Yuliya's Blog: Russian Food for Lazy Cooks and More

Vinegret – Winter Beet and Sauerkraut Salad

Feb 292012

Vinegret is a truly wonderful combination of vibrant colors, soft and crunchy textures, and sweet and sour taste. It uses vegetables that are readily available in the winter to provide a vitamin boost. The word vinegret originated from the French “vinaigrette”, a well-known salad dressing. There is no vinegar in vinegret salad, despite what its name suggests. The main ingredients are beets, carrots, potatoes, sauerkraut, pickles, and green peas. Sometimes white beans are used instead of peas. Vinegret is a staple dish in many Russian homes; it is inexpensive to make and looks great on a holiday table!

A word of caution: sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) needs to be of best quality available, preferably bought at a Russian grocery store, or homemade (even better). I am yet to master the art of making sauerkraut at home, although I will definitely try it in the near future.

VINEGRET – WINTER BEET AND SAUERKRAUT SALAD RECIPE

Holodets (Russian Pork Aspic)

meat No Responses »

Feb 212012

Holodets, or studen’, is a traditional Russian dish dating back many centuries. Holodets is essentially a meat jelly made by cooking pork parts that contain a lot of bone, skin and cartilage (such as legs, ears, and even hooves). That’s what mom said when I asked her how to make it. My first response was: hooves and ears, eeeeew! Not only is this repulsive, but I also had no idea where to buy them. So my mom suggested using just pork hocks, and to add a bit of gelatin to help it set. Since I was making holodets for the New Year dinner, it was important that it set on time, so I did add gelatin. It congealed beautifully, but left me wondering if gelatin was really necessary or if it would congeal just fine on its own. I had a feeling that holodets would taste better (more authentic) without it. Next time, when I have more time on my hands and am free to experiment, I will make holodets without gelatin and share the results.

HOLODETS (RUSSIAN PORK ASPIC) RECIPE

Roasted Duck Stuffed with Apples and Oranges

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Dec 292011

This is a variation of a traditional Russian Christmas recipe from the 19th and early 20th century. During the Soviet times, ducks were not easy to come by, and so this recipe unfortunately got forgotten. These days, roasted duck becomes popular again as a festive winter meal.

This was my first time ever cooking duck. I choose a European breed of duck which is supposed to have less fat than its Chinese counterpart (it still had a lot of fat under the skin though). I found several recipes online, each of which had some features that I liked. So I combined those recipes to create something that I thought would taste good. I stuffed my duck with a combination of fruit and nuts sprinkled with nutmeg to give it that extra special Christmas taste. I was pleasantly surprised how well this turned out. The skin was crispy, fat mostly melted out from long cooking in the oven, and the fruit-and-nut stuffing complemented the duck meat very well. The only problem was, it turned out that duck does not really have that much meat, and so my 2-kg duck was barely enough for 4 people to have a taste!

ROASTED DUCK STUFFED WITH APPLES AND ORANGES RECIPE

Pork Loin Stuffed with Mushroom and Black Currant

meat No Responses »

Dec 202011

Pork loin is a very versatile cut of meat that can be used in many dishes, but I find its taste quite bland and boring. I feel it needs to be perked up with complex tastes, especially when making pork loin roast. In this recipe, I made a roll-up style pork roast with mushroom, sage, black currant, and prosciutto filling. I liked the note of sweetness from the dry black currants and how it was offset by slight bitterness of sage. Prosciutto, on the other hand, does not add anything to the taste and I would omit it the next time. I also made horseradish-mustard sauce to complement the roast and to give it some punch. Overall, I liked how well-rounded this recipe turned out.

PORK LOIN STUFFED WITH MUSHROOM AND BLACK CURRANT RECIPE

Kharcho – Spicy Georgian Walnut Soup

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Dec 102011

This hot and spicy Georgian soup has beef broth as its base and is thickened with walnuts and rice. The combination or the earthy walnut flavor and authentic Georgian spices makes this soup truly unique and delicious.