Pirok

Pirok, salmon pie, was a good way to eat salmon in Kodiak. I'm sure it's a great way to eat salmon anywhere! This comes from http://matanuskapeak.blogspot.com.

Russian Pirok

• 1 ready-made 9 inch pie crust (top and bottom)
• 2 cups cooked rice (best if boiled in chicken broth)
• 2 cups cooked fresh or canned salmon (flaked)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white wine
• 4 hardboiled eggs (diced)
• 1 medium onion (diced small)
• 2 stalks celery (chopped)
• 1/4 head cabbage (red or green, chopped)
• 1/2 stick butter

Optional:

• 1/4 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup frozen corn
• 2-6 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
• Tabasco (a few shakes)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash
• and a dash of salt(or salt and pepper to your liking)

Instructions (traditional)

Saute the raw veggies in butter until partially cooked. Mix the precooked rice and salmon with the veggies. Spoon the mixture onto the first layer of pie dough in a lightly greased 9 inch pie pan. Heap high. It'll shrink a bit. Season the top of the mixture and dot with more butter, if desired. Cover with second piece of pie dough. Pinch edges. Poke with fork in a few spots. Brush top crust with melted butter. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees, or until crust is golden brown.

Instructions (faster, easier, non-traditional)

Stir fry style instead of pie shaped: Saute the raw vegetables in butter, garlic poweder, salt, and pepper. When nearly cooked, mix the precooked rice, salmon, frozen peas and/or and continue cooking until hot. Add the lemon juice, diced eggs, Worcestershire/Tobasco sauce. Mix everything together and serve. It's much faster than baking a pie, you can make more of it at once and you needn't fuss with crust from scratch or a crappy frozen one from the store.

Never forget the lemon juice! It's pretty bland without the acidic balance to the butter and sweet vegetables.