PASTRY:
1/2 margarine (NUCOA or other non-dairy works best)
1/2 cup water
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
FILLING:
2 cups preserves (raspberry, mixed berry, apricot/pineapple, etc.)
Mix flour and salt. Make a well in the flour and cut in the water and margarine. Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Divide dough in half and roll out one half, placing on 11 x 15 cookie sheet.
Spread preserves over dough – do not make too thick.
Roll our remaining dough and cut into 5/8 inch strips – a pastry cutter or pizza cutter works well! Weave the strips over the top of the preserves, pinching the edges so they don’t shrink during baking.
Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. If the pastry bubbles up during baking, just prick it with a fork.
Cool thoroughly on a rack before cutting.
Recipe from Olga Mikhailovna Penrose. Olga taught Russian language at Bellevue High School in the 1960s and 1970s. Olga always stressed the importance of learning a country’s culture as part of language study. To that end, her students learned songs, dances, and how to prepare Russian food!
Sladkii Pirog is always featured at the Russian Community Center Bazaar and at Maslenitsa!