Skip links

Main navigation

Archives for May 2015

Meat Solyanka

by Leave a Comment

This is a hearty, thick soup with salty cured meats, sausages, olives, capers, pickles, onions, and sour cream for garnish. One might think of it as “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” type of soup, but it tastes amazing. Try any combination of dry-cured meats like coppa, hunter’s sausages, Italian cacciatore and ham.

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

  • 1⁄2 lb beef meat or tongue, cooked
  • 1⁄2 lb ham, sliced thin
  • 2 small smoked sausages (like Hunter’s)
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 2 pickled cucumbers, diced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 quarts beef tongue stock
  • 10 pitted black olives
  • 1 tablespoon capers
  • salt & pepper 
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream, for

    garnish

  • 1 lemon, sliced

Directions:

First, make the broth by cooking 2-2.5 hours beef tongue just like you would be making any kind of beef stock. Take the tongue out and reserve. 

Sauté 2 large onions until translucent and add the tomato paste at the very end. Mix thoroughly. Chop all the meats and add to the pot simmering with stock followed by an onion mixture, olives and capers. Serve with a slice of lemon and a dollop of sour cream.

Beef Tongue

by Leave a Comment

Recently I have participated in the ChefSteps Transformation
contest. The challenge was to take something sleazy and turn it into something
sexy. After consideration I decided to submit Beef Tongue appetizer and Meat
Solyanka soup for the entries. Beef Tongue is considered a delicatessen in
Russian cuisine and I have been tasted it since childhood at the family and
friends gatherings. Even though I didn’t win, I had a good time cooking and
treating my brave foodie friends.

Ingredients:

  • 1 beef tongue (found at Uwajimaya or PCC stores)
  • 1 whole onion
  • 1 whole carrot
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 6-8 whole black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt

Directions

All you need is a big pot, a bit of courage and a lot of
patience. 

Step 1. Clean the tongue in cold water and place it in a big
pot. Cover with water. Put the pot on a hot stove and let it simmer for an hour
while removing the skim regularly. 

Step 2. Add a small unpeeled onion cut lengthwise, a carrot,
2 stalks of celery, 2 bay leaves and peppercorns. Season with salt. Cook for
another 1-1.5 hours until the tongue is fork tender. 

Step 3. Place the cooked tongue in an iced bath. Remove the
white skin on top – it comes off like a stocking (pretty gross, I know). Save
the stock for the Meat Solyanka soup.

Cut thinly and serve with horseradish and mustard as an
appetizer. I recommend to accompany this appetizer with a shot of icy cold
vodka.

Bulochki  – Farmer’s Cheese Rolls

by Leave a Comment

My mom used to do this rolls on the Sunday mornings. These
rolls are similar to cinnamon rolls but filled with meringue glaze instead. The
delicate  flavor of the pastry and sweet
crusty meringue complement each other nicely. Enjoy with black coffee.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Dough

  • 200 grams farmer’s cheese
  • 200 grams soften margarine
  • 260 grams flour
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 0.5 tsp. soda

Merengue glaze

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 cup sugar

Directions

In a large bowl combine farmer’s cheese and margarine using
electric mixer on low. Incorporate egg yolks one by one. Gradually add flour to
the mixture. Once combined, remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a
ball. Refrigerate in a plastic wrap for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make meringue
glaze  by whisking  together the egg whites and sugar lightly.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces.  Shape a ball, and then roll out the dough to
about 12 inches long and 16 inches wide. Spread half of the meringue glaze  along the length of the dough, leaving about
2 inches at the other end. Roll dough like you would cinnamon rolls and cut the
log every 1 inch.

Transfer to a baking sheet, that has been lined with
parchment paper. Continue the process with the remainder of the dough, place
the pieces 3” apart from each other since they will expand.

Turn the oven on to 350°F. Bake for 20 minutes until golden
color. Let in cool slightly before serving. Enjoy with black coffee.