Perok

Perok
From: kaiwik

Make enough pie crust to fit (top and bottom) a 9 x 13 rectangular baking dish. Cook a batch of rice, maybe two cups worth. Hard boil some eggs, maybe 4 or 6. Grate the following: a rutabaga, a small head of cabbage, an onion, and a couple of carrots. Sautee these until limp, season well with salt, pepper, and patruus'kaaq*, if you have it, otherwise chopped parsley will suffice. Take a red or king salmon fillet and skin it. Roll out the crust for the bottom, making sue to leave some hanging over the edges to make a good seal. Add enough rice to cover the bottom, about half an inch. Place the salmon on the ice and season well with salt and pepper, maybe some lemon juice too. Add the sauteed vegetables, covering the salmon well with them. Add slices of hard boiled egg on top of the vegetables, top with rice and then with the top crust. Seal the crust well, and decorate the top crust with cutouts made from the extra bits of crust, I like to make little fish and leaves. Make a few slashes in the crust to let the steam out, brush with egg wash and bake at 350 F for about an hour. It's very good either hot or cold. A true Aleut will slather it with catsup, but I like mine just as it is. This is a special dish which is made for every special occasion, and once one masters a good perok, the elder women will finally welcome one into the clan!


*patruus'kaaq = beach lovage