Russian Borsch

Here is the recipe of the most classic Russian recipe: borsch.

Every Russian family knows how to make one, but everyone has something different. My recipe has a little more complications than some others do, but everyone, I'm not kidding, everyone always eats it all and asks for more. This meal is the most popular among my friends and family comparing to anything else I cook.

You need:

Beef and/or pork with bones (1-2 lb.)

Beets (1 large or 2 small to medium)

Carrots (2-3 small to medium)

Cabbage (a half of small to medium cabbage-head)

Onion (1 medium to large)

Tomato (1 medium to large)

Red or Yellow bell pepper (1/2 to 1)

Potatoes (3 medium sized)

Spring (green) onions

Dill, parsley

Garlic, Whole black pepper, Cloves, Bay leaves, Paprika, Salt, Pepper, Vegeta (a mixture of spices from Croatia and Poland), Khmeli-suneli (Georgian mixture of spices), vegetable or sautéing bouillon cubes (Knorr).

Fill a half of saucepan with water and bring it to boil. Add bay leaves (3-4), cloves (10-15) and whole black pepper (10-15 peas). Add meat. I like a lot of meat in my borsch, so I used 1.8 lb of beef and about 0.7lb of pork. Both with some bones. Bones make the taste of soup richer.

When water is about to boil, make sure to pick all the foam. It doesn't make soup taste worse, but clear bouillon is simply better and more appetizing. Boil at low to medium power for the next 40-60 minutes. Longer is better, so if you have plenty of time make your broth even richer by boiling it longer.

Cut onion into small pieces. Sauté onions until they are lightly golden.

Dice from half to whole bell pepper (I used a half) and add it to onions.

Peel and shred carrots. Add them to onions and peppers.

Peel and shred beets. One medium to large or tow small to medium beets should be enough. Accidently I had tree quite large beets and used them all. Sautee' vegetables for some time and take care of the broth.

Meanwhile, when meat and broth are ready, take the meat and spices out of the bouillon. I drained the bouillon to another dish and then placed it back in the saucepan.

Shred cabbage (I used a half of one medium-sized cabbage-head) and add it to the bouillon. I like very soft fully cooked cabbage in my borsch, but some people like it a little bit crispy. If you prefer it crispy, add it much later. If it looks like you don't have enough bouillon, add some water.

Dice tomatoes and add them to sautéed  vegetables. Continue cooking until tomatoes are soft. Some people prefer to take the tomatoes' skin off by rapidly placing them in the hot water. I just cook them and then a little bit mash them in the vegetable mixture. After tomatoes are softened, take the vegetable mix off the stove.

Peel potatoes and cut them in the bite-sized pieces. Add them to the broth. Add spices: garlic (fresh or powder), pepper, paprika. I use Vegeta, which is a mixture of spices and dried vegetables that you can find in any Russian grocery store. If you can, give it a chance, try it - you'll love it. It is already salty. I also put one cube of Knorr sautéing bouillon (which is also salty) and khmeli-sunel(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmeli_suneli - see what's in it and use any or all of this spices in your borsch, be creative!), you can also find it at the Russian grocery store - most big cities have these stores. I don't add salt, because my condiments have enough of it.

While your cabbage and potatoes are cooking, take care of the meat. Cut it into bite-size pieces. Then add it to the soup. Most housewives don't do this step. They just leave whole pieces of meat in their soup. I prefer to have even portions of meat in every plate I serve.

Add sautéed vegetables to the soup.

When potatoes are ready add chopped green onions, parsley and/or dill. I love dill in my borsch. Unfortunately, this time I only had green onions. Turn the stove off, cover saucepan with the lid and let it stay for additional 5 minutes - greens (onions, parsley and dill) will be ready.

Serve with sour cream and pumpernickel bread.

Enjoy!

Ala

Chicken Soup

Ingredients

2 Chicken Breasts (with bone)
1 Chicken Bullion
8 oz Baby Carrots, peeled
1/2 Medium Onion
3 Cloves of Garlic
1 Leek
Crackers or Bread, if desired

This recipe is very easy and delicious. In medium pot, place peeled and sliced garlic, sliced onions, baby carrots, both chicken breasts and bullion. Fill with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook for 30 minutes or until chicken falls off the bones. Remove chicken and bones. Discard bones. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and return to pot. Wash Leek and cut off roots. Cut into thin slices and add to pot. Cook for 5 minutes and serve. (Leeks will dissolve completely if cooked too long.) Add crackers or bread. Enjoy!

It is easy to make variations of this recipe. If you like celery, mushrooms, tomatoes or any other vegetable, toss them in the pot. If you want, add noodles or rice. To change it up a bit, I will add a few slices of jalapeño peppers and then remove them before serving. They add a nice flavor without burning your mouth.

Be BOLD!  Experiement with the ingredients and have fun!
Posted by PAR

Stuffed Steak

Stuffed steak (or chicken) is a very simple recipe but it tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen preparing a gourmet meal.

Ingredients
Steak, thinly sliced
Parmesan Cheese
Italian-style Bread Crumbs
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Butter, 1 pat per rolled steak
Toothpicks

Lay the steak out. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and then sprinkle with bread crumbs. Add a layer of shredded cheese (or any cheese you like) and roll up. Hold in place with toothpicks.

Place in baking dish. Put a pat of butter on top of each steak roll (if you're a cheese addict, add more cheese here) and bake 20-25 minutes (less if you like the steak rare and more if you like your steak well done). Add a vegetable and enjoy!

Posted by PAR

Chicken and Carrots Salad

I'd like to share the recipe that everyone loves. It is Russian style again. It means that there are some calories in it. But only in mayo, which is not that bad.

What you need for this salad:

- Carrots
- Onions
- Chicken (white or dark meat or both)
- Dried prunes
- Mayonnaise
- Salt
- Pepper or garlic powder to your taste

As always, I'm not trying to convince you, my dear readers, in any better way of making the meal. I want you to know all the variations that you can choose from.

First, chicken, carrots and onions need to be prepared.

Poach chicken for a little while in salted water. I usually use chicken legs and a little bit of chicken breast meat and let it simmer for about one hour. When chicken is poached for a while its meat peels off easily from the bones. I don't use only white meat, because it tends to be drier than dark one. But you can always use it! You don't have to boil chicken for a long time if it's only boneless breast. Look here for some info about boiling chicken breast: http://www.commoncookingquestions.com/?p=125 - find remember, take chicken breast out as soon as it turns from red to white inside. Don't overcook it, it'll get dry.

Cut cooked chicken in bite-sized pieces.

Boil carrots. Variations that exist here are:
  * I peel carrots first and then boil until cooked. Just poke them and make sure they are soft inside.
  * Some people boil carrots first and then peel them. Theoretically, it is supposed to be easier to peel a cooked carrot, but, personally, it takes me longer to do so.
  * Some people grate raw carrots and then sauté them. I don't use this way because it is harder to grate raw carrots then cooked carrots if you use hand grater and because you need to use some amount of oil or butter, which make the salad heavier. If you have food processor with a grater attachment and prefer to cook carrots this way - go ahead and do so!

Grate cooked carrots.
Chop one large raw onion and sauté it until golden.
Cut prunes in halves (or smaller pieces). I usually wash prunes beforehand and, if they are not soft enough, I let them soak in the water for about 15-20 minutes.

Mix grated cooked carrots, chopped chicken, sautéed onions, prunes and mayo. Add salt to you taste. I usually add some powdered garlic. Use some pepper if you want.

This is mostly chicken and carrots salad, but onions and prunes add some unforgettable taste to it. Don't add too much of them. For a pound of carrots and pound of chicken I used one large onion and a handful of prunes.

Enjoy!

Ala

Quick and Tasty Stir Fry Chicken

Ingredients
1 Skinless, boneless chicken breast per person
Italian Salad Dressing
Frozen Bag of Stir Fry Vegetables
1/2 C Uncooked Rice per person

Cut chicken breasts into strips or bite sized pieces.  Set aside.  Put vegetables in glass or microwave dish.  Heat in microwave for 2-3 minutes.  In saute pan, place chicken and 1-2 Tablespoons of Italian dressing.  Cook chicken until it is white in color.  Add vegetables and heat through.  Cook rice according to directions.  (I use minute rice, equal parts of rice and water and a pat of butter.  Add chicken boullion for more flavor.  Cook in microwave for 3 1/2 minutes. Serve chicken and vegetables over rice.

You can get creative with this recipe by adding water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, sprouts, snow peas, mushrooms and a little soy sauce.  Change the flavor a little by adding sweet and sour sauce.  The basics are easy---then have fun experimenting a little.  Posted by PAR.

Recipe: Russian "French style meat"

Here is the Russian recipe I’d like to share with you. I just want to warn you before you go on reading through it that Russian kitchen is pretty rich. You’ll find a lot of recipes with mayo, butter or fatty pieces of meat. But the meals are very good and delicious! You don’t have to eat them all the time, but you can indulge yourself sometimes, right?
The recipe of baked under mayo and cheese meat we, Russians, used to call “French meat”. Don’t be fooled by the name. This recipe has nothing to do with French kitchen. This is probably because in native Russian kitchen sour cream, not mayo is often used (yes, famous Russian salad Russians don’t consider to be Russian: )). And there is not a lot of cheese in the original Russian recipes.
For this recipe you can use any type of meat, chicken or even fish. Most popular is pork, some use veal, some chicken. Meat will be tender and juicy and absolutely delicious. Try it!
 This recipe has a lot of variations. Besides different types of meat some may add potatoes, mushrooms, zucchini or bell peppers. You can pick any type of cheese you like, but I would recommend choosing medium or sharp one.

For 5-6 servings you need:

-2 lb. of lean pork

-3 medium onions

-8 oz. of shredded cheese

-About 2 cups of mayonnaise

-Salt

-Pepper

I bought thin sliced lean pork chops. If you have regular ones, you’ll need to cut them lengthwise.

Tenderize each piece of meat with meat tenderizer.

Put salt and pepper to your taste and place meat on a tray slightly oiled beforehand.

Slice onions in a half rings.

Spread onions on the top of meat evenly. This is a step where variations exist. Some people put onions on the bottom of a tray, others add thin sliced potatoes, or mushrooms, or zucchini, or bell peppers. Whatever you like more and think that will go really good with your meal - just add it and see how it goes. Or just try simple and well-tried by me way.

Cover meat and onions with cheese. I picked Colby Jack mix.

Cover cheese with mayonnaise. Mayo doesn't let cheese to burn too fast, thus it is better when it covers cheese, not the other way. But you can find plenty of recipes that tell you to spread mayo first and then cheese. So, you can do it either way. Just remember: I'm sure my way is a better one :)

Cook in the oven for about 40-45 minutes at 375 F. You can set the oven at 350 F and cook for one hour, or set it at 400 F and reuce time a little. Longer cooking time will make meat more tender.

Serve hot with your choice of side.

Enjoy!

Your Ala

Pot Pie - That you will love!

Try this recipe and then come back and share your comments. Every time I have made this pot pie for somebody new they say "Pot Pie---I hate pot pie!" And then they proceed to eat half the pie and ask when I am going to make it again.

The first time I made this pot pie, I emptied my refrigerator with leftovers. It can't be something you don't like because you only add the things you do like to it---and anything goes.

Ingredients

1 Philsbury Pie Crust

6 oz Meat of Choice, cooked
1 pkg Frozen Vegetables (or empty your refrigerator using all leftovers)
1 can Cream Soup of Choice
1/3 can Milk
1/4 cup of Cooked Pasta or Rice
3 oz Cheese of Choice (about 5 slices)

Place pie shell in pie dish. Cover bottom with bite-sized pieces of meat. In separate bowl, mix vegetables, pasta or rice and can soup with about 1/3 can of milk. Stir well. Pour mixture over meat in pie dish. Cover top with cheese. Put top pie shell on and pinch outer edges together. Vent top by making 3-5 slices in crust. Bake 45 minutes at 400 F or until golden brown. Let stand for 5-10 minutes so the juices won't run. Enjoy!

Posted by PAR