FSU Soups, Borsch and Specialities

[mendeleyev]

Mushroom soup recipe


Ingredients:
15 ea fresh (dry) mushrooms (Boletus), 5 ea potatoes , 2 ea onions ,1 ea carrot, 1 ea parsley-root , 1 ea celery-root , 2 ea bay leaves , 1 tb flour, 3 l water , salt, pepper, greens, vegetable oil


Method:
If you have fresh mushrooms, put clean mushrooms in cold water for 1-2
hours changing water 3-4 times. For dry mushrooms, put them in warm water
and boil for 1,5 hours. Or you can put them in warm water for an hour and
then boil for 40 minutes.

Having prepared mushrooms, chop them, cut carrot into thin rounds. Put
mushrooms, carrot and roots into water and boil for half an hour. Chop
onions and fry with vegetable oil. Cube potatoes and add them, onions,
salt, pepper and bay leaves into the pan. Boil for 15 minutes. Then take a
cup of broth and add flour, mix very well so that there are no flour lumps
in it. Pour it into the pan and boil for 5 minutes. Now add chopped greens.

Gribnoy soup is served hot or cold with sour cream.

[mendeleyev]

Note to readers:  This thread has been re-named the SPECIALITY FOODS thread.  This will allow us to continue adding nice speciality recipes here, which don't belong in another catagory.  Thanks to each of your our excellent contributors we are building a Soviet Utopia, oops, ah, a solid Food section where readers can quickly find a recipe listed under it's catagory.

[mendeleyev]

Froid, due to the cold climate Russians-Ukrainians use most of the "root" crops which by growing underground can survive the shorter growing season.  We'll try to find some turnips in a recipe and post it.

[Chris]

  We'll try to find some turnips in a recipe and post it.

Here is an Authentic Ukrainian Borshch with Turnips and a twist at the end:-

Serve this excellent soup hot to 8 for a first course--or make a meal of it with sourdough buns (pampooshkee) sauced with a garlic-oil and side dishes.

    * 1/2 cup dried red beans, soaked overnight in water
    * 2-3 pounds of pork ribs
    * 3 quarts water
    * 1 medium onion, peeled
    * 1 carrot
    * 1 stalk celery
    * 1 large or 2 medium beets, peeled and julienned
    * 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
    * 1 onion, diced
    * 1 stalk celery, diced
    * 2 carrots, peeled and diced
    * green pepper and turnips--diced (optional)
    * tomatoes, diced (optional)
    * 2 potatoes, cut into thick slices
    * herbs and spices, to include: salt, bay leaf, black pepper, piece of dried red chile pepper, and thyme
    * 1/2 small cabbage, sliced thinly
    * 3 ounces salted pork fat or bacon
    * 2 cloves garlic
    * 2 Tablespoons chopped dill
    * 1/2 cup yoghurt
    * 1/3-1/2 cup catsup or tomato paste

Garnish:sour cream

Drain the soaked beans and reserve. Place the pork ribs in a large pot with 3 quarts of cold water. Bring to a boil slowly and remove scum. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, reduce to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook for about 2 hours. When done, cut the meat off the bones, reserve, and discard the bones and vegetables.

To the strained broth, add the beets and beans, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the beets are white and the beans tender.

In the vegetable oil, sweat the onion, celery, carrots, and optional green pepper and turnips over low heat until the onions are yellow. Scrape into the pot, simmer for a few minutes, then scrape in the optional tomatoes, potatoes, and spices, and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Add the cabbage and simmer until it's the consistency you like--crunchy or soft.

In the meantime, chop the garlic, dill, and pork fat (or bacon) in the food processor, whisking in the yoghurt at the end.

When the cabbage is the way you like it, remove the red pepper, stir in the reserved pork, the catsup (or tomato paste), and the garlic-dill-fat mixture. Return the pot to a simmer, then cover the pot, turn the heat off, and let the flavors mingle for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and top each with a dollop of sour cream on top.

=====
Now heres an addition that sounds like it will make any Borshch more like the Old Ukrainians used to make:-

Add a teaspoon of liquid smoke (or more depending on taste). In the old country, Ukrainians smoked their meat to preserve it. Smoked meat was typically used in the soup, or used to produce the beef stock. The smokey taste has been lost in most modern recipies due to the advent of easier preservation methods. Once you try this, you'll never make borshch again without using liquid smoke or smoked meat. You'll enjoy borshch just the way the your great grandparents did.

[mendeleyev]

One of the fun things about Russian foods is the variation in recipes for some of the old "standards."  I've learned that regional ways of making a dish can be very delightful to the palate!  In another post our good friend/Moderator Chris shared a recipe for BORSCH which includes turnips (in response to a readers question about turnips). 

It's a great Ukrainian twist on Borsch and certainly worth including here is the Soups (& Borsch) thread also.  Thanks Chris!  Here is that recipe:


Here is an Authentic Ukrainian Borshch with Turnips and a twist at the end:-

Serve this excellent soup hot to 8 for a first course--or make a meal of it with sourdough buns (pampooshkee) sauced with a garlic-oil and side dishes.

    * 1/2 cup dried red beans, soaked overnight in water
    * 2-3 pounds of pork ribs
    * 3 quarts water
    * 1 medium onion, peeled
    * 1 carrot
    * 1 stalk celery
    * 1 large or 2 medium beets, peeled and julienned
    * 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
    * 1 onion, diced
    * 1 stalk celery, diced
    * 2 carrots, peeled and diced
    * green pepper and turnips--diced (optional)
    * tomatoes, diced (optional)
    * 2 potatoes, cut into thick slices
    * herbs and spices, to include: salt, bay leaf, black pepper, piece of dried red chile pepper, and thyme
    * 1/2 small cabbage, sliced thinly
    * 3 ounces salted pork fat or bacon
    * 2 cloves garlic
    * 2 Tablespoons chopped dill
    * 1/2 cup yoghurt
    * 1/3-1/2 cup catsup or tomato paste

Garnish:sour cream

Drain the soaked beans and reserve. Place the pork ribs in a large pot with 3 quarts of cold water. Bring to a boil slowly and remove scum. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, reduce to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook for about 2 hours. When done, cut the meat off the bones, reserve, and discard the bones and vegetables.

To the strained broth, add the beets and beans, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the beets are white and the beans tender.

In the vegetable oil, sweat the onion, celery, carrots, and optional green pepper and turnips over low heat until the onions are yellow. Scrape into the pot, simmer for a few minutes, then scrape in the optional tomatoes, potatoes, and spices, and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Add the cabbage and simmer until it's the consistency you like--crunchy or soft.

In the meantime, chop the garlic, dill, and pork fat (or bacon) in the food processor, whisking in the yoghurt at the end.

When the cabbage is the way you like it, remove the red pepper, stir in the reserved pork, the catsup (or tomato paste), and the garlic-dill-fat mixture. Return the pot to a simmer, then cover the pot, turn the heat off, and let the flavors mingle for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and top each with a dollop of sour cream on top.

=====
Now heres an addition that sounds like it will make any Borshch more like the Old Ukrainians used to make:-

Add a teaspoon of liquid smoke (or more depending on taste). In the old country, Ukrainians smoked their meat to preserve it. Smoked meat was typically used in the soup, or used to produce the beef stock. The smokey taste has been lost in most modern recipies due to the advent of easier preservation methods. Once you try this, you'll never make borshch again without using liquid smoke or smoked meat. You'll enjoy borshch just the way the your great grandparents did.

[Chris]

Thanks Jim for adding it in here.

[Rasputin]

Here is an Authentic Ukrainian Borshch with Turnips and a twist at the end:-

Serve this excellent soup hot to 8 for a first course--or make a meal of it with sourdough buns (pampooshkee) sauced with a garlic-oil and side dishes.

    * 1 stalk celery

Is celery more common in Ukraine? I presume the recipe was modified for American tastes. I can't really remember every seeing any celery for sale in Russia.

[Chris]

Here is an Authentic Ukrainian Borshch with Turnips and a twist at the end:-

Serve this excellent soup hot to 8 for a first course--or make a meal of it with sourdough buns (pampooshkee) sauced with a garlic-oil and side dishes.

    * 1 stalk celery

Is celery more common in Ukraine? I presume the recipe was modified for American tastes. I can't really remember every seeing any celery for sale in Russia.

I have seen it used more in Salads than other dishes, I cannot remember having it in Russia now you mention it, but I am sure it is used there too.

[Rasputin]

Here is an Authentic Ukrainian Borshch with Turnips and a twist at the end:-

Serve this excellent soup hot to 8 for a first course--or make a meal of it with sourdough buns (pampooshkee) sauced with a garlic-oil and side dishes.

    * 1 stalk celery

Is celery more common in Ukraine? I presume the recipe was modified for American tastes. I can't really remember every seeing any celery for sale in Russia.

I have seen it used more in Salads than other dishes, I cannot remember having it in Russia now you mention it, but I am sure it is used there too.

I did a search. "Celery" is translated in Russian as "сельдерей" but this isn't the celery as I know it (i.e. the one with the long crunchy stalk). Rather, the сельдерей is more of a herb: http://tinyurl.com/3kkqj8. When doing a search for "селери" nothing really comes up on Russian sites. Most of the hits are from Ukrainian cooking sites, and upon further clarification, it seems they are referring to "сельдерей" and not the typical North American celery.

[Chris]

They also refer quite a lot to 'celery cabbage' which is a bit confusing, I am not exactly sure what that is, but I guess it is actually more like a cabbage than a traditional celery that we have in the West.

[mendeleyev]

I'm not a gardening expert but could it be that celery only grows to a short height in the shorter growing season, thus being called something different?


Edited:

I did a search using the Russian cyrillic spelling and Wiki and another site had some interesting info.  It appears that the celery used as a garnish/seasoning are the small leafs on top of the ground when the plant first begins to grow.  .

If the plant has time to grow it will grow to normal height.  Follow this link in Russian:
http://dachnikam.ru/ogorod/text/selderey.php

For whatever reason, it looks like many recipes are for the leaf and not the stalk which takes longer to grow.

Wiki:  http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Сельдерей (this one may need to be copied and pasted into browser.)

Now this is an interesting link....celery leaves must have special powers to increase....passion!
http://www.passion.ru/s.php/2591.htm

[mendeleyev]

Green Spinach Soup


Ingredients
2 quarts of clear broth
1 lb spinach
¼ pint sour cream
Boiled eggs


Preparation:
Make a clear soup from pork meat or bones, using about 2 quarts of water and salt to taste. In another kettle, boil spinach until soft. Drain and chop fine or put through a grinder. Add spinach to soup, then add ¼ pint sour cream. into each soup bowl cut one hard-boiled egg into bite-size pieces and add soup.

(Taken from 1950 Russian Orthodox cookbook)

[mendeleyev]

Green Spinach Soup--alternate recipe


Ingredients:
4 quarts water
1 medium carrot
8 large potatoes
1 stalk celery
1 small parsnip
2 bunches fresh spinach
1 large green pepper
2 large yellow onion
1 bunch parsley
dill and salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add thinly sliced carrots and cubed potatoes, as well as thinly sliced celery, and parsnip (remove before serving). Cook until tender. In skillet, sauté pepper and onion in a small amount of olive oil until edges begin to brown. Add to soup[. Add coarsely chopped spinach and parsley (chopped finely). Turn off heat. Allow to stand about 10 more minutes then add dill, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve:
Garnish with a dab of sour cream.
Serves 8-10


(This recipe is from Natasha's Bistro in Lexington, Kentucky USA.  Website: http://www.beetnik.com)

[mendeleyev]

Ghivetch (Summer Stew)


Ingredients
2 Large Onions, chopped
2 Stalks celery, sliced
1 Yellow squash, diced
3/4 Cup Green Peas
1/4 Cup cut Yellow Corn
1 Green Pepper, chopped
3 Medium Carrots, grated
1 Zucchini, diced
1 Large Eggplant
4 Tomatoes, blanched, skinned, and chopped
1/2 Cup Green Beans, cut to 1"
1 Cove Garlic, crushed
1 Cup Cauliflower, sliced
Basil, Oregano,and Thyme


Preparation
Add onions and half the garlic to two tablespoons of olive oil. Saute until onions are brown. Add carrots and stir well. Add celery and stir well. The cooking time between each vegetable is the time it takes to wash and chop the next ingredient. Add zucchini and squash and stir well. Add eggplant and stir well. Add green beans and stir well. Add tomatoes and stir. Add peas and corn and stir. Add pepper and stir. Add cauliflower and stir.

Cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender but not overcooked. Add spices. Remove from heat and let cool uncovered for 30 minutes. Then add the rest of garlic and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste.




Source:  http://www.natashascafe.com/html/cookbook.html


Although called a Moldovan Summer stew, it is also popular in places like Romania and Ukraine.  Historically it is a Jewish dish from the Mediterranean world.

[mendeleyev]

Eggplant Casserole

Russians are known for using things like beets and potatoes, but most homes use eggplant just about as often as the other two.  Because of the heavy use of salads on a Russian table, side dishes sometimes are either missing or when present just don't get much positive press, so to speak.

This dish could be a side dish or even a main dish during the lenten fasting periods. 

Ingredients
3 Tbsp oil (or a mixture of oil and water to reduce fat!)
1 large onion, chopped
1 med eggplant, peeled and cubed
¼ cup diced green pepper
11 oz tomato and mushroom sauce
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 large tomatoes, diced
1½ cup matzo farfel

Method
Sauté onions in oil til tender. Combine onions, eggplant, green pepper, tomato mushroom sauce and seasoning. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Stir in tomatoes. In a 2 quart baking dish, arrange in alternate layers the vegetables and matzo farfel. Begin and end with the vegetables. Bake at 350ºF (uncovered) for 25 minutes.

[mendeleyev]

Gogol-Mogol (Raw eggs and sugar)


Mysteriously named Gogol’-Mogol’ is a deliciously rich and sweet dessert reminiscent of eggnog, made of raw egg yolks beaten with sugar, lemon juice, and cognac. It’s considered the best remedy for a singer’s sore throat. Without cognac, it can be served to children.


Method
Combine raw egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at low speed for 1 minute. With a rubber spatula, scrape up any sugar that may have stuck to the bottom of the bowl. Beat for 10 seconds more, gradually turning to maximum speed, then beat for 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture is pale yellow and thick. Add the brandy, liqueur, lemon juice, and grated rind of 2 lemons, and beat at maximum speed for 4 minutes, or until the mixture is very thick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more, up to 2-3 hours.


Ingredients
12 egg yolks, raw.
9 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
2 teaspoons orange liqueur
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional).

[mendeleyev]

голубцы/Cabbage Rolls


This recipe is in honour of our good member Siberia!


Ingredients
1 head cabbage
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
Butter
1/2 cup rice
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped dill
Salt, pepper
1 (6-oz) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
Sour cream

 
Instructions
Remove core from cabbage and separate the leaves. Place
leaves in large, shallow pan or pot and pour boiling water
over. Let stand in hot water for 3-minutes. Remove with
slotted spoon and drain.

Saute beef and onion in butter until meat is browned. Add
rice, parsley and dill and season to taste with salt and
pepper.






Place 2 to 3 tablespoons beef mixture in center of each
cabbage leaf and roll, jelly roll fashion, tucking in ends.
Place in baking pan. Blend tomato sauce, lemon juice and
enough water to make 2 cups. Pour over cabbage rolls. Cover
and bake at 350 degrees 45-60 minutes or until rolls are
tender. Serve with sour cream. Makes 6 servings.

[WestCoast]

голубцы/Cabbage Rolls


This recipe is in honour of our good member Siberia!


Ingredients
1 head cabbage
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
Butter
1/2 cup rice
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped dill
Salt, pepper
1 (6-oz) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
Sour cream

 
Instructions
Remove core from cabbage and separate the leaves. Place
leaves in large, shallow pan or pot and pour boiling water
over. Let stand in hot water for 3-minutes. Remove with
slotted spoon and drain.

Saute beef and onion in butter until meat is browned. Add
rice, parsley and dill and season to taste with salt and
pepper.


(Attachment Link)



Place 2 to 3 tablespoons beef mixture in center of each
cabbage leaf and roll, jelly roll fashion, tucking in ends.
Place in baking pan. Blend tomato sauce, lemon juice and
enough water to make 2 cups. Pour over cabbage rolls. Cover
and bake at 350 degrees 45-60 minutes or until rolls are
tender. Serve with sour cream. Makes 6 servings.


(Attachment Link)

Looks just like the cabbage rolls my mother use to make and she was about as English as you could get.  I think cabbage rolls has become an international dish or at least a European dish.  Delicious, although I prefer more tomato sauce on mine.  Tomato sauce is good source of anti oxidants used to fight aging.

[mendeleyev]

WC, me too!  Like this maybe? 

[WestCoast]

WC, me too!  Like this maybe? 

(Attachment Link)

Looks just about right mendy.

[Wild Orchid]

My mother's family is famous for their outstanding pel'meni and stuffed bliny. My favorite dish would be stuffed capsicums.

My father was a winter fisherman, that fished only under ice,



so I grew up on dry fish .... I just love it, and I don't need beer 

[mendeleyev]

WO, how do you stuff your peppers?  Do you use meat or rice? 

It is interesting to see the term capsicums which is very correct.  In America however the common term is "bell peppers."

Also, which colours do you grow?  I have found green, red, and yellow in both America and Russia, but in some parts of Russia there is a clear, see-thru, capsicum almost the colour of glass.  Do you find this also in Australia?

Sorry for all the questions but please share with us your recipe for stuffed peppers!

[Wild Orchid]

WO, how do you stuff your peppers?  Do you use meat or rice? 

I said I like to eat, I never said i like to cook..  I think mixture of rice and meat works perfectly.

I always though that capsicums and bell pepper are not the same, bell peppers that I saw in the shops were very small, usually stuffed with cheese and they are spicier.

I don't know if you can grow green type, all capsicums green when they are not ripe, aren't they?  In Russia capsicums are called  Bulgarian peppers, my mum grows red ones, but we hardly ever see them fully red. I've never seen clear see-through, but here in Au my husband experimented with Hungarian capsicums, they have longish fruits with pale yellow color and turn orange when they are ripe

[mendeleyev]

Yes, the orange are common too.  I had forgotten about those.  Would you call them стручковый перец?  At least in South and North America, the term "bell peppers" are generally given to the mild and the term "chilli peppers" for the long and thin which tend to be spicy. 

You bring up a good question about colour.  Most of the peppers grown at our dacha start green and change colours gradually toward end of summer.  I've seen the clear/transparent peppers at the gardens of relatives/friends in the Kaluga area and also near Vladimir, but in checking the Internet tonight learned that a clear pepper is typically one which was picked too early before it had opportunity to develop a colour, usually it would have become yellow according to the expert.  Those also spoke of a rare black mild bell pepper.  My mother used to grow beautiful purple bell peppers but I've not seen one for many years.


I like to use the mediterranean grain, couscous, with meat and chopped onions in stuffed peppers.  So, does your husband do most of the cooking, too?     Perhaps he and I could exchange recipes sometimes as I enjoy cooking very much.

[Wild Orchid]

Hungarian peppers do look very pale in the beginning, sometimes when they not develop properly they will stay like that and won't gain any flesh. That type of capsicum is very long and does look like chilly but it is not even mild, it has sweet taste but very strong capsicum smell which I love. I saw in the shop another type of capsicum, it is called bull horn, dark green color, very long and has nice capsicum smell too. I always buy them when i see them, they taste like capsicums from Russia.

Here they are in all colors but we get only green ones