All Hallows Eve Remembrance Dinner Menu
Walter Melnyk, Will’s Dad, was in the first generation of his Ukranian family to be born in the U.S. Today two of his sons, Will and Jim, carry on the traditions of the old world making pysanky (elaborately dyed Easter eggs), pyrohi (cheese or cabbage dumplings), holubtsi (stuffed cabbage or “little pigeons”), and soups like this one.
Mushroom Soup (serves 4)
8 oz sliced crimini mushrooms
2 tbs olive oil
1 qt rich chicken broth (homemade preferably)
½ tsp dried dill
2 tbs dry sherry
Saute the mushrooms in the olive oil. Add to the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, add the dill and the sherry and simmer for 45 minutes. Keep warm or serve at once topped with a spoon of sour cream or yogurt.
Rita Hendrickson Melnyk was Will’s half-Italian Mother, whose own mother was Clare Buroni from Sienna. Rita passed on family traditions of celebrating holiday meals with lasagna and baked rigatoni. But whenever we ate out, she almost always ordered shrimp in garlic sauce with fettuccine which she called “shrimp scampi”. This one’s for you, Mom!
Shrimp Scampi (serves 2 generously)
1 lb large or jumbo wild caught shrimp, shelled and veined
2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp red pepper (cayenne) flakes
2 tbs parsley chopped
¼ c dry white wine or vermouth
¼ c freshly grated romano or parmesan reggiano
6 oz fettuccine noodles (we use a gluten free variety) cooked
Melt and oil and butter to medium heat. Lightly saute the garlic. Add the shrimp, salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through. Add the parsley and the wine. Toss with the drained pasta and top with the grated cheese.
Tom Bunting was my son. He was one of those very rare children who adored vegetables and when he was in elementary school would always ask for broccoli at his birthday dinners – along with cube steak and tater tots. Tonight we will honor him with his favorite broccoli concoction, learned from his Aunt Mabel Bunting.
Broccoli with Lemon Mayonaise (serves 4)
2 c fresh broccoli florets, steamed
¼ c mayonnaise
1 tbs fresh lemon juice plus 1 tsp grated lemon rind
Mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice and lemon rind. Pour over the hot, drained broccoli. Serve at once.
Syble
Glyn’s mother, Syble Honeycutt Ruppe was a natural chef and a brilliant home cook. But what she most enjoyed were wonderfully fresh fruits and vegetables. She taught us to take a salt shaker into the garden to eat tomatoes hot off the sun-drenched vine. One of my favorite memories of Mom is of her climbing a neighbor’s pear tree to harvest the gleanings that she couldn’t reach with a ladder. She sat on a low branch and tossed the fruit down to me. When I couldn’t catch them as quickly a she could throw them, she dissolved into giggles and nearly fell out of the tree. So, for dessert tonight we have pears with Roquefort and port.
Pears with Roquefort
2 ripe but not soft bosc pears
2 oz Roquefort cheese, sliced
2 cordial sized glasses of Port
Enjoy! And may your hearts be filled with the love and memories of your own departed loved ones!
All Good Gifts 
Great job on your site, Glyn! You look a lot like your beautiful mother!
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Thank you, Claire, and you look a lot like yours! with love, Glyn
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Thank you! We will leave the photos on the dining room table until tomorrow at the end of All Souls’ Day. And thanks for coming to the new site. ~ Glyn
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What lovely stories about food and family!
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Hi Anny ~ My Ukrainian grandparents lived in a little town right on the Polish Border. Grandma was fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, and German, even though she never went to school! Sometimes they were living in Ukraine, sometimes in Galicia, sometimes in Poland, and sometimes in Austria – but always in the same town! Little variations in spelling, but the food was just as good on whatever side of the border! ~ Will
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It’s interesting that the Ukrainian dishes are very much like the Polish dishes that I learned to make for Tony when we first got married. Even though the names aren’t spelled the same, they are very similar in sound.
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