Authentic Russian Cuisine

Ingredients:

1.5 lb beef
3 lb potatoes
2 large onions
1 cup beef broth
1 cup sour cream
2 cup flour
8 tbsp clarified butter
½ tsp baking soda
2 bay leaves
Salt and ground black pepper on taste

Method:

Stir the flour, salt, butter, and sour cream, and knead to an even consistency.

Roll in a piece of plastic wrap, and set aside for 1 hour.

Peel the onions and potatoes, wash the meat, onions, and potatoes, and cut them into small cubes (1/4”-sized).

Stir, add salt and pepper, and stir once more.

Divide the dough into 2 parts, one a little smaller than the other.

Roll the larger part into a very thin circle.

Grease a deep cast iron skillet with 1 tbsp clarified butter, place the circle in it, and put the bay leaves over the dough, then add an even layer of the meat-potato-onion mix, then 3 – 5 small pieces of clarified butter.

Roll the smaller piece of the dough into a very thin circle, and cover the stuffing.

Pinch the top and bottom parts of the dough edges together.

Cut a 1”-diameter circle in the center of the top dough layer.

Make a ball from the leftover dough, a little more than 1” in diameter, and cover the hole with the ball.

Pre-heat an oven to 390 F (200 C).

Bake the pie for about 20 minutes, then cover it with a piece of foil, decrease the temperature to 360 F (180 C), and bake for 40 more minutes.

Then, remove the foil and the dough ball, and pour the hot meat broth into the pie.

Cover the hole with a dough ball, and cover the pie with foil.

Decrease the oven temperature to 340 F (170 C), and bake for about 2 – 2.5 hours more.

Turn heating off, and let sit for about 30 minutes.

To serve, slice into portions, place the pieces on portion dishes, and divide the stuffing up with a spoon.

Note:

You can substitute half of the potatoes with a pumpkin, or all potatoes with millet or other grains, and half of the beef with goose or chicken meat.

Ingredients:

1 cup wheat flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
15 quail eggs
2/3 lb boiled beef
1 tsp honey
1 medium onion
1 tbsp melted pork fat
Salt and pepper on taste
1 cup rye bread crumbs

Method:

Whip the flours, 6 eggs, honey, and 3 cups water or whey.

Set aside for 30 minutes, to make crepes later.

Chop the onions and meat separately.

Stir-fry the onions with the 1/2 tbsp pork fat on medium heating for about 2 minutes, then add the meat, salt, pepper, and stir-fry for 2 more minutes with high heating.

Cook the crepes from both sides, then place the meat stuffing in the middle of each one, and roll it up like a spring toll.

Whip 9 quail eggs.

Soak every roll in the whipped eggs, then in rye bread crumbs, and fry with 1/2 tbsp pork fat with medium heating.

Serve 2  grechaniki with 1 cup of beef broth per portion.

Here's the video recipe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVN760i8sPU&feature=player_embedded

Ingredients:

1 lb potato
1 L (1/4 Gal) milk
16 oz (0.5 L) broth or water
0.5 lb fresh mushrooms (or 3 tbsp dried mushrooms soaked for 3 hours. with a broth)
4 tbsp butter or margarine
4 tbsp chopped green onions
1 tbsp chopped dill
Salt on taste

Method:

Peel the potatoes, cut into medium cubes, and put them in a boiling broth or water.

Boil until potatoes are ready under a lid with medium heating (for about 15 minutes).

Clean the mushrooms, chop, and stir-fry them with the green onions and butter.

Put the fried mushroom-onion mix into the broth with potatoes, and boil together for about 7 minutes.

Then, pour the milk into the saucepan with mushroom soup, stir, and bring it to boil.

Add the salt and greens, remove heating, and serve.

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 lb flour
Water and salt – depending on the flour
1 lb ground meat (of your choice)
2 large onions
3 large potatoes

Method:

Mix the flour, egg, and salt, add water, and knead into a very thick but non-sticky dough.

Cover dough with a clean fabrics, and let to sit in a room temperature for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, peel and chop (or grind) the onions and potatoes.

Stir the ground meat, onions, potatoes, salt, and ground black pepper together.

Roll the dough into a thin, long, narrow shape.

Cover the dough with the meat-potato mix, and roll it tightly.

Press the edges together to prevent the stuffing from leaking.

Cover the top part of a steamer with paper greased with butter.

Bring the water in the bottom part of the steamer to boil, put the top part over it, cover with a lid, and steam for about 1 hour.

Then, slice, and serve with any vegetable salad.

Ingredients:

2 lb meat fillet (beef or pork)
3 oz (80 g) dried apricots, pitted
3 oz (80 g) dried plums, pitted
5.5 oz (150 g) cheese
3 medium sized tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
Salt on taste

Method:

Soak the apricots and plums with 2 cups of boling water, let sit for about 10 minutes.
Drain, and chop into small pieces.

Cut a deep cut in the middle of the meat, not to the end but enough to separate two sides of the meat like an open book.

Tenderize both sides, and sprinkle with salt.

Put the chopped fruit evenly on the meat.

Sprinkle the fruit with ground cheese and pressed garlic evenly.

Roll the meat tightly, and wrap it with a thread.

Pre-heat an oven to 390-410 F(180-200 C).

Wrap the meat tightly inside foil, and bake for about 1.5 hours.

Then, unwrap in the oven, and bake until the top of it turns tan.

To serve, slice the tomatoes into thin circles and spread them as a layer per plate.
Cut the meat into pieces (2 per portion), and place the roll pieces over the tomato "bed".

Ingredients:

3/4 lb (300 g) large potatoes, same size
3 egg whites
2 oz (50 g) butter or margarine
Salt, ground pepper, ground nutmeg on your taste

Method:

Wash the potatoes, and bake in an oven pre-heated to 375-410 F (190-210 C) oven until readiness. Do not turn the oven heating off!

Note:

You can alternatively microwave the potatoes for about 10-14 minutes, until readiness.

Cut the potatoes into halves, and spoon them out of their skins.

Make a puree from the potatoes, and stir-in the egg yolks,butter, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Whip thoroughly.

Rub a baking sheet with butter or margarine, and shape any same-sized forms from the puree with a confectionary bag.

Note:

You can alternatively just fill any metallic shapes.

Bake until the surface of the puree turns light tan.

Serve hot on a flat dish covered with a green salad leaves.

Ingredients:

2 medium apples (4.5 oz, or 120 g)

2.5 oz (70 g) celery root

1 medium (2.5 oz, or 60-70 g) tomato

2 oz (40-50 g) marinated mushrooms

4 hardboiled eggs

1 oz (30 g) pitted black olives

Salt and ground black pepper on taste

Mayonnaise on taste

Method:

Bring 1 cup water to boil, and boil a celery root on very low heating for about 4-5 minutes.

Then, cool, and cut into small cubes.

Peel the apples, remove their cores, and cut them into small cubes.

Peel the tomato, cut it into wedges, and remove the seeds.

Cut the mushrooms into small cubes.

Mix the prepared ingredients, stir with the Mayonnaise, pepper, and salt.

Put in a salad bowl.

Peel the eggs, cut them into wedges.

Decorate the salad with the olives and egg wedges, and serve.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ingredients:

11 oz (300 g) honey

1 cup sugar powder

3 cup flour

3 + 1 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp butter

Lemon peels, ground cinnamon, ground whole gloves, ground anise on your taste

Method:

Pour the honey into a glass or enameled saucepan, pour 1-2 cup warm water in, stir, add in the ground spices, stir, add the flour and 3 eggs, and knead the medium thickness dough.

Let sit for about 5 hours.

Grate the dough, knead one more time, and roll.

Pre-heat an oven to 375-410 F (190-210 C).

Rub a baking sheet with butter.

Cut any shapes from the rolled dough, place them on a baking sheet, and bake until their color turns gold.

Whip 1 egg, and use a brush to coat each pryanik right after taking them out of the oven.

When they cool, decorate them as you like.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ingredients:
 
1/3 lb (150 g) butter
1.25 cup (200 g) flour
3.5 oz (100 g) sugar powder
1 tbsp (15 g) cocoa powder
1 tbsp water
0.7 oz (15-20 g) gelatin
3.5 fl oz (100 g) water

For the first cream:
1.25 lb (600 g) boiled condensed sweetened milk, or melted caramel
1.1 lb (500 g) fat sour cream

For second cream:
2-3 oz (50-70 g) boiled condensed sweetened milk, or melted caramel
0.5 lb (250 g) fat sour cream
 
Method:
 
Warm the butter, and whip it with sugar powder, cocoa powder, and vanilla.
Pour in the flour, and stir well.
You'll get oily dough crumbs.

To make the dough, continue kneading, adding water in very small portions, until you get a non-sticky dough.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts.

Cut out 2 future cake shapes from parchment paper, and spread the dough evenly on the shapes.

Pre-heat an oven to 400-430 F (200-220 C).

Place the parchment paper with the dough into proper baking forms, and bake for about 17 – 22 minutes each.

Then, place them on parchment paper shapes on flat plates, and let cool.

Meanwhile, dissolve the gelatin in 1 cup of water per instructions, or just stir the gelatin into the water in a microwave-safe cup, and microwave for 2 minutes, then stir.

For the first cream, whip the cold sour cream with boiled condensed sweetened milk until an even consistency.

Then pour 2/3 of the dissolved gelatin while continuing whipping.

Whip for 2 more minutes.
Try, and add sugar powder if you like.

In another bowl, whip the ingredients for the second cream together to an even consistency, pour the remaining 1/3 of the dissolved gelatin, continuing whipping, and whip for 1 more minute.

If you feel like it, try adding sweetened condensed milk or sugar powder.

Wait until both creams start to thicken.

Cover a baking shape with a large piece of foil surrounding its bottom and sides.
Place 1 piece of baked dough on the bottom, and cover it evenly with the first cream.

Shake it a little to avoid air bubbles.

Cover it with the other baked dough piece, and pour the second cream evenly on it.

Cover with plastic wrap, and place in a refrigerator for about 2 hours, or until both creams turn to jelly.

Take the cake out by the the foil edges, remove the wrap and foil, decorate on your taste, and serve.
 

Ingredients:

6 lb cabbage (or 1 large head), not shredded
1 medium (10-12 oz (300-350 g) beetroot
2 large carrots, or 0.8 lb carrots
1 garlic clove (about 1 oz, or 30 g), peeled

For marinade:

12 black peppercorns
6 peppercorns
8-9 tbsp (about 5 oz) salt
1 – 1.5 cup sugar, on taste
2 fl oz (50 g) 70% vinegar

Method:

Cut the cabbage head into 4 quarters starting at the stalk, then remove the cabbage stalk.

Cut each cabbage quarter into halves lengthwise, then across to create large cubes that you should then break apart into leaves.

Peel the beets and carrots, and shred them on a large shredder. Then stir them together.

Chop the garlic, and stir it in with the beets and carrots.

Get large jars, and place a layer of the beet-carrot-garlic mix followed by a layer of cabbage.

Then, press down (the top and bottom layers should be the beet-carrot-garlic mix).

Meanwhile, make the marinade.

Put the salt, sugar, all of the peppercorns, and bay leaves (optional) into a large glass or enameled saucepan.

Pour 3 L (3/4 gallon) water into the saucepan, and bring it to boil.

Turn the heating off, and let sit for about 10 minutes to cool a little.

Then, remove the bay leaves if you added them, pour in the vinegar, and stir.

Pour the hot prepared marinade into the jars.

Press a little so all the vegetables are covered by the marinade, cover with a lid, and let cool.

After that, place the jars into a refrigerator for at least 1 day (the longer the better).

Note:

This cabbage has a very beautiful color, and a very nice taste, not too sweet, and a little crunchy.

There are hundreds of variations of this dish: sometimes, celery or greens are added, or the beets are boiled and sliced, and the quantity of salt, pepper, and sugar varies.

Vinegar percent conversion chart: http://www.good-cook.ru/lib/faq/uksus.shtml