Russia (6/9/14)
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Recipes contributed by Emma Snider.
Emma led our very first Cooking around the World program back in June of 2010. Her encore presentation was another hit! Delicious, hearty fare is on the menu, and summer is the perfect time to showcase dishes featuring dill, which adds a cool perkiness to the spinach soup recipe below. Pelmeni can be labor intensive, but worth it! Gather a group of friends to churn out these tasty little dumplings. And a cool, sweet fruit compote makes a lovely summer desert. Enjoy! Click here to download these recipes. Want to try more Russian recipes? Click here for the archive from our program in 2010. |
Spinach Soup
This is a vegetarian version, but you can make this soup with chicken broth. If you make the broth yourself, this is soup will be much better. Traditionally, sorrel is used instead of spinach. If you use sorrel, which has its own tangy flavor, omit the lemon juice.
Ingredients:
1 egg (boiled)
1/2 pounds spinach (or sorrel), chopped into 2-inch pieces
1 tsp olive oil
14 oz vegetable broth
1/2 carrot, peeled and cut into ¼ inch pieces
1 potato, sliced thick
1 tablespoon lemon juice (omit if using sorrel)
Pinch dill (chopped) – can save the stems and tie in a bundle to flavor the broth
2 tablespoons sour cream
Salt and pepper
Method:
1) Hard boil the egg
2) In a frying pan, heat spinach and olive oil until soft.
3) In another pan, bring vegetable broth to a simmer (if you want, add the bundle of dill stems). Add sliced potato and sliced carrot, and cook 5-10 minutes.
4) Transfer soft spinach to blender and add 2 tablespoons broth. Process until smooth.
5) When potato and carrot are cooked, add spinach and bring to simmer. Remove from heat and cover.
6) Add lemon juice to taste, add dill, and add salt and pepper if needed.
7) Serve with sour cream and sliced eggs.
Serves two people
Ingredients:
1 egg (boiled)
1/2 pounds spinach (or sorrel), chopped into 2-inch pieces
1 tsp olive oil
14 oz vegetable broth
1/2 carrot, peeled and cut into ¼ inch pieces
1 potato, sliced thick
1 tablespoon lemon juice (omit if using sorrel)
Pinch dill (chopped) – can save the stems and tie in a bundle to flavor the broth
2 tablespoons sour cream
Salt and pepper
Method:
1) Hard boil the egg
2) In a frying pan, heat spinach and olive oil until soft.
3) In another pan, bring vegetable broth to a simmer (if you want, add the bundle of dill stems). Add sliced potato and sliced carrot, and cook 5-10 minutes.
4) Transfer soft spinach to blender and add 2 tablespoons broth. Process until smooth.
5) When potato and carrot are cooked, add spinach and bring to simmer. Remove from heat and cover.
6) Add lemon juice to taste, add dill, and add salt and pepper if needed.
7) Serve with sour cream and sliced eggs.
Serves two people
Compote (Stewed fruit)
Ingredients:
3 tea bags (Lipton; if you want, you can use fruit tea)
7 ounces dried raisins, seedless
7 ounces dried apricots
7 ounces dried plums
7 ounces dried figs
6 tablespoons sugar
2 lemons
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 cups water
Method:
1) Boil 8 cups water in pot. Add tea bags, cover, and let stand 10 min.
2) Clean fruit with cold water, then add just enough hot water to cover the fruit and let soak 5 min. Clean again with cold water. Then put in hot tea. Add sugar, cover with plastic, let stand at room temp.
3) Clean lemons with hot water then slice thinly.
4) After compote is at room temp, add nutmeg and put lemons slices on top. Cover again with plastic, then put in fridge for about 5 hrs.
Serve with whipping cream (optional).
3 tea bags (Lipton; if you want, you can use fruit tea)
7 ounces dried raisins, seedless
7 ounces dried apricots
7 ounces dried plums
7 ounces dried figs
6 tablespoons sugar
2 lemons
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 cups water
Method:
1) Boil 8 cups water in pot. Add tea bags, cover, and let stand 10 min.
2) Clean fruit with cold water, then add just enough hot water to cover the fruit and let soak 5 min. Clean again with cold water. Then put in hot tea. Add sugar, cover with plastic, let stand at room temp.
3) Clean lemons with hot water then slice thinly.
4) After compote is at room temp, add nutmeg and put lemons slices on top. Cover again with plastic, then put in fridge for about 5 hrs.
Serve with whipping cream (optional).
Pelmeni (Meat dumpling)
You can make this pelmeni with vegetable broth or fish broth. (Homemade broth tastes best!) Stuff them with whatever you like – some options are mushrooms, cheese, and fish.
Dough: 2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup milk
1/3 cup water
1 egg
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt
Filling: 5 ounces ground pork
5 ounces ground beef
½ onion (medium)
½ cup cabbage
1 garlic cloves
2 tablespoon ice water
Salt and pepper
Cook:
1) Sift flour into bowl.
2) Combine flour, 1 egg, and pinch of salt.
3) Add small amount of cold water slowly.
4) Knead dough; add flour or water, if needed.
5) Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes to rest.
6) While dough rests, combine in the mixer the onion and garlic, then add ground pork and beef, pinch of salt and pepper, and ice water.
7) Divide the dough into 4 portions. With each portion, roll out dough until thin, then cut in 1½ inch circles.
8) Put ¼ tsp meat in the center of each circle. Fold in half and pinch edges together, then bring the ends together (much like ravioli; see photos below).
9) Boil in broth, about 10 min. Strain and serve with sour cream or other sauces.
Dough: 2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup milk
1/3 cup water
1 egg
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt
Filling: 5 ounces ground pork
5 ounces ground beef
½ onion (medium)
½ cup cabbage
1 garlic cloves
2 tablespoon ice water
Salt and pepper
Cook:
1) Sift flour into bowl.
2) Combine flour, 1 egg, and pinch of salt.
3) Add small amount of cold water slowly.
4) Knead dough; add flour or water, if needed.
5) Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes to rest.
6) While dough rests, combine in the mixer the onion and garlic, then add ground pork and beef, pinch of salt and pepper, and ice water.
7) Divide the dough into 4 portions. With each portion, roll out dough until thin, then cut in 1½ inch circles.
8) Put ¼ tsp meat in the center of each circle. Fold in half and pinch edges together, then bring the ends together (much like ravioli; see photos below).
9) Boil in broth, about 10 min. Strain and serve with sour cream or other sauces.