Fairytale

hello

2011-05-22T17:52:00.001-07:00

Ikra

2008-05-17T14:21:00.001-07:00

1 large aubergine
Bunch of spring onions including the green
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and black pepper
Coriander leaves

METHOD Prick the aubergine and bake in the oven until soft, about 40-50mins,turning half way through. Scoop out the pulp into a blender. Combine with chopped spring onions and garlic. Whiz up and add the coriander and other ingredients.

Blend to a pure¤ e. Place in a dish and add more olive oil and some lemon juice.

FORSHMAK

2008-05-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

2 schmaltz herring fillets
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1-and-a-half white bread slices, no crusts
1 small green apple peeled cored and quartered
1 onion quartered
1 hard boiled egg quartered
1 tablespoon soured cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Half teaspoon sugar

METHOD Soak the herring in milk for 6–8 hours Pour the water and vinegar over the bread

Place all the remaining ingredients except the sour cream into a food processor and whiz until smooth but not over-pureed.

Stir in the soured cream and let it stand for few hours

Traditional Russian Pirozhki

2008-05-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

* 475 ml milk, warmed
* 10 g white sugar
* 10 g active dry yeast
* 30 g butter, melted
* 1 egg
* 6 g salt
* 750 g all-purpose flour
* 15 g butter
* 0.5 medium head cabbage, finely chopped
* 6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
* salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Place 1/2 cup milk in a cup or small bowl. Stir in sugar and sprinkle yeast over the top. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Pour the remaining milk into a large bowl.
2. Add the melted butter, egg, salt and 1 cup of flour to the large bowl with the milk. Stir in the yeast mixture. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and doesn't stick to your hands. Cover the bowl loosely and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour. Dough should almost triple in size.
3. While you wait for the dough to rise, melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, until cabbage has wilted. Mix in the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until cabbage is tender. Set this aside for the filling.
4. Place the risen dough onto a floured surface and gently form into a long snake about 2 inches wide. Cut into 1 inch pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Flatten the balls by hand until they are 4 to 5 inches across. Place a spoonful of the cabbage filling in the center and fold in half to enclose. Pinch the edges together to seal in the filling.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line one or two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Place the pirozhki onto the baking sheet, leaving room between them for them to grow.
6. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Russian Pelmeni

2008-05-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
2 cup flour,
1 cup milk or water,
1/2 ts salt,
1 tb vegetable oil,
3 eggs,
250 g beef,
250 g pork, 1 onion,
salt and pepper to taste.

Method:
1. Grind beef and pork twice in meat chopper. Then add chopped onion, salt, and pepper. To make mincemeat more tender and juicy, add a bit of milk. Reserve.
2. Mix flour with eggs and milk, salt and oil until a soft dough forms. Knead on floured surface until dough is elastic.
3. Take some dough and make a "sausage" (1 inch in diameter). Divide into pieces (1 inch thick). Roll each piece so that each is 1/16 inch thick.
4. Take a glass or a cup (2 inches in diameter) and make rounds with it's help on the dough. Fill each round with 1 teaspoon of the mincemeat, fold into half-moons.
5. Pinch edges together and connect the opposite sides. Pelmeni can be frozen to be cooked later ( you can keep them in the freezer for a long time), or cooked immediately.
6. To cook pelmeni, boil a large amount of water, as they can stick to each other. Salt water. Carefully drop pelmeni into boiling water. Don't forget to stir them from time to time. Boil for 20 minutes.
5. Served with butter, sour cream or vinegar, and ketchup.

Draniki

2008-05-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

Ingredients :
12 medium potatoes ,
1-2 tbsp flour,
7-8 tbsp vegetable oil ,
1 egg,
100-200 g of salted pork fat,
1/2 glass of sour milk,
salt

Method:
1. Peel the potatoes and grate them, add flour, sour milk or kefir, egg, salt and mix everything.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Lay the potato mass with a tablespoon in separate small pan-cakes (each no more then 10 cm / 4" in diameter). Cook until crisp and browned, then turn on the other side.
3. Serve hot with sour cream.

Lemon Kvass

2008-05-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

Kvass is not only one of the tastiest non-alcoholic drink there is, but it is also very healthy, containing many vitamins and helping to maintain a healthy level of intestinal bacteria.

Lemon Kvass recipe ingredients:

*
12 quarts of water
* 6 ripe lemons, sliced with seeds removed
* 2 1/2 pounds of brown sugar or honey
* 1 pound of raisins
* 2 tablespoons of brewers yeast

Lemon Kvass recipe instructions:

Pour 2-3 quarts of the water over the lemon slices and mix in the honey or brown sugar, then cover and let it ferment for 1 day.

Mix in the remaining ingredients and cover again. Store in a warm place until the raisins and lemon slices float to the top.

Use a fine sieve to strain the juice in to bottles, seal and let sit for 5-6 days.

Sochni Tverskie

2008-05-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

Sochen is a folded flat cake with a filling made from tvorog (cottage cheese). Sochni will be a perfect dessert for tea or a light snack in the middle of the day. Serve with melted butter.

Ingredients
5.5 cup flour.
1 cup water.
50 g butter.
salt.
Filling:.
700 g tvorog (cottage cheese).
5 ea eggs.
4 tb sour cream.
4 tb sugar.

Make unleavened dough and roll it out finely, 15 cm in a diameter. Put the filling on a half, cover and pinch the edges. For the filling, combine cottage cheese with eggs, sour cream and sugar. Bake in a well heated oven until light brown.

Fish Solyanka

2008-05-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

Solyanka is one of the most popular Russian soups. Different pickles or sauerkraut (solenya) are added to the soup, that is why it is called solyanka. Solyanka can be made from
meat, fish or mushrooms. It is served with olives, lemon slices and sour cream.

Ingredients
500 g fillet of large fish.
5 ea pickles.
2 ea onion.
2 tb tomato paste.
2 ea tomatoes.
3 tb butter.
1 tb capers.
1 tb olives.
100 g sour cream.
1/4 lemon peeled.

Chop onion finely and fry in oil until light golden, add tomato paste and butter and stew for a while, add fish slices. Pour over broth. Peel cucumbers and slice them.
Add onion, capers, cucumbers, sliced tomatoes and a bay leaf to the broth. Cook for 10-15 minutes.
Before serving, add sour cream, olives and lemon slices. Sprinkle with greens.

Ukrainian Kutya

2008-05-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

Kutya is a symbol of fertility and abundance on Russian table. It is usually made on Easter and Christmas.

Ingredients
2 cup Wheat kernels.
3 qt Water.
1 cup Poppy seeds.
1/2 cup Chopped walnuts.
1 ea Apple peeled, cubed 1/4".
1/3 cup Honey.
1 cup Sugar.

Dry wheat in 250 F degree oven for 1hr. stirring occassionally. Rinse, soak overnight in cold water. Dissolve honey in 3/4 cup very hot water. Bring wheat to a boil, simmer for 3-4 hrs., until the wheat kernels burst. Simmer poppy seeds for 3-5 min., drain, grind in mortar with pestle and set aside. After ingredients are cool, combine in a bowl, add the chopped apples. Serve chilled as this will not keep well at room temp. Store in refrigerator for up to 2
days if needed. Options: You may add raisins(1/3 c), dried peaches chopped (1/3c), or other dried fruit such as dried chopped-cherries (1/3c).

Moscow Chicken

2008-05-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

Ingredients :
200 g chicken fillet ,
30 g onion , 50 g mushrooms ,
50 g sour cream ,
1 tb butter
150 g cooked rice ,
flour, dill, salt, spices;
for dough:
60 g flour,
2 tb water ,

Method:
Grease chicken fillets with salt and fry in onion and mushrooms. Set a pan with oil aside. Place chicken in a baking pot. Add flour in a pan and fry until golden, pour in sour cream and bring to a boil. Pour the sauce over chicken, add chopped dill.
Make dough and roll out a round to cover the pot. Cover the pot tightly and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at the average heat. Serve in pots with rice for garnish.

Beliashi

2008-05-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

Beliashi is traditional Russian food which can be served with tea as a snack or as a main dish separately It consist of yeast dough and has a meat filling inside. It easy to prepare and very tasty.

Dough
Ingredients:

1 pint of water or milk
2 lb all purpose flour
1 tbsp of butter or oil
1 egg
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
1/4 oz dry yeast
Mix all ingredients together. Let it stand in warm place for 2-3 hours.

Meat
Ingredients:

1 lb of ground lamb
1 lb of ground turkey
1 tbsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 big fine chopped onion
Meat combination could be any kind of. Another great example is beef and pork; veal and lamb, or chicken and beef. You can try lamb alone.Mix all ingredients together.

Take a piece of dough size 2 by 2 inches and roll it round about 5 inches in diameter. The thickness should be about quarter to half an inch.
Put a meat inside, so would be a one inch free space from each border. Start to fold loose ends forming a hole at the top about 2 inches.
Place it in preheated oil, and fry on medium heat until it will be light brown. It should be put hole to bottom first, so juices can stay when it cooked. Turn it and fry on the other side. It will be ready when juices start to boiling inside.

The Little Grey Wolf Will Come

2008-05-06T03:19:00.000-07:00

Baby, baby, rock-a-bye
On the edge you mustn't lie
Or the little grey wolf will come
And will nip you on the tum
Tug you off into the wood
Underneath the willow-root.

---------------------------------

Baiu-baiushki-baiu,
ne lozhisia na kraiu.
I pridiot serenkii volchok,
ukhvatit za bochok,
I potashchit vo lesok,
pod rakitovyi kustok.

Authentic Ukrainian Borshch

2008-05-05T04:40:00.000-07:00

When talking about Ukrainian cuisine, the borshch is the first dish to mention. It's the most widespread Ukrainian dish. It is cooked in each family in Ukraine, but each hostess cooks it her own special way.

100g or 200g of meat with rib bones (preferably beef)
1 big onion
1 beetroot
1 large or 2 small carrots
50g of pork fat
half a lemon
1-2 tbsp of tomato paste
3or 4 large potatoes
200g of cabbage
bay leaf
salt,pepper

Boil the meat for the stock. Chop the onion. Grate or shred the beetroot. Grate carrots. Melt some fat on a frying pan. Cut the pork fat into very small pieces and fry it until it becomes golden in colour. Add onions to the frying pan, fry it until they get golden. Add carrots, when they get soft, add beetroot. Sprinkle juice of half a lemon onto the mixture. Add tomato paste to the frying pan. Fry the mixture for a while. Add a little stock, pepper, bay leaf. Set the heat to the minimum cover with a lid and simmer for a while.

Put the beef out of stock. Pour the stock into a big pot. Put into the pot the peeled potatoes, cut into big pieces.

Shred the cabbage. When the stock with potatoes boils put the cabbage into the pot. Add salt.

Separate the meat from the bones, and put it back to the pot. When the potatoes are ready (i.e. soft, boiled), turn off the frying pan and put its contents into the pot. Add a bay leaf, black pepper. Turn off the heat.

When serving put some sour cream and crushed garlic into a plate.

Potato vareniki

2008-05-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

Ingredients :
2 pounds potatoes, cooked (save water from cooked potatoes) ,
2 onions chopped ,
1 stick margarine ,
Salt and pepper ,
2 cups flour,
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:
Cook potatoes in simmering water until soft and put them through a potato ricer. Saute onion in margarine until very soft, add 1/2 of the onions to the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Add vegetable oil and enough water to make a soft dough and mix until the dough no longer sticks to the hands. Cover dough and let rest for about 15 minutes. Roll out dough on a floured board to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut dough into small squares and place a dollop of potato mixture in the center of each square. Fold dough, pinch ends to form a triangle. When all are made, put into boiling water and boil for about 10 minutes.
When all are cooked, drain and serve with the remaining sauteed onions on top.

Riga Black Balsam

2008-05-03T04:09:00.000-07:00

A special drink made to a secret recipe created in the 18th century, Black Balsam is a national symbol and is still sold in traditional clay bottles. It is made from 24 herbs, botanicals, fruit, birch buds, raspberries, ginger and other secret ingredients, then stored in oak barrels where it acquires its slightly bitter taste and black colour. Balsam is pretty potent at 45% proof and is believed by many to be good for the digestion and circulation. As well as being served neat, it forms the basis of numerous cocktails. Combined with hot blackcurrant juice it becomes ‘Karstais Balsams’ – perfect for cold winter evenings. Riga Black Balsam is one of the most popular souvenirs of a trip to Latvia and even boasts its own specialist bars such as Balzambars and B Bars in Riga’s Old Town.

Kirghiz Baked Beef recipe

2008-05-02T03:58:00.000-07:00

A wonderful beef recipie from Kazakhstan
Ingredients:
2 lb Flank steak, Chopped 1/2"
1 Lg. Onion, Chopped
1 Med. Green Pepper, Chopped
2 tb Olive oil
1 cup Yogurt (Plain)
2 Large Eggs
2 Apples Diced
1 cup Chopped Dried Apricots
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Prunes dried, pitted- & chopped
2 tb Curry Powder
1 ts Salt
2 ts Pepper

· Method
Sautee onion & green pepper in olive oil in lg. heavy skillet until onion is transparent. Add chopped beef and brown lightly. Pour off drippings. Add eggs, apple, apricots, curry powder, salt and pepper to beef. Add yogurt & mix well. Place in a large, deep casserole & bake in a 350 degree F. for 45 minutes.

Russian Beef Piroshki

2008-05-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

* 680 g ground beef
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 6 g salt
* ground black pepper to taste
* dried dill weed to taste
*
* 7 g active dry yeast
* 60 ml warm water
* 235 ml milk
* 3 eggs
* 120 ml vegetable oil
* 25 g granulated sugar
* 6 g salt
* 500 g all-purpose flour
* 710 ml oil for frying

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until evenly browned; drain. Stir in the onion and cook with the beef until translucent. Sprinkle in salt, pepper and dill weed to taste. Allow to cool before using.
2. Dissolve the yeast in the 1/4 cup of warm water and place in a warm location until frothy, about 10 to 15 minutes. In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the milk and gently whisk in the eggs, oil, sugar and salt. Remove from heat.
3. Place half the flour in a large mixing bowl and gradually stir in the milk mixture. Then add the yeast solution alternately with the remaining flour, stirring after each addition. Mix well. Knead until the dough forms a ball and does not stick to the bowl. (Note: Start with the 4 cups of flour. You may need to add more, a little at a time, as you knead the dough). Cover the bowl with a clean cloth. Set in a warm location and allow to rise until doubled in volume.
4. Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Pinch off pieces approximately the size of golf balls. Roll the pieces into disks about 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter.
5. Fill center of each disk with a heaping tablespoon of the cooled meat mixture. Fold disks over the mixture and firmly pinch edges to seal. Arrange on a flat surface and allow to sit approximately 10 minutes.
6. In an large, heavy skillet or deep fryer, heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry the piroshki in batches until golden brown on one side; gently turn and fry the other side. Remove and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

Traditional Russian eggplant appetizer

2008-04-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

* 5 eggplants, peeled and cubed
* 5 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
* 5 tomatoes, chopped
* 5 onions, chopped
* 20 g white sugar
* 20 g salt
* 120 ml vegetable oil
* 120 ml red wine vinegar
* 120 ml water

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, and onion into a large pot. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, salt, oil, vinegar, and water. Pour over the vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Russian Vinaigrette

2008-04-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

Russian vinaigrette is the most popular salad in Russia, especially during a winter because most of ingredients are pickled or marinated.

Russian Vinaigrette Ingredients:

4 medium cooked beets
4 medium boiled potatoes
2 pickled cucumber
1-2 medium onions
1 cup braised green peas
2 medium boiled carrot
1 medium sliced pickled cabbage
sauce consisting 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon mustard, salt

Russian Vinaigrette Recipe Instructions

Cut potatoes, cucumbers, onions and carrots into diamonds shapers. Add sliced pickled cabbage and green peas. Cut beets into diamonds and add the sauce. Mix it with other ingredients.

Put it into a fridge and leave for an hour until it becomes cold and takes red colour from beets.

Kulich

2008-04-27T16:28:00.001-07:00

Easter Cake

Easter Cake,is traditionally only cooked once a year, for Easter.

Easter Cake Recipe Ingredients:

*
4 tablespoons of yeast
* 2 cups of milk or thick cream
* 10 cups of flour
* 15 egg yolks
* 1 1/2 cups of sugar
* 1 1/2 cups of butter
* 1/2 cup of rasins
* 1/2 cup of ground almonds
* 1/2 teaspoon of saffron
* 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
* 15 cardamon seeds
* pinch of salt
* bread crumbs
* 1/2 cup of lemon peel

Easter Cake Instructions:

Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm milk/cream and stir in half the flour. Put this in a warm place so it will rise to about double it's original size.

Add the remaining ingredients (excluding the bread crumbs and lemon peel). Knead the dough until air bubbles form then let it rise again for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Grease a deep round baking dish and sprinkle the insides with the bread crumbs.

Fill half the dish with dough and let it rise by about half again. Once the dough has risen, push the mix back down and bake for at least 1 1/4 hours on 375F.

Once the cake is finished decorate with icing and lemon peel.

The Cock and the Bean

2008-04-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

A cock was scratching one day in the earth under the wall of a cottage when he found a bean.
He tried to swallow it, and choked himself. He choked himself and stretched himself out, and there he lay, and couldn't even breathe.
And his mistress saw him, ran up to him, and asked: “Mr. Cock, what makes you lie there like that, so that you can't breathe?”

“I've choked myself with a bean,” he answered. “Go and ask the cow for some butter.”

And his mistress came to the cow and said: “Mrs. Cow, give me some butter! My cock is lying there and can't even breathe, he has choked himself with a bean.”

And the cow answered: “Go and ask the hay-makers for some hay.”

And she came to the hay-makers and said: “Hay-makers, give me some hay! The hay's for the cow who will give me some butter, and the butter's for my cock who is lying there and can't breathe, he's choked himself with a bean.” And the hay-makers answered: “Go and ask the oven to give you some loaves.”

And she came to the oven and said: “Oven, oven, give me some loaves! The loaves are for the hay-makers, who will give me some hay, the hay's for the cow, who will give me some butter, and the butter's for my cock who is lying there and can't breathe, he's choked himself with a bean.”

And the oven answered: “Go and ask the wood-cutters for some wood.”

And she came to the wood cutters and said: “Give me some wood! The wood's for the oven, who will give me some loaves, the loaves are for the hay-cutters, who will give me some hay, the hay's for the cow, who will give me some butter, the butter's for my cock who is lying there and can't breathe, he's choked himself with a bean.”

And they answered: “Go and ask the smith for an axe, we've nothing to cut the wood with.”

So she came to the smith and said: “Smith, smith, give me an axe! The axe is for the wood-cutters, who will give me some wood, the wood's for the oven, who will give me some loaves, the loaves are for the hay-makers, who will give me some hay, the hay's for the cow, who will give me some butter, and the butter's for my cock who is lying there and can't breathe, he's choked himself with a bean.” And he answered: “Go into the forest and burn me some charcoal.”

So she went into the forest, gathered a bundle of sticks, and burned some charcoal. Then she took the charcoal to the smith, and he gave her an axe. She went with the axe to the wood-cutters, and the wood-cutters gave her some wood. The wood she took to the oven, and the oven gave her some loaves.

She took the loaves to the hay-makers, and the hay-makers gave her some hay. The hay she took to the cow, who gave her some butter. She brought the butter to the cock, and the cock gulped it down and swallowed the bean.

Then he jumped up merrily and started singing “Cock-a-doodle-doo! I was sitting under the wall, plaiting shoes, when I lost my awl, but I found a little coin, and I bought a little scarf, and gave it to a pretty girl.”

And that's all about it.

Shchi

2008-04-04T16:47:00.000-07:00

Shchi is a sauerkraut soup and very tasty.

Shchi Recipe Ingredients:

*
1 1/2 pounds of beef (brisket or flank)
* 1/2 pound of ham
* 1/2 pound of broth veg. (carrots, leek and parsley)
* 1 medium onion, chopped
*
salt & pepper
* 2 tablespoons of dried mushrooms
* 1 tablespoon of butter
* 3 Bay leaves
*
1 dozen black peppercorns
* 1 tablespoons of flour
* 1 pound of sauerkraut
* 2 tablespoons of bacon fat
*
1 cup of sour cream

Shchi Recipe Instructions:

Prepare a broth using the beef, ham, broth veg. and about 1 1/2 quarts of water, add salt to season.
Soak the dried mushrooms, rinse, simmer for about 10 minutes and then strain.

Squeeze the Sauerkraut, keeping the juice, then blanch in boiling water, drain and chop.

Saute the onion lightly in butter before adding the sauerkraut and cooking for a further 15 minutes. Use the peppercorn and bay leaves to season.

Add the broth and simmer for about 1 hour until the Sauerkraut is tender.

Mis 1 tablespoon of mushroom broth and the flour and add them to the soup to thicken, then bring to boil and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, adding extra sauerkraut juice if the mix is not sour/sharp enough for taste.

Chop the mushrooms and then add the mushrooms, beef and chopped ham to the soup, then cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve with sour cream.

Wedding Pirog

2008-04-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

Pirog is a traditional Pastry based russian recipe.

wedding pirog Recipe Ingredients:

*
1 oven ready chicken
*
salt & pepper
*
5 tablespoons of flour
*
1 cup of butter
*
1 1/2 cups of chicken stock
*
1/2 cup of thick cream
*
1 sprig of chopped parsley
*
1 cup of rice
*
1/2 pound of mushrooms
*
5 hard boiled eggs, chopped
*
1 sprig of dill, chopped
*
1 egg, beaten
* Short crust pastry made with 4 cups of flour and soured cream

Wedding Pirog Recipe Instructions:

Boil the chicken in salt water for about 40 minutes (until it is tender). Once it has cooled, remove the skin, carve and remove the bones and then slice the chicken.

Prepare a light roux with 4 tablespoons of butter and flour. Add the stock, bring it to the boil and then stir in the cream and parsley, adding salt and pepper to season the sauce to taste.

Cook the rice for about 15 minutes so that it is al dente and then drain.

Thinly slice and saute the mushrooms in butter. Melt the remaining butter and mix in the eggs and dill.

Add some sauce to both the chicken slices and the mushrooms and stir well.

Roll a quarter of the party in to a circle, it should be about half the thickness of a finger (about 3/4 of a cm) thick. Place this base on a floured baking tray.

Now build up layers of the cooked rice, then the egg mixture, then the chicken slices, and then the mushrooms on pastry base. Repeat the layers until all the ingredients are used, tapering the layers in as you go so that it forms a natural dome shape.

Roll out the remaining pastry in to a large circle (about 1/2 cm thick) and use this to cover the filling. Remove the excess pastry and ensure the edges are securly sealed .

Use the excess pastry to decorate the outside, but don't forget to cut a small hole in the top to let steam escape as it cooks.

Brush the outside with a beaten egg and then bake for 40-45 minutes at 375F.

Serve hot or cold.

Chicken Kiev

2008-04-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

* 75 g butter
* 1 g ground black pepper
* 3 g garlic powder
* 910 g skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 2 eggs
* 45 ml water
* 0.5 g ground black pepper
* 1 g garlic powder
* 1 g dried dill weed
* 95 g all-purpose flour
* 80 g dry bread crumbs
* 475 ml vegetable oil for frying
* 0.5 lemon, sliced
* 15 g chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine 1/3 cup butter, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. On a 6x6 inch piece of aluminum foil, spread mixture to about 2x3 inches. Place this mixture in the coldest section of your freezer and freeze until firm. This can be done ahead of time.
2. Remove all fat from the chicken breast. If using whole chicken breasts, cut them in half. Place each chicken breast half between 2 pieces of waxed paper and using a mallet, pound carefully to about 1/4 inch thickness or less.
3. When butter mixture is firm, remove from freezer and cut into 6 equal pieces. Place one piece of butter on each chicken breast. Fold in edges of chicken and then roll to encase the butter completely. Secure the chicken roll with small skewers or toothpicks.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with water until fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, dill weed and flour. Coat the chicken well with the seasoned flour. Dip the floured chicken in the egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs. Place coated chicken on a shallow tray and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. In a medium size deep frying pan, heat vegetable oil to medium-high. Fry chicken for about 5 minutes then turn over and fry for 5 minutes longer or until the chicken is golden brown. To test for doneness, cut into one of the rolled chicken breasts to make sure it doesn't have a pink interior. Serve immediately, garnished with a sliced lemon twist and a sprinkling or parsley.

Ukrainian Apple Cake (Yabluchnyk)

2008-04-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

This is a delicious cake which is easy to prepare. You can also use this pastry base with pitted cherries, plums, or sliced peaches.

INGREDIENTS

* 190 g all-purpose flour
* 50 g white sugar
* 2 g salt
* 7 g baking powder
* 115 g butter
* 1 egg, beaten
* 80 ml cream
* 4 large apple - peeled, cored and thinly sliced
*
* Struesel Topping
* 30 g cold butter
* 110 g brown sugar
* 15 g flour
* 5 g ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly butter an 8 inch square baking dish.
2. Sift together 1 1/2 cups of flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut in 1/2 cup of butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir together the egg with the cream and gently mix into the flour until a soft dough has formed. Press into prepared baking dish. Layer the apples into the dish overlapping, in neat rows. Prepare streusel by mixing the brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.
3. Bake in preheated oven until apples have softened, and topping has browned, about 25 minutes.

Buckwheat Blinis

2008-03-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

This is an old, Russian recipe. These small, yeast-raised, buckwheat pancakes are traditionally served with caviar (or even smoked salmon).

INGREDIENTS

* 475 ml warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 7 g active dry yeast
* 4 g sugar
* 120 g buckwheat flour
* 4 eggs, beaten
* 60 g sour cream
* 120 ml heavy cream
* 3 g salt
* 165 g all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour warm milk into a large bowl, then sprinkle yeast onto the milk, and allow to soften for 5 minutes. Stir in sugar and buckwheat flour; cover, and let rise for 1 hour.
2. Stir in the eggs, sour cream, heavy cream, salt, and flour until a batter forms. Cover again, and let rise for 2 hours.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray, then pour in small amounts of batter to form 1 1/2-inch blinis. Cook until the blinis begin to set and dry, and the bubbles begin to burst, about 2 minutes. Flip over, and continue cooking until browned on the other side, about 1 minute.

Ukha (Russian Fish Soup)

2008-03-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

* 950 ml water
* 2 potatoes, cubed
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
* 110 g cod fillets, cubed
* 1 lemon, juiced
* salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS

1. Put water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, onion and parsley. Heat for 10 to 15 minutes and add the fish. Heat for 10 more minutes, then squeeze in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Coming Soon

2008-03-28T04:42:00.000-07:00

A new eastern european experience