Beet Salad

My Russian Grandma likes beet very mush. She put it in borsch, svekolnik (a soup with beet as a main ingredient) , makes different salads.

“Svekla (the beet)”, she says,” Is very good for your blood and vessels, it helps your body to be healthy and clean because deletes toxic substances inside us.

Isn’t a reason to become friends with this useful vegetable? )


Ingredients:

1 middle beet
1 clove of garlic
6 walnuts
Salt, pepper by taste
1 tablespoon sunflower-seed oil


Boil beet until ready, peel and dice. Mince garlic, stir with beet, salt, pepper and sunflower-seed oil thoroughly.






Peel walnuts, roast on dry pan until golden brown, cut.










Put beet into the plate, sprinkle with walnuts, serve up with parsley. Enjoy!

A New Year Geese Story

My Russian Grandad used to tell us one old tale. When New Year holidays approached, all children of grandparents with their children came to them – it was a big company of different ages, - sat down the table and waited for Grandma’s baking and yzvar. Meantime we listened to Grandad’s story:

Long time ago one poor man lived. He was so poor that couldn’t buy anything tasty for New Year holiday. But he was very clever man. His barin (in old Russia a member of gentry) was presented 5 roasted geese and asked this man:

- Can you solve my problem? I’ve got five geese and my family consists of 6 members: two sons, two daughters, my wife and myself. How to divide the geese into equal parts ?

- It’s very easy!

- Really? If you solve my problem I present you whatever you want.

- OK! Call your family and bring geese.

Barin did.

A man took one goose and gave to barin and his wife: “There are three of you”.
Then he gave another goose to barin’s sons : “There are three of you”.
Next goose was given to his daughters : “There are three of you”.
And he took last two geese: “There are three of us”.

Barin laughed, he was surprise with poor man’s mother wit and courage.
Everybody took the equal part and barin presented two geese this poor cheery man.

That is all.
As a Russian proverb says:

The tale is over, made you joy.
Who listened to it, is a good boy!

New year bird

There some main dishes , which are expected to be in a New Year party table by millions of Russians.
They are the signs of a winter holiday: salad “Olivje”, stuffed hen and mandarins. Today I prepare for you a hen.

Hen stuffed with potatoes

1 hen
8 cloves of garlic
100 g mayonnaise
100g sour –crème
Salt, pepper
Hen spices : paprika, curry, coriander
5 potatoes
2 onions
2 bay leaves







Wash the hen thoroughly, lard with cloves of garlic, rub with salt, pepper, mayonnaise and sour-crème. Sprinkle with hen spices by taste. Leave for two hours.








Potatoes slice, boil until almost ready.

Fill potato slices, onion rings, bay leaves into hen, add salt & pepper, sew up.



Pour a little water in the pan, place our hen, put into oven and cook for 1,5 – 2 hours. Don’t forget to pour it with exuded sauce.

Enjoy this wonderful new year bird and happy holidays!

Apricot jam

My Russian Grandma seals vegetables and fruits in sterile glass jars. Everywhere you can find apple sauces, marinated cucumbers, dried cherries…
I wonder how does she have time to do so many things!
But I also know that she loves us and tries her best to cook something salubrious, full of vitamins and energy.



1 kg apricots
800 g sugar

Wash apricots, divide in two parts, add sugar, bring to the boiling point, take off the stove. Leave for 2 hours.











Pour apricot juice out (you can taste it with ice-cream), put fruits to blender and make apricot sauce.













Boil for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring.





That is all. Enjoy apricot jam!

Chrysanthemum

My Russian Grandma is a creative decorator! Minimum ingredients and her fantasy make wonderful things. And they are very tasty! Grandchildren are amazed.




Chrysanthemum

We need:
1 orange
many-coloured grapes







Divide toothpicks in two parts, blunt end put into orange, the sharp one – into grape. Cover orange with grapes.

















Edible chrysanthemum is ready!

Enjoy!

Potato pudding

My Russian Grandma used to cook many potato dishes.

“Potato”, she told , “our second bread”.

Not only bread, potato is Russian national brand!

Keeping the fast she cooked the follow potato pudding without meat.


Potato pudding

5 potatoes – peel, cut thin slices,
boil 2 minutes and pull out the water

2 onions – peel and slice

70 g cheese - grate
parsley – cut
paprika
1 cup milk
2 tbsp sour-cream

Oil shape, put a half of potato slices, salt, pepper, onion, paprika, a half of grated cheese,
potato slices once again, salt, parsley, onion, paprika.
Dressing: milk and sour cream stir. Pour all , put into oven at 400ºF (200ºC) for 30 minutes.
Add grated cheese on the top and bake for 30 minutes more.

Enjoy!