Featured Recipes
Soljanka
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, in all
11/2 pounds Brined Cabbage
2 small bay leaves, 4 black peppercorns, and 4 all- spice berries, tied in a cheesecloth bag
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 pound cooked beef
1/4 pound cooked tongue
6 ounces frankfurters
6 ounces lean ham
2 Brined Cucumbers
6 marinated plums
1 teaspoon capers
12 black Greek olives, halved and pitted
1 medium onion, finely chopped and sauteed for 7-8 minutes in 1 table- spoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon bread crumbs
6 tablespoons grated Par- mesan cheese
3 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
6 slices lemon
Method
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy 3- to 4-quart saucepan, add the sauerkraut, spice bag, and sugar, and saute for 15 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally to keep the sauerkraut from sticking to the pan. Meanwhile, cut the cooked beef, tongue, frankfurters, ham, and pickles into 1/2-inch dice. Combine this mixture with the capers and olives and set aside. When the sauerkraut is cooked, discard the spice bag and mix the onions into the sauerkraut. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 3- to 4-quart rectangular casserole with 1 tablespoon of butter and spread half the sauerkraut over the bottom. Cover with all the diced meats and pickles, then top with remaining sauerkraut. Smooth the top, sprinkle with the bread crumbs and grated cheese, dot with the remaining butter, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Cut into 6-8 squares and transfer to individual heated serving plates. Smooth the sides and decorate with the chopped scallions, lemon slices, and marinated plums. Serve at once. Variation Fish Casserole Instead of the beef, tongue, frankfurters, and ham, substitute up to 1 pound of assorted fish fillets, sauteed in unsalted butter or oil and cut into 1-inch pieces.
Beef Cutlets with Cabbage
Ingredients
1 kg beef
200 g green cabbage
50 g onion
50 g parsley
greens
1 egg
1 table spoon of semolina
salt, pepper – to taste
Description
Home-made cutlets enriched with vegetables and spices are recommended both for children and their parents. You may add 50-100 g carrot juice or some fresh black or red currants, which is very good for the intestine. The cutlets can be cooked in vegetable oil or steamed. Choose whatever garnish you like for this dish.
Method
Shred the cabbage, pour boiling water over it. Wait till it gets cold, then wring out. Peel the onion and grind it with the meat. Combine the ground meat and cabbage with finely shredded parsley, 1 egg, ground black pepper and salt, and mix well. Form it into cutlets, roll in bread crumbs and fry in vegetable oil.
Grechnevaya Kasha
Ingredients
1 cup of coarse buckwheat groats
1 egg
1 teaspoon of salt
8 tablespoons of butter
2 to 3 cups of boiling water
2 cups of finely chopped onions
1/2 pound of fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
Method
In a mixing bowl, toss the buckwheat and egg together with a large wooden spoon until the grains are thoroughly coated. Transfer to an ungreased, 10- to 12-inch skillet (preferably one with a nonstick surface) and cook uncovered over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the buckwheat is lightly toasted and dry. Watch carefully for any sign of burning and regulate the heat accordingly. Add the salt, 3 tablespoons of butter and 2 cups of boiling water. Stir thoroughly, cover the pan tightly, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. If at this point the buckwheat is not yet tender and seems dry, stir in the additional cup of boiling water and cook covered 10 minutes longer, or until the water is absorbed and the grains are separate and fluffy. Remove the pan from the heat, remove the cover, and let the buckwheat rest undisturbed for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add the chopped onions, lower the heat to moderate, and, stirring frequently, fry for 3 or 4 minutes, or until the onions are soft and pale gold. Stir the onions into the buckwheat and melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet over high heat. Drop in the mushrooms, reduce the heat to moderate, and cook 2 or 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Then raise the heat to high and cook the mushrooms briskly, uncovered, until all the liquid has evaporated. Add the mushrooms to the buckwheat and onions and toss together. Taste for seasoning. Buckwheat may be cooked in advance and reheated, covered, in a preheated oven 200° oven for 20 minutes or so. Or, it may be steamed by placing the cooked kasha in a colander and setting the colander over a deep pot filled with 1 inch of water. Drape the colander with a towel, bring the water to a boil and steam the kasha for about 10 minutes, or until it is heated through
Kurnik (Chicken Pie)
Ingredients
250 g margarine
300 g sour cream
½ tea spoon baking soda
flour – as much as needed for kneading
salt to taste
1 kg chicken
600 g onion
300 g cheese
5 eggs
100g butter
Method
Combine margarine with sour cream and rub them together until they blend. Add flour, salt and baking soda and knead the dough. Let it rest at room's temperature 20-30 minutes. Then roll it out into a flat layer 0,5 – 1 cm thick wide enough to completely cover the filling with the edges when the dough is placed on a cookie sheet. The filling consists of 3 layers. The first one is the boiled and chopped chicken. It is normally simmered in a covered pan with very little water in it or baked in a glass pot/jar covered with an aluminum foil in an oven. The other layer is shredded onion sauteed in butter. The third layer is coarsely grated cheese. Pour raw eggs over the filling (with the yolks complete, as for fried eggs). Place the yolks on the sides of the kurnik and one yolk – in the center. Cover the filling with the edges of the dough rolled out on a cookie sheet. With your fingers, press the edges together but be careful not to break the yolks. Leave a small hole with an egg yolk in it in the center of the pie and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Serve it either hot, or cold. You may also cook it with yeast dough.
