Elite life
Russia (Russian Recipes)
Ingredients:
2 lbs. beef, cubed in 1 inch chunks
Russian sunflower oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped in large chunks
1 or 2 bottles of rich, malty beer
2 to 3 cups beef broth
1/4 head of cabbage + 1/4 head of cabbage, optional
1 1/2 cups carrots chopped in large pieces, optional
1-2 cups of cubed potatoes, optional
3 or 4 large beets, chopped in large chunks
Fresh dill, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream
Cooking Instructions:
Brown the beef in several tablespoons of oil and put it aside. Cook the onions and half of the cabbage (1/4 head) in the leftover oil until the onions are clear. Add this to the meat in a large pot. Pour in the beer, the beef broth, and about a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. I use Knorr's liquid beef broth extract and more beer rather than adding water. This gives more flavor with less liquid. If you use straight broth, cut back on the beer. Simmer this concoction until the meat is tender. It will take an hour to 2 1/2 hours depending on your cut of meat. Chop all the other veggies, and any others that you want to add. There are no rules, just realize that certain veggies will be done earlier than others. Carrots, potatoes and beets take about the same amount of time to cook (about 20 min., depending on how large the pieces are). Add remaining half of chopped cabbage (if desired). It will stay crunchier than the first addition. Skip this if you don't want this texture. The liquid should not quite cover all the veggies you put in. Add more liquid if you think it is necessary, but don't overdo it; this should be a very hearty soup. Simmer until the veggies are to your liking. Remember, the veggies will soften some as the whole mess cools down, so you may want to turn off the heat just before you feel they are just right. Add salt and pepper and minced dill to taste (I usually use a large bunch). This borshch is best if it is allowed to cool, and then re-heated just before serving. It also freezes well. Serve with sour cream and more dill if desired.
Ingredients:
Pancakes:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon of sugar
1/4 oz. yeast
1 tablespoon of butter or oil
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Cooking Instructions:
Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of warm milk (110-115 F) and 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. Let sit till "bulbs" appear (usually 10-15 minutes but sometimes takes longer). Add more warm milk to make 1 cup and gradually mix in 3/4 cup of flour. Wrap up in a towel and put in a warm place to rise. Make sure the mixing bowl is big enough because the dough will increase 2-3 times. After the dough rises add the rest of the milk and flour, salt, egg, and tablespoon of butter or oil. Wrap up in a towel and let rise for a second time. Check occasionally. Depending on the quality of yeast and milk, the dough may take 1-3 hours to rise. Preheat the frying pan at medium to high setting. Brush the pan with oil lightly. Too much oil on the frying pan may ruin the first pancake. Immediately after removing a pancake from the pan, put it on a warm platter or pan, brush the upper side with oil and cover with a lid. The inside of the lid should be wrapped in a gauze, any moisture absorbent cloth or towel. It will accumulate excess moisture from the pancakes. Note: covering with the lid and brushing the pancakes with oil will make them more elastic, soft and easier to stuff.
Ingredients:
300 g beef (with or without bones)
4 ea potatoes
50 g rice
1 lg carrot
2 sm onions
2 ea pickeled cucumbers
1 sm tomato
20 g parsley
Salt to taste
Sour cream
Cooking Instructions:
Prepare meat broth: Put beef into a large saucepan and cover with 3 l cold water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Remove the grease and froth from the broth surface with a spoon. Add one onion. Cook at low heat for 1 hour. Pan-fry vegetables: Melt one tablespoon margarine in a frying pan. Add chopped onions, carrots and parsley cut into sticks. Cover and saute at low heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add chopped tomato and saute for another 5 minutes. Simmer pickled cucumbers: Put chopped pickled cucumbers into a saucepan. Add meat broth covering cucumbers. Cover with lid and simmer at low heat for 15-20 minutes. Add rice to boiling meat broth. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes cut into bars and sauted vegetables. Boil for 10-15 minutes. Add simmered pickled cucumbers and boil for another 5 minutes. Salt can be added by taste. Served with sour cream.
Ingredients:
3 ea hard boiled eggs
4 ea boiled peeled potatoes
2 ea cucumbers
300 g boiled meat
3 tb chopped spring onions
1 c sour cream
1 l Kvas
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Pepper
Cooking Instructions:
Chop all ingredients in 1/4 inch dices, add salt, sugar and spring onions. Stir very well. Put in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Add Kvas, sugar, salt on your taste, sour cream. Don't pour all Kvas and sour cream if you are not sure you will eat everything. " Okroshka" is kept very well in the fridge without Kvas during several days. " Okroshka" is served chilled down with greens.
Ingredients:
50 g dry mushrooms
1 ea carrot
1 ea onion
2 ea parsley roots
10 ea pepper peas
1 tb flour
Salt
Sugar
Oil
Cooking Instructions:
Soak mushrooms in water for 2-3 hours, then boil them in the same water(they are ready when they drown on the bottom). wash them by running water. Cut mushrooms in strips and fry in oil. Strain mushroom water through 3-4 layers of gauze. Chop sauerkraut finely, stew with a little sugar, 1/2 tb oil, 3 tb water on average heat until it is soft and tender. Chop all other vegetables and roots finely and fry in oil. Put sauerkraut`, mushrooms and fried vegetables in mushroom water. Fry flour on dry pan until it is golden. Pour in a little water and having stirred thoroughly, add to schi. Season schi on your taste. You can use potatoes, but don't add flour then. Serve with chopped greens.
Ingredients:
15 ea fresh (dry) mushrooms (Boletus)
5 ea potatoes
2 ea onions
1 ea carrot
1 ea parsley-root
1 ea celery-root
2 ea bay leaves
1 tb flour
3 l water
Salt
Pepper
Greens
Vegetable oil
Cooking Instructions:
If you have fresh mushrooms, put clean mushrooms in cold water for 1-2 hours changing water 3-4 times. For dry mushrooms, put them in warm water and boil for 1,5 hours. Or you can put them in warm water for an hour and then boil for 40 minutes. Having prepared mushrooms, chop them, cut carrot into thin rounds. Put mushrooms, carrot and roots into water and boil for half an hour. Chop onions and fry with vegetable oil. Cube potatoes and add them, onions, salt, pepper and bay leaves into the pan. Boil for 15 minutes. Then take a cup of broth and add flour, mix very well so that there are no flour lumps in it. Pour it into the pan and boil for 5 minutes. Now add chopped greens. Gribnoy soup is served hot or cold with sour cream.
Ingredients:
1 lb. mushrooms
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil or olive and corn mixed
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 decent-sized clove garlic, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2-3 bay leaves
Cooking Instructions:
Use small mushrooms or cut larger ones into thickish slices. Mix everything together except the paprika, which should be added at the end. Mix up with mushrooms. Turn the mushrooms around every few hours - leave overnight in the refrigerator, or at least leave them to marinate for about three hours. (The longer the better.) Note: olive oil may get hard in the refrigerator. Before serving keep at room temperature for a few minutes and stir for the oil to melt.
Ingredients:
9 ounces brown button mushroom
1 ounce garlic butter, plus a little extra
garlic butter, for spreading
2 slices whole grain bread, thickly cut
1 teaspoon coarse grain mustard
5 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 tablespoon fresh chives, snipped
Cooking Instructions:
Put a wok or frying pan over the heat while you thickly slice the mushrooms. Tip the butter into the pan and when sizzling add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are tender and juicy. Meanwhile toast and lightly butter the bread and put on 2 plates. Stir the mustard and some salt and pepper into the mushrooms with 4 tbsp of the sour cream. When lightly mixed, pile the mushrooms and their creamy sauce on the toast. Spoon the last of the soured cream on top, sprinkle over the chives and grind over some black pepper.
Ingredients:
1½ cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 egg
½ cup milk
½ tsp baking powder
100 g oil
Cinnamon powder
Cooking Instructions:
Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl. Beat eggs along with sugar and then add the butter and milk. Stir. Slowly add the flour mix while you continue to stir. Knead the resulting dough. Roll the dough out to about 1/5" thick. Cut round shapes out and make a hole in the middle so that you end up with rings. Fry in hot oil until golden-brown. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients:
1 medium sized eggplant
1 large carrot
1 large yellow onion
1 celery stick
1 lb. fresh tomatoes or 16 oz. can peeled whole tomatoes or tomato sauce
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped dill
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon soy-sauce
2 bay leaves
Olive oil
Cooking Instructions:
Fresh tomatoes should be peeled, chopped and stewed for 30-40 minutes on low heat (after bringing to boil) to make a sauce. In order to peel fresh tomatoes pour hot (boiling temperature) water over them. Pour boiling hot water over eggplant (it eliminates a possibly bitter taste of the eggplant skin). Chop eggplant into cubes, salt and put into well-oiled frying pan. Stew on low for 30 minutes, mix frequently, add oil if pan gets too dry. Avoid burning the peel. When the eggplant gets soft and decreases in size add finely chopped (best to grind) carrot, finelly chopped celery, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, black pepper, bay leaves. Mix cook for 20 minutes. Add dill, cilantro, parsley. Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Stir frequently.
Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups flour
½ cup sugar
1 egg
½ cup honey
½ cup ground almonds
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves, ground
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Beat 2-egg whites with juice of 1 lemon and 1 cup powdered sugar.
Cooking Instructions:
Beat an egg with sugar, honey. Add spices, flour, baking powder, salt and make a dough. Roll out to 1 inch thick, and place on a sheet pan (1 inch thick). Sprinkle with almonds. Bake in 325 degree (Fahr) oven for 15 minutes. Cool down and cover with icing.
Ingredients:
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup kasha buckwheat groats, medium grain
1 egg, beaten
Cooking Instructions:
Place the chicken stock, salt, pepper, and butter in a 2-quart heavy covered saucepan. Bring to a simmer. In a small bowl stir the kasha and egg together. Heat a silver stone-lined frying pan and add the kasha-egg mixture. On medium-high heat flatten, stir, and chop the kasha with a wooden fork for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the egg has cooked and the kernels are hot and mostly separated. Bring the stock to a boil and add the kasha to the broth. Cover and turn the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove the cover, stir, and check that the kernels are tender and the liquid is absorbed. If not, cover and continue to cook another 3 to 5 minutes. Stir and fluff with fork and serve.
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
8 ounces mushroom, sliced
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1 dash salt
1 dash pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish
Cooking Instructions:
Place chicken breasts, one at a time, between two sheets of plastic wrap & flatten each to a thickness of 1/4 inch with a rolling pin. Cut into 1-inch strips diagonally across the fillets. In large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, & cook sliced onion slowly until soft but not colored. Add mushrooms & cook until golden brown, then remove & keep warm. Increase heat, & add remaining oil. Fry chicken very quickly, in small batches, for 3-4 minutes until lightly colored. Remove & keep warm while frying remaining chicken. Return all chicken, onions & mushrooms to frying pan & season with salt & pepper, then stir in sour cream & bring to boil. Sprinkle with fresh parsley & serve immediately.
Ingredients:
10 prune, pitted
1 tablespoon raisins
1 large white cabbage
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
2 cups cooked rice
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups sour cream
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons dill, chopped
Cooking Instructions:
Soak the prunes and raisins in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Separate the cabbage leaves, blanch in a little warm water, drain and leave to cool. Mix the ground meats with the rice, salt, and pepper. Place 4 tbsp of the mixture on each cabbage leaf, roll up and tie with kitchen string. Fry each cabbage roll on all sides in the butter. Place the rolls in a flameproof dish. Remove string. Beat 1 cup of the sour cream with the flour, and add with the raisins and prunes to the pan juices, boil briefly, and pour over the rolls. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes. Mix remaining sour cream and dill. Serve with cabbage rolls.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 lrg Beet, W/Skin, Stemmed or
16 oz Beets, Drained And Cut Into 1/2-Inch Dice, 1 Can
3 med Boiling Potatoes, Peeled
2 med Carrots, Peeled
1/4 cup Onion, Chopped
3 med Dill Pickles, Cut Into 1/2 Inch Dice
8 1/2 oz Peas, Drained, 1 Can
1/4 cup Scallions, Chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Dill, Finely Chopped
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Dressing:
1 tsp Dry Mustard
1/2 tsp Sugar
3 tbl Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 cup Sunflower or Corn Oil
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Cooking Instructions:
Beet should be washed and dried. If you are using a fresh beet, preheat the oven to 375 Degrees F. Wrap the beet in aluminum foil and bake until tender, about 1 1/4 hours. When the beet is cool enough to handle, peel it and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes. Add the carrots and cook until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy, about 10 minutes more. Let cool until easy to handle, then cut the vegetables into 1/2-inch dice. In a large salad bowl, combine the potatoes, carrots, onion, pickles, peas, beet, scallions, and dill. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently, taking care not to crush the vegetables. In a small bowl, whisk the dry mustard, sugar and vinegar together. Whisk in the oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss the salad with the dressing and tasting to correct the seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Ingredients:
8 dried mushrooms
3 tbl butter
4 cup shredded cabbage
2 cup sauerkraut - (to 3 cups) cold pack, not canned, if possible
2 tbl tomato paste
12 cup beef or vegetable stock
3 tbl butter
1 carrot peeled, and cut into a julienne
1 1/2 cup chopped onions
1 celery stalk diced
1 lrg turnip peeled, diced
1 can tomatoes - (16 oz) drained, seeded and chopped
Salt to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
1 lrg garlic clove minced or pressed
Garnish:
Chopped fresh dill mixed into
Sour cream
Cooking Instructions:
Begin by soaking the mushrooms in 1 cup hot water for an hour. Rinse the sauerkraut well with cold water and squeeze dry. In a large Dutch oven, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat, then toss in the cabbage and sauerkraut and saute for 15 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the tomato paste and 1 cup or so of stock, cover, and simmer of low heat for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, squeeze the mushrooms dry and slice finely. Melt the other 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and saute the carrot, onions, celery, turnips, and mushrooms until soft and slightly brown - about 15 minutes. Seed and chop the tomatoes, reserving them. When the sauerkraut and cabbage are nicely stewed, stir in the sauteed vegetables, the tomatoes, and the stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low heat - cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook 5 more minutes. Let stand at least 15 minutes - but ideally a day or so in the refrigerator to cure. When ready to serve, reheat slowly. Ladle into bowls and garnish with spoonsful of dilled sour cream. Serve hot as a meal to 6 to 8 people, with lots of pumpernickel or rye bread and butter on hand.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
168 g cooked white fish
125 ml thick white sauce
112 g flaky pastry
Cooking Instructions:
Flake fish and mix together with the white sauce season to taste. Roll out the pastry keeping it as square as possible and the edges straight roll out to a 10-12 in (254-305 mm) square. Place pastry onto a baking sheet and place fish mixture in the centre of the pastry. Dampen the edges of the pastry and draw the four corners together seal and flute edges using fingers. Brush pastry with beaten egg. Place in oven until pastry is golden brown.
Ingredients:
1 pkt hot roll mix
1/4 cup very warm water
3 eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp saffron threads
3 tbl butter soft
1/4 cup raisins light or dark
1/3 cup candied cherries halved
1/3 cup slivered almonds toasted
Lemon Glaze:
1 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tbl lemon juice
Cooking Instructions:
Sprinkle yeast from the hot roll mix into the warm water in a large bowl. Stir until yeast dissolves. Add eggs, sugar and saffron threads; Beat well until well blended. Beat in about half of the roll mix until smooth. With electric mixer, set at medium speed, beat in the butter until it is absorbed into the dough. Stir in the remaining roll mixture with a spoon, let rise in a warm place, away from any draft, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in size. Meanwhile, pour flavouring over the raisins, and cherries in a small bowl and let stand to soak, stirring often while the dough rises. Stir dough down, then add fruit mixture and almonds. Stir until evenly spread throughout dough. Grease well a 3 Lb shortening tin or 2,1 Lb coffee tins, and turn the dough into these. Cover with a towel and again, let rise for an hour to an hour and a half. When doubled in size, bake in a moderate oven, 350F for about 40 minutes or until the bread is richly brown on top and gives a hollow sound when tapped. Turn out onto a plate to let cool. Pour lemon glaze over the top. letting it dribble down the sides of the bread. Decorate with fruits and nuts if you wish. To serve, cut off the top of the kulich then cut as many round slices as needed. Replace top to prevent bread drying out. Half the rounds and arrange around bread on the plate. Lemon Glaze: Combine 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar with 1 Tbsp lemon juice in a small cup. Stir with a spoon until smooth and pour over kulich.
