To Lois D., No Town, requesting a Salmon Loaf recipe in Thursday’s column: Sun Spots hopes you and family enjoy the following recipe for Salmon Kulebiaka from www.ruscuisine.com. Ingredients for pastry: 4 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 pound chilled unsalted butter cut into bits, 6 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening, 1 teaspoon salt, 10-12 tablespoons ice water. Filling: 2 cups dry white wine, 1 cup coarsely chopped onions, 1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery, 1 cup scraped, coarsely chopped carrots, 10 whole black peppercorns, 4 1/2 teaspoons salt, 2 1/2 pounds fresh salmon, in one piece, 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 pound stick), 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced, 3 tablespoons fresh, strained lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper, 3 cups finely chopped onions, 1/2 cup unconverted, long-grain white rice, 1 cup chicken stock, fresh or canned, 1/3 cup finely cut fresh dill leaves, 3 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped. Method: In a large, chilled bowl, combine the flour, butter, shortening and salt. Working quickly, use your fingertips to rub the flour and fat together until they blend and resemble flakes of coarse meal. Pour 10 tablespoons of water over the mixture all at once, toss together lightly and gather into a ball. If the dough seems crumbly, add up to 2 tablespoons more ice water by drops. Divide the dough in half, dust each half with flour and wrap them separately in wax paper. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Combine 3 quarts water, the wine and the coarsely chopped onion, celery, carrots, peppercorns and three teaspoons of the salt in a 4-6 quart enameled or stainless steel casserole. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the salmon into the liquid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer 8-10 minutes, or until the fish is firm to the touch. With a slotted spatula, transfer the fish to a large bowl and separate it into small flakes with your fingers or a fork. Melt two tablespoons of butter in a heavy 10-12 inch skillet set over high heat. Add the mushrooms, reduce the heat to moderate and stirring occasionally, cook for 3-5 minutes or until he mushrooms are soft. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a small bowl and toss them with lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Melt 4 more tablespoons of butter on the skillet over high heat and drop in all but one tablespoon of finely chopped onions. Reduce the heat to moderate and stirring occasionally, cook 3-5 minutes, or until the onions are soft but not brown. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and with a rubber spatula, scrape into the mushrooms. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet over high heat. Drop in the remaining tablespoon of chopped onion, reduce the heat to moderate and stirring frequently cook for 2-3 minutes, or until soft but not brown. Stir in the rice and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until each grain is coated with butter. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and cover the pan tightly. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes, or until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender and fluffy. Off the heat, stir in the dill with a fork. Add the cooked mushrooms and onions, rice and the chopped hard cooked eggs to the bowl of salmon and toss together lightly but thoroughly. Taste for seasoning.

Kulebiaka Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place one ball of dough on a floured surface and roll it into a rough rectangle about 1-inch thick. Dust with flour and roll until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick, then trim it to a rectangle 7 inches wide and 16 inches long. Coat a large cookie sheet with 2 tablespoons of butter, drape the pastry over the rolling pin and unroll it over the cookie sheet. Place the filling along the length of the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border of dough exposed around it. With a pastry brush, brush the exposed rim of dough with the egg-yolk and cream mixture. Roll the other half of the dough into a rectangle about 9 inches wide and 18 inches long, drape over the pin and unroll over the filling. Seal the edges by pressing down hard with the back of a fork. Or use the fingertips or a pastry crimper to pinch the edges into narrow pleats. Cut out a 1-inch circle from the center of the dough. You may also gather the remaining pastry scraps into a ball, roll them out again, and with a cookie cutter or a small sharp knife, cut out decorative shapes such as leaves or triangles and decorate with the top of the loaf. Coat the entire surface of the pastry with the remaining egg-yolk and cream mixture, place any pastry shapes on top, and refrigerate for 20-minutes. Pour 1 tablespoon melted butter into the opening of the loaf and bake the kulebiaka in the center of the oven for 1 hour or until golden brown. Serve at once, accompanied with a pitcher of melted butter or sour cream.

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