|
Recipes from Russia
When you think of Russian cuisine,
two dishes that may come to mind include borscht sometimes served with
small mushroom dumplings, or beef stroganoff. The first dish would have
fed peasants a hearty meal, while the second required a higher standard of
living to afford. Like many cuisines around the world, that of Russia
divides fairly well into common food, eaten by those with lower incomes,
and the food of the upper class, that included meat and other costly
ingredients. Staples in Russian cooking include rye, wheat, barley, beans,
potatoes, cabbage, mushrooms, beets, eggs, dairy products and kasha, made
from buckwheat groats. Russian cuisine has also been influenced in recent
years by the countries included in the former Soviet Union, whose
contributions introduced Asian and Middle Eastern styles of cooking.
Russian Yeast Pancakes (Russia)
serves 4 to 6
Blini
| 2
packages dry yeast |
4
eggs, separated |
| 4
cups warm milk |
2
½ cups white flour |
| 2
teaspoons melted butter |
1
½ teaspoon salt |
| 2
teaspoons sugar |
½
cup cream |
- In a large bowl, dissolve the
yeast in a little of the warm milk, then add the rest of the
milk, the melted butter, sugar, egg yolks and flour. Stir this
mixture with a whisk until it is absolutely smooth. Add salt
and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whip the
egg whites until stiff. Fold them into the milk and flour
mixture and add the cream.
- Set bowl aside in a warm place,
covered, for about 20 minutes. Do not disturb.
- Heat large skillet or griddle.
Fry the blinis in butter, browning them lightly on each side.
Keep them hot while you finish the batter.
- These would have been a luxury
dish (see above), traditionally served with chopped boiled
egg, chopped onion, sour cream and caviar. You can skip the
caviar! They also are good served in a non-traditional way
with sour cream and jelly or a mixture of sugar with cinnamon
stirred in. Children might prefer this!
|
| Russian Vegetable
Pie (Russia) serves 4 to 6
Pastry
| 1
¼ cups flour |
4
ounces softened cream cheese |
| 1
teaspoon sugar |
3
tablespoons butter |
| 1
teaspoon salt |
|
- Sift together dry ingredients
and cut in butter and cream cheese. Work into dough. Roll out
1/2 of the pastry and line a 9-inch pie dish. Roll out remaining
pastry into a circle large enough to cover the dish. Place it
between two sheets of waxed paper and put pastry into
refrigerator.
Filling
| 1
small head cabbage (3 cups shredded) |
3
tablespoons butter |
| ½
pound mushrooms, washed and sliced |
4
ounces softened cream cheese |
| 1
yellow onion, chopped |
4
to 5 hard-cooked eggs |
| 1/8
teaspoon each basil, marjoram and tarragon chopped |
dill
(fresh if possible) |
- In a large skillet melt 2
tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion and cabbage and sauté
for several minutes, stirring constantly. Add marjoram, basil
and tarragon, salt and some fresh-ground black pepper. Allow
the mixture to cook, stirring often, until the cabbage is
wilted and the onion is soft. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of
butter to the pan and sauté the mushrooms, stirring
constantly, for 5 to 6 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F.
- Remove pie shell and top from
refrigerator. Spread softened cream cheese carefully in the
bottom of the pie shell. Slice the eggs and arrange them in a
layer over the cream cheese. Sprinkle with dill and then cover
with the cabbage. Finally, layer the mushrooms and cover with
the circle of pastry.
- Press the pastry together
tightly at the edges and flute them. With a sharp knife, cut a
few slashes in the top to allow steam to escape.
- Bake in a 400F oven for 15
minutes, then reduce temperature to 350F and continue baking
for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is a light
brown. Let stand a few minutes before cutting.
Recipes from The
Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas, Vintage, 1972, p. 186 and
pp. 158-159 |
|
