Cepelinai

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Cepelinai (singular - cepelinas) or Didžkukuliai is a Lithuanian national food. It is made from grated potatoes, usually containing ground meat, although sometimes dry cottage cheese (curd) is used instead.

The potato dish resembles a Zeppelin in its shape, and is about 10-20 cm long. The size depends on where it was made - in the western Lithuanian counties cepelinai are made bigger than in the east.

Cepelinai are boiled and served with sour cream sauce, or bits of bacon (cracklings).

[edit] Recipe

[edit] Ingredients

• 1 kg uncooked potatoes
• 3 or 4 boiled potatoes
• ground beef

for meatless cepelinai:

• dry cottage cheese (curd) or mushrooms can be used.

[edit] Preparation

Peel and grate raw potatoes, then squeeze out excess liquid from them through a cheesecloth. Let starch settle to the bottom of the liquid, then pour the liquid off and add the starch back to the potatoes. Peel and mash the boiled potatoes, then add them to the grated ones. Add a dash of salt and knead the mass well.

Take approximately egg-sized pieces of this mixture and form into patties. Place spoonfuls of the previously prepared filling into the center of the patties. Most often a filling is made from ground beef, dry cottage cheese or mushrooms with salt and spices. Close the patties around the filling and form them into ovoid shapes.

Place the cepelinai in a salted boiling water and cook for approximately 30 minutes. Carefully stir the pot so that cepelinai do not stick to the bottom. Cepelinai are eaten with bacon, or melted sour cream and butter sauce. This dish is very filling, and was traditionally only served for guests or during heavy work seasons.