~ Russian recipes ~ August 15, 04

~ The “Oliver” Salad ~ (Potato salad)

3 big potatoes
3-4 big carrots
5-6 eggs
1 middle size onion
_ package of frozen green peas
3-4 big pickles (dill, not sweet!)
4-5 tablespoonful of olive oil
1 small jar of olives
1 jar of mayonnaise (middle size)

Steam potatoes and carrots. Then peel them. Boil eggs for 10 min. Defrost the peas.

Cut potatoes, carrots, eggs, and pickles into very small cube-shaped pieces. Chop onions. Add peas and stir everything. Dress with mayonnaise, olive oil, and _ juices from the olives; stir everything very well. Add salt if needed.

Put salt into a deep dish, make it like a hill. You may put some thick mayonnaise on the top and decorate it with 1 graded yolk and parsley or chopped green onions, or make a design out of cut olives.


~ The Cucumber Salad ~

2-3 cucumbers
4-5 middle sized potatoes
4-5 eggs
1 bunch of green onions
olive oil or any nut oil
salt

Boil eggs and potatoes; peel them, cut into small cubes. Chop onions and cucumbers. Add salt and stir everything.
Dress with 3-4 tbs. of oil. Stir again.


~ The Radish Salad ~

1 bunch of green onions
1 bunch (or package) of radish
3-4 hard-boiled eggs (boil for about 12 min.)

Slice radish. Chop the onions and the eggs. Add some salt. Dress with 2-3 tbs. of vegetable oil. Stir. Instead of oil you may use sour cream or mayonnaise.


~ The Mixed Salad ~

2 big beets
4 big potatoes
2-3 big carrots
2 big pickles (dill, not sweet)
1 white or yellow onion
1 can of kidney beans
3 tbs. of sour cabbage
100 gr. of olive oil or any nut oil
salt
egg and mayonnaise (optional)

Steam the vegetables (potatoes, carrots, and beets), then peel and cut into small cubes. Chop onions and pickles. Add the sour cabbage. Drain the beans and add them to the salad, then stir everything. Add salt. Dress with oil. You may also add a hard-boiled egg and mayonnaise (optional). The salad is usually served after it has been in the fridge for about an hour or two.


~ The “Mimosa” Salad ~

10 hard-boiled eggs
200-300 gr. of “Cheddar” cheese of “Gaudy” cheese
1 sticks of frozen butter
1 can of pink salmon
1 jar of mayonnaise (middle size)
1 jar of olives (use only juice)
2-3 tbs. of olive oil
1 big onion
Chop the onion (very tiny) and make the 1st layer on the shallow plate or any dish with flat bottom. Next cut into very small pieces the whites of the eggs
and make the 2nd layer. 3rd layer – grade half of the cheese (to make it easier to grade it, keep it in the fridge or put it in the freezer for 10-15 min.). Layer 4 – grade half of the frozen butter stick. Layer 5 – drain the salmon and cut it, use half of it this layer. Layer 6 – mix the mayonnaise with the oil and olive juice; use half of this dressing – pour it on the salmon.
Repeat starting with cheese (layer 3). After you pour the dressing on the last layer, put the yolk (either graded or just broken into small pieces) on the top. Decorate with chopped dill or parsley or green onions.


~ Borsch (Russian Beet Soup) ~

1 bell pepper
2 big beets
2 middle-sized onions (yellow or white)
3 big potatoes
2-3 long thin carrots
1/3 of a cabbage head (or cauliflower)
1 can of Pinto beans
1/3 bunch of parsley or 2 tbs. of dry parsley
1 bunch of dill or 1 tbs. of dry dill,
1 tsp. of dill seeds, or rye
3-5 bay leaves

Separately boil or steam the beets. Peel them and cut into strips _ inc. wide and 2 inc. long. Peel the raw potatoes and cut them into middle-sized cubes. Peel and slice the raw carrots (circle-shaped), cut into cubes or shred the bell pepper. Shred the cabbage.

Fill the big bowl (that fits about 5 lit. of liquid) with water half way (about 2 lit.). dip the potatoes and the carrots. Let it boil. After 3 min. of boiling add cabbage, bell pepper, onion, dill seeds, rye, bay leaves and boil for 5 more min. then add “Vegeta” or 2 cubes of “Knor” broth mix. or just add salt. Next add the beets, tomato paste, the beans and 30-50 gr. of oil. If the bowl is not full, add some hot water. At the end add parsley and dill. Stir from time to time while it’s boiling on median heat. After you put parsley and dill let it boil for 3-5 min. and then turn stove off and let stand for about 30 min – 1 hour.

Serve hot adding 1 tbs. of sour cream per plate (optional). You may also add fresh chopped green onions, dill, parsley or cut olives (optional).


~ “Okroshka” (Cold Soup) ~

1 paper container of buttermilk
1 bunch of green onions
4-5 middle-sized potatoes
1 bunch or package of radish
5-6 eggs
1 tbs. of fresh or dry dill

Boil and peel potatoes and eggs. Then chop them. Chop the onions and slice the radish/ cut the dill (if it’s fresh). Add salt and stir everything. Pour buttermilk so that it looks like a soup. Stir. Serve cold in hot weather.


~ Cauliflower ~

1 head of cauliflower
4 big bell peppers
2 middle sized yellow onions
2 big tomatoes
vegetable oil
sour cream

Cut the cauliflower separating the “little trees”. Cut the bell peppers into pieces _ inc. x _ inc. size. In a frying pan on a big heat fry separately with some oil 1) cauliflower, add salt; 2) onions; 3)pepper. Put them together into a bowl. Into a small bowl grade the tomatoes (without skin) and let them boil. Then add 2-3 full spoons of sour cream and mix them well with the tomatoes. Finally, pour the tomato-sour cream mixture into the cauliflower, pepper and onions. Stir. Let it stand for 30-60 min.
Instead of cauliflower you can use zucchini, eggplant, or regular cabbage. It can be also cooked in the similar manner but without sour cream.


~ Sour Kraut ~

1 middle-sized head of cabbage
3 big carrots
1 big red bell pepper
1 yellow onion
1 full tsp. of dill seeds
5-6 bay leaves

Shred the cabbage finely, add salt and press with hands until it becomes soft and gives juice. Grade the carrots using a big grader. Cut the pepper into 8-10 strips and then cut these strips across into very thin short strips. Cut the onions into small strips as well. Put everything together, then add the bay leaves, dill seeds, salt. Stir everything and put into a glass jar or bowl pressing hard so that the juice comes up and covers all the ingredients. Keep the jar in the room for 36-48 hours, stirring and pressing down twice a day. After 2 days, put sour kraut into a glass jar and store in the fridge.
Can be served with potatoes dishes, meat dishes. 1hour before serving add some chopped onions (yellow or green) and dress with 2.3 tbs. of olive oil or any kind of nut oil. Decorate with chopped parsley or dill.


~ Russian Cabbage ~ (Tushenaya kapysta)

1 cabbage
2 carrots
1 onion
1/3 spaghetti sauce
2 tbs. oil
salt, garlic & other spices

Total time – 20 min.

Preparation: chap cabbage,
shread carrots,
diee onion
Mix cabbage, carrots, onion, oil & salt & let it fry for 15 min. in medium heat.
Then add spaghetti sauce & spices.

Decorate with chopped parsley or dill.


~ Borsch (Nadya’s version)

5 big potatoes
2 carrots,
1 onion,
2 big beets,
1 can of beans,
1/3 of a cabbage head,
tomato paste or sauce
salt,
2 tbs. of oil,
“Vegeta” or “Knor”
parsley or dill

Peel the raw potatoes and cut into small cubes. Peel and shred raw carrots. Shred beans. Die onion. Shred the cabbage.

Mix potatoes, carrots, onion, oil, beans, beets and salt in big bowl add hot (boiling) water as much as you have veggies in the bowl. Let it boil. When potato is almost ready add cabbage and tomato paste and “Vegeta” or 2 cubes of “Knor”. Let it boil 5 min. more on low heat. If the bowl is not full, add some hot water. At the end add parsley and dill. Turn stove off and let it stay for a while on the stove.
Serve hot adding 1 tbs. of sour cream per plate (optional). You may also add fresh chopped green onions, dill or parsley (optional).

Borsch is taste better next day!


Hope you will have a lot of fun trying out some Russian recipes. Enjoy it!

Priyatnogo appetita - Enjoy your meal!

Love,
Nadezhda Krivoy