Russian Recipies – Pancakes And Salads
What are you planning to cook at your next big dinner party? Why not step outside your comfort zone and try out something new and exciting. International dishes are a great way to show off your talents in the kitchen so today we are going to share with you some hot and cold Russian recipes that anyone can master.
Blini – Traditional Russian Pancakes
The French might have invented the crepe but it does not mean other countries don’t have their own version they think is better. Russia is no different and they have the Blini:
Ingredients:
½ cup plain flour (sifted)
2 eggs
2 ½ cups of milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 teaspoon of baking soda (optional if you want a lighter mixture)
Steps:
Start by whisking the eggs in a bowl with the sugar and salt. Combine with the flower and stir in the milk (if mixing by hand add the milk in slowly to avoid lumps). Mix well or blend in a food processor. You should have a thin batter at this stage.
Optional – Add the baking soda to make the mixture more light (porous). You can also stand the batter in the fridge for half an hour to let it rest. Take the batter out of fridge when you are ready to cook. If the mixture is too thick, add water or milk. If the mixture is too thin, add in flour. What you want is a pancake batter that pours like fresh cream.
Heat a pan over medium heat and lightly coat the cooking surface with oil or butter. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the batter (or more if you want) onto the pan and spread the batter out evenly. Traditional blini are thin but this is personal preference. You should be able to fit 3 or 4 on a standard frying pan to make the process go faster. When bubbles appear in the center or it starts to look dry, flip it over to cook the other side.
Move the cook Blini to a plate and butter one side and stack them. Eat them as they are or as a real treat, put jam into the centre and fold them in half. Fold them again to make a triangle. They are best enjoyed with hot black tea with lemon.
Russian Salads
If you are use to salads of tossed lettuce, fresh vine ripened tomatoes and a light vinaigrette, then you are in for a bit of a shock with Russian salads. Russia is a cold country, so hardy root vegetables tend to feature on the dinner table that delicate spring salads.
This is gives us the Russian salad – a salad with some grunt. A typical salad is the Dressed Herring Under Fur Salad.
Ingredients:
2 herring (salted)
5 potatoes
4 carrots
4 beets
5 eggs
1 lb mayonnaise
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the potatoes, carrots and beets. Boil until soft, drain and set aside.
Skin the herring and remove any bones. Dice the fish into small cubes about half an inch wide. Take your serving platter and layer the herring on the bottom. Cover with a thin layer of mayonnaise.
Take the potatoes and mash. Spread the potato as the second layer and cover with mayonaise. Repeat the process for the beets and 3 of the eggs. Finish the with slices of the 2 remaining eggs. Cover the bowl and put in the fridge for an hour before serving.
What else can you cook that is Russian? Why not try some a href=”http://www.hotrussian.net/russian-food-borsch.html”>Borsch as well?
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Tags: fruit, juice, pickle, preserves, starfruit, tropical fruit jam recipes