Recipes from Russia

Russian cakes

2010-05-10T01:23:00.000-07:00

What you need:

2 cups milk, warmed
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 medium head cabbage, finely chopped
6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

How to cook:

Place 1/2 cup milk in a cup or small bowl. Stir in sugar and sprinkle yeast over the top. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Pour the remaining milk into a large bowl.
Add the melted butter, egg, salt and 1 cup of flour to the large bowl with the milk. Stir in the yeast mixture. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and doesn't stick to your hands. Cover the bowl loosely and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour. Dough should almost triple in size.
While you wait for the dough to rise, melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, until cabbage has wilted. Mix in the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until cabbage is tender. Set this aside for the filling.
Place the risen dough onto a floured surface and gently form into a long snake about 2 inches wide. Cut into 1 inch pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Flatten the balls by hand until they are 4 to 5 inches across. Place a spoonful of the cabbage filling in the center and fold in half to enclose. Pinch the edges together to seal in the filling.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line one or two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Place the pirozhki onto the baking sheet, leaving room between them for them to grow.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Solyanka video

2009-11-20T23:41:00.000-08:00

Watch video how to cook solyanka.

Rassolnik

2009-11-19T01:22:00.001-08:00

Watch a video how to cook rassolnik.

Read how to cook rassolnik

Rassolnik with kidneys

2009-10-26T00:51:00.000-07:00

What you need for it:
1 lb (0,5 kg) kedneys
4 pints (2 litres) meat broth
5 potatoes
1 onion
3 pickled cucumbers
1/4 cup pearl-barley
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. flour
1 piece parsley
drill
parsley
salt to tasts

How to cook:

Instead of kedneys you can use chiken meat. Remove the film and excessive fat from the kidneys, soak in cold water for 2-3 hours changing the water several times. Put the kidneys on hot water, bring to a boil, lay in a colander, wash with cold water, and cook in meat broth till done. Cut the kidneys into thin slices across the fibres.
Wash the pearl-barley several times in cold water, spil into boiling water, boil till done; wash in cold water and put in the meat broth. Boil well and add the potatoes cut in slices. Brown the herbs, onion, chopped and slightly boiled cucumbers, dress with the flour, add the slices of kedneys, and contibue boiling for another 10 minutes.
At last dress with the sour cream and serve with the herbs.

Watch video how to cook rassolnik

Solyanka

2009-01-26T05:54:00.000-08:00

How to cook solyanka:

1.)For solyanka, take boiled or roasted meat, poultry, game, tongue, kidneys, ham, sausage and sausages in equal proportions to make up 400 grammes, and cut into pieces Thinly slice some salted cucumbers. Then chop and saute a large onion.

2.)Put the meat, cucumbers and onion into one saucepan, add some olives and 200 grammes of tomato puree, mix and bring to the boil.

3.)Put 400 grammes of steamed cabbage in the bottom of a baking dish, put the meat and vegetables in a layer on top and cover with the same amount of cabbage again. Level the surface and cover with a mixture of grated cheese and bread crumbs, pour over some melted butter and bake in the oven until a crisp crust has formed on the top.

4.)Garnish the solyanka with slices of lemon, pickled berries and olives, and finely chopped parsley and dill.

5.)Mushrooms can also be added to solyanka. Solyanka can be made in the same way with fish, by taking the appropriate amount of sturgeon, starred sturgeon or great sturgeon instead of the meat.

Watch video how to cook solyanka

Braised beef in the pot

2009-01-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

Braised beef in the pot. Meat cooked in these small pots was served many years ago, and is still popular today. Many families have a set of these special small earthenware pots. Some housewives prefer larger dishes holding four or six portions.

How to cook:
1.)Tаке 0.5 kilogrammes of beef, cut it into medium-sized pieces, add salt and brown until a golden crust has formed.

2.)Slice 500-600 grammes of potatoes and fresh ceps, field mushrooms or button mushrooms, carrots, onion and parsley roots to taste.

3.)Saute the potatoes, vegetables and mushrooms and then divide them with the meat between four small pots or put them in one pot holding four portions.

4.)If you haven't got an earthenware pot, you can use any dish suitable for braising meat. Add some black peppercorns, a bunch of parsley or celery, pour over some stock and braise until tender.

5.)Then take out the parsley, pour off the stock, add a roux made from butter and flour, and bring to the boil.

6.)Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables, and bring back to the boil, add some finely chopped parsley and serve in the pot.

There are other ways of making this dish. The meat can be braised in kvas, for example. Pour 300 grammes of kvas over the browned pieces of meat, add the vegetables and some slices of fresh cucumber, and stew. The kvas will give the meat an unusual and delicate flavour.

The beef can also be braised in sour cream. Lightly pound the pieces of meat, add salt, coat in flour and brown slightly. Then add 200 grammes of sour cream and stew in the pot.

When the meat is cooked, lay it out on a dish, season the sauce with lemon juice, salt andl ground cayenne pepper, add 100 grammes of wine and pour this sauce over the meat. Serve with boiled potatoes and kidney beans.

Typical Russian food

2009-01-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

Every country in the world has its own cuisine. Russia has its own cuisine too.
One can state that Russian food is what Russian people usually eat. However, considering how large a country Russia is and how many cultures there are in Russia, it is difficult to say that Russians in Moscow and in a small village eat the same food.

Life in cities is quick-paced, city dwellers are always rushing somewhere. That’s why the fast food is becoming more and more popular in cities. Yet, traditional Russian food is much tastier and healthier that the fast food.

To understand Russian national cuisine, one should remember that Russia is a northern country in the most part and that its winters are rather long and sometimes very cold. That means that the food should be such as to give enough energy.

Among most popular components of Russian dishes are: potato, eggs, butter, bread, and meat.

Very popular are milk products like sour cream, and curds; as well as fresh fruit and vegetables.
Russian cuisine enjoys quite a number of authentic national dishes for every part of a meal, be it appetizers, soups, main courses, desserts, or beverages.

Appetizers are usually served before main courses. Russians often start their meals with various salads. Medley (vinegret) is probably loved by everybody in Russia.

To cook medley, Russians mix boiled potato, carrot, and beet as well as salted cucumbers chopped in more or less equal cube-like pieces and add oil.

For many festive occasions, Russians cook so called “seledka pod shuboi”, or herring under coat.
To make it, one has to boil potato, carrot, and beet; then grate all these ingredients and place them on a plate in layers covering a layer of chopped herring and finally dress it with mayonnaise.

Let’s now turn to the Russian soups, which are an essential part of afternoon meals.
The classical Russian soup is borsch, or red-beet soup made of beet, meat, potato, and mostly served with sour cream, although some might prefer mayonnaise.

Very characteristic of Russian cuisine is okroshka, or cold soup made of cold kvass with different vegetables, chopped boiled eggs and spices.

Among other kinds of soup I would like to mention ukha, or fish-soup, mushroom soup, chicken soup.

After soups come main courses as a rule. Usually they include meat and/or vegetables with garnishes.

For the meat part, Russian people can have cutlets or chops, fried fish or sausages.

For garnishes, they might have potato or kashas, of which there are many kinds to choose from: buckwheat, rice and other.

Very often pelmeny, or ravioli are mentioned among Russia-originated dishes. These small squares of pasta containing minced meat and spices are very popular in Russia.

Although you can find dozens of pelmeny brands in the shops, Russians prefer legendary home-made pelmeny. Sometimes, instead of meat they use potato or curds and call this dish -vareniki.

After all these tasty things, it’s time for Russian desserts. Pancakes are always welcome as a dessert and are usually served with jam, honey or sour cream. Pastries with berries, apples, and other fruit are also part of Russian food tradition.

Among traditional Russian drinks, mors, kissel and kvass are most typical.

Kissel is made of sweetened fruit puree and mors, which is a kind of berry drink, is made of cranberries, black-currants, or other berries.

Kvass is an original Russian beverage made of stale bread and is probably most popular among traditional drinks.

Shchi

2009-01-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

"Shchi and kasha feed us"—this old saying shows how important these two dishes are in Russian cooking.

In former times shchi and various kinds of kasha (pudding-like dishes made of various cereals) were the basic diet. Shchi was often eaten with buckwheat kasha, and this is still one of the dishes on the menu at Moscow's Slavyansky Bazar restaurant.

How to make shchi:

1.)Making shchi has always been considered a great art. It is not for nothing that the proverb goes: 'A good housewife is one who makes good shchi, not one who makes nice conversation.'

2.)The basic ingredient of shchi is hard white cabbage, either fresh or as sauerkraut.

3.)For shchi made from fresh cabbage: you need several carrots, 20 grammes of parsley roots and one onion.

3.) Slice and saute them. Shred 600 grammes of cabbage (if the cabbage is one of the late varieties, first immerse it in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to remove the slightly bitter taste).

4.)Add the cabbage to the boiling meat, fish or mushroom stock, bring back to the boil, add the sauted vegetables and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Diced potatoes and fresh tomatoes can be added if desired. Five to ten minutes before the shchi is cooked, season it with salt, pepper and bay leaves.

For shchi made from sauerkraut:
4.) Rinse half a kilogramme of sauerkraut and press out the excess liquid. Put it in a saucepan with 50 grammes of butter and enough water or stock to prevent it from burning, cover and stew fast, then gently for one and a half hours, stirring occasionally.

5.)Slice 80 grammes of carrots, 20 grammes of parsley roots and 100 grammes of onions, add several spoonfuls of tomato puree, and saute. Add this to the cabbage 10-15 minutes before it is cooked.

6.)Put the cabbage and other vegetables into the boiling stock and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add salt, pepper and bay leaves, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Garnish with sour cream and finely chopped dill, parsley and spring onions before serving.

Stuffed duck

2009-01-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

Various kinds of game and poultry play an important part in Russian cooking. This is hardly surprising, as Russian forests have long been famous for their wealth of wildlife, and hunting has always been a form of relaxation as well as a way of obtaining meal.

Stuffed duck is a popular dish on special occasions.

How to cook stuffed duck:

1.)Stuff the dressed duck with apples and buckwheat kasha. Buckwheat kasha is eaten not only at breakfast or as a side dish, but is also often used to stuff duck, because it complements the flavour of the duck meat extremely well.

2.) Sew up the opening in the stomach with thread. Place the duck on a baking tray and roast in the oven for about one and a half hours, basting it with its own fat and juices.

3.) When the duck is cooked, remove the thread, take out some of the apples and kasha,
place them around the duck and garnish with red bilberries steeped in water.

Kissel

2008-12-28T01:03:00.000-08:00

Russian cooking contains и great variety of desserts.Some are very ancient and exotic, but lunch usualy concludes with slewed fruit 0r kissel.

Kissel has been a favourite dish for many centuries. It comes as no surprise that when the heroes of Russian fairy tales find themselves in a land of marvels, they see rivers of milk with banks of kissel.

Kissel is made from fresh or dried fruits or from berries, fruit juice, syrup, jam, milk and some other products. Kissel can be thick, medium thick or thin.

How to cook kissel:

1.)You need 12-15 grammes of potato starch lor thick kissel, 8 10 grammes foi medium thick kissel and 4-7 grammes for thin kissel. 190-200 grammes of water is required for one portion of kissel. Thick kissel should be simmered for 5-6 minutes after the starch has been added, constantly stirring.

2.)Cold milk or cream is served with thick kissel. Medium thick and thin kissels are not simmered once the starch has been added, but only brought to the boil.

For a medium thick berry kissel :
1.)Take 100 grammes of cranberries, red bilberries, black or red currants, bilberries or bog bilberries, mash with a wooden pestle and squeeze out the juice.

2.) Dilute the skins and pulp with 4 glasses of hot water and simmer for 4-6 minutes. Strain the boiled liquid, add 100 grammes of sugar and bring back to the boil. Lower the heat and add 40 grammes of sifted and diluted starch (one part starch to four parts cold water). Add the juice fiom the berries, mix thoroughly and chill.

Kissel from strawberries, raspberries and blackberries is made in the same way, but they are rubbed through a sieve rather than mashed.

Cornelian cherries, cherry plums, plums or gooseberries should first be boiled for 7-10 minutes in a little water and then nibbed through a sieve.

Apricots and peaches should first he washed in warm water, then cut to remove the stones. Put the stones into hot water and boil for 5 minutes. Strain the liquid, pour it over the sliced fruit and boil until tender.

The fruit and the liquid should then be rubbed through a sieve. Add sugar and bring to the boil. Add the syrup to the starch.

Thick berry kissel is usually served with milk kissel, which is very easy to make, bring 4 glasses of milk to the boil, add 100 grammes of sugar, pour in the starch and simmer gently for 5 minutes. When serving, decorate the fruil kissel with a little milk kissel.

Okroshka

2008-12-27T03:29:00.000-08:00

Nothing could he more delicious than iced okroshka on a hot summer's day. It is extremely easy to make, if you have some kvas.

Kvas can be found in almost every Russian home in the summer. This thirst-quenching drink is a favourite of children and adults alike. Kvas was made and was extremely |X)pular in Russia even in olden times.

Nowadays housewives usually make kvas from a concentrate which they buy in the shops. You can also buy bottled kvas. You also can make kvas yourself.

How to make kvas:

1.)You need rye bread or rye rusks, yeast and sugar.
2.) To I litre of water take 40-50 grammes of rusks, 30-40 grammes of sugar and 2 grammes of yeast.
3.)Crush the rye rusks or rye bread dried in the oven, put the crumbs in an enamelled pan, pour on boiled hot water, mix, cover and leave for 1-2 hours in a warm place, stirring from time to time.
4.)Pour off the liquid, add the sugar and yeast, dissolved in a small amount of cold boiled water, mix and leave for 10-12 hours.

5.)When the kvas begins to foam violently, strain it through cheesecloth, pour into sturdy bottles containing 3-4 raisins, cork tightly, and after 2-3 hours at room temperature, put them in the fridge. After 2-3 days the kvas will be ready to drink.

And now you are ready to make okroshka.

How to make okroshka:

1.)Take 300 grammes of cold boiled meat. 250 grammes of peeled fresh cucumbers, 2 hard-boiled eggs and chop all this finely (Incidentally, the word okmshka is derived from the Russian verb kroshit meaning 'to chop finely'.)

2.)Then chop 100 grammes of spring onions finely and mix them with a small amount of salt, until the juice runs.

3.)Add these onions, chopped eggs, mustard, sugar and salt to taste to 150 grammes of sour cream, mix well and dilute with 1.5 litres of kvas.

4.)Put the meat and cucumbers into this mixture, adding chopped radishes as well, if desired, and stir well. The okroshka is ready.

You can use almost any kind of boiled meat for okroshka: beef, veal, tongue, lean lamb, or game. The proportions can be altered and okroshka gives a lot of scope to the inventive cook.

Okroshka should be served with ice and finely chopped spring onions.

Pelmeni

2008-12-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

Pelmeni are popular Russian dish.

Pelmeni have spread throughout the whole country from Siberia, which is why they are often called Siberian pelmeni. Siberia is not only an enormous territory, with wonderful towns, rivers and lakes, but is also the home of many original dishes, which have become part of Russian cooking.

Pelmeni originated in Siberia long ago. To the Komi, a people living in the area of the Urals, the word petnyan means 'an ear made of dough', and pelmeni really are this shape. They are made from pastry and meat. People in Siberia usually make them in huge quantities, by the thousand, and then freeze them.
How to make pelmeni:

1.)Making pelmeni begins with the preparation of the pastry. Sift 30O-400 grammes of flour into a mound, make a well in the centre and add a teaspoonful of salt, one or two eggs, half a glass of warm water and knead the dough.

2.)Cover it with a tea towel and leave to stand for 30-40 minutes.

3.)Meanwhile, make the meat filling.Take 200 grammes of beef and 200 grammes of pork and put through the mincer twice, together with two onions.

4.)Add first salt and ground black pepper to taste and then some cold boiled water. The mixture should be not quite too thick. When the filling is ready, return to the pastry.

5.)Roll it out thinly, cut out circles and put a small ball of filling onto each.

6.)The edges have to be joined and pinched together, which is not as easy as it sounds. No one cook's pelmeni are the same: some make large ones, others small ones, some pelmeni are very intricately, and others more simply joined.

7.)Put the pelmeni in the fridge so that they become firm.

To serve, cook the pelmeni in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes, until they rise to the surface. They are served with sour cream, melted butter, vinegar, pepper and mustard.

Russian pancakes

2008-12-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

Pancakes are very popular in Russia.

How to cook Russian pancakes( blini):

You can make blini from flour made from wheat, buckwheat or oats.

1.) Heat 200 grammes of milk or water, dissolve 20 grammes of fresh yeast in it, add 250 grammes of flour and mix the thick batter well.

2.)Leave it to stand for 2-3 hours in a warm place, and when it has risen, add 40 grammes of melted butter, a teaspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of sugar, an egg and 250 grammes of flour, and mix well.

3.) Then dilute with 600 grammes of warm milk and leave to stand in a warm place.

4.)When the batter has risen, beat it down, and leave it to rise again. Now you are ready to cook the blini.

5.)Heat a small frying-pan with a long handle, rub with butter, pour in some batter and swirl the pan lightly to spread it evenly.

6.)When one side is cooked, turn the pancake over and cook the other side. This is not as easy as it sounds.

7.)The first blin might be thick and ugly, but don't worry: it is nol for nothing that the Russian proverb says, 'The first pancake is always a flop. After the first two or three, your pancakes will be thin, golden and good to look at.

Blini are oflen served with red and black caviare and salted fish, such as salmon, chum or herring. They can also be served with sour cream or melted butter. Many people like their blini sweet, and eat them with all kinds of jam and tea.

Pozharsky rissoles

2008-12-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Rissoles are among the most popular Russian dishes. People are not only fond of pork and lamb chops and cutlets, they also like rissoles made from minced beef, lamb, pork and veal. There are also chicken, fish, game, beetroot, kidney-bean, cabbage, carrot, and many other kinds of rissoles are served vsith various vegetables and sauces.

Pozharsky was the surname of a man. He was the owner of a restaurant in Torzhok. Torzhok is a small town near Moscow. It was meet renowned for the dish which in time became known as Pozharsky rissoles.

How to cook Pozharsky rissoles:
1.) First clean a chicken about one kilogramme in weight. Take the meat and skin from the bones, mince and add about 100 grammes of white bread without the crust, soaked in milk.

2.)Put this mixture through the mincer again, add a little melted butter and salt, and mix thoroughly.

3.) Form this mixture into small rissoles and coat in bread-crumbs. Drop the rissoles into a deep pan of butter and fry for live minutes, until a light brown crust has formed.

4.)Then take the pan with the rissoles and place for five minutes in a hot oven. Plate the rissoles on a dish and pour some melted butter over them.

They are usually served with a variety ot vegetables, such as peas, beans, cauliflower and potatoes.

Fish soup with Rasstegai

2008-12-23T06:02:00.000-08:00

How to cook fish soup:
1.) Take 600 grammes of perch, ruff or other small freshwater fish, clean it, but don't remove the scales, and wash it. Put it in a pot with cold water and bring slowly to the boil. Skim off the froth, add 20 grammes of parsley roots, 40 grammes of onion and 20 grammes of celery, and simmer for 40-50 minutes. Strain the slock.

2.)Add 8 peeled medium-sized potatoes, 2-3 onions and 4 pieces of a large fish, such as burbot, pike perch or sterlet, and simmer for another 20-30 minutes, skimming off the froth as it forms, but leaving the tiny globules of fat. Ten to fifteen minutes before the soup is cooked season with whole peppercorns and bay leaves.

3.)Before serving, put a piece of cooked fish and finely chopped parsley and dill in each plate.

Fish soup is traditionally served with rasstegai. These are little open pies with a filling; their name comes from the Russian word rasstyognuty meaning 'unfastened*. The filling can be made either from fish and rice, minced meat and eggs, or from mushrooms.

How to cook Rasstegai:
1.)First of all you need a yeast dough. When it is ready, divide il into small portions. Roll out these small balls of dough and place a spoonful of the stuffing in the centre. If you are using a fish stuffing, you may put small pieces of salmon or other cooked fish on the top.
2.)Pinch up the edges of the dough around the filling to make round or oval pies, leaving the centre uncovered.
3.) Put the rasstegai on a baking tray greased with butter and leave in a warm place for the dough to rise. As soon as they are ready, brush with egg yolk and bake in the oven.

For a fish stuffing, take 250 grammes of fresh-water fish fillets and bake in the oven or steam for 15-20 minutes. Chop the fish not too finely. Heat some flour with melted butter, and add the juice from the cooked fish and 100 grammes of finely chopped onion, and cook slowly for 10-15 minutes, until you have a sauce the consistency of thick sour cream. Mix the fish, cooked rice to taste, finely chopped parsley and dill, and pepper and salt with the sauce, and stuffing is ready.

Baked sturgeon with mushrooms

2008-12-14T05:41:00.000-08:00

The sturgeon is a large silvery fish of the family Aci-penseridae. It is one of the most delicious fish, and is considered a delicacy.

Sturgeon can be found in various places : in the Black, Azov and Bailie seas, in the Siberian rivers, and in lakes Baikal and Zaisan, but the greatest number are caught in the Caspian Sea.

Sturgeon has graced Russian tables since ancient times. Sturgeon in aspic and smoked sturgeon make marvellous hors d'ocuvres with a fine and delicate taste.

The famous black caviare, in its soft and pressed varieties, comes from sturgeon and related species. The belly of sturgeon (smoked or dry-cured) is known in Russia as tyosha.

Sturgeon is used to make fish soup and fish solyanka; it is eaten boiled, coated in breadcrumbs and fried, roasted in pastry or on a spit. But various baked dishes have always been the pride of Russian cookery, and this is especially true of baked sturgeon.

Russians are fond of saying that appetite comes with eating. Even if you are not hungry, you will realise how true this saying is when you try baked sturgeon.
How to cook a baked sturgeon:

1.)Clean and wash a sturgeon and cut into pieces. Salt and pepper it, coat it in flour and fry it gently with some butter.

2.)Gently fry 200 grammes of fresh ceps, field mushrooms or button mushrooms, as well as one onion, cut into rings.

3.)Put the fish in a large baking dish, and surround with circles of fried potato, the mushrooms and onion and pour over a strained sour cream sauce.

For the sauce: heat the sour cream, and when it is boiling, add a teaspoonful of flour mixed with the same amount of butter, stir it well, simmer for 1-2 minutes and season with salt.

4.)Sprinkle the fish, covered with the sauce, with grated cheese, pour over some melted butter and bake in a preheated hot oven for 10 minutes.

5.)To serve, garnish with finely chopped parsley.