions and carrots.
  3. Finely chop the cabbage, send it to stew. If at the very beginning it is salted and slightly crushed, there will be a lot of juice, you will not have to add water.
  4. Finely chopped porcini mushrooms are immediately added to the cabbage, cover the saucepan with a lid. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  5. Add roast, tomato juice and pepper to the dish being prepared, stew for another 10 minutes.
  6. When serving, lay out the dish in a neat slide and decorate with greens.

For them you need:

  • champignons - 0.5 kg
  • onion -1 pc.
  • loaf - 200 g
  • milk - 200 ml
  • starch - 1 teaspoon
  • salt pepper
  • flour or breadcrumbs


  1. Mushrooms are cleaned and cut into quarters, fried for 10 minutes along with finely chopped onions.
  2. Onions and mushrooms are twisted into a meat grinder. They also twist a loaf soaked in milk.
  3. Salt, pepper, starch diluted in 30 ml of water are added to the minced mushroom (it is needed so that the cutlets “grab”).
  4. Cutlets are formed from minced meat, breaded and fried on each side for 2-3 minutes.

Lean cabbage rolls are stuffed with rice and carrots. Need:

  • cabbage with wide leaves - 1 head
  • carrots - 4 pcs.
  • onion - 1 sh.
  • rice - 0.5 cup
  • vinegar - 50 ml
  • vegetable oil - 50 ml
  • herbs, salt, pepper, sugar


  1. Rice is boiled as follows: pour 1 part of it into 2 parts of salted water, bring to a boil, cook under a lid until the water boils.
  2. So that the leaves from the cabbage are easily separated, not torn, boil it directly with a head of cabbage in boiling water for 5 minutes.
  3. Peeled carrots are cut into strips or rubbed on a Korean grater, sautéed together with finely chopped onions.
  4. Combine rice with carrots, add pepper.
  5. Cabbage leaves are stuffed with minced meat, cabbage rolls are formed. They are laid out in a saucepan one by one, poured with boiled water so that the cabbage rolls are covered.
  6. When the water boils, add vinegar, vegetable oil, pepper, sugar and salt to it.
  7. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  8. Greens are used for decoration.

The vinaigrette

A simple but beloved dish, vinaigrette, is quite suitable for the Christmas table.
It is prepared from:

  • beetroot - 3 pcs.
  • potatoes - 3 pcs.
  • pickled cucumbers - 4 pcs.
  • carrots - 2 pcs.
  • salad onion - 1 pc.
  • green peas - 200 g
  • olive oil - 100 ml
  • table vinegar or apple cider vinegar - 50 ml
  • salt, pepper, herbs


  1. Beets can either be boiled or baked in the oven (it is baked in foil for 2 hours).
  2. Potatoes and carrots are peeled, washed and boiled.
  3. If the peas are frozen, they are boiled in boiling water for 5 minutes.
  4. All vegetables are cut into cubes, approximately equal to the size of peas.
  5. Prepare dressing from oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
  6. Dress the salad, add chopped greens to it.
  7. Mix it up.
  8. Optionally add sauerkraut to the vinaigrette.

Carp from the oven

For Christmas, you can bake carp. In Eastern Europe this river fish love and know how to cook. Often it is baked with sour cream and cheese, but on Christmas Eve the dish should be lean, these ingredients should be discarded. Instead take:

  • carp - a carcass of 1-1.5 kg
  • onion - 1 pc.
  • honey - 4 tbsp. spoons
  • vegetable oil - 100 ml
  • balsamic vinegar - 3 tbsp. spoons
  • coriander seeds - 3 tbsp. spoons
  • rosemary sprigs - 3 pcs.
  • salt pepper


  1. The fish is washed, cleaned of scales. Leaves the head. Cut the carcass in the region of the ribs.
  2. A marinade is prepared from melted honey, spices, balsamic vinegar and vegetable oil.
  3. Keep the carp carp in the marinade for about 1 hour.
  4. Spread the carp on a greased baking sheet, cover with foil. You can completely wrap the carcass in foil, pour the rest of the marinade into this “cocoon”.
  5. Bake at 200 degrees for 40 minutes.
  6. You can serve carp baked in this way on a pillow of potatoes or any other vegetables.

Bean pancakes

Draniki are often made on Holy Evening, but pancakes can be made not from potatoes, but from beans. Take:

  • beans - 100 g
  • flour - 2 cups
  • water - 1.5 cups
  • starch - 1 teaspoon
  • yeast - 2 g
  • sugar, salt
  • vegetable oil - 1 tbsp. a spoon.


  1. From warm water, yeast, sugar and a small amount of flour make a dough.
  2. The beans are boiled and mashed with a fork.
  3. Bean puree, a spoonful of vegetable oil, diluted in 2 tbsp, are added to the dough. tablespoons of water starch and the remaining flour. Salt the dough.
  4. It should rise twice for half an hour.
  5. Bean pancakes are fried in vegetable oil until golden brown, on both sides.

Vareniki with potatoes and mushrooms

For this dish you need:

  • potatoes - 4 pcs.
  • champignons - 200 g
  • onion - 3 pcs.
  • flour - 2 cups
  • water - how much dough will take
  • salt, pepper, herbs


  1. Champignons and 1 pc. chop the onion, fry together in vegetable oil for 5 minutes, they will become golden.
  2. Potatoes are peeled, washed, boiled until tender. Salted and crushed into a puree.
  3. connect mashed potatoes and grilled mushrooms.
    Water, flour and salt are used to knead a stiff dough for dumplings.
  4. Dumplings are made, stuffed with potato and mushroom mass.
  5. Boil dumplings in salted boiling water until they float.
  6. 2 pcs. finely chop the onion and fry until golden in a large amount of oil. Ready dumplings are smeared with this dressing.

There are already ten dishes for the Christmas table. The other two can be anything. For instance:

  • porridge with roast
    boiled, stewed or baked potatoes
  • pickles and salads
  • fresh fruits
  • pies with vegetable and fruit filling
  • dressings from garlic, vegetable oil, herbs, other
  • lean cookies


Lenten pies- idea for the Christmas table.

VIDEO: Authentic rich dried fruit

VIDEO: Uzvar in a multicooker

Christmas table decoration

On Christmas Eve, the family sits at a large table:

  • a white or traditionally patterned tablecloth is laid on it
  • napkins are chosen to match the tablecloth
  • straw is placed under the tablecloth, symbolizing the manger in which Christ was born


Lenten table for Christmas.

IMPORTANT: Today I often set the table in the colors of Catholic Christmas - red and white.



Table decoration for Christmas Eve.

Church candles are also placed on the table; they are lit at dinner.

They always put more on one device than people at the table. It will be for the deceased relatives, who are usually commemorated at Christmas. Also deprive should be a glass with a knot.

Christmas dinner lasts a long time, followed by measured conversations in a measured manner. Those present must taste each of the dishes. And only then it will be possible to carol or arrange a nativity scene, give gifts to children.

VIDEO: Dishes for Christmas Eve

Despite the cold and bad weather, winter gives us the expectation of wonderful holidays and long vacations, imbued with the warmth of the hearts of loved ones. The celebration of Christmas is the most significant and magical date. According to a long tradition, they begin to celebrate Christmas on January 6, on Christmas Eve, with a fasting feast of 12 dishes. The next day, January 7, meat treats are added.

History of Christmas

The history of Christmas as a holiday dates back to the first centuries of Christianity and is celebrated in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ by the Virgin Mary. The Son of God was born in a cave for livestock, on the route of the Virgin Mary and her husband Joseph to Bethlehem, where the census was conducted. Together with the birth of Jesus, a wonderful star lit up in the sky - since then this event has been celebrated immediately after the first star appears in the evening sky.

The celebration of Christmas with its bright biblical story attracts even people who are far from faith and religion, but united by identical moral values. Christmas is an occasion to strengthen family ties, to feel support, unbreakable ties with family and friends. It is customary to fast before Christmas for forty days. And during Christmas Eve on January 6, preceding Christmas and being the final day of Advent, do not eat anything. With the first star on the table, sochivo is served, or a special treat made from wheat, rice, nuts and honey.

Traditions of Christmas Eve

It is believed that on the night of Christmas, before the first star on Christmas Eve, January 6, the opposition between good and evil is expressed as clearly as possible. Some celebrate Christmas Eve with loved ones and attend church services. And there are those who, with evil spirits, gather for the Sabbath and create riots. It is important to maintain a good mood on this magical day and the following night, to beware of bad thoughts and deeds.

Konstantin Trutovsky "Carols in Little Russia", 1864

In addition to carols with mummers, special Christmas performances - nativity scenes - were popular in Russia. The nativity scene was a box of a special design for a portable puppet theater. With the help of thematically decorated puppets, various biblical scenes were played out. Who knows, maybe you are destined to revive this interesting tradition? Try it, bring joy to your children and loved ones!

What to serve on the Christmas table

Orthodox and Catholic Christmas

Catholics around the world celebrate Christmas on December 25th, or rather, on the night of the 24th to the 25th, after the appearance of the first star; Orthodox - on the night of January 6-7. In both cases, Christmas is a holiday that includes church service, a generous family feast and the exchange of gifts.

Carl Larsson (Sweden), "Christmas Eve", 1904-1905

Norman Rockwell, American artist, "Santa Claus", 1921

Adherents of the Catholic faith have a number of features of the Christmas menu, among them:

Traditional goose or turkey, stuffed with apples, with a delicious golden crust - the main dish of the European feast.

Lovely gifts for children, which are brought by the kind Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas) and laid out in hung socks over the fireplace. Symbolic gifts on the eve of Christmas in the form of small souvenirs are given with best wishes to absolutely everyone - acquaintances, colleagues, neighbors and just passers-by.

Rich and not very decoration of the rooms in the house and the courtyard area - luminous lanterns and stars at the entrance, on nearby trees, wreaths of spruce paws on the doors, garlands of branches, cones and berries, bells, etc.

Alexander Buchkuri, "Christmas Market", 1906

Signs for Christmas

As on any other church holiday, on Christmas not accepted to sew and knit, sweep and wash, do housework. On this account, there are many signs that portend losses and troubles. It is also not recommended to hunt and kill animals.

To bring prosperity to the house at Christmas It is customary to show generosity and hospitable hospitality. There should be no resentment and sadness, all guests, casual and welcome, should be gifted and fed, no one should be offended and left dissatisfied. Even yourself: be sure to give yourself something that you have long wanted.

From the evening of Christmas Eve and three days of Christmas it is customary to carol- Children usually do it. At least three of them go to carols, playing the roles of a star, a bell ringer, and a fur-bearer. The first carries a star - the main symbol of Christmas and sings carols, songs with congratulations. The second - the ringer - sings along and rings the bell. And the third - the strongest - collects all the gifts, offerings, sweets and coins in a prepared bag. To receive such congratulations from mummers caroling is the best sign. But guessing on this day is not at all worth it.

In the design of the table there may be hay (straw) and thick candles that can burn throughout the significant night. The fire of the hearth has always had a certain sacred meaning - to attract wealth on Christmas Eve, a specially prepared deck soaked in honey was burned on it. Straw, as a reminder of the birthplace of Christ, is also an essential attribute of the holiday; it is usually placed under the table and tablecloth.

All water from any source is considered on this holy day endowed with special life-giving properties. It can be drawn into prepared vessels to drink and wash - health and beauty will accompany you all year.

It's a good omen to go outside and look up into the sky waiting for the first star. This promises new prospects and growth. But you can’t eat and drink until the first star. As well as cutting pies specially prepared for the occasion.

There are many signs regarding the weather on Christmas Eve. The best of them are snowfall and generous frost on the branches., as a promise of profit, abundance and a good harvest in the coming year.

What to wear for Christmas

It is highly inappropriate during the celebration of Christmas to dress in black "mourning" clothes, wear old, worn out, everyday clothes. Even in the old days, when the dress was carefully worn for decades, on Christmas Eve they tried to put on everything new and elegant. Now that there is no acute shortage in acquiring a new wardrobe, this tradition is not difficult to stick to.

When choosing, you should be prudent and tactful. Still, for many, this holiday remains the most holy and bright, so frank and extravagant outfits, bright makeup, lush hairstyles, catchy jewelry will be out of place. Especially if you are planning to visit the temple. Those who gravitate towards folk motifs in clothes can wear an elegant blouse embroidered at the collar; for lovers of modern clothes, a stylish dress will be the best option.

Want to make your evening memorable? Prepare multi-colored satin ribbons for guests and tie miniature bells to the ends. In the old days, during the holiday, such ribbons were tied under the collars of men and woven into braids, tied around the head of women and girls.

Christmas presents

You can congratulate relatives, friends, friends who are far away or colleagues with thematic positive cards and small memorable souvenirs in the form of angels, magic glass balls, beautifully decorated candles, photo albums and frames.

Strictly speaking, Christmas is a holiday for the nearest and dearest. And gifts for Christmas should be chosen taking into account interests, be really dear to the heart and useful.

Adults can be given rare books and expensive wines, jewelry and household appliances, warm clothes in the form of cozy sweaters or sets of a scarf, hat and gloves.

Teenagers will be pleased with various devices and gadgets, and preschoolers will be pleased with toys and kits for creativity. Do not neglect the beautiful shiny packaging - sign it and put it under the Christmas tree - unpacking such a gift will be pleasant and exciting not only for a child, but also for an adult! Give joy to your loved ones!

The Christmas dinner of our ancestors was formed over the centuries, and an important tradition has been preserved to this day, following which in many homes 12 dishes are prepared for Christmas. Their number corresponds to each month of the year, it is also equal to the number of the apostles of Christ. In this material, we will tell you what dishes you can cook for Holy Evening (as they call Holy Evening or Christmas Eve among the people) or Christmas 2018 for the whole family, while continuing to observe important Christmas customs.

Grade

Before serving 12 Christmas dishes, the hostess put garlic cloves under the tablecloth. He had to drive away evil spirits. All family members should be at home on Christmas Eve. It was obligatory for everyone to try all 12 dishes on the table (although).

The wife served dishes on the table, and everyone else during dinner could not speak, get up and drink water, or not want to drink during the harvest. If anyone sneezed, it was fortunate. Everyone ate from the same bowl and drank from the same cup - it was believed that as long as they did this, there would be love and unity in the house. In some villages, after dinner, spoons were tied together so that the whole family would stick together for the next year.

You couldn't borrow money to cook Christmas dinner. The hostess proceeded from the stocks that were at home. The family thanked the past year and asked all the forces of nature for help and productivity next year. Holy evening was not a demonstration of a fat wallet, on this day the main wealth of the family was manifested in the coherence of work with and respect for each other.

Kutya

Bread

The hostess paid special attention to bread, rolls and pies - they are also included in the 12 Christmas dishes. A separate day was dedicated to baking Christmas bread. Bread was a symbol of harvest and life. There was a tradition to bake symbols in bread that would bring good luck, wealth and protect against bad luck: garlic, peas, small coins, etc. Now you can make this dish on Holy evening,. See the recipe for lean bread for Christmas below on this page.

The vinaigrette

Among the 12 Christmas dishes should be cold salads, which can be an alternative to the side dish. Therefore, many people prefer to prepare vinaigrette from boiled beets, potatoes, beans, carrots, as well as sauerkraut or pickles. And, of course, add green onions or onions there. More recently, I WANT.ua published - perhaps the most versatile dish, especially for a Lenten table.

Uzvar

If you want to take into account all the dishes that are prepared for Christmas, then we recommend that you do not skip the uzvar - it cannot be replaced by any carbonated or other ready drinks. A drink that would be suitable for simply does not exist. In order to prepare uzvar, housewives always used dried apples and pears, and wild fruits were especially valued. Our ancestors believed that these fruits contain solar energy.

To ripen an apple or pear, and then dry in the sun, they needed warm sunlight. Perhaps in December and January, when the days are the shortest of the year, this drink served as an invocation to the Sun. With the help of it, our ancestors asked the luminary for additional strength and sunlight in their lives. Therefore, you definitely should know which ones are.

Borscht with ears

Borscht is also among the Christmas dishes that you can cook at home. Previously, the taste of borscht was sour, as its main component was kvass. And although for several centuries the recipe for borscht has changed - beans were added to cabbage, carrots and parsley, and in the 19th century - tomatoes. Traditional Christmas borscht consists of beetroot kvass, red beets, water and mushroom broth for taste. By the way, borsch can be among the Lenten Christmas dishes, because it is often cooked without meat. And we have a popular material in which are collected - for every taste and "post".

Pickles

When wondering what dishes are prepared for Christmas, do not forget to put pickles on the festive table. We can say that these are light Christmas Lenten dishes that complement any meal. If you have been preserving and stocking since the summer, then there should be no problems.

cabbage rolls

Cabbage rolls are one of the most favorite 12 Christmas dishes for many Ukrainians. V cabbage leaves wheat, buckwheat or rice porridge was wrapped, as well as grated potatoes with all kinds of additives. Cabbage leaves symbolize the continuation of the family (no wonder children were "found" in cabbage). Cabbage rolls were also considered a wedding dish, as their appearance remotely resembled pigeons. Look at the wonderful recipe for Transcarpathian cabbage rolls from WANT.ua

A fish

For many, Christmas dishes are associated not with red meat, but with fish. It is rarely bought for the New Year, but on Christmas Eve it is often offered for family and guests. in different versions - fried, baked with vegetables, and in some houses it is customary to make jellied fish in advance.

Vareniki

Dumplings or boiled pies can be found in Italian, Chinese, Lithuanian and Slavic cuisine. Who came up with the idea of ​​making them first? It is unlikely that we will ever know about it. V Ukrainian cuisine dumplings were considered festive dish and prepared for the great feasts, such as Christmas, and on Sundays.

Puffy dumplings filled with stuffing also symbolized the continuation of the family. And the dishes for Holy evening were also always replenished. The hardest thing to cook