This is a Russian-Jewish recipe which will be enjoyed by all your guests. Serves eight.
Ingredients:
4 to 5 lb. boneless beef round roast
3 T. rendered chicken fat
1 T. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1 T. paprika
3 large yellow onions, sliced
Water or beef stock
Step 1. Pat meat dry with paper towels. In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat chicken fat over moderate to high heat until sizzling. Add beef and brown well on all sides, sprinkling each side as it is seared with salt, pepper and paprika.
Step 2. When meat done browning, turn heat to low, add sliced onions, cover and cook2 to 3 hours. Enough liquid will be produced by the meat and onions for most of the cooking period; eventually, however, you will need to add a little additional water or stock to complete the cooking.
Step 3. Cook until meat falls apart in an unlovely-looking but delicious mess. Serve with potatoes.
Showing posts with label Russian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Russian. Show all posts
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Ukrainian Braised Pork Recipe
Pork is always delicious and this Ukrainian recipe is another favorite whenever it is served. Serves four to six.
Ingredients:
2 to 2-1/2 lbs. boneless pork loin
2 T. butter or margarine
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
1 T. caraway seeds
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup sour cream
Step 1. Remove all excess fat from pork. In heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat butter over medium heat until foaming. Add pork and brown on all sides. Add salt and pepper.
Step 2. To pot, add onions, caraway seeds and stock; cover, reduce heat and simmer gently 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until meat is fork tender. Remove meat to plate and cool slightly. Cut in slices.
Step 3. Turn heat up under sauce and boil rapidly until reduced to about 2/3 cup. Return sliced meat to pot and simmer about 10 minutes.
Step 4. Just before serving, remove meat from pot with slotted spoon and place in serving dish. Add sour cream to sauce in pot and whisk thoroughly. Reheat sauce, but do not boil. Pour sauce over meat and serve with potatoes or noodles.
Ingredients:
2 to 2-1/2 lbs. boneless pork loin
2 T. butter or margarine
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
1 T. caraway seeds
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup sour cream
Step 1. Remove all excess fat from pork. In heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat butter over medium heat until foaming. Add pork and brown on all sides. Add salt and pepper.
Step 2. To pot, add onions, caraway seeds and stock; cover, reduce heat and simmer gently 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until meat is fork tender. Remove meat to plate and cool slightly. Cut in slices.
Step 3. Turn heat up under sauce and boil rapidly until reduced to about 2/3 cup. Return sliced meat to pot and simmer about 10 minutes.
Step 4. Just before serving, remove meat from pot with slotted spoon and place in serving dish. Add sour cream to sauce in pot and whisk thoroughly. Reheat sauce, but do not boil. Pour sauce over meat and serve with potatoes or noodles.
Monday, August 22, 2011
The Kitchen Mouse’s Russian Menu - Entrees
Originally published June 14, 1984
There are ten distinct Russian cuisines and we won’t attempt a description of each of them, as you probably plan to only try your hand at one or two dishes. The cooking styles are as varied as Russia’s vast territory as it’s history suggest, ranging from cuisines reminiscent of the Middle East, Germany and Scandinavia to the French influence stemming from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when everything French was held in high esteem by people of fashion.
Apart from all the outside influences, there is much that is uniquely Russian. Perhaps the most fascinating is the Zakuska (sometimes zakusky or akuski) table which was in many housholds set up at times for travelers or visitors - a welcome kind of hospitality in a country where distances were long between towns, transportation slow and weather severe. The zakuska table consisted of dozens of cold dishes with hot ones, too, becoming customary in the early twentieth century. In addition to serving as a kind of free lunch extraordinaire, zakuska were frequently eaten before or after the theatre or merely as a prelude to a meal.
There are ten distinct Russian cuisines and we won’t attempt a description of each of them, as you probably plan to only try your hand at one or two dishes. The cooking styles are as varied as Russia’s vast territory as it’s history suggest, ranging from cuisines reminiscent of the Middle East, Germany and Scandinavia to the French influence stemming from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when everything French was held in high esteem by people of fashion.
Apart from all the outside influences, there is much that is uniquely Russian. Perhaps the most fascinating is the Zakuska (sometimes zakusky or akuski) table which was in many housholds set up at times for travelers or visitors - a welcome kind of hospitality in a country where distances were long between towns, transportation slow and weather severe. The zakuska table consisted of dozens of cold dishes with hot ones, too, becoming customary in the early twentieth century. In addition to serving as a kind of free lunch extraordinaire, zakuska were frequently eaten before or after the theatre or merely as a prelude to a meal.
Pozharsky Chicken Cutlets Recipe
Pozharsky Cutlets are named after the man who invented them, an innkeeper in the town of Torzhok, where travelers used to stop on the road from Moscow to St. Petersburg and feast on these cutlets. They were originally made of partridge or other game, but Russians make them of chicken today. Serves 6.
Ingredients:
8 slices fresh white bread
1-1/2 cups milk
8 boneless chicken cutlets
1 t. salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine
5 or 6 T. of dry bread crumbs
Step 1. Cut crusts off bread, shred white part and soak in milk for 30 to 45 minutes.
Step 2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Put chicken through meat grinder. Squeeze bread to eliminate milk, and mix bread with ground chicken. Grind again. Mix in salt and 2 tablespoons melted butter. With wet hands, form cutlets roughly in the shape of lamb chops. Coat them thoroughly with the dry bread crumbs.
Step 3. Fry chicken in 2 tablespoons butter a few at a time, until browned on both sides. Add butter as needed while frying. Place browned cutlets in an ovenproof pan. When all are browned, put the pan in a 300 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Pour a little butter over the cutlets just before serving, or serve with mushroom sauce.
Ingredients:
8 slices fresh white bread
1-1/2 cups milk
8 boneless chicken cutlets
1 t. salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine
5 or 6 T. of dry bread crumbs
Step 1. Cut crusts off bread, shred white part and soak in milk for 30 to 45 minutes.
Step 2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Put chicken through meat grinder. Squeeze bread to eliminate milk, and mix bread with ground chicken. Grind again. Mix in salt and 2 tablespoons melted butter. With wet hands, form cutlets roughly in the shape of lamb chops. Coat them thoroughly with the dry bread crumbs.
Step 3. Fry chicken in 2 tablespoons butter a few at a time, until browned on both sides. Add butter as needed while frying. Place browned cutlets in an ovenproof pan. When all are browned, put the pan in a 300 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Pour a little butter over the cutlets just before serving, or serve with mushroom sauce.
Chicken Bozartma - Azerbaijani Chicken Fricassee Recipe
Azerbaijani chicken fricassee. Serves 4 or 5.
3 to 4 lbs. chicken pieces
2 medium onions, minced
2 to 3 T. butter
4 young carrots, julienned
1-1/2 cups beef bullion
Salt to taste
A generous pinch of cayenne
A pinch of saffron, optional
2 T. chopped parsley
1/2 lemon, sliced
Step 1. Wash and dry chicken and brown lightly with onions in 2 tablespoons butter, adding more butter as needed. Add carrots and continue cooking for 2 more minutes. Pour in hot bullion, season with salt and cayenne pepper, cover and simmer until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes.
Step 2. When chicken is done, dissolve saffron in 1/4 cup hot water and strain over chicken if you choose to use saffron. Stir, check seasoning, and serve with chopped parsley and slices of lemon on top. (Note: This dish is good made a day in advance and reheated, with parsley and lemon added just before serving.)
3 to 4 lbs. chicken pieces
2 medium onions, minced
2 to 3 T. butter
4 young carrots, julienned
1-1/2 cups beef bullion
Salt to taste
A generous pinch of cayenne
A pinch of saffron, optional
2 T. chopped parsley
1/2 lemon, sliced
Step 1. Wash and dry chicken and brown lightly with onions in 2 tablespoons butter, adding more butter as needed. Add carrots and continue cooking for 2 more minutes. Pour in hot bullion, season with salt and cayenne pepper, cover and simmer until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes.
Step 2. When chicken is done, dissolve saffron in 1/4 cup hot water and strain over chicken if you choose to use saffron. Stir, check seasoning, and serve with chopped parsley and slices of lemon on top. (Note: This dish is good made a day in advance and reheated, with parsley and lemon added just before serving.)
Tukhum Dolma - Meat & Egg Balls Recipe
This novel dish is almost identical to what is know as “Scotch Eggs” in Great Britain. Serve it with a salad for a complete luncheon. Serves 4 to 5.
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean lamb, beef or pork
1 medium onion, grated
3 T. fine, dry bread crumbs
1/3 t. salt
A pinch of black pepper
6 hard boiled eggs
1 beaten egg
4 cups oil for deep frying
V.S.P. Grind meat fine. Mix meat with onions, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Peel each hard boiled egg and roll it in the meat mixture until the egg is completely covered and looks like a round meatball. Just before frying, dip meatball in beaten egg. Drop in heated cooking oil and fry until brown. Avoid making the meat layer so thick or the frying oil so hot that the meat becomes dark brown before the meat is cooked through. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean lamb, beef or pork
1 medium onion, grated
3 T. fine, dry bread crumbs
1/3 t. salt
A pinch of black pepper
6 hard boiled eggs
1 beaten egg
4 cups oil for deep frying
V.S.P. Grind meat fine. Mix meat with onions, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Peel each hard boiled egg and roll it in the meat mixture until the egg is completely covered and looks like a round meatball. Just before frying, dip meatball in beaten egg. Drop in heated cooking oil and fry until brown. Avoid making the meat layer so thick or the frying oil so hot that the meat becomes dark brown before the meat is cooked through. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
Mulgikapsad - Pork, Barley & Kraut Recipe
Mulgikapsad is a very popular dish all over Estonia. Kapsad means cabbage and Mulgi is the name of the Estonian province in which the dish originated. A delicious one-dish meal, it requires almost no preparation. Serves four.
Ingredients:
2-1/2 lbs. lean fresh pork, in 1 piece
4-1/2 cups sauerkraut
3/4 cup uncooked barley
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
Boiling water
V.S.P. Put meat in a heavy casserole. Cover meat with sauerkraut. Rinse barley in cold water and add to meat with bay leaf, salt and pepper. Be careful with salt, in case the sauerkraut is salty.
Pour in boiling water until barley is covered. Close lid tightly. Simmer over low heat until meat is tender, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Stir, adjust seasoning and serve.
Ingredients:
2-1/2 lbs. lean fresh pork, in 1 piece
4-1/2 cups sauerkraut
3/4 cup uncooked barley
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
Boiling water
V.S.P. Put meat in a heavy casserole. Cover meat with sauerkraut. Rinse barley in cold water and add to meat with bay leaf, salt and pepper. Be careful with salt, in case the sauerkraut is salty.
Pour in boiling water until barley is covered. Close lid tightly. Simmer over low heat until meat is tender, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Stir, adjust seasoning and serve.
Beef Stroganoff Recipe
This dish is well worth the effort and will be sure to give you real Russian flavor. Serves five or six.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1 lb. filet mignon, cut in 1/4-inch wide strips
1/4 cup butter
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. tomato paste
1 can (10.5 oz.) condensed beef broth
1 cup sour cream
2 T. dry sherry
Step 1. Combine 1 tablespoon of the flour with the salt and dredge the meat in the mixture.
Step 2. Heat the skillet, then add half the butter. When melted, add the meat strips and brown quickly, flipping the meat to brown on all sides. Add the mushrooms, onion and garlic. Cook three to four minutes, or until the onion is barely tender.
Step 3. Remove the meat and mushrooms from the skillet and keep warm. Add the remaining butter to the pan drippings. When melted, blend in the remaining flour with a whisk. Add the tomato paste. Slowly pour in the beef broth. Cook, stirring constantly with the whisk, until the mixture thickens.
Step 4. Return the meat and mushrooms to the skillet. Stir in the sour cream and sherry and heat briefly. Serve with rice.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1 lb. filet mignon, cut in 1/4-inch wide strips
1/4 cup butter
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. tomato paste
1 can (10.5 oz.) condensed beef broth
1 cup sour cream
2 T. dry sherry
Step 1. Combine 1 tablespoon of the flour with the salt and dredge the meat in the mixture.
Step 2. Heat the skillet, then add half the butter. When melted, add the meat strips and brown quickly, flipping the meat to brown on all sides. Add the mushrooms, onion and garlic. Cook three to four minutes, or until the onion is barely tender.
Step 3. Remove the meat and mushrooms from the skillet and keep warm. Add the remaining butter to the pan drippings. When melted, blend in the remaining flour with a whisk. Add the tomato paste. Slowly pour in the beef broth. Cook, stirring constantly with the whisk, until the mixture thickens.
Step 4. Return the meat and mushrooms to the skillet. Stir in the sour cream and sherry and heat briefly. Serve with rice.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
The Kitchen Mouse’s Russian Menu - Appetizers and Soup
Originally published June 11, 1984
[Editor’s note: This article was written before the fall of the Soviet Union.]
However well fed they may be on other diets, Russians, after a time, feel a kind of emptiness only Russian food will fill. All other cooking eventually seems either too spare or lean or too fancy. And food is of great importance to the Russian’s life. It was a featured pastime in the long idle days of the country’s aristocracy and landed proprietors. Meals and snacks were often the only events of the day, and the supervision of the meals and the kitchen, root cellar, drying room, ice house and preserve filled pantry was the main concern of the mistress of the house.
This preoccupation with food is so constantly reflected in Russian history that the Kitchen Mouse first thought of writing a column on Russian cooking while recently reading about eighteenth and nineteenth century czars.
Russia today is a country of 16 republics and approximately 170 languages, customs and traditional cuisines. Not all, by any means, eat borscht, kasha and beef stroganoff. Borscht is unknown in the Caucasus, the home of shashlik, and even the way shashlik varies from one valley to another in the three Caucasian republics, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaidzhan. While northern Russians eat buckwheat kasha, a kind of baked cereal, Armenians serve a rice pilaf with currants, cinnamon and pine nuts. In Georgia, where rice will not grow on the steep mountain slopes, the pilaf is of cracked wheat. The sour cream and mushrooms of beef stroganoff typify the Slavic north, while yogurt and dried mint are more common in the Caucasus, and hot red pepper is always on the table of the Uzbeks. In the east, there is distinctly oriental flavor, and in the Baltic regions, a strong Scandinavian influence.
[Editor’s note: This article was written before the fall of the Soviet Union.]
However well fed they may be on other diets, Russians, after a time, feel a kind of emptiness only Russian food will fill. All other cooking eventually seems either too spare or lean or too fancy. And food is of great importance to the Russian’s life. It was a featured pastime in the long idle days of the country’s aristocracy and landed proprietors. Meals and snacks were often the only events of the day, and the supervision of the meals and the kitchen, root cellar, drying room, ice house and preserve filled pantry was the main concern of the mistress of the house.
This preoccupation with food is so constantly reflected in Russian history that the Kitchen Mouse first thought of writing a column on Russian cooking while recently reading about eighteenth and nineteenth century czars.
Russia today is a country of 16 republics and approximately 170 languages, customs and traditional cuisines. Not all, by any means, eat borscht, kasha and beef stroganoff. Borscht is unknown in the Caucasus, the home of shashlik, and even the way shashlik varies from one valley to another in the three Caucasian republics, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaidzhan. While northern Russians eat buckwheat kasha, a kind of baked cereal, Armenians serve a rice pilaf with currants, cinnamon and pine nuts. In Georgia, where rice will not grow on the steep mountain slopes, the pilaf is of cracked wheat. The sour cream and mushrooms of beef stroganoff typify the Slavic north, while yogurt and dried mint are more common in the Caucasus, and hot red pepper is always on the table of the Uzbeks. In the east, there is distinctly oriental flavor, and in the Baltic regions, a strong Scandinavian influence.
Pickled Grapes Recipe
This zakusky (appetizer) should be made a week before you use it. They can keep in the refrigerator for several months, however, if you happen to have any left over. They are excellent served with vodka.
Ingredients:
1 lb. seedless grapes stripped from stems
6 oz. wine vinegar
6 oz. water
3/4 t. salt
5 T. sugar
3 peppercorns
1 clove
V.S.P. Step 1. Wash the grapes and put them in a glass jar.
Step 2. Put all the other ingredients in a stainless steel saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cool and pour the liquid over the grapes.
Step 3. Cover jar tightly and refrigerate 6 or 7 days.
Ingredients:
1 lb. seedless grapes stripped from stems
6 oz. wine vinegar
6 oz. water
3/4 t. salt
5 T. sugar
3 peppercorns
1 clove
V.S.P. Step 1. Wash the grapes and put them in a glass jar.
Step 2. Put all the other ingredients in a stainless steel saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cool and pour the liquid over the grapes.
Step 3. Cover jar tightly and refrigerate 6 or 7 days.
Eggplant Caviar Recipe II
Similar to another eggplant caviar recipe The Kitchen Mouse has given you, serve this on your favorite crackers or dark bread.
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant, about 3 cups when cubed
1 t. salt
3 T. olive oil
3/4 cup minced onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste
1/2 clove garlic, optional
V.S.P. Peel and cube eggplant, discarding seeds, sprinkle with salt and let stand one hour. Squeeze eggplant to eliminate liquid. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan or casserole. Fry eggplant slowly with minced onion until both are very soft. Chop them with edge of your spatula while frying. Off the heat, stir in one tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. If you like, press or crush the garlic and add. Chill before serving.
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant, about 3 cups when cubed
1 t. salt
3 T. olive oil
3/4 cup minced onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste
1/2 clove garlic, optional
V.S.P. Peel and cube eggplant, discarding seeds, sprinkle with salt and let stand one hour. Squeeze eggplant to eliminate liquid. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan or casserole. Fry eggplant slowly with minced onion until both are very soft. Chop them with edge of your spatula while frying. Off the heat, stir in one tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. If you like, press or crush the garlic and add. Chill before serving.
Armenian Bean Salad Recipe
This recipe is particularly good when you make it with Michigan navy beans.
Ingredients:
1 cup navy beans, soaked in water overnight
4 T. olive oil
4 t. lemon juice
1 t. ground coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
1 T. minced parsley
V.S.P. Drain soaked beans, place them in a saucepan with enough water to cover by 1 inch, and cook slowly until tender. Add water as necessary to prevent drying out. When beans are cooked, there should be almost no water left. Toss hot cooked beans with olive oil, lemon juice, coriander, salt and pepper. Chill. Mix in fresh parsley just before serving.
Ingredients:
1 cup navy beans, soaked in water overnight
4 T. olive oil
4 t. lemon juice
1 t. ground coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
1 T. minced parsley
V.S.P. Drain soaked beans, place them in a saucepan with enough water to cover by 1 inch, and cook slowly until tender. Add water as necessary to prevent drying out. When beans are cooked, there should be almost no water left. Toss hot cooked beans with olive oil, lemon juice, coriander, salt and pepper. Chill. Mix in fresh parsley just before serving.
Lobio - Georgian Kidney Bean Recipe
In Georgia, cold kidney beans are often served as one of several dishes composing a first course. Serves 6.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups dry kidney beans
Salt to taste
1/4 cup shelled walnuts
1/2 clove garlic
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 T. wine vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 small onion, minced
1 T. minced parsley
1/4 t. ground coriander
V.S.P. Sort and wash beans. Soak beans in cold water for several hours. To cook, cover beans with fresh water in a saucepan and simmer slowly until soft, adding small amounts of boiling water as needed. When beans are soft, pour off cooking water and salt beans to taste.
Pound walnuts to a paste with garlic clove and cayenne. Blend in vinegar and water. Taking care not to bruise the beans, mix in walnut paste, minced onion and herbs. Chill before serving.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups dry kidney beans
Salt to taste
1/4 cup shelled walnuts
1/2 clove garlic
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 T. wine vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 small onion, minced
1 T. minced parsley
1/4 t. ground coriander
V.S.P. Sort and wash beans. Soak beans in cold water for several hours. To cook, cover beans with fresh water in a saucepan and simmer slowly until soft, adding small amounts of boiling water as needed. When beans are soft, pour off cooking water and salt beans to taste.
Pound walnuts to a paste with garlic clove and cayenne. Blend in vinegar and water. Taking care not to bruise the beans, mix in walnut paste, minced onion and herbs. Chill before serving.
Borshchok - Russian Beef Soup Recipe
This soup is served hot and is made with meat, but beets are the only vegetable. It is very popular in the western Ukraine, where beets dominate the vegetable crop. Serves eight.
Ingredients:
2 bunches of young beets
2 sliced onions
2 lbs. beef brisket
8 cups water
Juice of 2 lemons
2 T. of sugar, more or less, to taste
2 t. salt
Pepper to taste
Croutons for garnish
V.S.P. Peel and dice beets. Place beets, onions and meat in deep pot. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until meat is tender. Cube meat and return it to pot. Add lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes longer. Serve hot with croutons.
Ingredients:
2 bunches of young beets
2 sliced onions
2 lbs. beef brisket
8 cups water
Juice of 2 lemons
2 T. of sugar, more or less, to taste
2 t. salt
Pepper to taste
Croutons for garnish
V.S.P. Peel and dice beets. Place beets, onions and meat in deep pot. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until meat is tender. Cube meat and return it to pot. Add lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes longer. Serve hot with croutons.
Chicken Chikhirtma - Soup Recipe
Chikhirtma is a popular chicken soup from the Caucasus and Central Asia. It is always thickened with egg yolks for richness and usually given a tart flavor with lemon or vinegar. The degree of tartness and richness can be varied in this recipe to suit individual preferences. This will serve six.
Ingredients:
6 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 T. butter or margarine
1 T. flour
1 pinch saffron, dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water (optional)
Salt to taste
3 egg yolks
3 T. lemon juice
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
V.S.P. Heat stock while frying onion in butter until golden.sprinkle flour over onion and stir while cooking for one minute. Add a little broth into mixture. Blend well and pour mixture into pot containing broth. Cook 10 minutes. If using saffron, dissolve it in hot water and strain the liquid into broth. Salt to taste and remove from heat.
Beat egg yolks with lemon juice. Mix a little broth into the eggs, then pour the mixture into the broth while stirring. Reheat the broth until it thickens, stirring constantly and not allowing it to come to a boil. Serve sprinkled with fresh parsley.
Ingredients:
6 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 T. butter or margarine
1 T. flour
1 pinch saffron, dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water (optional)
Salt to taste
3 egg yolks
3 T. lemon juice
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
V.S.P. Heat stock while frying onion in butter until golden.sprinkle flour over onion and stir while cooking for one minute. Add a little broth into mixture. Blend well and pour mixture into pot containing broth. Cook 10 minutes. If using saffron, dissolve it in hot water and strain the liquid into broth. Salt to taste and remove from heat.
Beat egg yolks with lemon juice. Mix a little broth into the eggs, then pour the mixture into the broth while stirring. Reheat the broth until it thickens, stirring constantly and not allowing it to come to a boil. Serve sprinkled with fresh parsley.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Beet Borscht Recipe
This is a peasant favorite of both Poland and Russia. This is a very simple recipe, can be served with a dollop of sour cream. To make a more substantial dish, add a hot boiled potato and a sprinkling of fresh dill to each plate. Serves 6.
Ingredients:
4 or 5 medium beets with their greens
1 large onion
1-1/2 t. salt
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 to 3 T. brown sugar
Sour cream
Boiled new potatoes (optional)
Chopped fresh dill (optional)
Step 1. Scrub the beets well (their cooking water will be used in the soup) and cut off the leaves. Cover the beets with water, partially cover the pot and cook the beets briskly for 30 to 40 minutes or until they are tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
Step 2. Meanwhile, trim the stems from the beet greens, chop the leaves fine and set aside. Peel the onion and grate or finely chop it. When the beets are done, remove them from the water and let them cool a bit. Slip off the skins and grate the beets by hand or in a food processor. Measure the beet juice and add enough boiling water to make 8 cups. Bring the liquid to a boil and add the grated beets and onion. Simmer 5 minutes. Add the salt, a tablespoon or so brown sugar and 3 or 4 tablespoons lemon juice and stir well.
Step 3. Taste the soup and adjust the balance of sweet, sour and salty to your taste. Remember that when the soup is cold, the flavor will not be as strong, so add plenty of seasoning. Serve either cold with sour cream or hot with boiled potato.
Ingredients:
4 or 5 medium beets with their greens
1 large onion
1-1/2 t. salt
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 to 3 T. brown sugar
Sour cream
Boiled new potatoes (optional)
Chopped fresh dill (optional)
Step 1. Scrub the beets well (their cooking water will be used in the soup) and cut off the leaves. Cover the beets with water, partially cover the pot and cook the beets briskly for 30 to 40 minutes or until they are tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
Step 2. Meanwhile, trim the stems from the beet greens, chop the leaves fine and set aside. Peel the onion and grate or finely chop it. When the beets are done, remove them from the water and let them cool a bit. Slip off the skins and grate the beets by hand or in a food processor. Measure the beet juice and add enough boiling water to make 8 cups. Bring the liquid to a boil and add the grated beets and onion. Simmer 5 minutes. Add the salt, a tablespoon or so brown sugar and 3 or 4 tablespoons lemon juice and stir well.
Step 3. Taste the soup and adjust the balance of sweet, sour and salty to your taste. Remember that when the soup is cold, the flavor will not be as strong, so add plenty of seasoning. Serve either cold with sour cream or hot with boiled potato.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Hors-d’oeuvre Varies - A History
Originally published May 7, 1984
Most of the glamorous restaurants of the world serve a galaxy of tidbits, both hot and cold, which fly under the banner of hors-d’oeuvre varies. These appetite stimulants are usually wheeled up to your table on a small trolley, each tier of which can hold up to twenty small dishes containing a colorful assortment of vegetables, marinated in olive oil and lemon juice and served a’la vinaigrette, or prepared a’la grecque with wine, olive oil, finely chopped onion, carrot and herbs. These trolleys come to us via France from Russia where the hors-d’oeuvre idea originated in the Russian Zukowski table, set up in a room adjoining the reception room and wheeled in to satisfy far-traveling guests before dinner. Thus it is not surprising to find Russian salad, hard-boiled eggs with a mayonnaise or sour cream dressing and pickled and preserved fish of all kinds included in the usual hors-d’oeuvre assortment.
The real purpose of the hors-d’oeuvre course is to stimulate the appetite, not to drown it. A correctly chosen complement of dishes should not contain too much mayonnaise or other dressings, but it should contain both cooked and raw foods so that the tastes and textures will vary as much as possible. Serve hors-d’oeuvre to best advantage in individual dishes or bowls.
Most of the glamorous restaurants of the world serve a galaxy of tidbits, both hot and cold, which fly under the banner of hors-d’oeuvre varies. These appetite stimulants are usually wheeled up to your table on a small trolley, each tier of which can hold up to twenty small dishes containing a colorful assortment of vegetables, marinated in olive oil and lemon juice and served a’la vinaigrette, or prepared a’la grecque with wine, olive oil, finely chopped onion, carrot and herbs. These trolleys come to us via France from Russia where the hors-d’oeuvre idea originated in the Russian Zukowski table, set up in a room adjoining the reception room and wheeled in to satisfy far-traveling guests before dinner. Thus it is not surprising to find Russian salad, hard-boiled eggs with a mayonnaise or sour cream dressing and pickled and preserved fish of all kinds included in the usual hors-d’oeuvre assortment.
The real purpose of the hors-d’oeuvre course is to stimulate the appetite, not to drown it. A correctly chosen complement of dishes should not contain too much mayonnaise or other dressings, but it should contain both cooked and raw foods so that the tastes and textures will vary as much as possible. Serve hors-d’oeuvre to best advantage in individual dishes or bowls.
Eggplant Caviar Recipe
This is a favorite of Russian and Near Eastern people.
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. ground cardamom
1/2 ground fennel
Olive oil
V.S.P. Rinse and dry whole eggplant. Place it on a dry pan in a 350 degree oven and bake about 45 minutes. Test with a cake tester and remove from oven when soft. Skin the eggplant, mash the pulp and add the seasonings to taste. Stir in 3 or 4 T. of olive oil. Chill and serve as a spread on dark toast or pumpernickel. Garnish the serving dish with black olives.
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. ground cardamom
1/2 ground fennel
Olive oil
V.S.P. Rinse and dry whole eggplant. Place it on a dry pan in a 350 degree oven and bake about 45 minutes. Test with a cake tester and remove from oven when soft. Skin the eggplant, mash the pulp and add the seasonings to taste. Stir in 3 or 4 T. of olive oil. Chill and serve as a spread on dark toast or pumpernickel. Garnish the serving dish with black olives.
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