There are no special foods related to Candlemas, in Maltese known as Il-Gandlora, which falls on February 2. Once any sun has disappeared, it always seems to me to be the heart of winter, irrespective of where L’Ors tal Gandlora dips his paw during his night-time stroll.

And so I prepare warming dishes. Some of my favourites have an eastern European flavour, such as piroshky, small savoury half-moon pastries that are not so very different from pastizzi, Cornish pasties and other filled pies.

A cold afternoon recreating this satisfying dish is a pleasant pastime, and easy if you buy bread dough. Other versions of piroshky are made with sour cream pastry, for which you can also substitute cream cheese or mascarpone.

Some of my favourites have an eastern European flavour, such as piroshky, small savoury half-moon pastries

Fillings might be prunes; mushrooms; cheese and potato; or salmon and sauerkraut. These delicious savouries are excellent with soups and salads, or as snacks to serve with drinks. Stuffed cabbage rolls are also a family favourite, another fabulous winter warmer for these dark Candlemas days, and I highly recommend them. Make plenty. They reheat well, and they also freeze well.

And, still in an eastern European mood, you might still find some post-holiday cranberries, in which case you can make the rather unusual dessert called kissel, light and refreshing after a substantial main course. I learnt how to make it many years ago from a landlady whose family had lived in Russia. Later in the year, you can make it with cherries, redcurrants and other soft fruit. It is a lovely, jewel-coloured soft pudding, similar to the Scandinavian rodegroed.

This same mood and colour can brighten up the meal right away with a bowl of beetroot soup, whether made like a classic borscht or simply a warming root vegetables soup. The piroshky are the perfect accompaniment, and you might serve a shot of iced vodka with it. Bring on the sleighs, the furs and Lara’s Theme from Dr Zhivago.

Red velvet soup

(Serves 6)

2 onions, peeled and sliced
25 g butter or extra virgin olive oil
500 g beetroot, peeled and diced
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg, cinnamon, mace and cloves
1.5 ltrs vegetable or chicken stock
Gozo salt
Freshly ground pepper
To garnish: cream, chopped
parsley, or flat parsley leaves

Gently fry the onion in the fat until golden. Stir in the beetroot, potato and spices. Cook for a few minutes before adding the stock, and then simmer until the vegetables are tender. The beetroot takes longer to cook than the potato, which is why it is best diced small. The potato gives the soup its smooth, velvety texture.

Sieve or blend until smooth. Put back in the saucepan, bring to the boil, and season to taste. Pour into hot soup bowls, and decorate before serving. A dash of fresh orange juice and a little grated zest, added, as you bring the soup back to the boil, is a nice touch.

Golubtsi (Stuffed cabbage rolls)

(Serves 8 to 10)

1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
250 g minced lean beef, such as blade, chuck or skirt
250 g minced belly of pork
250 g minced lean pork
250 g minced veal
200 g cooked rice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or marjoram, or 1 teaspoon dried herbs
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon strong meat stock or gravy
1 tablespoon Cognac
1/4 teaspoon powdered mace or grated nutmeg
Gozo salt
Freshly ground black pepper

To finish the dish
2 dozen large white or Savoy cabbage leaves
400 g can chopped plum tomatoes
600 ml chicken or other meat stock
2 bay leaves
Gozo salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the stuffing

This is suitable for meat loaf or stuffed vegetables, as well as cabbage rolls. The mixture of meat makes for a good texture and juiciness. If veal is not available, use half beef and pork.

Prepare the filling by mixing all the ingredients together.

Blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling, salted water for 2 minutes, and refresh them under cold water. Cut out the thick, central rib to about half way into the leaf. Put a cabbage leaf on the work surface, slightly overlapping the cut part so that there is no gap. Place a couple of tablespoons of the mixture in the centre, and roll into a neat parcel, folding in the sides as you roll. If you pack the rolls closely into a large greased ovenproof dish, they will not need tying with cotton.

Rub the tomatoes through a sieve over the cabbage rolls. Pour on the stock, and tuck in the bay leaves. Season lightly. Cover with foil, and bake in the lower half of the oven for about 2 hours at 160 C. Longer cooking will not spoil them. You can add a few large baking potatoes to the oven.

Piroshky

(Serves 6 to 8)

500 g risen yeast dough
Salmon and sauerkraut
(fillings to Serve 6 to 8)
400 g cooked, flaked salmon
150 g drained sauerkraut
1/2 teaspoon juniper berries, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dill or fennel seeds
4 tablespoons cooked rice
2 eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Mix all the ingredients together.

Turn out onto a floured board, knock back the dough and roll out to about the thickness of a €2 coin. Cut into 7.5 cm circles and use one of the fillings described below. The dough can be made in the food processor, if you wish.

Cheese and potato

Peel, boil and mash about 500 g potatoes, using no milk, oil or butter, and beat in about 200 g grated cheese, while the potatoes are still hot.

Use water, or a little beaten egg, to moisten the rim of the piroshky, and then spoon on some of the filling. Press closed, making sure the parcels are well sealed. The yeast dough piroshky are boiled in lightly salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, and then drained and turned into a large, heated bowl with a little melted butter. Breadcrumbs browned in butter can be scattered over them, but they are traditionally served with onions that have been thinly sliced, and then gently fried to a light, golden-brown and a melting softness.

The pastry piroshky are baked in a pre-heated oven at 200ºC for about 25 minutes. They are served traditionally with soup, such as borscht, cabbage soup, or barley soup.

Note: Larger versions of these pastries are called pirojok.

Kissel

(Serves 4 to 6)

300 g cranberries
800 ml water
Sugar – to taste
40 g potato flour

Simmer the cranberries in water for 10 minutes. Crush, in the pan, with a large wooden spoon, electric hand blender or potato masher, and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Strain into a clean saucepan, add the sugar, and heat the juice. Mix the flour with 2 tablespoons of cold water, and stir into the juice as soon as it comes to the boil.

Stirring all the time, let the mixture boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, and then pour into a bowl. The mixture will set to a soft, smooth jelly-like texture as it cools.

The mixture should not be allowed to boil for more than 1 to 2 minutes for its final cooking or the starches will break down and the mixture remains liquid.