Missing Russia

Clearly, my Russia clock is ticking. Over the past 5 years, I have gotten used to visiting our kiddos at Sovietsk every year in August or September. This year, we are not able to go as we are expecting a new addition to our family any minute. This is where I wish I had superpowers--I would teleport in a heartbeat to see our kiddos and introduce our new little guy when he is here. All in due time, but for now it will have to do to write letters. And today, we had beet salad and cabbage rolls for dinner . . .

We have a friend traveling August 23, so we are collecting letters, gifts, and financial donations ahead of their trip. If you are able to donate towards programming, you can do that any time! Money goes through Children's HopeChest and should be marked RU0506000, Sovietsk. If you want to send letters or gifts, we can get them hand delivered if we receive them by August 17. Contact us if you are interested, and we will help you make the connection. Maybe I'll share the beet salad recipe, if you're lucky.

Chuk-Chuk *edited*

We tried it! Our lessons learned in italics.
My favorite Russian dessert is Chuk-Chuk! I think that's because the honey in Kirov is soooooo good. (We never leave without a jar--this time, we took 3!)
I think I am going to try to make some for New Years. I don't think I can match what they make in Dolbiylova, but I'll let you know how it goes. Here is the recipe I am working with:

Chuk-Chuk dough:
4 eggs
3T powdered sugar (could add a bit more, but not much)
2 t butter (melted)
1/3 t salt
1/4 c milk (could easily double this!)
17 oz flour by weight (about right, but could easily skimp)

Syrup:
1 1/2 c honey
4 t sugar

1. Blend egg, butter, sugar, salt, milk, and flour and knead until dough is smooth. Add more milk if dough seems dry--don't want it to be too tough!
2. Let dough rest 30-40 minutes.
3. Heat honey and sugar in a double boiler and stir until sugar dissolves. Cook until it turns an amber color, but don't burn it!
4.Break into pieces and roll into small balls--the smaller the better. They don't have to be even!
*Some people recommend cutting small noodles or running it through a pasta maker. Your choice!
5. Heat canola oil in frying pan over medium heat, until very hot. Fry dough balls until golden brown, up to 5 minutes, and drain on a paper towel. We used a slotted spoon to place the dough into the oil without getting burned. Don't be afraid to get them really brown and a little bit crispy!
6. Mix fried dough and syrup in a big bowl.
7. Serve! Either mold and serve in some kind of shape, or serve in piles. Can garnish with nuts or powdered sugar. Good warm or cool, I found it best on the second day. A little goes a long way!

This is also called Tatar, because it is from the Tatar people. I think it would be good with chocolate, or cinnamon, or maybe some berries as garnish . . . I will let you know how this recipe turns out! Happy New Year!

Our version wasn't as delicious as in Russia, but pretty good! Thanks, Nancy, Nolan, and Georgia for being guinea pigs!

Blini for Easter

Another recipe! I will be making these next weekend, to celebrate Orthodox Easter along with our Russian friends.

Sadly, I have misplaced my journal where I detailed the tips from my blini-making clinic in the orphanage kitchen. I remember the technique pretty well, including the all-important wrist-flick when pouring the batter. This recipe comes pretty close, and it seems to have gained a bit of a following around here.

4 eggs

1 tsp salt

3 T sugar

1 1/2 c white flour

4 c milk, lukewarm

Mix eggs, salt, sugar, flour, and 2/3 c of milk until it is smooth. Add the rest of the milk, a little at a time, until it is about as thick as cream. (You can add more milk if you need to.) You can let the batter stand awhile, if you want. Just put it in the fridge for later. Or, make the blini right away!

I usually get 2 skillets going at once, about 8 inches around. In Russia they have these lovely blini pans with really short sides, which makes it easy to flip--I might pick one of those up next time! Use a pastry brush to lightly cover the HOT pans with oil every few blini or so. Use a ladle to pour less than 1/4 c of batter into the pan. Work quickly, picking up the pan to swirl the batter so that it covers the bottom of the pan evenly. You might need to use a rubber/wooden spatula to loosen up the sides of each blin. When you see the sides begin to brown and the middle is set (2-3 minutes max, depending on your pan and how thick you've poured the batter), carefully pick up the blin and flip it over. It usually takes less than a minute on the second side. Then set it aside to cool, and fold and stack them for later.

We usually eat these with jam or with sweetened condensed milk (Ben's favorite), but you can put just about anything in there.

The texture is different from crepes--I tried using my crepe maker for this and it was a failure. Stick with the old-school method on these! Like borscht, there are a million recipes for blini out there. We hope you like this one.

Enjoy! Happy Easter!

A Time for Feasting

On Wednesdays during Lent, Bethlehem holds a Lenten soup supper before the evening service. This week, the Service team hosted dinner. Pastor suggested we take the opportunity to share some Russian cuisine with everyone, so we did! There was yummy food of all kinds--cabbage slaw, veggie soup, fruit, and of course cookies and cake. There was also brown bread, borscht, solyanka, Russian juices and tea, sooshki, and blini. My cooking coaches at Sovietsk would be proud. I thought I'd share some recipes--more to come!

Quick & Easy Borscht

Purists might say I am cheating for using canned beets, but it sure does go faster!

This is to serve 4. There are many ways to make borscht. This recipe is based on the one in The Gourmet Cookbook.

4 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and halved or chopped in big chunks

1 T butter or oil (I usually use half butter, half oil)

2 carrots, julienned
2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can (14-16 oz) broth (Most borscht uses beef broth. I'm vegetarian, so I use veg broth + sherry. I usually use more broth than the recipe calls for--sometimes nearly twice as much!)

Lots of salt and freshly ground pepper

1 16 oz can of julienned beets (I buy them sliced and julienne them myself.)

Heat butter & oil in large saucepan over high heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook until just beginning to brown. Add broth, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil.

I use a big stock pot and boil my potatoes in this broth until they are fork-tender. I have a big pasta strainer insert, so I just boil the potatoes in that and then pull them out. You could do the same, or just boil them in water seperately, or even leave them in the soup the whole time.

Once potatoes are done, reduce heat to simmer. (Or, if not using potatoes in stock, bring broth to a boil then reduce to simmer about 15 minutes.) Stir in beets and liquid. Simmer covered around 8 minutes.

You can either add the potatoes back in the soup pot or add them as you serve individual bowls. Just know the longer they are in the soup, the more they will fall apart and turn purple. It's up to you!

Garnish with fresh dill and sour cream. I like it with a piece of brown bread and butter.

I hope you enjoy our version of Russian borscht!