Hint: 5 Russian dishes to try

Russian cuisine as well as everything that belongs to Russian culture is well-known not only within the country, but also abrod. Still if you ask any one 'What Russian dish you know?' or more than that - 'What Russian dish did you try?', the most usual reply will be 'mmmmmm.....'


Indeed, what is so special about the Russian food?

Russian cuisine is a par of a national tradition. Some dishes reflects the mentality of the nation, and of course the way of life. It's kitchen and the variety of dishes is mush more richer than it may seem from the first sight. Just imagine! What could YOU eat during the fasting periods - if you CAN NOT eat meat, milk, eggs, cheese and even sometimes fish? Or how to find food in the forest and enjoy your dinner after that? Do you think it's better to die instead? If you do - please, learn to cook Russian dishes!

Russia has a rich culture in cooking various savoury soups, it is famous for tender pies, and really talented in cooking and eating 'gifts of forest'- mushrooms!

Borsch, salads, beef stroganoff, tvorog, smetana, kovrizhka, rasstegay, kulebiaka.... Plenty of names worth trying! Let us today introduce 5 very speacial but not banal dishes!
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1. SOLYANKA
 - kind of thick, spice and sour soup
For meat solyanka (traditional one) we take ingredients like beef, ham, sausages, chicken breast, and cabbage, together with salted mushrooms, cucumber pickles, tomatoes, onions, olives, capers, allspice, parsley, and dill are all cut fine and mixed with cream in a pot. The broth is added, and heated for a short time on the stove, without boiling

Nice recipe is borrowed from SRAS

Make broth by boiling the meat and bones. Remove the meat and bones and place to one side. String-cut the onions and fry them in butter (without letting them brown). Add them to the broth along with the tomato paste. Remove the skin from the pickles, slice into cubes, and add to the broth. Cook 4-5 minutes. Add the pepper kernels and bay leaf. Next, add all the various boiled meats, finely sliced into pieces about 2-3 mm thick and 2-2.5 cm long, along with the capers, and a few pitted olives. When serving, add olives, sour cream, and a slice of peeled lemon. You may also cook solyanka with chicken broth and smoked meats instead. But remember: the greater the variety of meat, the tastier your solyanka will be!

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2. SYRNIKI

fried cheese \ cottage cheese (tvorog) cutlets garnished with jam, sour cream or sweet condensed milk.

Russians indeed are fond of all types dairy products. From our childhood we learn to drink a cup of KEFIR to improve our diestion. And SYRNIKI are great for breakfast.

Recipe with photos is found on 'Cheating cook'

Ingredients: 2 cups of quark or creamy cottage cheese, 2 tablespoons white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 3 tablespoons of flour for dusting, 1 egg, canola oil or butter for frying.

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3. KHOLODETS

seems to be like meat in jelly. It is a sour spicy dish, usually goes as appetizer and ate with mustard, much more burning that anywhere else, or horseradish which in Russia is similar to wasabi in its taste.

Ingredients:

2 lb beef/pork leg bones (sawed in pieces)
1.5 lb beef meat
1.5 lb chicken parts (legs or wings)
Filtered water
Salt
1 big yellow onion , peeled or washed
Black pepper corns
Bay leaf
4-6 cloves finely sliced or chopped garlic (optional)

Detailed recipe with photo is in Recipe Studio

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4.CHICKEN KIEV or Cutlet a la Kiev
popular dish of boneless chicken breast pounded and rolled around cold garlic butter with herbs, then breaded and either fried or baked.

 INGREDIENTS

4 oz (100g) Butter (At Room Temperature)
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Chopped Parsley,  pinch of Nutmeg, Salt & Pepper
4 Chicken Breasts
White Flour (Seasoned with Salt & Pepper)
2 Eggs
Dried White Breadcrumbs, Sunflower Oil for Deep Frying 

Detailed recipe is in Retro Food 

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5. PRYANIKI

maybe translated as gingerbread or spicy bread.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg,½ teaspoon ground allspice, 1/8 teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup honey

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Detailes recipe is in Global Cookies 

ПРИЯТНОГО АППЕТИТА! 

(pri-yat-na-va a-pi-ti-ta)