Recipes

[dneid]

Hey, All,
Here is my fajita marinade.  This is good for both chicken and beef.  I marinade beef for about 12-24 (longer is better) hours and chicken for about 4-8 hours.

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup Pickapeppa or Texapeppa Sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
   3 tablespoons dry red wine
   3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
   2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
   2 cloves minced garlic

I know the Pickapeppa sauce can be hard to find for you unfortunate souls who do not live in Texas  .

[dneid]

This is a great dish that everyone in the family likes.  Recipe is for 6-8 servings.

1 stick margarine, divided
1-3/4 cups finely crushed cheddar cheese crackers
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
8 chicken breasts, boned, skinned, flattened
5 green onions (tops too) chopped
1 4 oz can chopped green chilis
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
2 cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese

Melt margarine in a 9x13 baking dish, set aside.  Combine cracker crumbs and taco seasoning mix.  Dredge chicken in cracker mixture - pat it on to be sure you get plenty of crumbs to stick to the chicken.  Place chicken in baking dish.  In a medium sized sauce pan, melt 2 teaspoons of margarine.  In this pan saute the onions.  Add green chilis, heavy cream, instant chicken bouillon, and the Monterey Jack cheese, mix well.  Pour over chicken breasts.  Bake uncovered @ 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

[KenC]

Anastasia,
My kids loved the Apple Pecan Pancakes!!!!  I made them this morning and I could not keep them out of the kitchen.  My 8 yr old is laying on the floor as I write this in the middle of an Apple Pecan Pancake stupor.  He is stuffed as he had not 2, nor 3, nor 4 helpings.  The little guy ate 5 helpings.
Thanks for the recipe.

Dneid,
Thank you for the too funny visual image of an 8 year old incompacitated by pancakes!

It reminds me of the time when my kids were growing up and we had a summer home in northern Michigan.  It was always full of kids as I encouraged my children to bring their friends.  My breakfast specialty at the time was Belgin waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.  I would cook waffels until the kids fell out of their chairs, much like your 8 year old!
KenC

[SANDRO43]

Dneid,Thank you for the too funny visual image of an 8 year old incompacitated by pancakes!

How about suggesting to your President to use these deadly Pancakes of Mass Incapacitation for future offensive operations in Iraq  ?

They should prove budget-beneficial, too .

[myrddin]

Hey, Myrddin,
I guess I can agree to move you to the category of cretin.  Now, if you want to move up just a little.... can you at least make a can of soup and, oh let's see..... ice cubes.

 Ouch!  Isn't "ogre" higher than "cretin"?

And yeah, I can freeze soup and boil ice cubes. 

I would cook them until the kids fell out of their chairs

Waitaminute, KenC is cooking kids till they fall out their chairs and I'm the one getting labelled?!?   


Okay, okay, I'll admit it: I can make some desserts.  Just nothing remotely healthy 

[2tallbill]

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,2264726,00.html

Yulia's borshch had taken three hours to cook. First she makes the stock; half an hour's simmering in water of a mixture of pork bones and lean pork, with a potato and an onion. Then, ingredient by ingredient, she chops and fries the vegetables in oil and adds them to the stock. First the beetroots - "They have to be sweet, otherwise it won't be good" - then, after a little simmering, carrots, then cubed potatoes, then tomatoes or, in winter, pickled tomatoes or tomato paste; next white cabbage, chopped very finely; then a small measure of kvass. Towards the end, when the soup is bubbling strongly, Yulia adds a small amount of salo and onion, processed in a blender. The final touch is a handful of fried onions; and the sour cream, of course, which the diners add themselves at table. Borshch.

Questions:
1. How do you find a sweet beetroot? can you tell by looking?
2. What is Kvass?
3. What is salo?

Thank you,

Bill

[dneid]

Ouch!  Isn't "ogre" higher than "cretin"?

And yeah, I can freeze soup and boil ice cubes. 

Waitaminute, KenC is cooking kids till they fall out their chairs and I'm the one getting labelled?!?   


Okay, okay, I'll admit it: I can make some desserts.  Just nothing remotely healthy 

Hey, Myrddin,
Hmmm, are ogres higher in the order than cretins?  Now, that could make for an interesting discussion here on RWD.  OK, guys and gals, time to chime in on this vexing dilema.  I will defer to the wisdom of the collective on this critical issue.
Seriously, myriddin, you had me laughing until I was falling out of my chair and Ken did not even need to cook me (God, why did I not catch that one?)......
I am still sitting here LMAO!   Thanks myrddin for making my Monday better.

[dneid]

OK, guys and gals, let's wake this thread up again.  I am looking for a good recipe for veraniki, either meat stuffed or CHERRY stuffed (ate a whole bowl of these when Lady A started feeding me and I could not stop.  She told me she was watching her weight and she wanted me to eat them all.... being a southern gentleman, I gladly obliged).

[SANDRO43]

Tonight at dinner I had some Buffalo mozzarella accompanied by a couple of Williams pears, and that got me wondering if such a simple, cheap but tasty repast is as famous in other cultures as it is here, to the point of having a proverb that specifically admonishes:

Al contadin non far sapere quanto è buono il formaggio con le pere
(don't let the peasant know how good cheese with pears is)

supposedly because, if made aware of the delicacy, he'd stop selling the ingredients and keep them to himself . A variant of the proverb mentions cacio rather than cheese in general.

It can be prepared with any hard or semi-hard cheese, and any type of pear (the juicier, the better), accompanied by a glass of any type of wine (personally, I prefer a dry white).

[AnastassiaAsh]

Anastasia,
My kids loved the Apple Pecan Pancakes!!!!  I made them this morning and I could not keep them out of the kitchen.  My 8 yr old is laying on the floor as I write this in the middle of an Apple Pecan Pancake stupor.  He is stuffed as he had not 2, nor 3, nor 4 helpings.  The little guy ate 5 helpings.
Thanks for the recipe.

You are welcome! Nice to hear somebody tried my recipes... 

[2tallbill]

Bills Chinese fried rice.

Ingredients
2 cups of water
4 bullion cubes (chicken or beef)
cooking oil
3 salad onions chopped
Parsley
frozen mixed vegetables
2 eggs
Salt
Lemon pepper
Soy sauce
a cup of cooked chopped meat



Boil 2 cups of water
add 4 bullion cubes
add 1 tablespoon of oil
Pour in 1 cup of rice.
Lower heat and cook until the water is gone.
Let the rice sit for a while

In a very large skillet heat a quarter cup of oil until its very hot
but not burning.

Add the rice, a quarter cup of mixed vegetables, the meat, salad onions
salt, lemon pepper and parsley to the skillet and cook until it turns just a
little bit golden.

In the center of the mixture make a round whole large enough to fry an egg
in. add some more oil and drop the egg in the middle of the whole and fry it
break the yolk and when the egg starts to become solid start scrambling the
egg. Then start mixing it in with the rice. 

Then repeat procedure with the second egg. Add soy sauce to taste. Stir together
for another couple of minutes and serve.

I never tell people recipes because I never measure anything. But with rice you can easily double the recipe four cups of water with two cups of rice. You will need to
make a couple of batches because there are very few pans skillets large enough to
fry that much rice.

Enjoy,

Bill

[55North]

Questions:
1. How do you find a sweet beetroot? can you tell by looking?
2. What is Kvass?
3. What is salo?

Bill, so sorry that I didn't reply before.  Did I get an email notification?  Possibly, but put the matter aside as I anticipated a search for links.  Then forgot. 

Apart from learning of these essentials of the (mainly) Ukrainian / South Russia 'culinary' experience within a couple of visits (where are you going, Kamchatka?), they assume legendary status in the FSU.

Beetroot.

Assume any fresh beetroot to be 'sweet' for this purpose.  In the UK, most beet consumption is with the pre-cooked variety vacuum-packed, or bottled, pickled, sweet or sour.  Stick to fresh, as in straight from dacha plot!

Kvass.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvass
 
I have had excellent Borshch made without this, so don't worry about it.  But do look for it served on the kerbside, particularly in summer.  Very refreshing.  Nice.

Salo
 
This is this is the food marker for the true Ukrainian.  Not exclusive to Ukraine, but for which they are known.  As in 'Apple Pie'.  In the UK, it is 'backfat' (from pig).  In Ukraine, they breed out the meat to increase the fat!  I love it.  I particularly love asking for it in Russian supermarkets!  And it's there.   
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salo_%28food%29

Some history, regarding Salo.
 
http://ukraine-observer.com/index.php?c=572

Enjoy.

[Vaughn]

Happy Father's Day, guys. Can anyone lead me to a good recipe for
homemade cream cheese, but in Cyrillic? My mother-in-law has taken
a liking to the stuff - and wants to make her own...

Thanks,  Vaughn

[greg2654]

With the holidays coming up I'm looking for a basic recipe for "Gogol Mogol" which is Russian eggnog. There are so many variations it's hard to find something basic for a holiday drink.
Suggestions?

[schlegs]

Russian Borshch
--------------

Everyone makes there own version of this and there is no one recipe for it.  Wife's father will use one red beet, where she will use 4 or 5.  It all depends on your personal likes.  More vegetables equals a thicker soup.  More beets makes a sweeter soup.

Meat again is a personal choice, not just amount, but type.  Wife will typically use pork neck bones, but has used ham, chicken, as
well as a very nice t-bone.

Her cooking pot is probably a 3 gallon pot (14" deep x 10" diameter) and will feed us for 4 lunches

Wash and cut off tops and bottoms of beets.

Boil full pot of water with meat and red beets for 30 minutes.

   - Skim off fat as it boils.

Remove beets and add potatoes (4-5 medium peeled and chopped) 

Carrots can be chopped and added here or shredded and added to the onions when frying.

Clean (peel) beets and chop.  Place back into pot

Add 1/2 head of medium chopped cabbage (home made salt cabbage, which she makes, is great too).

(optional) Fry one onion until brown  - shredded carrots can be added towards the end of this process and fried as well..

  - If you fry onions and carrots add back to pot when ready
  - onions fried alone, add at end with last ingredients

Cook another 30 minutes with all vegetables

Turn off burner and add several bay leaves, some parsley and some crushed garlic



Notes:

Wife says it is better to shred the carrots and add to the onions when frying.  But it is not necessary.  Chop and add with onions if you are feeling lazy that day.

Beets, potatoes and carrots are chopped to about the size of a quarter or so.  Not tiny but not huge.

This tastes best the second and third day once the ingredients have had time to "play together".  By the fourth day, it is kind of mushy.

I also enjoy a little crushed red pepper in mine when served.

[mendeleyev]

From the Mendeleyev Journal Salads page here is a tasty Seafood salad with Salmon recipe:



(photo: http://ryaba.ru/)

Ingredients for 4 servings:
 - 1 cup of rice
 - 1 can of pink salmon
 - 2 cucumbers
 - A bunch of green onions
 - Mayonnaise
 - Salt, pepper

Preparation:
 Boil the rice and leave to cool.
 Cucumber cut into small cubes, chop the green onions
 Add mayonnaise, then add the cucumber and onion and mix together.
 
Next, prepare the fish by removing any bones and mash the fish with a fork, then add to salad.
 Salad season with salt and pepper, add additional mayonnaise if needed and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

[KenInUtah]

My recipe for Svickova - it's the Czech version of Sauerbraten

4 tb Flour
1 tb Pickling spice - make a bag
2 Carrots
1 1/2 c Water
6 sl Bacon
1 tb Salt
1/4 c Vinegar
1 pt Sour cream
1 lg Onion
3 Stalks celery
6 lb Beef tenderloin or rump

To make the brine, boil onion, celery, carrots, pickling spice, vinegar and water together. Let cool. Cut any fat from beef. Slice slits in the beef with a sharp pointed knife and stuff bacon into the slits. Place the beef in a deep dish and pour the cold brine over the meat. Make sure the meat is covered. Marinate in refrigerator two days up to a week (depending upon freshness of meat). The longer the time, the more tender the meat and better flavored. Remove meat from brine and reserve the brine. Place in roasting on rack to collect pan drippings. Bake at 350 degrees F. until done. Pour the reserved brine into a saucepan and bring to boil. Remove the sachet of pickling spices. When beef is cooked and browned, remove beef from roasting pan. Add boiled brine to the roasting pan to collect pan drippings. Bring this mixture to a boil, scrapping spices and pan drippings. Remove and let cool to remove all fat. Slice beef into 1/4-inch slices and not quite 1/2-slices Reheat brine mixture. Add flour to sour cream. Gradually add sour cream mixture to the hot brine mixture, slowly so you don’t curdle the gravy. You can add more vinegar if you like it on the tart side. Serve with potato dumplings or bread dumplings

[2tallbill]

Ingredients

I bottle of Jack Daniels Whiskey a fifth or 750ml (pronounced weeee-ski by Angel Eyes)
2 large onions finely chopped
16 cloves of garlic or about 6-7 tablespoons if you buy a jar of minced garlic like I do. 
1 64 oz bottle of ketchup
1 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
2 cups of brown sugar (packed tight)
3 cups of molasses (2 12oz bottles)
2 teaspoons of ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of salt
1 cup of tomato paste
6 teaspoons of liquid smoke flavoring
2 teaspoons of Tabasco sauce

Open the bottle and pour three shot glases of Jack Daniels then

Pour the rest of the bottle into a large pot along with the onion and garlic.
Saute until the onion is translucent (about 7-10 minutes depending on elevation)

Add the rest of the ingredients (except the three shot glasses of Jack) I also put in
the Ketchup first and use the vinegar to get out the residue of ketchup left inside.
You never get all the molasses out of a bottle.

Then simmer for about 20 minutes stirring it occasionally to keep it from
sticking on the bottom.

After the 20 minutes is up drink one shot (for fortification) and pour the other
two shots into the pot. Stir for 2 more minutes and your done.

It makes about a gallon. I always make a batch for Christmas and put it in ( 8oz
canning jars (using canning methods) and give them away as presents along with
other treats.