A World of Food

Elizabeth Perdomo

   Members of St. George Orthodox Church have been giving up most Saturdays for the last few months cooking up the world in preparation for their upcoming International Festival. The church, at 704 W. Sam Houston in Pharr, will hold the annual event on Saturday, December 11^th from 9 AM to 3 PM. During this season, several elderly ladies, along with other parishioners and children, faithfully gathered to create both sweet and savory tidbits representing the unique international community found at St. George’s. Foods range from Greek to Ethiopian, Lebanese to Ukrainian, Mexican to Serbian and more.

 On a recent Saturday, Antoinette Shwery, originally of Lebanon, placed the last box of home-style baklava in the church’s commercial freezer. Although ready for a break, Mrs. Shwery was determined to have enough baklava available for the upcoming festival. St. George’s has a long history of selling baklava. It always sells best, which is no surprise. For those who haven’t tried it yet, baklava is a pastry made of many paper-thin sheets of phyllo dough, each layer slathered with melted butter. The middle is spread with walnuts and spices and completed trays baked to a golden brown and the crisp, buttery pieces are then drizzled with sweet syrup. As Mrs. Shwery shared, “People really like the baklava.” She continued, “Some come to the festival just for the baklava. A lot of people buy it for Christmas parties. This year, I hope we won’t run out.”

 St. George, the only Eastern Orthodox Church in the entire Rio Grande Valley, has been around for over 30 years now. A festival in one form or other has been an integral part of the church’s life and outreach to the community. Because it is the only Orthodox church in this region, parishioners backgrounds span the world, including members from Greek, Ukrainian, Lebanese, Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Ethiopian, Serbian, Australian, Mexican and Caribbean backgrounds, to name a few. The eclectic cuisine found at the festival reflects the diversity of parishioner’s backgrounds.

  In addition to baklava, other foods prepared for the International Festival include Greek style stuffed grape leaves called Dolmades. Parishioners made two kinds - one meat filled and the other vegetarian. One person recently tried the stuffed grape leaves and exclaimed, “They were great! Nice and juicy; just like my mom’s.”

 One Saturday was devoted entirely to making stuffed cabbage rolls. This Eastern European delicacy will also be available, including Polish Gołąbki, filled with beef and topped by a tangy tomato sauce. A Ukrainian version was also cooked up. Called Holubtsi, this style is filled with pork and rice, and then covered with sour cream and dill. A Greek style vegetarian cabbage roll was also created; this one called Lahanodolmathes Orphana, topped with lemon sauce

 Made, eaten and called by slightly different names throughout Eastern Europe, Pirogies (or Varenniki in Ukraine) were also rolled out and filled by parishioners. The ladies, many from Ukraine, made a potato and cheddar cheese version, as well as one filled with potato and sauerkraut. Boiled in some salted water, with some onions pan fried in oil and spooned on top, this Eastern European comfort food is irresistible.

 Pastitsio – a Greek-style layered pasta dish filled with seasoned meat and cheese and covered with a rich béchamel sauce is another delicacy being sold. Pastitsio will be hot, ready to sample by the piece at the festival, or packaged to take home frozen. Just pop it in the oven to savor after the festival ends. In addition, lovely phyllo triangles filled with spinach and feta cheese (Spanikopita) and others filled with potatoes and feta (Tiropita) will be available. Some will be ready to buy and eat; others ready to pop in the oven Judie Geil, Parish Council President and one of the regular pre-festival cooks, stated, “I don’t even like spinach, but these were really delicious.”

 On the day of the International Festival, specialty booths will be spread out over the church grounds. They will feature injera bread and spicy Ethiopian food, Ukrainian and Russian specialties, flavors of Greece and the Mediterranean. In addition, a Greek Grill team will cook up marinated skewers of Beef Souvlaki, ready to be drizzled with yogurt and cucumber based Greek Tzatziki Sauce. The same winning grill team will serve South Texas Fajitas. Tex-Mex specialties will be found just next to the grill and pan de campo booth.

 Come, linger, listen to the free music and entertainment and watch the international folk dancers performances. Plenty of covered outdoor seating will be available. The Russian Tea & Coffee Shoppe will serve steaming Greek, Ethiopian or other gourmet coffee, including lattes made on the spot. Or, if one prefers, Vladimir Blend special Russian tea blend (made by Kusmi, the former teamster of Russian Tsars) will also be served piping hot, as well as your choice of gourmet hot chocolates.

  Baked goods such as fresh Scottish scones, fruit muffins or a slice of homemade cake can accompany your choice of beverages. Homemade candies and international confections, including several types of fudge, pistachio halva, and rose scented Turkish delight, will be sold in the Tea & Coffee Shoppe. Delectable cookies made from recipes from around the world will also be on hand to enjoy at the festival. Pre-packaged cookies, breads and other baked goods will also be available to take and enjoy later.

  Once again, bowls of International soups such as Ukrainian Borscht, New Mexico Green Chile Posole and Middle Eastern Lentil can be eaten on site or taken home. In addition to soups, packages of homemade humus, tabouli, pita chips and other specialty foods can be purchased. “This year we have word hard and prepared even more foods than before for people to come and enjoy.” Fr. Antonio Perdomo, Pastor of St. George said. “Now, we’re just praying for some beautiful South Texas weather for that day.”

 In addition to a world of food, music and dance, various art, craft and gift vendors will also be offering their wares. This will include wood carvers, jewelry, fine arts, icons, handcrafted olive oil based soaps, toiletries and a wonderful line of gourmet culinary items, including homemade mustards, herbal flavored vinegars, sugars, honeys and more. Besides items for sale, the Festival is also designated as a time for giving.

 The church has operated St. George Food Pantry since 2004. Since that time, it has fed over 50,000 people, including many children, elderly and handicapped individuals. In November, the Food Pantry donated gift cards to provide Thanksgiving Dinner for 150 families in need. Each year, the International Festival features a “Give a Can; Get a Cookie” Food Drive and Fundraiser for St. George Food Pantry. Guests are encouraged to donate canned goods, staple foods, cash, and also new and lightly used blankets, coats and jackets and toys. As a thank you in return, donors will receive a complimentary home-baked cookie, as well as a sample bag of Green Mountain gourmet coffee.

 For more information about the December 11^th International Festival, or to pre-order baklava or specialty food items from St. George Orthodox Church, call Fr. Antonio Perdomo at 956-781-6114 or see the Festival webs site information at: www.stgeorgetx.org/festival.