Kosher
Holodetz (aspic)
This is a much-loved dish in the family, and it’s ubiquitous at Russian celebrations. It’s hardly a party without one. Holodetz is called holodetz (studen’ or cholodetz or p’tcha) because it’s served cold, as in frozen, and the root of all those Russian words is “cold”. In my attempt to learn how to cook dishes I grew up with, I thought it was about time I learned to make this one, and I gave it a go for our New Year’s celebration this year. (Yes, it’s been a while, but I still have a bit of a backlog of posts and this is one of them.) I always thought that making holodetz is difficult or complicated or time...
Read MoreWhole Wheat Bread
There is nothing more satisfying than making bread. Taking such simple ingredients, like flour, yeast, and water, and turning them into something nourishing and fabulous is just so rewarding and self-affirming. It’s immensely satisfying knowing I can whip up a loaf of bread with practically no effort, make it dense, chewy, and nourishing, and save a bundle in the process. I think I’ll have a bread-related goal for 2011. I used the same recipe and process here as I did in my first attempt (Bread based on My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method), but I made changes to the flour mixture. Instead of 3 cups of white bread flour, I used 1.5...
Read MoreMatzo Ball Soup
Turns out, I really, really like matzo ball soup. [Matzo balls (also known as kneidelach) are dumplings made of matzo meal (matzo flour).] I haven’t had it in ages (about a year, I think) and then, had it twice within the span of about a week. So I thought I’d give it a shot and learn how to make it myself, especially since I’ve been craving chicken soup (which is completely foreign for me). With that, I was off on the internet search for fluffy matzo balls and I settled on a recipe from Jewish Magazine. And of course, I made a couple substitutions: I used only 3 TB of oil instead of 4 that’s called for in the original recipe, and I let it...
Read MoreChicken Stew with Chickpeas
We’re in the grizly clutches of winter here, though, technically Winter hasn’t started yet. But since it is so cold, it’s perfect weather for a stew. And since I’ve been eating a lot of lamb lately (made Lagman, (an Uzbek soup) a few times), I thought it’s time to make something with chicken. I also wanted to use up some of my pantry items. So, I had chicken on hand, and I wanted to use Montreal Steak Seasoning (I read a great recipe by Sofya on her blog) but that was the end of my idea, until I started cooking. Initially, I considered making this with potatoes, something like the chahohbili-style stew I made last year. But then, I...
Read MoreVika’s Pepper Salad
This is one of my absolute favorite salads! It’s great warm or cold, as a salad, a side to a meat or fish dish, or piled hungrily on a piece of toasted baguette as bruschetta. In addition to its versatility, this salad is very healthy and easy to prepare. You really can’t beat that. You can also switch things up by adding other veggies, eggplant being my favorite add-in. But this time I went “traditional” since this is the first time I’ve ever made it (I’ve been after the recipe for a loooong time and finally got it). Ingredients: 1 medium-large onion (diced) 2 medium-large bell peppers (sliced the long way; I used red and yellow,...
Read MoreMeringue and fruit trifles (Eaton Mess?)
[An alternate title for this post could have easily been "An ode to my KitchenAid"] I thought I saw a similar dessert on some cooking show but couldn’t find it anywhere online. The basic premise was to have a healthier and lighter-feeling dessert that tasted great and was fairly easy to make and something I could make ahead. I also wanted something a little crunchy and something with fruit. So, I thought I’d make meringue for the crunchy part and stew some frozen fruit for the fruit part. But I wasn’t quite sure what the topping should be. I wanted something creamy and investigated zabaglione and decided it was too much work at this time and thus...
Read MoreEgg “Salad”
I call this egg “salad” because I don’t know what else to call it, and calling it egg “spread” just doesn’t sound appetizing, even though it’s great spread on bread as a snack or an appetizer. But this recipe is just so simple and the results are disproportionately delicious. The most time-consuming part of this recipe is boiling eggs. Really. Just try it and you’ll see what I mean. Use your favorite sharper cheese, but any cheese would probably work. Ingredients: 6 eggs 1-1.5 TB of mayo 3 cloves of garlic (finely minced, less if you’re not a garlic enthusiast) 1/3 cup of grated cheese (any sharper cheese...
Read MoreMushroom Sauce
Looks like I’ve been on a cooking binge lately. And I’m glad to say I like it. This recipe was came out of a conversation and was pretty much a necessity; you see, I bought about three pounds of mushrooms at Costco. I got two one-pound packages of baby portabella mushrooms and a one-pound package of chanterelles. Yeah, I know, I’m crazy. But mushrooms shrink when they cook. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. And I really, really like chanterelle mushrooms, as it turns out. Have you ever tried them pickled? If you haven’t, you really should seek them out (they’re frequently found in Russian/East European grocery...
Read MoreTabouleh
One of my currently favorite places has great Tabouleh. I like how fresh and flavorful it is, not to mention how healthy it is. So, I decided to try making it myself. I looked online and all recipes were a little different; some had onions and some didn’t, some had more bulghur (cracked wheat) some less, some some had mint, some didn’t. But overall, a few things are consistent: bulgur, tomatoes, and cucumbers. And my goal was to try to replicate the tabouleh of the restaurant where I usually get it. That version doesn’t have mint or onions, so I omitted those ingredients. Most versions have the cracked wheat soaking for a while (1-2...
Read MoreHome-made crock-pot yogurt
YIPPEE! Finally, SUCCESS! You see, I have been trying to make home-made crock-pot yogurt ever since I read Sofya’s post on this. This is my fourth attempt. Another thing you probably know about me by now is that I really can’t follow directions. Which is why it has taken so long for me to come to some semblance of yogurt in my crock-pot. I know it doesn’t look like much, and it probably looks kinda icky. But it’s yogurt. On my first attempt, I got fairly close, but it was too liquidy. On my second and third attempts, it was complete failure. I had just really hot milk at the end of the process. On the third time, I re-heated it and...
Read MoreMastava – Uzbek soup
After our last visit to Chaihana, I’ve been wanting to make this recipe and I was lucky enough to have a recipe handy. As a matter of fact, I actually have two. One is from Lynn Visson’s book and one is from a Russian-published book. This attempt is from the Russian-published version and I don’t know how authentic it is. Anyone with such knowledge, please let me know if this is even remotely authentic. That’s the book and the page with the recipe. If you can read Russian, please take a close look at it. For those who don’t read Russian, here’s the rundown of issues with this recipe: 1. It’s not clear enough in...
Read MoreOrzo with Veggies and Feta
I’ve been thinking about making something with orzo for a while, and saw a good recipe on Tasty Kitchen and thought I’d give it a try. But you know me, I can’t follow directions when it comes to food, so, as always, I added my own touch on the recipe. The asparagus I had was already roasted (LOVE! roasted asparagus) so that was one variation from the original recipe. Another was the tomatoes. I love tomatoes, and Sendik’s had cute little cherry tomatoes on sale. These aren’t good enough to eat on their own yet, but are good enough to cook with (the added spiced and other things in the dish help out the paper-like taste of winter...
Read MoreMushroom "Stroganoff"
I was reading a few yummy recipes, some for beef stroganoff and some for a mushroom and pasta dish, and the wires must have gotten crossed and this creation emerged. I had a rather large packet of mushrooms from Costco and I’ve been trying not to waste them (again). So I figured I’d saute them and server with ribbon pasta and some sort of sauce, but that’s not exactly what happened. Here is what I did: Ingredients: 24oz packet of mushrooms (thinly sliced) 1 cup of low-fat sour cream Roasted asparagus (optional; I just had some in the fridge so decided to use it) 1 large onion (diced) Salt, freshly ground black pepper, sweet paprika, smoked...
Read MoreChicken Soup
I’ve never made chicken soup before. Mainly because I don’t really like it. It’s an odd confession as an opening for a chicken soup recipe. But…. The soup I made wasn’t like the chicken soup I grew up with. What never appealed to me was the rich, clear broth that had little pools of chicken fat floating on top, the kind you eat when you’re sick. So I figured that instead of throwing a whole chicken into the pot with a carrot and an onion, I’d do something differently. I used a chicken breast, a chicken leg, and a bone in, skin on chicken thigh. As usual, I tried to remove as much fat as possible. I also added a lot more to...
Read MoreElla’s Borsch
Finally! A recipe! My family has been blessed with phenomenal cooks. My grandma and her sister make absolutely different but fabulously sumptuous borscht. That’s right, borscht. The funny thing is, as ubiquitous as borscht is and as fundamental to “Russian” cuisine, I’ve never made it before today. Usually, this is how the conversation about borscht goes: Me: Grandma, how do I make borscht? Grandma: When would you like it? I’ll make some for you. Me: No, thanks Grandma, I’d like to learn how to make it. Grandma: Well, you’ll need beets and other things. Me: Ok, I’ll call you this evening for a complete...
Read MorePickles
I’ve been meaning to write about pickles for quite some time now but have been completely swamped with a few other projects. But these are a staple in my kitchen in the summer and I’d recommend you try these. This is the easiest recipe for pickles. I also recently found out that people can be allergic to commercially produced pickles and those advised to steer clear of vinegar also can’t consume store-bought pickles. My version is vinegar-free. That’s right. No vinegar. The pickles are still crunchy and spicy. In the picture, you see about 2 pounds of pickles in a 1-liter jar. Ingredients: 2 LB pickles 1 Liter of water 1 TB...
Read MoreLemonade
I’ve never made lemonade from scratch before but the lemons at the store looked particularly good the other day, and I picked up a big bag of them. So today was the day I thought I’d give it a try. It was really easy, especially since I have an electric citrus juicer. The kitchen smelled particularly good after making this drink. This turned out the be the simplest and most refreshing indulgence of the day. Ingredients: Lemons (I used about 9 or so) Simple syrup (1 cup water + 1 cup sugar; boil.) 2 cups of water Steps: 1. Make simple syrup and cool it. 2. Juice the lemons. 3. Add the cooled simple syrup and water to the lemon juice. 4. Mix. Chill....
Read MoreRoasted Salad
I am so thrilled that it’s finally summer, but it seems I can’t give up my oven. Though I do have a grill, it’s an electric one. My local fire department does not allow grilling on balconies. But I still love summer veggies and have a tendency to buy too much. So, today, I decided to put some of those veggies to good use and make a salad. Since roasting is so easy and brings out the flavor so much, I decided to sacrifice personal comfort in my caricature-worthy tiny kitchen for the benefit of the salad. Ingredients: 3 bell peppers (I used red, orange, and yellow) 1 bunch of asparagus 1/2 red onion diced 1 tb basil Salt, pepper, olive oil,...
Read MoreTomato and Spinach Soup
This was a completely unexpected and impromptu soup. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m not much into soup since I have so few soup recipes. But this just came together suddenly, since I didn’t even get into to the kitchen until about 8 in the evening. What can I say, I was bored so I started cooking. I had some things I wanted to use up before they go bad and wanted something easy, light, healthy, and packed with nutrients. And since I’m fond of throwing a bunch of stuff in one pot and seeing what develops, I got a really yummy soup that is perfect for this cold and rainy weather. I hope, one of these days we’ll have...
Read MoreShashlik (shish-kabob/ ??????) – authentic Uzbek dish
I have to admit something. I am a bit of a purist when it comes to certain things and Uzbek food happens to be one of them. See, some of my friends try to tell me that they make great kabobs and then they go into great detail telling me how they marinate it in vinegar (eek!) and that they use pork (oy!). I grit my teeth and smile and say “sounds nice”. But to me, that’s just meat on a stick. Actually, anything that deviates from the shashlik I grew up with, to me, is just meat on a stick. And I’m sure others have the same reaction to other dishes they grew up with. The recipe that follows is a little unusual, but trust me, if you...
