Ukrainian meal focus of St. John Vianney Church fundraiser to bring immigrant family to Lake County

Nov. 29—The Ukrainian capital took its Ukrainian name of Kyiv and abandoned the Russian name "Kiev" some years ago but the buttery chicken Kiev kept its old-time name and is now being served at a fundraising dinner aimed at helping a Ukrainian family settle in Lake County. The evening is an effort by the Catholic St. John Vianney parish and taking place Dec. 10 at its Father Kline Social Center, 7575 Bellflower Road in Mentor.

Tickets are selling briskly for the 5 to 10 p.m. dinner being hosted in affiliation with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Eastern European buffet dinner will also include stuffed cabbage, pork loin with gravy, pierogi, carrots and a dinner roll. Tickets include two glasses of beer or wine for those who want an adult beverage. American desserts, prepared by area bakeries, will be the focus for a dessert dash.

"Each table will collect money for the dessert dash, and tables with the greatest donations will get to go first," explained Grace Andrassy, a member of the organizing committee.

Andrassy, the daughter of refugees from Ukraine, grew up with the stories told by her mother, who died in 2001. She was a member of a family of missionaries that was torn apart and its members imprisoned when they tried to escape the Communists beginning in 1934. "My mother came to America with her 5-year-old brother when she was just 12," she said. She changed her Ukrainian name — Nadezda Vironessia — and Americanized it to Hope, she said.

"But no one ever heard from my grandfather again after soldiers took him away in the middle of the night. My grandmother spent 24 years in a Siberian prison camp before finally coming here when she was 72 years old."

She recalls hearing stories about children being chased by men with guns and of the cold and hunger they experienced as they tried to escape. Those stories from long ago are strikingly similar to those now about deprivations of Ukrainian families being without heat and water in sub-zero temperatures as the cold winter winds blast across Europe's second-largest country as Russia seeks to retake Ukraine.

Although St. John Vianney is considered by many to be a parish of mostly Irish members, there are many of Ukrainian and other ancestry, Andrassy said. The Ukrainian family that the Mentor church will help relocate won't be known until after the first of the year, according to its pastor, Rev. Thomas Johns. But members are seeking to establish furnished lodging for them along with clothing and jobs. This fundraiser is the earliest effort.

The evening will include an auction of holiday wreaths, sideboards, a 50-50 raffle. The Zorya Ukrainian female vocal group will perform Ukrainian Christmas carols along with entertainment by R.J. Goody as DJ. Tickets, at $75, can be ordered at www.sjvmentor.org.

Chef Glenn Liebhardt from Longo's Cater to You is in charge of the meal.

Recipe

Easy Chicken Kiev

3 large chicken breasts (12 oz. each)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup flour

2 cups panko bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Extra light olive oil or canola oil to sauté

Lemon-Herb Garlic Butter

6 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temp

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to drizzle over finished chicken

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

In a medium bowl, use a fork to mash together all Kiev butter ingredients, just until lemon juice is incorporated into the butter. It takes a couple minutes, but it will come together

Using a sharp slim knife, cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise, keeping both halves about equal in size and thickness. Carefully cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast as deep and wide as you can go without cutting through the chicken breast (about a 2″x3″ pocket). Stuff each chicken breast with 1 Tablespoon of Kiev butter then close the pocket and push over the top of the chicken breast to disperse butter. Pinch the opening to seal. Season both sides of chicken breast with salt and pepper.

*Tip: If you do slice all the way through chicken while making the pocket, simply slice a thin layer of chicken breast near the hole and fold it over to patch the hole. It works!

Dredge chicken in flour, dusting off excess, then dip in eggs making sure to get a good egg coating and letting any excess egg drip off. Finally dip into the bread crumbs. Transfer to a platter while forming remaining chicken Kievs.

Add 1/3 inch of oil to a large deep skillet and place over medium heat. Once the oil is hot (a bread crumb should sizzle when you add it to the pan), add chicken in a single layer and fry until golden brown (4 minutes per side). Season the fried chicken with a sprinkle of salt, garnish with fresh parsley, and squeeze lemon wedges over the top then serve.

Be careful of the first spurt of hot butter when you cut the chicken. Dip each bite of chicken into the melted seasoned butter. So delicious!!

Recipe from Natasha's Kitchen.com