Cuisine
- Faculty Recipes
Lobio
Borscht
Pirozhki
Bliny
Kulich (Easter Bread)
Icing for Kulich
Paskha (Easter Sweet Cheese Pyramid)
Lobio
from
Stephen Jones. . .
This recipe
is one of our Chair's favorite's and although it can be made many
ways, this one contains a walnut mix. Lobio is a beautiful deep
red on the table and can be served warm or cold.
Ingredients:
- one pound
kidney beans
- teaspoon
salt
- two small
onions, finely chopped
- one cup (not
packed) of cilantro
- one cup of
walnuts
- 2-3 garlic
cloves
- one hot pepper
(2 inches long - and take out the seeds)
- one half
teaspoon cinnamon
- half teaspoon
ground cloves
- 3/4 to one
cup of pomegranate juice (some other not-too-sweet juice could
be substituted)
- Pomegranate
seeds (for decoration)
Directions:
- Soak the
beans a minimum of 5 hours
- Drain and
place in large pot, cover with water, add salt and boil until
tender (Georgians like their beans well cooked so that the dish
often comes out even somewhat mushy at times. You might prefer
to keep the beans crunchy. It is up to you). When the beans are
done, drain and add the chopped onions. In a food processor, grind
the walnuts, cilantro, garlic, and hot pepper together and add
this paste to the beans.
- Mix in a
small cup the cinnamon, cloves, some salt and stir into the bean
mixture. Pour in the pomegranate juice or whatever substitute
you have to make the beans moist.
- Leave to
cool and, if you have them, garnish the beans with the pomegranate
seeds.
Borscht
from Edwina Cruise. . .
This recipe
is my favorite borscht recipe. You really do need to discard the
green pepper though!
Ingredients:
- 1 three-pound
to four-pound shin of beef, cut into three or four pieces
- 1 one-pound-13
ounce can tomato puree
- 1 carrot,
grated coarse
- 1 onion,
diced
- 1 one-and-one-half
pound cabbage, finely shredded
- 3 sprigs
fresh dill, or to taste
- 1 whole green
pepper, cut in half and seeded
- 1 one-pound
fresh cooked or red can whole beets with their liquid
- chopped fresh
dill to taste, optional
Directions:
- Place the
beef in a kettle and add a generous amount of water to cover.
Simmer, skimming the surface as necessary, about one and one-half
hours. Do not cover.
- Add the tomato
puree, carrot, and onion. Simmer about one hour longer, skimming
the surface as necessary. Do not cover. If too much liquid evaporates,
add boiling water. Add the cabbage, dill sprigs, and green pepper
and cook, uncovered, about 30 minutes longer. Discard the dill
sprigs and green pepper. Add the beet juice. Grate (and peel if
fresh) the beets, add them (and any meat shreds) and bring to
a boil. The soup is now ready. Garnish with chopped dill.
This will
yield 8 or more servings
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Pirozhki
from Susan Downing...
Ingredients
- Pastry:
- 4 cups all-purpose
flour
- 1/2 teaspoon
salt
- 16 tablespoons
(two 1/4-pound sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch bits
and chilled
- 8 tablespoons
chilled lard, cut into 1/4-inch bits
- 8 to 12 tablespoons
ice water
Filling:
- 4 tablespoons
butter
- 3 cups finely
chopped onions
- 1 1/2 pounds
lean ground beef
- 3 hard-cooked
eggs, finely chopped
- 6 tablespoons
finely cut frech dill leaves
- 2 teaspoons
salt
- 1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- PASTRY: combine
the flour, salt, butter and lard in a deep bowl. With your fingers,
rub the flour and fat together until they look like flakes of
coarse meal. Pour in 8 tablespoons of ice water all at once and
gather the dough into a ball. If it crumbles, add up to 4 tablespoons
more ice water, a tablespoon at a time, until the particles adhere.
Wrap the ball in wax paper, and chill for about 1 hour. On a lightly
floured surface, shape the pastry into a rough rectangle 1 inch
thick and roll it into a strip about 21 inches long and 6 inches
wide. Fold the strip into thirds to make a 3-layered packet 7
inches long and 6 inches wide. Turn the pastry around and again
roll it out lengthwise into a 21-by-6-inch strip. Fold into thirds
and roll out the packet as before. Repeat this entire process
twice more, ending with the folded packet. Wrap it in wax paper
and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- FILLING:
Over high heat, melt the butter in a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet.
Add the onions and, stirring occasionally, cook over moderate
heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are soft and transparent
but not brown. Stir in the beef and, mashing the meat with a fork
to break up any lumps, cook briskly until no traces of pink remain.
Grind the meat-and-onion mixture through the finest blade of a
meat grinder. Combine the meat in a large bowl with the eggs,
dill, salt and pepper, mix thoroughly and taste for seasoning.
- Preheat the
oven to 400°.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a circle about
1/8 inch thick. With a 3- to 3 1/2-inch cutter, cut out as many
circles as you can. Gather the scraps into a ball and roll out
again, cutting additional circles. Drop 2 tablespoons of filling
in the center of each round and flatten the filling slightly.
Fold one long side of the dough up over the filling, almost covering
it. Fold in the two ends of the dough about 1/2 inch, and lastly,
fold over the remaining long side of dough. Place the pirozhki
side by side, with the seam sides down on a buttered baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with clear chicken
or beef soup, on the zakuska table or presented alone as
first course.
Bliny
from Susan Downing (originally from Olga Astromova)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. flour
- 2 1/2 - 3
cups of warm milk (not hot)
- 1 package
yeasts (dried or caked)
- 1 tablespoon
sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon
salt
- 2-3 tablespoons
oil or melted butter
- 3 eggs
Directions:
- Dissolve
yeast. Add eggs, milk, salt, sugar, and flour. Mix well. Add oil
or melted butter. Cover and set in a warm place until double in
bulk.
- Heat a frying
pan well, brush it with oil or melted butter. Spread the batter
evenly, using a ladle. Bake until golden brown on each side, turing
only once. Put ready bliny in a double boiler to keep them
warm.
- Serve with
sour cream, caviar, pickled herring, sprats, sardines, and chopped
boiled eggs.
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Kulich
(Easter Bread)
from Peter Scotto
Ingredients:
- 2 packages
dry yeast or 1 ounce compressed yeast
- 1/2 cup lukewarm
milk
- 4 cups white
flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup melted
and clarified butter, at room temperature
- 7 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 tablespoon
vanilla extract
- 5 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon
salt
- parchment
paper
- 1 empty 2-pound
metal coffee can
Directions:
- Mix the yeast,
lukewarm milk, 1/2 cup of the flour and a tablespoon of the sugar.
Let stand in a warm place, until it begins to foam. Meanwhile,
- Stir the
butter and the remaining sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
- Beat the
'egg yolks,' two at a time, into the butter and sugar mixture.
- By now, the
yeast mixture should be foaming and almost double in bulk. Add
it to the butter and yolks and beat together.
- Mix the honey
and rum together and add to the butter and yolks. Keep beating.
- Gradually
add the rest of the flour, the egg white and salt, and keep beating.
- You should
have a thick batter, not a stiff dough. If you have an electric
mixer with a dough hook, knead with it. If you have only your
hands, put one hand in the batter and knead it in the bowl. This
in not conventional kneading - concentrate on folding lots of
air into the batter.
- When the
batter is perfectly smooth, cover the bow with plastic wrap and
then with a thick terrycloth towel. Put in a very warm, draft-free
place, such as an unlighted gas oven with a pilot light. Surround
the bowl with pillows or towels to protect it against any shock;
it is very delicate and might sink if someone slams a door. Let
rise for three or four hours until double in bulk.
- Beat down
the risen batter. Butter the coffee can. Put a round piece of
parchment paper in the bottom and add the batter, filling the
can halfway to the top.
- Preheat the
oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile the kulich rise for 45 minutes
or untl it rises 3/4 of the way to the top of the can.
- Bake the
kulich 45 minutes to an hour, or until the top is golden brown
and a skewer stuck inside comes out dry and clean. If the top
browns too quickly, moisten a paper towel and cover the browned
cap while the kulich continues to bake.
- When the
kulich is done, remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes in its
can. Meanwhile take a pillow and cover it with a towel. When the
kulich is cool, wiggle it out of the can onto the pillow. If it
doesn't budge, slide a long spatula along the inside edge of the
can. If the kulich still refuses to come out, wait a few more
minutes for it to cool more. Lay the kulich prone on the pillow
- it will be too moist to stand on its end without breaking. The
towel will absorb the excess moisture as the kulich continues
to cool. After about 15 minutes, roll the kulich over so that
the other side can be towel-dried.
8 to
10 servings!
Icing for Kulich
from Peter Scotto
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup heavy
cream
- 1 teaspoon
almond extract
- 3/4 cup confectioner's
sugar
- glaceed fruits
for decoration
Directions:
- Mix the cream
with the extract. Then, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon,
gradually add the sugar until, the mixture is smooth and creamy.
This is a thin, pourable icing.
- Pour the
icing over the cooled and upright kulich so that it coats the
cap of the bread and dribbles down the sides.
- Decorate
the cap with little pieces of glaceed fruits while the frosting
is still wet. Traditionally, the Cyrrilic letters XB which stand
for 'Khristos Voskres" (Chist is Risen) are spelled out with
the glaceed fruits.
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Paskha
(Sweet Cheese Pyramid)
from PeterScotto
Ingredients:
- 1 vanilla
bean
- 1 cup heavy
cream
- 1 cup unsalted
butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 pound
sugar
- 2 1/2 pounds
large-curd pot cheese
- 9 hard boiled
egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon
rosewater (optional)
- 1/2 a small
jar of candied cherries and/or citron and candied rinds (optional)
- ground almonds
(optional)
- mixed glaceed
fruits for decoration
- medium size
paskha form or new 6-inch clay flower pot
Directions:
- Slit the
vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the heavy cream. Put the
scraped bean into the cream and let soak in the refrigerator while
you prepare the other ingredients.
- Cream the
butter and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the pot
cheese to the butter mixture and cream them together.
- Mash the
hard-boiled egg yolks and gradually cream them into the cheese
misture.
- Put the cheese
mixture in a food processor, a mixer, a sieve or a food mill,
and process until the cheese is perfectly smooth. If using a sieve,
it may require three rounds of sieving.
- Remove the
vanilla bean and cream from the refrigerator. Discard the bean.
Then, with a rubber spatula, fold the cream into the cheese mixture.
- At this point
you may add any or none of the following: rosewater, cherries,
almonds, citron and candied peel.
- Line the
mold or pot with cheese-cloth. Carefully spoon the pashka into
the mold or pot. Fold the ends of the cloth over the top of the
cheese and either follow the directions that come with the pashka
mold, or, if using the pot, set a weight (cans of food or a brick)
on top of plate that is less than six inches in diameter.
- Set the paskha
mold or clay pot on a cake rack over a plate or bowl. Let stand
and drain for one hour unrefrigerated.
- Refrigerate
and let drain for at least two days.
- To serve,
unmold the paskha by inverting the mold or pot over a serving
plate. Peel off the cheesecloth. If the unmolding doesn't work,
and the paskha looks deformed, that's because the paskha was too
wet. Dont' worry - to make it look normal, just reshape it with
a spatula.
- Decorate
the paskha with cherries or mixed glaceed fruits. It is traditional
to mark XB on the sides with the candided fruits.
8-10
servings!
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