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In Mamas Kitchen began in New York City where bodegas exist within blocks of Jewish delis around the corner from an Italian salumeria that shares space with Chinatown. In Mama’s Kitchen’s contributors send in recipes from the Middle East, Australia, British Guyana, Tunisia, Sicily, South Africa And that’s just for starters. A whole section of the site tells heartwarming stories about mothers (from Italy, Puerto Rico, everywhere) and their cooking.

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We present Kerstin Bergstrom's recipe for Lussekatter from the book Celebrating Women's in the chapter on the Sankta Lucia festival to get you started.

LUSSEKATTER (Sankta Lucia Buns)

Using a mortar and pestle, pound saffron threads to break down the strands. In a small saucepan, heat milk to lukewarm. Mix yeast with ¼ cup milk and 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside. On low heat, melt butter in saucepan with milk. Add crushed saffron. Let cool.

In large bowl, mix together flour, salt and remaining sugar. Stir yeast into cooled milk mixture. Mix in to dry ingredients, beating to mix well. Add beaten eggs. Knead in bowl for 5-7 minutes. Turn onto floured board and knead another 7-8 minutes. Put dough in lightly greased bowl, turn to coat all sides, cover and put in warm, draft-free place to rise for about 1 hour. When dough has risen, knead lightly to push out air and divide into about 10-12 small pieces.

Using the hands, roll each small piece into a strip about 8-10” long. Shape each strip into an S or a Figure 8. Place on lightly buttered cookie sheets. Cover with clean cloth and let rise again until double in bulk, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. When dough has risen, brush lightly with egg white. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on wire rack. Yield 10-12 buns.

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