A Glutton's New Year Feast

When you hear the words “Russian food,” what springs to mind? I would venture a guess that for many it would be either borshch or pelmeni. But borshch is an object of an ongoing culinary custody battle with Ukraine, which considers the soup its own. And pelmeni – well, they are all over the world in some way or form. From Italy to China, every nation has its dumplings.

Meanwhile, the pirog (not to be confused with pierogi, borrowed from Polish and referring to dumplings), is quite capable of holding the flag as the most important dish in Russian cuisine.

The best-known Russian pirogi are kulebyaka and kurnik, but the regional varieties are far more diverse. And a Russian pirog is not an affair for the faint-hearted, as it requires yeast dough, and can’t be thrown together in 30 minutes. But it is a filling, generous, and hearty meal, containing all the major food groups (vegetables, animal protein, grains, and bread) rolled up in one.

The recipe here comes from northwestern Pskov and Tver oblasts, where it was considered a symbol of happiness and prosperity. The name – nakrepnik or nakryopik – has two meanings. On the one hand, an old Russian word nakrepa means glutton – no wonder, as it is easy to overindulge when consuming this work of baking art. On the other hand, the name nakrepnik refers to the top layer of the pirog’s filling: slices of cured fish that bind the rest of the filling and keep it inside.

Recipes vary, of course: some stipulate that nakrepnik be made as a closed case of dough and that the addition of cured fish is a luxury. The one I found, tested, and now present to you, however, comes from someone’s grandmother, a native of Tver region. I imagine it was passed down in the family, and may be couple of centuries old. It asserts that the nakrepnik must be open-faced, and that mild cured red fish (such as salmon) is also a must.

Nakrepnik

dough
Scant 1.5 cups beer, milk, or kefir, at room temperature
1 Tbsp dry yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
2.8 oz (80 g) butter (melted)
5 scant cups white flour (whole wheat won’t do, you must use white flour)
2 eggs at room temperature
½ tsp salt

filling
3.5 oz (100 g) long-grained Basmati rice
1 medium onion, diced and cooked down
2 eggs, hard boiled
10 oz mild, cured redfish (e.g. salmon)
dill, chives, and parsley to taste
⅓ cup sour cream
1 egg yolk

The recipe says that even a mild cured fish will be too salty for the final result, so it must be soaked in milk for 12 hours (I went with eight, and I think that’s the right amount – and, еeven so, the fish retained some of its saltiness). It may sound counterintuitive to first cure the fish and then to soak it – but fresh fish can’t be used for the recipe, as it has a different taste and texture. So, begin preparations by placing the fish in a bowl of milk and leaving it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, take out the fish, wash it under running water, and set aside. While you are at it, set out two eggs so that they will be room temperature when you need them.

Next, you’ll need to make a sponge for your dough. Combine the beer/milk/kefir, 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 cup of flour and all the dry yeast. Mix, cover, and put in a warm place to rise. An hour should be enough.

Meanwhile, melt and cool the butter. Once the sponge has risen, add the melted butter, the eggs, salt, and the remaining flour and mix well. You should have a soft, pliable dough. Cover it and put in again in a warm place to rise. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

You can simply boil the rice, but to give it a little twist, prepare a brew with some spices first. I had cardamom, cloves, and some green pepper on hand, so that’s what I boiled for several minutes. Then I strained the water and used it to boil the rice. The recipe says that rice shouldn’t be salted, but while everyone who tried it loved the pie, they all said that it could use some more salt, so do salt the rice as it boils.

Boil the two eggs and fry the onion. Mix the onion with the rice and cut the boiled eggs into thin rounds. Dice the chives and herbs. Once the dough has risen (1-1½ hours) , it’s time to assemble.

Roll out about ¾ of the dough to a thin crust (like a pie crust) and use it to spread over the bottom of a 9-inch round baking dish (or a cast iron pan). The dough should be spread quite thin as it will puff up as it bakes, and it should be pulled up the side of the pan, as it will be folded back over the filling later.

Spread half of onion-rice mixture on top of the crust, pressing the filling into the dough around the edges. Then, spread a thin layer of half the herbs. Place the egg rounds on top of this, then scatter small pieces of butter on top of that. Follow with the second half of rice, more herbs/chives, and then the fish.

The fish should be cut into thin strips and layered all across the filling, “sealing” it in. Mix the sour cream with half the egg yolk and pour it over the fish.

Nakrepnik is an open pie, but you should now fold the sides of the dough toward the middle to create a sort “curb” around the outsides. You can also use the leftover 1/4 of the dough to make decorations (or even make a lattice top crust, as we did), perhaps in the form of fish, if you are artistically inclined and handy with dough. Use the remaining egg yolk to glaze any exposed dough.

Bake at 350° F for about 75 minutes.

Serves 4 (or one very ambitious glutton).