Cooking with Yiddishe mama

Chicken Red bean salad

2012-02-07T10:23:00.005-06:00

Chicken Red bean salad
Make 2 portions
I totally Americanized this recipe. I think, many of you will try to make it. I publish Russian version as it is to compare.

2 cups mixed salad greens, including fresh baby spinach
1 cup cooked diced chicken, room temperature
2 medium size pickles, thinly sliced
1/2 medium size red onion, diced
4 tablespoons canned red beans, dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained well
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice from 1/2 lime
salt and pepper to taste.
Lemon or grapefruit for garnish.

Place mixed greens in a large bowl. Add the chicken, pickles, red onion, and red beans. Toss with olive oil and lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with slices of lemon or grapefruit.

Cалат из курицы и красной фасоли
Ингредиенты на 1 порцию:
2 ст. л. красной фасоли из банки
1 маринованный (соленый) огурец
100 г. куриной грудке жаренной на гриле
половина маленькой луковички
несколько веточек укропа или кинзы
1 ст. л. растительного масла
Приготовление:
Огурчик порезать тоненькими дольками. Лук порезать полукольцами. Курицу - кубиками. Мелко нарезать петрушку или кинзу (я брала и то и то). Все смешать, заправить маслом и подавать!

Recipe from http://vk.com/wall-4806561_69267?hash=aa359d03e3d46a9213

Honey Graham Cracker Cookies

2012-02-01T10:17:00.007-06:00

Honey Graham Cracker Cookies
Makes 60 cookies
1 & 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup water or milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Heat oven to 325F.

First, spray the pan with cooking spray, line with a sheet of wax paper, then coat the wax paper with cooking spray.
In a small bowl mix water, sugar and honey and set aside. In another bowl mix flours, salt and baking powder. Add the butter to the flour mixture in bits and cut into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Form a well in the center of the flour and add the honey mixture into the well. Mix well until a ball of dough begins to form. Using your hands, gather dough and gently knead together a couple of times.If dough is dry, add water.
Divide dough into 2 equal parts. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough between the two pieces of parchment paper to 10x12 inch rectangle. Use a pizza cutter or knife to trim the rolled-out dough into a large rectangle. Then cut the square-shaped dough into 2-inch square and poke with a fork in center of each cracker. Gently transfer cracker cut-outs to the parchment-lined baking sheet. (You may need to use a metal spatula to lift the cut-outs so they don’t lose their shape.)
Mix sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle each cookie. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and allow crackers to cool slightly on baking sheet. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to one week in pantry, or in freezer for one month.

Медовые галеты
на 60 печеней
1 1/2 чашки белой пшеничной муки
1 1/2 чашки цельнозерновой пшеничной муки
1 ч л соли
1 ч л соды
1/4 чашки коричневого сахара (желательно тёмно-коричневого или можно добавить 1 ч л патоки)
85 гр (6 ст л) сливочного масла комнатной температуры
1/2 чашки мёда
1/3 cup воды/молока
1 ч л ванильной эссенции
Посыпка
1/4 чашки сахара
1 ч л корицы
Прогреть духовку до 162°C/325°F.

Застелить противни пергаментной бумагой.

В большой миске смешать сухие ингредиенты, добавить порезанное на кусочки масло и перетереть пальцами или вилкой в крошку.

В небольшой чашке смешать мёд, воду и ваниль. Добавить жидкие ингредиенты к сухим и перемешать вилкой. Выложить тесто на присыпанный мукой стол и немного вымесить (если тесто суховатое, добавить немного воды).

Разделить тесто на две части. Раскатать каждый кусок в прямоугольник размером 25x30-см, нарезать на 30 квадратов со стороной 5-см (печенье можно наколоть вилкой).

Смешать сахар с корицей и посыпать раскатанный пласт.
Выложить квадратики на противень на расстоянии 1 см (это удобно делать с помощью лопаточки).

Выпекать 15-18 минут (печенье почти не меняет цвет).

Остудить на решётке. Хранить в закрытой посуде (печенье не твердеет).

Recipe from http://aynmark.wordpress.com/

Classic Coleslaw1

2012-01-29T15:11:00.003-06:00

Classic Coleslaw
1/2 medium size head of cabbage (3-4 cup)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 small size carrot, grated
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
Pepper to taste

Thinly shred cabbage and put in a big bowl. Add salt and rub the salt into cabbage. Add onion, carrots and capers.

Prepare dressing: mix olive oil, orange juice and rice vinegar. Pour over the salad and mix very well. Let stand for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Салат из капусты.

1/2 средней величины головки свежей капусты (3-4 чашки)
3/4 чайной ложки соли
1 маленькая головка красного лука, тонко нарезанного полукольцами
1 маленькая морковка, натертая на терке
2 столовых ложки каперсов
2 столовых ложки оливкового масла
2 столовых ложки апельсинового сока
2 чайные ложки рисового уксуса

Тонко нашинковать капусту. Положить в большую мицку, добавить соль. Руками перетереть капусту а солью в течении 1 или 2 минут. Добавить лук, морковь и консервированные каперсы. Приготовить соус: перемешать оливковое масло, апельсиновый сок и рисовый уксус. Полить салат соусом и все хорошо перемешать. Выложить в салатник и дать постоять 15-20 минут перед употреблением.

Для тех, кто никогда не пользовался каперсами, хочу поместить фотографию:

Walnut Cheese Strudel

2012-01-27T15:13:00.004-06:00

Walnut Cheese Strudel

Make 2 rolled strudels

2 eggs
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted, room temperature
1 cup farmer's cheese (you can substitute on ricotta cheese)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 or 2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling
2 cups freshly ground walnuts (finely)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted, room temperature

First of all, I would like to mentioned a couple useful links for those who like to make a farmer's cheese and ricotta cheese at home.

How to make farmer's cheese at home
http://yulinkacooks.blogspot.com/2006/04/how-to-make-tvorog-farmers-cheese.html
http://cuceesprouts.com/2011/04/homemade-farmers-cheese/

How to make ricotta cheese at home
http://eatartword.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/milky-white-ricotta/
This is pastry dough that is quick to make and easy to roll out. The pastry can be made in a food processor, electric mixer, or by hand.
Blend eggs, butter and farmer's cheese in a food processor until smooth. In a small bowl mix sugar, salt, baking powder and 2 cups of flour. Add flour mixture to a food processor and pulse, just until the dough forms. If you need, add more flour. Amount of flour depends how wet is farmer's or ricotta cheese. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes on the table.
Meanwhile prepare a filling. In a bowl mix together walnuts, sugar and butter.
Preheat Oven to 350F
Divide into 2 portions and roll each out into 13x11-inch rectangle, spread with filling and roll up like Jelly Roll.
Place it on baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30-45 min until golden brown. Remove, completely cool and dust it with powdered sugar.Cut into slices and get ready for a heavenly experience.

Barley Mushroom Soup

2012-01-19T15:36:00.004-06:00

Barley Mushroom Soup

Makes 4 to 6 servings

10 -12 large dried shiitake mushrooms
4 medium sized carrots
8 cups stock (vegetable or beef or chicken)
3 tbsp light olive oil
2 medium sized onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium size potatoes, peeled and cubed.
3 tablespoons pearl quick barley
water, room temperature
flat parsley (optional)

Place dried shiitakes in a bowl and add 1 cup of water, room temperature. Let sit for 10-12 hours or overnight.
In 10-12 hours, cut up the onion and the garlic and set aside. Peel and slice the carrots on the diagonal in 1/4" slices. Set aside for later use. Drain the mushrooms and slice them in 1/4 inch pieces. Set aside.
In a large soup pot, add the oil and heat on medium until hot. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until softened; this will take approximately 5 minutes. Add the carrots and cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes.
Add the stock, mushrooms, and potatoes. Mix well, add salt, pepper to taste and cover. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir every 8-10 minutes. Add quick barley and cook for more 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Add some parsley.

Перловый суп с грибами

На 4 - 6 порций
10-12 больших сухих грибов типа щиитаке
4 среднего размера моркови
3 столовый ложки оливкового масла
2 небольщих луковицы
4 зубца чеснока
8 чашек бульона (вегетарианского, куриного или говяжего)
3 среднего размера картофелины, почищенной и нарезанной на небольщие кубики
3 столовых ложки быстро варящейся перловки
вода, комнатной температуры
немного порезанной петрушки
Положить в небольщую посуду сухие грибы и залить 1 стаканом воды, коматной температуры. Дать настояться 10-12 часов или на ночь.
Через 10-12 часов, пoчистить и нарезать лук, мелко нарезать чеснок. Очистить морковь и нарезать по диагонали на кусочки, каждый 5-7 мм шириной. Отцедить грибы и нарезать их на небольшие кусочки.
В большую кастрюлю налить оливковое масло, нагреть на среднем огне до закипания, добавить лук и чеснок. Тушить 5 минут. Добавить морковь и продолжать тушить 15-20 минут. Помешивать каждые 5 минут. Добавить бульон, грибы и картофель. Все хорошо перемешать, добавить соль и перец. Варить 15 минут, иногда перемешивать. Добавить перловку и варить еще 10-15 минут. Попробовать и, если нужно добавить соль и перец. В конце можно добавить немного мелко порезанной пертрушки.

Video from Dave Lieberman

2012-01-19T10:11:00.002-06:00

Today I found 2 interesting videos from Dave Lieberman. He prepares a very old-fashioned and traditional dishes. I think, it's going to be interesting for many people. Please, watch and enjoy.

Noodle kugel

Challah bread pudding with raising and chocolate chips

Raspberry Fan Cookies

2012-01-17T11:09:00.006-06:00

Raspberry Fan Cookies
about 54 cookies
Prep: 1 hour
Chill: 1 to 2 hours
Bake: 8 -10 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup raspberry jam or preserves
4 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
Finely shredded lemon peel (optional)
Directions
1. In a very large bowl, combine butter and cream cheese. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in the 1 teaspoon lemon peel, the vanilla, and lemon extract until combined. Beat in cornstarch. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours or until dough is easy to handle.
2. Preheat oven to 375 F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough portions to an 1/8-inch thickness. Using a round 2-1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out dough. Place dough rounds 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Mix jam with bread crumbs and mix well. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of the jam mixture onto the center of each round. To shape fans, bring opposite sides of each dough circle up over the jam and pinch them together where they meet, forming a point at one end.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Repeat with the remaining dough portions. If desired, sprinkle cookies with additional lemon peel before serving. Makes about 54 cookies.
5. To Store: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens magazine
My personal notes: recipe does not call for bread crumbs, but you have to add them to jam. Otherwise jam will leak all over the pastries and baking sheet. Believe me, this trick works very well.

Печенье с малиновой начинкой.

На 50-54 печенья.

1 чашка сливочного масла, комнатной температуры
180 грамм сливочного сыра "Филадельдия"
1 чашка сахара
1/4 чайной ложки соли,
1 чайная ложка цедры свежего лимона
1 чайная ложка ванильного экстракта
2 столовые ложки крахмала
2-1/2 чашки муки

2/3 чашки малинового джема
4 столовых ложки панировочных сыхарей
В большой миске взбить миксером сливочное масло и сливочный сыр. Добавить сахар и соль. Продолжать взбивать. Добавить лимонную цедру, ваниль и крахмал. Добавить муку и замешать тесто. Поделить тесто на 2 равные части, завернуть в пленку и положить в холодильник на 1 час или 2.

Нагреть духовку до 375Ф. Вынуть тесто из холодильника, раскатать толщиной 2-3 мм. Пользуясь стаканом или чашкой, вырезать кружки.
Перемешать джем и панировочные сухари. Положить на каждый по 1/4 чайной ложки джема и скрепить противоположные стороны круга с одной стороны. Уложить на деко и печь 8-10 минут. Вынуть из духовки и остудить.

Pink Herring salad

2012-01-11T15:44:00.006-06:00

Pink herring salad
It's a traditional and very homy salad.

4 small beets, cooked, peeled and diced
1 cup jar pickled herring, drained and cut up
4 medium size potatoes, cooked, peeled and diced
1/2 medium red onion, diced
2 medium size carrots, cooked, peeled and diced
2 hard boiled eggs, diced
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
salt, pepper to taste
In a large bowl mix all ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Marinate overnight.

Розовый селедочный салат

4 небольших бурячка, сваренных, очищенных и мелко нарезанных на кубики
1 чашка мелко нарезанной селедки
4 небольших варенных картофелины, почищенных и мелко нарезанных на кубики
1/2 средней величины красной луковицы, мелко нарезанной на кубики
2 небольших моркови, сваренной, почищенной и мелко нарезанной на кубики
2 круто сваренных яйца, мелко нарезанных на кубики
2 столовые ложки сметаны
2 столовые ложки майонеза
сoль и перец по вкусу.

Все ингридиенты смещать, посолить и поперчить. Поставить на ночь в холодильник мариноваться. К утру салат будет готов.

Cheddar Soda Bread

2012-01-10T14:51:00.004-06:00

Cheddar Soda Bread
2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (Cabot preferred), cut into pats
8 ounces Cabot sharp or extra-sharp cheddar, grated; about 2 cups, lightly packed
1 1/4 cups buttermilk*
1 large egg
*Don't have buttermilk? Substitute 3/4 cup plain yogurt + 1/2 cup milk
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8" square or 9" round pan.
2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3) Add the butter, working it into the flour until the mixture is crumbly. Toss in the grated cheese.
4) Mix the buttermilk and egg, and add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until everything is moistened.
5) Scoop the sticky dough into the pan, using your wet fingers to spread it to the edges of the pan.
6) Bake the bread for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Its internal temperature at the center will be close to 200°F.
7) Remove the bread from the oven, and loosen the edges with a table knife. Wait 5 minutes, then gently turn it out onto a rack to cool. It's tempting, but wait about 20 minutes before cutting the bread, if you can; it's a bit crumbly when hot.
Yield: 1 loaf, about 12 servings.

My personal notes: Bread became a hot item among coworkers. I have to make again. It's really delicious and easy to make it. I highly recommend for everybody to make this recipe at home.

Recipe from Cheddar Soda Bread

Chicken broth

2012-01-07T17:55:00.006-06:00

Chicken broth (yuch)
1 whole Cornish game hen (weight about 1 lb 3oz), with the skin on
6 cups water, cold
2 small onions, peeled
2 stalks celery, cleaned
1 large carrots, peeled
2 parsley roots, peeled
dill, parsley
salt by taste

Wash the chicken well and let it drain. Cut off any chunks of fat that are visible and either keep for another purpose or discard.

Prepare the vegetables. Cut the celery and carrots into 2 1/2 to 3 inch pieces and leave the onions whole.
Once the chicken is prepared, put only the chicken into a large dutch oven and cover it with cold water only until it barely reaches the top of the chicken.

Let the chicken come to a boil on medium low heat. Cover the pot boil on medium heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
Add the vegetables. At this point, you may refresh with boiling water if too much has evaporated during the first stage. Cover the pot and let it simmer for keep it at just above minimum heat for 20 minutes.
5-7 minutes before it is finished simmering, add salt to your taste and add a good bunch of fresh dill and parsley.
Turn off the heat, remove chunks of celery, parsley roots and whole onions leaving carrots in a pot.
Serve with matzoh!

Куриный бульон

1 петушок весом около 800 грамм
6 чашек воды
2 маленьких луковицы, очищенные
2 палочки сельдерея,
1 большая мокровь, очищенная
2 корня петрушки, почищенные
укроп, петрушка
соль по вкусу
Помыть и почистить тушку петушка, положить в большую кастрюлю и залить холодной водой. Закупятить и дать кипеть 25-30 минут.
Проготовить овощи. Нарезать сельдерей и морковку на небольшие кусочки.
Добавить овощи. если нужно добавить воды. накрыть кастрюлю и дать кипеть 20 минут. За 5-7 минут до конца варки добавить соль, укроп и петрушку.
Снять с огня, вынуть сельдерей, лук и корень петрушки. Оставить морковь. остудить и подавать с мацой.

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake Recipe

2012-01-03T10:20:00.006-06:00

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake
For the cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
1/3 cup (1 ounce) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup water
2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar or corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Powdered sugar for dusting

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F (176°C). Butter and flour a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa powder, salt, and water and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, just until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Place the flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Add half of the melted butter mixture and whisk until completely blended (the mixture will be quite thick). Add the remaining butter mixture and whisk until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until completely blended before adding the next egg. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla until smooth.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then invert onto a rack. Let cool completely before glazing.
Make the glaze
5. Just before glazing the cooled cake, place the chopped chocolate and agave nectar in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the heavy cream and sugar in a small saucepan and put over medium heat. Stir constantly until the cream is hot and the sugar is dissolved. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. If the glaze is exceptionally runny, let it sit for a minute or so to thicken.
6. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip and dribble down the sides. Dust with powdered sugar

Recipe from Sam Mogannam "Bi-Rite Market’s Eat Good Food"

My personal notes: Cake is good and moist, but glaze did not work out for me. I have to find a better recipe for the glaze. I think, the batter recipe is better for chocolate torte, than for pound cake. I would like to find a nice cream and make a chocolate torte. I don't think, I will make this pound cake again.

Sweet cheese blinzes

2011-12-28T14:43:00.005-06:00

Sweet cheese blintzes. (сладкие налистники)
Serves 8
For batter:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

For filling:
2 cups dry farmer's cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour.
For blintzes, sift the flour,sugar, and salt in a bowl, add eggs and mix well. Combine the water and milk and add it to the flour mixture; beat with a wooden spoon until batter is smooth and let stand for 30-40 minutes. If batter is too thick, please, add a little bit of water.
For filling, beat together cheese, eggs, sugar, and flour. Mix well.
Heat a pancake pan and grease with unsalted butter. Add baking soda to the batter, mix well. Using a small jug, pour 1/4 cup of the batter into pan, swirling the batter evenly around the pan. coo the batter over moderate heat until lightly golden. Remove from the frying pan, golden side up. Repeat the process with remaining batter (the mixture makes 25 blitzes).
Place about 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture in the center of a golden side; fold the pancake over the filling to form a parcel. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours before frying. Heat butter in the pancake pan and fry the blintzes until golden brown on both side. To serve, arrange the blintzes on a serving plate and spoon on the sour cream.

Chopped liver with chickpeas

2011-12-26T14:00:00.005-06:00

Chopped liver (healthier version)

It's the excellent recipe, which I will try over and over again. I got the idea from Russian bloggers.

1 pound fresh chicken liver, cleaned and rinsed
2 medium size carrots, peeled
1 medium size white onion, in chunks
2 tablespoons schmaltz (chicken rendered fat), melted, room temperature
1 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed
1 teaspoon lemon juice,
salt and black pepper by taste

Submerge trimmed, whole carrots in enough boiling water to cover. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the water at a simmer as they cook, covered. They will take anywhere from 25 minutes to 40, depending on their size. Drain well. Transfer carrots to a plate and cool to room temperature.
In another pot, immerse the livers in plenty of boiling water, cover, and boil gently until the livers are gray and firm. Drain well. Transfer livers to a plate and cool to room temperature.
Transfer livers, carrots, onion, schmaltz, chickpeas, and lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste, chill. Serve on crackers, matzo and bread.

Печеночный паштет с нутом

1/2 кг свежей куриной печенки
2 средней величины моркови
1 средней величины луковица
2 столовых ложки шмальца (топленого куриного жира), растопленного и охлажденного до комнатной температуры.
1 чашка консервированного гороха нута, промытого
1 чайная ложка лимонного сока
соль и перец по вкусу.

Помыть морковь, положить в кипящую воду и варить до полной готовности. обычно Вам понадобится 25-40 минут. Отцедить воду, вылозить морковь на тарелку и остудить до комнатной температуры.
В другой кастрюле закипятить воду, вбросить печечь в купящую воду и варить до полной готовности. Снять с огня, отцедить воду, выложить на тарелку и остудить.
В чашку домашнего комбайна положить вареную морковь, печень, лук, куриный жир и горох-нут. Все провернуть до образования однородной массы. Выложить в посуду и поставить в холодильник на 2-3 часа. Намазывать на мацу и хлеб

Quick Apple roll cake

2011-12-21T12:39:00.007-06:00

Quick Apple roll cake
I found this easy recipe on Russian website and immediately decided to try. I Americanized the recipe as much as I can and here it is. I publish Russian version as it is.

4 large eggs, separated
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons sugar, divided
4 large apples, peeled and grated on a coarse grater
1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs
powdered sugar for dusting

First of all, you'll need a 15 by 10 by 1-inch jelly-roll pan, which is a shallow rectangular pan with one-inch-deep sides, and a kitchen towel.

Heat oven to 350F

First, spray the pan with cooking spray, line with a sheet of wax paper, then coat the wax paper with cooking spray.

In a small bowl beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and set aside. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks until light. Gradually add the 4 tablespoons sugar and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the sifted flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture. Fold in the egg whites into the egg mixture.

Squeeze the grated apples with your hand and drain out the juice. Put apples in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons sugar and bread crumbs, mix well. Top the waxed paper on jelly-roll pan with apple mixture gently spreading in an even layer, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edges. Pour the batter over apples. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cake is golden.

While the cake is baking, lay a dry kitchen towel slightly larger than the pan on a flat surface, and dust the towel with a thin layer of powdered sugar.

Remove the cake from the oven, and turn the pan over onto the towel, releasing the cake and wax paper. Slowly peel the wax paper from the cake. Roll the cake, pressing gently. Apples must be inside. Be sure to move slowly and carefully throughout the entire rolling process.
Let it cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar and cut it.

БИСКВИТНЫЙ РУЛЕТ С ЯБЛОЧНОЙ НАЧИНКОЙ

Для теста:

4 яйца
4 ст. л. пшеничной муки
1\2 ч. л. разрыхлителя
4 ст. л. сахара

Для начинки:

4 большие яблока
2 ст. л. сахара
ваниль

Яблоки очистить от кожицы и сердцевины, натереть (средняя терка), слить образовавшийся сок, добавить сахар и ваниль, либо ванильный сахар.
Тертые яблоки выложить на противень, застеленный бумагой для выпечки, разровнять.

Отделить белки от желтков. Белки взбить до мягких пиков.Желтки взбить 1-2 минуты, добавить сахар и взбить еще минуты три. Добавить просеянную муку и разрыхлитель. Хорошо перемешать. Взбитые белки аккуратно вмешать в тесто.
Выложить тесто на противень поверх яблочной массы, разровнять. Выпекать ~15-20 мин. в середине предварительно разогретой до 180 С духовке.

Противень с готовым бисквитом накрыть чистым полотенцем, перевернуть бисквит на полотенце начинкой вверх, снять бумагу для выпечки и сразу же, при помощи полотенца, свернуть рулет так, чтобы яблочная масса оказалась внутри.
Остудить рулет и украсить по желанию.

Recipe from http://laperla-foto.livejournal.com/117229.html#cutid1 (Russian version)

Buttermilk rugelach

2011-12-12T14:01:00.008-06:00

Buttermilk rugelach

Makes 32 large rugelach
2 & 1/2 cups all puspose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup margarine (8 tablespoons), melted
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raspberry jam
1 cup raisins
4 tablespoon fine dry bread crumbs.

Egg wash
1 egg
2 tablespoon milk

For dough: mix in a medium ball flour and baking soda. In another ball mix margarine, buttermilk, egg, sugar and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to a wet margarine mixture. Mix to obtain an homogeneous dough. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. After dough is smooth and elastic, wrap dough in plastic wrap. Put the dough into the fridge for 8-10 hours (better overnight).

Preheat the oven to 350F. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each portion into a 9-inch round, about 1/8" thick, on a floured board. Use a pastry brush to layer raspberry jam (1/4 cup) on a round dough. Sprinkle with raisins (1/4 cup) and 1 tablespoon bread crumbs. With chefs knife or pizza cutter, cut each round into 8 wedges. Roll wedges from wide to narrow, you will end up with point on outside of cookie. Place on ungreased baking sheets and brush with an egg wash. For egg wash, mix very well egg with milk

Bake rugelach in the center rack of your oven for 20 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers
Filling might be different. I think, these pastries will be particularly good with poppy seed filling from Solo.

Рогалики на кефире

2 & 1/2 (300 грамм) чашки муки
1 чайная ложка соды
1/2 чашки (около 100 грамм) растопленного маргарина
1 чашка кефира (250 грамм)
1 яйцо
1/2 столовая ложка сахара
1/4 чайной ложки соли
1 чашка малинового джема
1 чашка изюма
4 столовых ложек панировочных сухарей

яичная помазка: 1 яйцо смешать с 2 столовыми ложками молока.

В небольшой посуде смешать муку и соду. В другой посудине смешать маргарин, яйцо, кефир, соль и сахар. Добавить муку с содой к жидкой смеси и замесить тесто. Тесто будет мягкое. Положить тесто на 8-10 часов в холодильник. Вынуть тесто из холодильника, нагреть духовку до 350Ф. Разделить тесто на 4 равные части. Каждую часть раскатать в круг диаметром 18-20 см. Круг разделить на 8 равных секторов. Круг намазать малиновым джемом (1/4 чашки), посыпать изюмом (1 чашки) и 1 столовой ложкой панировочных сухарей. Каждый получившийся сектор-треугольник следует скатать от широкой части к узкой.

Каждый рогалик смазать яичной помазкой.

Получившиеся рогалики выложить на противень, промазанный подсолнечным маслом и выпекать 20 минут при температуре 350Ф. Ставить рогалики в уже разогретую духовку. Вынуть из духовки, остудить и хранить в сухом месте 2-3 дня. Я думаю, что этим рогаликам не суждено стоять 2-3 дня. Через 2-3 часа они будут съедены.

Mozarella Deviled eggs

2011-12-12T09:48:00.007-06:00

Black Caviar Mozzarella Deviled eggs

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/3 cup thinly grated mozzarella cheese
2 gloves garlic, minced
Few drops of lemon juice
Sale & pepper to taste
Black Caviar, for your garnish

Pop out (remove) the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add mayonnaise, mozzarella cheese, garlic, lemon juice salt and pepper and mix well. Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture (piping recommended!) and garnish the tops with a small bit of caviar on a tiny coffee spoon. Excellent dish for the fish buffet. Serve chilled or store covered in refrigerator for up to one day before serving

Яйца, фаршированные сыром моцарелла и украшенные черной икрой.

6 яиц, сваренных в крутую, почищенных и разрезанных пополам по длине
3 столовые ложки майонеза
1/3 чашки сыра моцареллы, натертой на мелкой терке
2 зубца чеснока, мелко натертого
Несколько капель лимонного сока
Соль и перец по вкусу
Черная икра для украшения.

Вынуть желтки из яиц и перемешать с майонезом, сыром, чесноком, лимонным соком. Добавить по вкусу соль и перец. Выложить смесь в белковые гнезда и украсить черной икрой. Держать в холодильнике до подачи на стол.

Make Latkes

2011-12-07T09:26:00.004-06:00

How to make latkes? Interesting and traditional question. I think, we can learn something new from the posted video. Please take a look:

Red Borscht

2011-12-04T18:02:00.007-06:00

Red Sweet-and-Sour Cabbage Borscht

It's absolutely clear, it's a 5-star dish from my mom's kitchen.

Makes 8 cups (Server 4-5)

3 medium size beets
8 cups cold water, divided
1 teaspoon salt, may be more. Depends on taste
1 medium size carrot, peeled and medium sliced
3 medium size potatoes, peeled and medium cubed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 small size head green cabbage
1/4-1/2 teaspoon sour salt
pepper by taste

1. Wrap the beets in aluminum foil and roast on a baking sheet until they are tender, about 1 hour. It can be done one day before.

2. Pour 4 cups of water in 3-quart pot and bring to boil. Add salt, carrots and potatoes. Bring to simmer over the high heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, grate the beets. Heat up vegetable oil on a frying pan, add red pepper, onion, beets, and ketchup. Fry for 5-7 minutes. Mix everything very well. Pour the beets mixture from frying pan to the pot with carrots and potatoes. Add more 4 cups of water and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer on a medium heat for 5-7 minutes.

4. Halve the cabbage through the core, cut out the core in half, and shred the cabbage as finely as you can. Add cabbage to the pot. Bring to a boil, add sour salt (citric acid), pepper, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, about 7-10 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt.

5. Let borscht rest for several hours at room temperature before reheating and serving. Serve with sour cream. The borscht can be kept in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for a week.

Ricotta cheese mini pastries

2011-11-29T09:43:00.008-06:00

First of all, wanting my own cooking book, I'm learning how to write recipes for the book. It's quite interesting task to be my the own editor.

Ricotta cheese mini pastries
It's quite traditional pastries using farmer's cheese. In Russian these pastries were made with farmer's cheese (tvorog). I decided to tweak the recipe and make them with ricotta cheese, because ricotta cheese is available everywhere in US and Canada. Unfortunately, farmer's cheese is not that popular as ricotta and, truly speaking, many Russian immigrants still used to make farmer's cheese (tvorog) at home. Every woman has her own way to make tvorog and results are different. If you're good in making farmer's cheese you can use it for this recipe.
For those who want to try making farmer's cheese at home, I recommend some site with recipes to follow.

Here they are:
http://yulinkacooks.blogspot.com/2006/04/how-to-make-tvorog-farmers-cheese.html
http://cuceesprouts.com/2011/04/homemade-farmers-cheese/

Actually I found a nice recipe to make ricotta cheese at home on a blog of German Jew. Here's it is:
http://eatartword.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/milky-white-ricotta/

Make 5 dozens mini pastries
1 cup margarine, melted
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk or water
Prepare 2 bowls: one - big one, one - medium one. In a large bowl, mix the melted margarine with the ricotta cheese and 1 egg. In a medium bowl, mix baking powder, salt and flour. Slowly add flour mixture to a big bowl. Mix to obtain an homogeneous dough. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. After dough is smooth and elastic, wrap dough in plastic wrap. Put the dough into the fridge for 4-5 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Roll out the portion of dough to about 1/8" thick on a floured board. Using a cutter or a drinking glass, cut out approximately 3 inch circles. Each circle sprinkle with sugar and fold into quarters (fold in a half and fold in a half again). After removing the lacy bits of dough in between the circles, put it back in a bowl and use it up later. Re-roll your scraps until it is ALL used up! Repeat with rest of the dough.

Prepare the egg wash beating the 1 egg and mixing with water or milk. Brush with egg wash the surface of a pastry and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Творожные мини-пирожные

На 60 мини пирожных
1 чашка (225 грамм) маргарина, растопленного
1 чашка (250 грамм) творога или сыра рикотты
2 яйца
1 1/2 чайных ложки разрыхлителя
1/2 чайной ложки соли
2 1/2 (300 грамм) чашки муки
2 столовые ложки воды или молока

В одной посуде смешайте маргарин, творог и 1 яйцо. В другой посудине перемешать разрыхлитель, соль и муку. Добавуть мучную смесь к сырной. Замесить не слишком крутое тесто и положить в холодильник на 4-5 часов.

Нагреть духовку до 350Ф. Разделить тесто на небольшие порции. Каждую порцию раскатать. Вырезать кружки. Каждый кружочек, посыпать сахаром и сложить пополам обсахаренной стороной внутрь. Получившейся полукруг поспать сахаром и снова сложить.
Проготовить яичную помазку. Смешать 1 яйцо с водой или молоком. Помазать пирожные и выложить на противень. Выпекать 15-20 минут. Вынуть, остудить и подавать с чаем или кофе.

Vareniki 1

2011-11-24T14:06:00.004-06:00

Farmer's cheese pierogi (vareniki)

Make 30 medium size pierogies (vareniki)

Dough:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 hot boiling water
1 tablespoon corn oil

Filling:
1 1/2 cup farmer's cheese
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg

Sift together flour and salt on a work surface; form a mound with the flour and make a well in the center. Pour boiling water and oil into the center. Work the flour into the liquids slowly. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. Allow dough to rest under and overturned bowl for 20 minutes.
Prepare filling.Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.
Place a large soup pot with water on the stove on medium heat. Bring it to a boil while making varenike.
Divide dough in half. Roll out the portion of dough to about 1/8" thick on a floured board. Using a cutter or a drinking glass, cut out approximately 3 inch circles. Place only about 2 tsp of filling, maximum, in the center of the circle. Wet the edges of one half of the circle and bring the top half down. press well to seal the edges. After removing the lacy bits of dough in between the circles, put it back in a bowl and use it up later. Reroll your scraps until it is ALL used up! Repeat with second portion of the dough.

Drop in the varenike in batches. Let them cook until they float and then simmer for 10 minutes, the pot partially covered. Remove them with a slotted spoon and let them drain.

Some people like varenike with potatoes or mix of potatoes and cheese. I promise, to make potatoes varenike next time. I found a good and trustful recipe. I hope you will enjoy another recipe as well as mine.

Potato latkes

2011-11-20T11:15:00.002-06:00

Potato latkes (modern way)

Makes 12 medium size latkes

4 medium potatoes
1/4 medium size onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup corn oil for frying

Peel potatoes and quarter. Place potatoes and onion in food processor and process until almost smooth. Transfer potato mixture to a bowl and stir in salt, egg, flour and baking soda. Mix well.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot. Working in batches of 4 latkes, spоon 2 tablespoons potato mixture per latke into skillet, spreading into 3-inch rounds with fork. reduce heat to moderate and cook until undersides are browned, about 3-5 minutes. Turn latkes over and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Дыруны.

На 12 блинчиков.

4 среднего размера картофелины
1/4 средней величины головки лука
1 чайная ложка соли
1 яйцо
1/2 чашки муки
1/2 чайной ложки соды

1/2 чашки кукурузного масла для жарки.

Почистить картофель и разрезать на четвертинки. Положить картофель и лук в кухонный комбайн и прокрутить до получения глаской массы. Вылить картофельную массу в миску и добавить соль, яйцо, муку и соду. Хорошо перемешать.

Нагреть 1/4 чашки кукурузного масла на сковороде. Выкладывать по 4 блинчика.Каждый блинчик проблизительно по 2 столовые ложки картофельной массы. Жарить блинчика на каждой стороне по 3-5 минут. Выложить блинчики на бумажные полотенца.

Quick buns

2011-11-07T09:51:00.004-06:00

Quick buns

Makes 20 medium size buns

2 cups farmer's cheese, 1/2 cup melted butter, 2 large eggs, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoon baking powder, 3 tablespoons sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 5 teaspoons sesame seeds.

In a big bowl mix together farmer's cheese, eggs, sugar, and salt. Add melted butter. In another bowl mix flour and baking powder. Add flour mixture to a big bowl. Mix well until dough is soft and slightly sticky, then turn out onto floured surface and let rest under a large greased bowl for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Shape each part of dough into 10 balls and place on greased baking sheet to rest for 5 minutes. Lightly brush balls with milk and sprinkle each ball with 1/4 tsp sesame seeds.

Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.

Быстрые творожные булочки

2 чашки (450грамм) творога обезжиренного,1/2 чашки (100 гр) сливочное масло, 2 яйца, 3 чашки муки, cоль 1 ч.л, 3 ч.л разрыхлителя, 3 столовых ложки cахара, 3 ст.л молока, 5 чайных ложек кунжутных семечек

Смешать в миске творог,яйца,сахар и соль.Растопить сливочное масло,остудить,чтобы оно было теплое и добавить в миску к творогу,яйцам соли и сахару.В муку добавить разрыхлитель и просеять.Добавить муку в творожную смесь и замесить тесто.Тесто на ощупь будет мягкое,но слегка липнуть к рукам.Накрыть полотенцем и оставить на 30 минут в теплом месте.

Разогреть духовку до 180 гр.Тесто разделить на 2 части.Каждую часть разделить на 10 частей и того получится 20.На слегка присыпанной мукой доске сформировать из каждой части круглые булочки.Положить их на противень выстланный бумагой для выпечки оставляя между булочками небольшое растояние.Кисточкой смазать каждую булочку сливками и посыпать кунжутом. Дать постоять ещё 5 минут.
После поставить противень в духовку и выпекать 20 минут.

Recipe from http://elena-fialka.livejournal.com/164635.html#cutid1

Roasted Eggplant Pate

2011-10-31T15:59:00.004-05:00

Roasted Eggplant Pate

3 medium-sized eggplants, 4 medium size tomatoes,chopped; 1 medium size white onion, shopped; 2 garlic clove minced; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; salt, sour salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Slice eggplants in half lengthwise and roast in 400 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until very soft and creamy. Allow to cool slightly, then scoop out inside of eggplants.
While the eggplants are baking, drain liquid from tomatoes. Mix together tomatoes and onions. In a blender, pulse eggplants, tomatoes, and onionsuntil they turn into small chunks or, if preferred, into a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl. Stir well and season with salt, black pepper and sour salt to taste. Chill before serving (can be made a day in advance).

Sour salt (Citric Acid) - "A salt substance derived from acidic citrus fruits, such as lemon and limes, that is dried and formed into a powder or crystal. When used as an ingredient to flavor foods, it provides a distinctively sour or tart taste to the food dish. It is a common substance used in sausage making or canning to keep the color of fruits from darkening. It is commonly used as a substitute for lemon juice, providing a tart flavor with only a few grains of the salt. Since the flavor can overpower some recipes, it is best if used with sugar to arrive at an enjoyable blend between the sweet and sour taste. This type of salt, which may also be referred to as citric salt or citric acid is often used in recipes for Borscht, a cold beet soup, or lemon cheese cake." from Recipe Tips

I publish this recipe only on English because Russian women know the recipe very well.

Green Borscht

2011-10-29T16:52:00.006-05:00

Green Borscht

Makes 4 sides-dish servings.

2 cups fresh spinach; 1 tablespoons cooking oil; 2 small chopped carrots (2/3 cups); 1 small chopped onion (1/2 cup); 4 cups vegetable stock or broth; 2 medium size potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; 2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced (optional); 4 tablespoons sour cream; salt and pepper by taste

Tear off stems from the spinach leaves and chop them small (the smaller the better. You can use food processor. Place spinach leaves into food processor and pulse several times.)

In a large saucepan, heat the cooking oil over the medium high heat, Add the chopped carrots and onion, cook and stir until tender. Add chicken stock or broth and the cubed potatoes. Bring to boiling, reduce the heat, Simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the spinach and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper. Simmer on medium heat more 10-15 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with sliced hard-cooked eggs and sour cream.

Marinated Eggplant salad

2011-10-26T13:54:00.003-05:00

4 cups water, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 eggplant, about 1.5 pounds, sliced lengthwise into 4-5 pieces, 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, 1 cup chopped cilantro, 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
3 garlic chopped cloves.
Marinade: 1/3 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon boiling water, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons salt

Bring 4 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil. Add eggplant slices and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the eggplant, let it cool and then slice across into bite size pieces.

Prepare marinade. Mix together vinegar, olive oil, water, sugar, and salt. Taste it and adjust the level of salt if you need.

In a bowl combine the eggplant and marinade.

Refrigerate the dish for at least one day.

Салат из маринованного баклажана

4 чашки воды, 2 столовые ложки соли, 1 большой баклажан, нарезанный по длине на 4-5 кусков, 1 небольщая локовица красного лука, 1 чашка мелко нарезанной петрушки, 1 сладкий красный перец, 3 зубчика чеснока.

Маринад: 1/3 чашки уксуса, 1/4 чашки оливкового масла, 1 столовая ложка кипяченной воды, 1 столовая ложка сахара, 2 чайные ложки соли.

Закипятить 4 чашки воды с 2 столовыми ложками соли. Полозить в кипящую воды баклажан и кипатить 10 минут. Вынуть баклажан, дать остыть и разрезать куски баклажана на порционные.
Приготовить маринад. Смещать вместе оливковое масло, уксус, воду, соль и сахар. Попробoвать маринад на соль. Если нужно добавить еще. Перемешать баклажан, перец, лук, чеснок, петрушку и маринад. Поставить в холодильник на 1-2 дня.

Recipe from Olga Berman

Banana Bread

2011-10-23T11:06:00.004-05:00

Best-Ever Banana Bread

Male 2 small loaves or 1 big one

1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/2 cup butter or margarine melted, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (4 medium size), 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350F. Grease bottoms only of 2 (8x4 inch) loaf pans or 1 (9x5 inch) loaf pan.
In large bowl, mix sugar and butter. Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and nuts just until moistened. If desired, fold in walnuts. Pour batter into pans.

Bake 8-inch loaves for 1 hour, 9-inch loaf for 1 1/4 hours; or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool about 1 hour before slicing.

Кекс из бананов.

2 маленьких кекса или 1 большой.

1 1/4 чашки сахара, 1/2 чашки сливочного масла или маргарина, 2 яйца, 1 1/2 чашки бананового пюре (4 банана средней величины), 1/2 чашки кефира, 1 чайная ложка ванильного экстракта, 2 1/2 чашки муки, 1 чайная ложка соды, 1 чайная ложки соли, 1 чашка мелко нарубленных грецких орехов.

Нагреть духовку до 350Ф. Приготовить 2 (8x4 дюймов) формочки или одну (9x5 дюймов) формочку. В большой посуде смешать сахар и масло. Добавить яйца, бананы и ванильный экстракт. Все хорошо взбить миксером. Добавить муку, соду и соль. Все хорошо перемешать. Добавить орехи. Тесто вылить в форму.

Если вы выбрали маленькие формочки, то печь кекс около 1 часа, если Вы выбрали большую формочку, то печь 1 1/4 часа. Проверить лучинкой на готовность. Вынуть из духовки и остудить в течении 1 часа перед тем, как начать нарезать.

Recipe comes from Gold Medal Flour

For Russian-speaking guests

2011-10-20T13:57:00.003-05:00

Today I would like to present a new Russian-Jewish cooking online magazine. Several Russian women get together and created something new and exciting. To view magazine, please visit a site.
Actually we have to say thank you for their endless effort to improve our menu and involve us to something new and interesting. I hope you will enjoy the online magazine.

Apple Cake with Lemon Glaze

2011-10-18T10:09:00.004-05:00

Apple Cake with Lemon Glaze
Makes one 9-inch cake
It makes a very elegant treat for tea party. Initially I found the recipe on Food and wine magazine website. I decided to tweak the recipe and come up with new apple cake. It was delicious and very good. Please, try it.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 2 large eggs, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup milk, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, finely grated zest of 1 lemon, 2 large size coarsely chopped apples
Universal Lemon glaze: 1 tbsp melted butter or margarine, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 c icing(powered) sugar

Directions
Core and chopped fresh apples. Drizzle with some lemon juice. Put aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the salt and baking powder. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the granulated sugar until pale yellow. Whisk in the milk, olive oil, melted butter, lemon zest. Fold in the flour mixture. Scrape the half of batter into the prepared pan. Place apples over the batter and scrape the another half of batter

Bake the cake for about 50-55 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack, carefully remove the ring and let cool to room temperature.
Remove the cake from the base and transfer to a serving platter. Prepare the lemon glaze: mix together all ingredients until smooth and well blended. Pour over the cake. Let stand on a plate for couple hours. Cut the cake into wedges and serve with tea.

Яблочный торт с лимонной помадкой.
1 1/2 чашки муки, 1 чайная ложка соли, 3/4 чайной ложки разрыхлителя, 2 яйца, 2/3 чашки сахара, 1/3 чашки молока, 1/4 чашки оливкового масла, 4 столовых ложки растопленного сливочного масла, свежая цедра одного лимона, 2 больших яблока.
Лимонная помадка: 1 столовая ложка сливочного масла или маргарина, 1 столовая ложка лимонного сока, 1 чашка сахарной пудры.
Очистить яблоки и мелко нарезать. Побрызгать лимонным соком.
Нагреть духовку до 350Ф. Приготовить круглую 9-инчевую форму для выпечки тортов. В первой посуде смешать муку, соль и разрыхлитель. В другой посуде хорошо перемешать яйца и сахар. Добавить молоко, оливковое масло, растопленное сливочное масло и лимонную цедру. Всыпать смесь из первой посуды и хорошо перемешать. Тесто будет блинной консистенции. Выложить половину теста в форму, выложить яблоки и покрыть второй половиной теста.
Выпекать 50-55 минут. Вынуть пирог из духовки, переложить на тарелку. Приготовить помадку. Перемешать растопленное сливочное масло, лимонный сок и сахарную пудру. Залить торт и оставить осtывать на 2-3 часа.

Kung Pao Shrimp

2011-10-05T16:05:00.005-05:00

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, divided, 1 1/2 teaspoons dry sherry, divided,2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, 1 tablespoon peanut oil, 1/4 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts, 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery, 1 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation
1. Combine 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sherry, cornstarch, and shrimp.
2. Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add peanuts and next 3 ingredients; stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in celery and bell pepper; stir-fry 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add shrimp mixture; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add remaining 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sherry, and broth. Bring to a simmer; cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar and salt. Top with onions.

Recipe from Cooking Light DECEMBER 2009

Для русско-язычных читателей пищу отдельно. Это острое блюдо можно часто встретить в меню китайских ресторанов. Обычно его делают с креветками или с курицей. Я решилась сделать с креветками. Вообще мне нравится китайская кухня, потому пробую блюда из этой кухни. Вообще в Америке трудно оставаться любителем только одной кухни, нравится многое и из разных кухонь. Попробуйте, может и Вам понравится.

Zabar's Banana Bread

2011-09-25T14:31:00.007-05:00

This recipe for those who likes really delicious piece of banana bread. It's not just a recipe, it's recipe from Zabar's blog. For many people Zabar's means a gold standard in cooking and baking. And these people is right. Zabar's deli is one of the best in US. It's a first recipe from their blog I tried and it's an instant hit. My coworkers and I really like it. Now I offer you to make really delish banana bread. Plus this recipe can be pareve.
Enjoy as much as we enjoyed.

I made 2 loaves because I want to entertain my coworkers with something new and tasty. I came out with similar recipe.

Zabar's Banana Bread (corrected version)
For 2 loaves

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup strong coffee or espresso (can substitute with milk)
5 mashed ripe medium size bananas
1 cup chopped walnuts

Zabar's Banana Bread (original version).

Ingredients
2 cups white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, softened (see tip below)
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp orange blossom water (optional)
1/3 cup strong coffee or espresso (can substitute with milk)
2-3 mashed ripe bananas (see banana tips below)
¾ cup walnuts
Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 F

1. In a medium bowl mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. I use white whole wheat flour for a little extra nutrition without having bread that seems “whole wheat-y”. Set this aside.
2. In a large bowl cream the softened butter until smooth and light. If you haven’t pre-softened your butter, here’s my trick: slice it into ½” slices and place in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 8 second increments. Slicing it before microwaving will soften the butter without melting it. Every microwave’s power settings are different so experiment to see what time works best for you.
3. Add the sugar and continue to mix it until it’s creamy.
4. Add the beaten egg, vanilla, orange blossom water, and espresso and mix until lemon colored and fluffy. You can use an electric mixer, but I don’t, especially for the following steps, your bread will turn out better if you mix it by hand with a wooden spoon.
5. Add the flour mixture slowly, stirring until just combined and add the mashed bananas and walnuts.
6. Transfer this to a greased 9 inch loaf pan. Smooth it to fit. Bake 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it sit for 10 minutes in the pan before you transfer it to a wire rack to cool.
You can also bake this as muffins; just reduce the cooking time to around 25 minutes. It will make about 10 muffins, depending on how tall you want them to be.
A note about bananas. The perfect banana for this recipe is a very very ripe banana. It’s very yellow with a lot of brown spots on it. The more brown there is the sweeter the banana is. If you have ripe bananas on hand (but aren’t ready to bake with them) just peel them, wrap them well and freeze them. Then thaw them before adding them to your mixture.

Recipe from Zabar's Blog

Middle Eastern Cucumber Salad

2011-09-06T10:31:00.004-05:00

1 large English cucumber (2-3 medium size cucumbers from farmer's market), peeled, thinly sliced; 1 small red onion, finely shopped; 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon of mint, chopped; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, pinch of sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoon olive oil.

Toss vegetables with remaining ingredients in a serving bowl. Taste a piece of cucumber and add salt, sugar or lemon to taste. Serve at once.

Салат из огурцов.
1 больщой огурец или 2-3 среднего размера свежих огурца. Почистить и тонко порезать; 1 мелко нарезанная небольшая головка красного лука; 1/2 чайной ложки соли, 2 чайных ложки мелко порезанной мяты; 1/2 чайной ложки молотого кумина, щепотка сахара, 1 столовая ложка свежего лимонного сока, 2 столовые ложки оливкового масла.

Все перемешать. Попробовать, если нужно добавить соли, сахара или лимонного сока. Подать на стол.

Chopped Liver (Печеночный паштет)

2011-08-04T10:38:00.003-05:00

Есть блюда, которые не нужно рекламировать. Немного их, но они существуют, и рецепты их должны быть в арсенале любой хозяйки. Как приготовить печеноченый паштет? Какой рецепт лучше? Где можно купить знаменитый деликатес к праздничному столу? Этими вопросами занялись журналисты из TCJewFolk.com и Ваша покорная слуга. Прежде всего журналисты купили паштеты, сделанные в нескольких ресторанах Миннеаполиса и Нью-Й орка. Заранее знаю, что не все жители Миннесоты даже знают, где можно купить этот деликатес. Итак, журналисты купили печеночный паштет в Cecil’s (www.cecilsdeli.com), Mort’s(http://morts-deli.com), и Crossroads (http://crossroadsdelicatessen.com). А также привезли знаменитый нью-й орский паштет из "Russ and Daughters" (Lower East Side in New York City). Это фамильный рецепт делается и продается с 1914 года. К тому же журналисты пожелали попробoвать вегетарианскую версию домашнего печеночного паштета.
На первом месте оказался деликатес, сделанный в Cecil’s Deli. Его цена $20 за килограмм. На втором месте - паштет из Нью-Й орка, на третьем месте - вегетарианский паштет домашнего приготовления. Четвертое и пятое места разделили Crossroads Deli и Mort’s Deli. Самым дорогим оказался паштет, сделанный в Mort’s Deli, почти $36 за килограм.
Для наших читателей я предлагаю два проверенных мною рецепта деликатеса.

1. Chicken Liver pate with walnuts

2.Vegetarian mock liver pate

English version

Stuffed Cabbage (Golubtsi)

2011-07-06T13:42:00.003-05:00

Usually I don't bring recipes from another blogs, but this time it's exception. I'm talking about stuffed cabbage, exclusively comforting food. I found this recipe in another blog. Actually I would like to present my blogger-colleague on East coast, who spends a lot of time blogging about food and restaurants. She is also from Russia and her name is Olga Berman. Enjoy the recipe. It's really good with garden tomatoes and fresh cabbage.

Russian Stuffed Cabbage (Golubtsi)

Ingredients
2 heads of cabbage, or one large cabbage
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 carrots, peeled, shredded
1 onion, shredded
2 garlic cloves, shredded {Note: I shredded all the carrots, onion and garlic cloves in a food processor. If you want to have more texture and have more time, you can chop/dice them instead.}
salt & pepper
1 pound ground beef
3/4 cups Basmati rice, cooked halfway through
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
28 ounces crushed tomatoes {Note: I used crushed tomatoes that came with basil and other spices, but recommend you buy just plain tomatoes and add in your own spices. Also, I ended up adding a bit of sugar to mine.}
28 ounces water or vegetable broth or cabbage cooking water
optional: sour cream, cheese, parsley, salsa

Directions
1. Using your largest soup pot, bring enough water to boil that will cover your cabbage. Remove the core from the cabbage (be incredibly careful) and add the cabbage to the water for 5 minutes. You want the leaves to soften up.
2. Remove the cabbage from the water (again, be incredibly careful not to spill boiling water on yourself) and let it drain and cool. {I used the awesome over the sink colander I have from freelancing for Robyn.}
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet. Add carrots, onions, garlic and salt & pepper and saute for about 10 minutes. Let the mixture cool and add rice, ground beef and parsley. Mix well. {Note: at this point it'd be great to make a mini meatball and fry it up to check if your seasoning is dead on. Or you can just hope for the best and let your guests add more salt if they want.}
4. Carefully peel back the cabbage leaves and place them side by side. Creating an assembly line is the best when it comes to making this recipe. If you have helpers, that'd be even better! Using an ice cream scoop, add about 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture to each cabbage leaf (it all depends on how large the cabbage leaves are).
5. Roll them up like burritos.
6. Add your crushed tomatoes and the same amount of water to a large soup pot and bring to a simmer. Carefully add stuffed cabbage leaves (I ended up making 22) to the tomatoes. Bring back to a simmer, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes.
7. Make sure to test one of the stuffed cabbage leaves to make sure the ground beef is cooked all the way through. Serve with sour cream and parsley. Or/and shredded cheese and salsa.
As this recipe makes quite a bit, feel free to freeze some or give it away to friends.

Salty Cheese Blinzes (Налистники с сыром)

2011-07-04T13:58:00.012-05:00

Pareve batter: 2 cups water, 2 eggs, 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon corn oil, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
Filling: 1 1/4 pound of farmer cheese, 2 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper, 1 egg.

Make wrapper batter:
In a blender blend wrapper batter ingredients and let stand 30 minutes. Add baking soda in a last minutes before frying.

In an 8-inch skillet, preferable non-stick, melt a butter over moderately high heat. Pour in enough batter (approximately 1/4 cup) to just coat the bottom of skillet, swirling, and cook, undisturbed, until top is set and bottom in golden (do not turn wrapper over).
Transfer wrapper to paper towels in one layer, golden side up. Make more wrappers with remaining butter and batter.

Make filling:
In a food processor, blend cheese, salt, pepper, egg and flour.

Put 2 tablespoons filling in center of each wrapper and fold opposite sides of wrapper over filling until sides barely touch. Fold in ends to completely enclose filling, forming packets. Make more blintzes with remaining filling and wrappers. Fry blintzes until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes.

A history from the traditional to the treif.

2011-06-23T12:41:00.004-05:00

Our history

Cheese Kreplach

2011-06-07T11:50:00.002-05:00

Today I'm blogging about very familiar recipe such as cheese kreplach. It reminds me my childhood in Zhitomir. We used to eat a lot of kreplach calling them "vareniki".
Enjoy the recipe ! Happy Holiday!

Peas and cheese salad

2011-05-29T11:07:00.003-05:00

Peas and cheese salad
6 portions.

I adopted this recipe from one of Betty crocker cooking books. I did some minor changes for the recipe.

Dressing: 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Mix all dressing ingridients together in large bowl.

1 package (10 ounces) frozen green peas, thawed and drained, 1 medium stalk celery, thinly sliced, 3 sweet pickles, chopped, 2 tablespoons finely chopped red opinon, 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped. Add all salad ingridients to dressing.

Thinly shred 3/4 cup white american cheese and pour over the salad. Cover and regrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled. Serve on lettuce leaves if desired.

Салат из зеленого горошка и сыра.

На 6 порций.

Приготовить соус: 1/3 чашки майонеза, 1/2 чайной ложки соли, 1/2 чайной ложки горичицы, 1/4 чайной ложки сахара, 1/8 чайной ложки молотого перца. Все перемешать и вылить в салатницу.

1 пакет замороженного зеленого горошка (270 грамм), разморозить и отцедить жидкость, 1 средних размеров росток сельдерея, мелко нарезать, 2 столовых ложки мелко нарезанного красного лука, 3 мелко нарезанных маринованных огурца, 2 мелко нарезанных сваренных вкрутую яйца. Все перемешать и пересыпать в салатницу с соусом. все хорошо перемешать.

Мелко натереть 3/4 чашки мягкого сыра. Посыпать салат. Поставить в холодильник на 1 час. Подавать на листьях зеленого салата.

Obama Foodorama

2011-05-25T14:49:00.003-05:00

Today I decided to introduce a nice and quite challenging culinary blog. It's not about everyday food, it's not about new cuisine or organic
ingredients. It's about our President food and food initiatives. Here is Obama Foodorama
One thing I should tell you first, it's quite unique, I even would say, it's very unique, because author has an access to White House.
In one blog you can get events, speeches, recipes, menus, which was made for President. The author is very republican Eddie Gehman Kohan.
Personally I enjoyed every byte of the blog. I hope you will do the same thing.

Picture from Obama Foodorama blog.

Jicama and dry cranberries salad

2011-04-09T15:39:00.009-05:00

Jicama and dry cranberries salad
Serves 2.

2 cups fresh greens; 1/2 large jicama, peeled, then julienned or cubed; 1/2 cup dry cranberries, 1/4 cup walnuts.

Dressing: 2 teaspoons of honey, 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 teaspoon apple vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil. Salt and pepper by taste. Mix all ingridients together.

Toss together the jicama, greens, cranberries, and walnuts. Pour dressing over and mix well again. Let sit a half an hour before serving.

If you don't know anything about jicama, please read Wikipedia

Салат из сушеной клюквы и хикамы.

на 2 порции

2 чашки листьев зеленого салата, половина большой хикамы, очищенной и нарезанной на мелкие и тонкие кусочки, 1/2 чашки сушеной клюквы, 1/4 чашки мелко нарезанных грецких орех.

Соус: 2 чайных ложки меда, 1 чайная ложка горчицы, 1 чайноая ложка яблочного уксуса, 3 столовых ложки оливкового масла. Соль и перец по вкусу. Перемешать все составляющие.

Перемешать вместе хикаму, листья салата, клюкву и орехи. Полить соусом и хорошо перемешать. Дать постоять полчаса перед подачей.

2011-03-28T19:32:00.004-05:00

Ricotta mini cakes

36 cookies

2 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, softened, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup ricotta cheese

Glaze: 2 cups confectioner's sugar, 3 tablespoons milk.

Heat oven to 350F. Coat 2 baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together; set aside. Beat butter and sugar together, add egg and ricotta cheese. beat well until combined. Add flour mixture. Mix everything together.

Drop by tablespoon onto prepared pans. Bake at 350F for 14 minutes, or until lightly browned around edges. let cook on sheets 3 minutes, than remove from the rack to cool compeletely.

Beat confectioner's sugar and milk together until well blended. Dip tops of cookiеs into glase and set aside until glaze has hardened.

Пряники из итальянского творогa Ricotta

36 маленьких пряников.

2 & 1/4 чашки муки, 1 чайная ложка разрыхлителя, 1/2 чайной ложки соды, 1/4 чайной ложки соли, 1/2 чашки мягкого сливочного масла, 1 чашка сахара, 1 яйцо, 1 чашка итальянского творога Ricotta.

Перемешать муку, разрыхлитeль, соду и соль. В отдельной посуде взбить масло с сахаром. Добавить яйцо и творог. Постепенно всыпать мучную смесь. Замесить липкое тесто.

Нагреть духовку до 350Ф. Приготовить 2 дечки. Сформировать шарики из теста и выложить на деко. Печь 14 минут. Вынуть и остудить.

Приготовить помадку. 2 чашки сахарной пудры и 3 столовых ложки молока. Перемешать. Полить помадкой каждый пряник.

Recipe from "Family circle"

The best hamentashen...

2011-03-19T15:51:00.001-05:00

You will use this recipe over and over again. Please try and enjoy!

this is a great recipe which gives an irresistable cookie dough in the raw state!
try not to eat it all up before you make your hamantaschen :)) the only thing to remember about this dough is that it will be very soft once you finish making it. it requires FULL CHILLING (overnight or at least 8 hrs) but is instantly ready to roll out from the fridge. i suggest rolling half and keeping the remainder in the fridge until needed. make sure to use a well floured surface and to flour (and keep flouring) the top of the dough well as you roll it out.

ingredients:

1/2 c margarine
1 c sugar
1 egg
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract or pkg vanilla sugar

in a separate bowl, blend the dry ingredients together and set aside.In another bowl, cream butter with sugar for several minutes until light. Add egg, orange juice and blend well. Add the flour mixture and blend until you get a dough. Cover and chill overnight until ready to bake.
this cookie dough bakes at 375F for approx. 12-15 min. depending on the pastry size. adjust accordingly.

Spiced Apple Cake

2010-11-01T19:35:00.004-05:00

12-16 generous portions

2 tablespoons (30 g) butter, salted or unsalted, 4 tart, firm medium-size baking apples, peeled, cored and cut into 3/4-inch (2 cm) cubes, 2 tablespoons (30 g) sugar
12 tablespoons (6 ounces, 170g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, 1 3/4 cups (350 g) sugar, 4 large eggs, at room temperature, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3 cups (420 g) flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk

1. Melt the 2 tablespoons (30 g) of butter in a large skillet and sauté the apples over medium-high heat until the turn golden brown, stirring them as little as possible as they cook.
2. Once cooked through, add the 2 tablespoons (30 g) of sugar and cook until the apples cubes are nicely glazed. (Maria mentioned to cook them until all the liquid had evaporated, but mine had no liquid. So it depends on your apples.) Transfer apples to a plate and cool to room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and butter and flour a 12-cup (3l) bundt pan, tapping out any excess flour.
4. In a stand mixer, or by hand, beat the 12 tablespoons (170 g) of butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, stopping the mixer between additions to scrape the batter down on the sides, as necessary.
5. In a small bowl, toss the dates, if using, with about a tablespoon of the flour to separate them.
6. In a medium bowl, sift together the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
7. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture, then mix in the buttermilk or yogurt. Then stir in the remaining dry ingredients until just almost mixed in completely, but do not overmix. Visible wisps of flour are normal.
8. Fold in the cooked apples, and dates (if using). Scrape the batter into the prepare bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack. Once cool, dust with powdered sugar, or glaze, if you wish.

Recipe from David Lebovitz and "The Vineyard Kitchen" by Maria Helm Sinskey

Again about Challah

2010-10-30T11:47:00.003-05:00

Best and worst Challah in Twin Cities. Again and again every bakery tries to recreate the PERFECT challah. Now you can choose the best one. Please read the article.

Blueberry bread

2010-09-25T14:51:00.003-05:00

Blueberry bread.

2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 large egg, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup milk. 1 tablespoon honey, 1 cup large blueberries

1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 9" x 5" loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2) Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low for 1 minute to aerate and blend dry ingredients.

3) Mix in the butter and sugar until only small lumps remain.

4) Beat in the egg, sour cream, and milk. Add the honey and Fiori. Beat on medium speed about 1 minute, until fairly well incorporated. A few streaks of flour left is fine.

5) Fold in the blueberries by hand. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

6) Bake the loaf for 55 to 65 minutes, until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and turn out onto a rack to cool completely. Store airtight at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

Yield: 9" x 5" loaf.

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

2010-09-25T12:52:00.001-05:00

77 Mouth-Watering Baking Blogs You Need to Bookmark

Chocolate Torte for Passover

2010-03-31T12:24:00.003-05:00

Here's the one: delicious and feastful torte

The story of Passover in 7 minutes (must see)

2010-03-15T12:29:00.000-05:00

Hamentashen

2010-03-01T14:48:00.003-06:00

Chocolate cupcakes and cream cheese frosting

2010-02-13T15:30:00.005-06:00

Makes 12
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan, 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan , 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 large eggs, room temperature, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a standard 12-cup muffin pan, or use paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla, and mix until combined. On low speed, beat in half the flour mixture, followed by milk; end with remaining flour mixture. Mix just until incorporated (do not overmix).

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 22 to 24 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature, 1/2 pound (2 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted, 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth. Frosting can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; before using, bring to room temperature, and beat until smooth.

Шоколадные кексы со сливочным кремом.

На 12 порций.

8 столовых ложек сливочного масла, 1 3/4 чашки муки, 1/2 чашки кaкao порошка, 2 чайные ложки разрыхлителя, 1/2 чайной ложки соли, 2 яйца, 1 чайная ложка экстракта ванили, 1/2 чашки молока.

Нагреть духовку до 350Ф. Приготовить формочку для кексов, промаслив каждое отверстие. Посыпать мукой.

В небольшой посуде перемешать соль, муку, кaкao и разрыхлитель. В другой мыске взбить миксером сливочное масло и сахар. Добавить по одному яйцу. Продолжать взбивать и добавить ванильный экстракт. На маленькой скорости добавить половину мучной смеси, постепенно долить молоко. Затем добавить оставшуюся мучную смесь.

Разлить жидкое тесто по отверстиям. Каждое отверстие наполнить на 2/3 общего объема. Поставить в духовку и печь до готовности, приблизительно 22-24 минут. Вынуть из духовки, остудить и украсить кремом.

Сливочный крем

100 грамм сливочного масла комнатной температуры, 150 грамм сливочного сыра "Филадельфия", 2 чашки сахарной пудры, 3/4 чайной ложки ванильного экстракта.

Взбить масло и сливочный сыр на средней скорости в течении 2-3 минут. Уменьшив скорость, добавить сахарную пудру. Этот крем прекрасно сохраняется в холодильнике в течении 3 дней.

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Tu Bishvat or SuperBowl.

2010-02-04T15:54:00.002-06:00

Tu Bishvat or SuperBowl.

Thе story happened to me many years ago. I would rather to write this story on Russian and for those who prefer on English, please use Google Translation Service

Каждый раз перед Superbowl эта история вспоминается мне. Сама история произошла более чем 10 лет тому назад. Каждый раз перед Superbowl я думаю, что важнее еврейские традиции или американская культура? Может быть и то и другое важно...

Еще до приезда евреев из Советского Союза, американское еврейство было УБЕЖДЕНО, что в Советском Союзе никто не помнит ни о каких обычаях, да и евреи мы только по паспорту. По приезде в Америку каждая еврейская община НАСТОЙЧИВО заботилась о том, чтобы многие из нас познакомились с древними обычаями. Часто американские евреи даже не подозревали и не подозревают, что о многом мы уже знаем, и многие обычаи мы соблюдаем. Если честно, то многие американские евреи не знают того, что знаем мы.

Много лет тому назад я познакомилась с американским евреем. Знакомство было достаточно интересным как и сам мужчина. Будучи воспитанной в Советском Союзе, где мы привыкли поздравлять друг друга с праздниками, я подняла трубку телефона, чтобы поздравить его с Tu Bishvat. "Happy Holiday!" - я произнесла. Помолчав несколько секунд он воскликнул: "Superbowl!" Именно в тот год праздник Ti Bishvat совпал с Superbowl. Я удивленно спросила его "Is it a Jewish Holiday?" Он понял, что сделал ошибку. С этого момента я четко поняла, что американские евреи преданно учат нас быть евреями, а сами полностью погружены в американскую культуру.

Как ни говори для многих из них американская культура ближе, чем вековые традиции своего народа. А для меня это стало еще одним американским уроком.

Great-hearted...

2010-01-22T10:12:00.001-06:00

Sometimes it's not easy to be Jewish, not always we're proud who we are because none of us is perfect. But there are moments when we are proud to be Jewish. Definetely lately we have plenty of such "great-hearted" moments. I expect, that everybody have already watched this segment on CNN. Anyway, I'm posting video about extraordinary in all means Israeli hospital in Haiti. Please feel free to watch it.

Apple & Honey Strudel

2010-01-06T19:25:00.006-06:00

Apple and Honey Strudel.

Dough: 2 1/2 cups flour, 8oz (2 sticks) margarine, 1/2 cup cold water, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1/3 teaspoon salt.

Apple filling: 4 tart medium sized apples, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, 4 tablespoons bread crumbs

For assembling: 1 small egg, 2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons oil.

1. Measure the flour into a big bowl. Use a pastry blender to cut margarine into the flour until mixture resembles small peas.Mow work with your fingertips crumbling the margarine in the flour until it resembles cornmeal.

2. Combine in a measuring cup the water, vinegar and salt, and drizzle it over the flour.Blend with a fork then knead with your and 40 kneads. The dough is quite soft and elastic. Shape the dough into 2 balls.
Wrap them with waved paper and let rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 375F and begin to prepare filling. Peel the apples and thinly sliced. Add all ingredients and mix well.

4. Dust working surface with flour and roll out a rectangle, out of each ball, of about 12" x 15".Brush each rectangle with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle all over with bread crumbs. Divide filling into 2 equal parts, using 1 part for each. Put filling on the dough. Roll up lengthwise, starting by folding 1" edge over the filling, then rolling like a jelly roll. Repeat the same with the second ball.

5. Transfer the strudels to a cookie sheet. Beat the egg and water together well then brush on tops of the strudels. To prevent strudels bursting while baking make 1" diagonal buts in the tops with sharp knife. Bake in oven for 1 hour, or until the strudels are nicely browned. Cool completely before serving.

Avocado Dip

2009-12-13T15:25:00.004-06:00

Avocado Dip
For 2 medium bowls
2 avocado, 4 Tbls mayonnaise, 2 Tbls. finely shopped onion, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 Tbls lemon juice.

Peel avocados. Mash the flesh and mix in all other ingredients. Pour into bowl.

My note: I used food processor to mix all ingredients.

Паста из авокадо.

2 авокадо, 4 столовых ложки майонеза, 2 столовых ложки мелко нарезанного лука, 1/4 чайной ложки перца, 1/2 чайной ложки соли, 2 столовых ложки лимонного сока.

Почистить авокадо, размять мякоть плода и соединить со всеми ингридиентами.

Я положила все в кухонный комбайн и провернула.

Recipe from "A taste of Tradition" by Ruth Sirkis

Rose's Tips for Cake Baking

2009-11-17T09:54:00.005-06:00

Rose's Tips for Cake Baking It's quite interesting and useful. Let's have fun with cakes!

Beets salad

2009-11-16T18:25:00.004-06:00

Beets salad

2 medium size beet root, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup mayo, salt, 1/4 chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup chopped prunes.

If using fresh beets: Remove leaves, leaving about an inch of stem, and don't cut the taproot. Wash gently (don't break the skin), and place in a pot of cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until done (firm but cooked, about 40-50 minutes). Drain the beets, cool under running cold water, and remove skin with fingers.
Finely Shred. Combine all ingridients and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate covered for several hours before serving.

Салат из красной свеклы.

2 шт свеклы среднего размера, 2 зубчика чеснока, 1/4 чашки майонеза, соль,
1/4 чашки мелко нарезанных грецких орех, 1/4 чашки мелко нарезанного чернослива

Свеклу вымыть (не очищать), завернуть каждую в фольгу и запечь в духовке при температуре ~180° ~60-80 минут (в зависимости от размера свеклы) или отварить до готовности. Вареную свеклу очистить и натереть на крупной терке.
Чеснок пропустить через чесночный пресс. Смешать все ингридиенты

Chocolate Chickpea Spread

2009-11-13T09:19:00.002-06:00

Recently I found a nice dessert recipe. It's really HEALTHY and easy. Please use it.

Chocolate Chickpea Spread

Frosted Apple Squares

2009-11-09T14:34:00.005-06:00

Frosted Apple Squares
Dough
1/2 cup (4 ounces) lukewarm milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons instant yeast
4 cups (17 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter

Filling
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1 ounce) cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
8 cups (about 3 pounds before peeling) apples, peeled, cored, and very thinly sliced

Glaze
1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the dough: Beat the eggs and milk together, and set aside. Combine the yeast, flour, and salt in a medium bowl, and cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg/milk mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough in half and chill for about 30 minutes.

Lightly grease a half-sheet pan (13" x 18"). On a piece of parchment paper, or on a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough into a 12" x 17" rectangle; the dough will be quite thin. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. If you used parchment, this is easily done by flipping it over into the pan and gently peeling the parchment off, then smoothing the dough where it needs it. If you didn’t use parchment, transfer the dough by rolling it onto the rolling pin, then lifting the pin above the pan, centering it and unrolling the dough. Smooth out the corners. You may find a giant spatula helpful to transfer the dough.

For the filling: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon. Spread the apples over the dough, and sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Roll out the remaining dough and place it over the apples. Pinch the edges together. Cut steam vents in the top. Cover with greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and let rise in a cool place for about 1 hour. After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the pastry for 25 to 30 minutes, until it’s golden brown. Remove it from the oven and cool on a rack for 20 minutes.

For the glaze: Mix the sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle it over the bars. Cool completely. Cut into 3 ½" squares if you want to serve it as dessert (topped with ice cream, of course!), or 2" x 3" bars. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Yield: 3 dozen bars.

Variation: For added color and flavor, spread a layer of dried cranberries atop the apples before adding the top crust.
Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Shrimp Scampi with Pasta

2009-11-04T10:57:00.003-06:00

Shrimp Scampi with Pasta
- serves 2 -
Adapted from Tyler Florence.

1/2 pound pasta, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons extra virigin olive oil, 1/2 large shallot, finely diced,3 cloves garlic, sliced, 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, Salt and pepper, 1/4 cup dry white wine, Juice of half a lemon, Handful of parsley, chopped

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. And a couple tablespoons of salt, then add the pasta. Cook according to the instructions on the pasta box. Drain when done.

2. Meanwhile, drop one tablespoon of the oil and one tablespoon of the butter into a large skillet. Melt the butter of medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic.
Cook until the shallots are translucent, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove the shrimp when pink, and set aside. Add the wine and lemon juice to the skillet, and bring to a boil. Add the rest of the butter and oil. Stir the sauce and let cook for 30 seconds to combine.

4. Return the shrimp to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, then add the drained pasta. Toss to combine everything. Add a little pasta water if the mixture is too dry. Serve with a sprinkle of parsley.

Креветки "Scampi" со шпагетти
На 2 порции.

250 грамм сухих шпагетти, 2 столовых ложки сливочного масла, 2 столовых ложки оливкового масла, 1/2 головки мелко нарезанного лука, 3 зубца мелко нарезанного чеснока, 250 грамм свежих почищенных креветок, соль, перец по вкусу, 1/4 чашки белого вина, сок половины лимона, мелко нерезанная петрушка

1. Закипятить воду, посолить и добавить шпагетти. Варить до полной готовности, отцедить воду.

2. Тем временем положить 1 столовую ложку сливочного масла и 1 столовую ложку оливкового масла на сковороду. Через 2-3 минуты добавить лук и чеснок. Жарить 2-3 минуты до того, что лук будет прозрачным.

3. Добавить креветки на сковороду и жарить 3 минуты. ВЫнуть из сковороды розовые креветки. Добавить в соус вино и лимонный сок. Добавить еще по одной столовой ложке сливочного и оливкового масла. Дать покипеть 30 секунд.

4. Переложить креветки в сковороду, поперчить, посолить. Добавить шпагетти и все перемешать. Перед подачей на стол украсить мелко нарезанной петрушкой.

Recipe from Serious Eats

Cranberry-Walnut Sweet Potatoes

2009-11-03T09:07:00.005-06:00

4 large sweet potatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cranberry juice
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons minced chives
Directions
Scrub and pierce sweet potatoes. Bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender.
In a small saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Add the cranberries, syrup, water, cranberry juice and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until berries pop, stirring occasionally. Stir in walnuts and mustard; heat through.
Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; sprinkle with pepper and remaining salt. Top each with 2 tablespoons cranberry mixture; sprinkle with chives. Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe from Taste of Home

Kishke

2009-10-10T11:14:00.002-05:00

Kishke
Time: About 2 hours
6 tablespoons chicken fat, suet or vegetable oil
1 medium to large onion, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, cut into chunks
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup matzo meal
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon hot paprika.
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a double layer of foil 12 inches long, topped with a sheet of parchment paper the same size.
2. In a skillet over medium-low heat, heat 4 tablespoons fat or vegetable oil, and sauté onion and garlic until soft and golden. Cool slightly and pour everything, including fat, into a food processor equipped with a steel blade.
3. Add remaining 2 tablespoons fat or oil, celery, carrot, matzo meal, salt, pepper and paprika to food processor. Pulse until vegetables and fat are incorporated into a paste. Transfer mixture to parchment paper, and shape into a knockwurst-like cylinder about 9 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Enclose parchment and foil firmly around cylinder, folding ends under.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook until kishke is solid, 45 to 60 minutes more. Unroll kishke to expose surface; return to oven just until top is lightly browned and slightly crisped, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly, and cut into rounds. If desired, serve as a side dish with pot roast or roast chicken.
Yield: About 8 servings.

Recipe from New York Times

Маринованный перец.

2009-10-04T16:43:00.004-05:00

Маринованный перец.

На 12 больших цветных перцев.

Помыть перец, порезать на 4 части, положить на деко кожурой наверх и поставить в духовку. Включить духовку в режите "broil" и запекать 40-50 минут. Вынуть из духовки, снять кожуру и уложить в пластиковый контейнер. Залить маринадом.

Для маринада: 1/3 чашки растительного масла, 2 столовые ложки соли, 1/3 чашки сахара, 1 чашка уксуса, 2 чашки кипяченной воды, 3 зубчика мелко нарезанного чеснока.
Перемешать все составляющие.

My home grown tomatoes

2009-09-08T09:53:00.003-05:00

Hava Nagila on Ukrainian

2009-09-05T10:58:00.001-05:00

Roasted Beet Salad with Barley, Pickles, and Red Onion

2009-08-20T10:53:00.007-05:00

Roasted Beet Salad with Barley, Pickles, and Red Onion

Makes about 5 cups1 cup dry pearl barley, 4 medium beets, tops removed, 1/2 medium red onion (about 1/2 cup),3-4 pickles, cut into small squares or crumbled, 4-5 scallions, sliced into fine rounds, 1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper to tasteextra sliced scallions for garnish

Heat the oven to 400-degrees.Loosely wrap the beets in tin foil and roast in the oven until they are just fork tender--30 - 45 minutes. Peel and dice the beets into small cubes.Meanwhile, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the barley and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the barley is al dente, about 30 minutes. If there is extra liquid in the pot, drain the barley and return it to the pan. Cover with a clean dishtowel until ready to use.Combine barley, beets, red onion, pickles, and scallions in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the lemon juice and olive oil over the top and toss to coat.Taste the mixture. As needed, add salt 1/4 teaspoon at a time. Pepper to taste. Serve family-style in a large bowl or in individual bowls.Garnish with extra scallions.

Осенний салат из буряка (красной свеклы), перловки и соленых огурцов.

На 5 порций.1 чашка сухой перловой крупы, 4 средних по размеру бурячка, 1/2 головки мелко нарезанного красного лука, 3-4 мелко нарезанных соленых огурца, 4-5 стручков мелко нарезанного свежего зеленого лука, 1 1/2 столовых ложки лимонного сока, 1 столовая ложка оливкового масла, соль и перец по вкусу.

Нагреть духовку до 400Ф. Положить свеклу в фольгу и запечь 30-45 минут в духовке. Вынуть ис духовки, остудить, очистить от кожуры. Нарезать на мелкие кусочки.Пока свекла печется в духовке, сварить перловку. Налить 3 чашки воды в кастрюлю, нагреть до кипения и добавить перловую крупу с 1/2 чайной ложки соли. Варить до готовности, отцедить лишнюю воду. Дать остыть до комнатной температуры.Перемешать перловку, красный лук, буряк, зеленый лук и огурцы. Полить лимонный соком, посолить и поперчить.

Summer Borscht

2009-08-06T12:09:00.005-05:00

Summer Borscht

2 medium size fresh beet roots, 4-5 cups of cold water.

6 cups of cold water, 2 tablespoons vegerable oil, 1 medium size thinly sliced onion, 1 large carrot, diced, 2 medium size potato peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, 1 1/2 cups finely sliced cabbage, salt, pepper and sour salt by taste.

1. Pour water into pan and boil. Put beet roots into boiling water and continue to boil until beets are soft. It will take approximately 1 hour. Take beets out of water, peel and thinly shredd.

2. Bring 6 cups of water to boil. Add carrots; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile saute on a frying pan onion with vegetable oil for 5 minutes, add shredded beets and saute for next 10 minutes.

3. Add onion with beets to a pot with carrots and add potatoes chunks. Simmer for next 5-8 minutes. Add cabbage and cook about 15 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and sour salt. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with yogurt or sour cream.
Летний борщ.
2 средней величины красной свеклы, 4-5 чашек воды.

6 чашек холодной воды, 2 столовые ложки подсолнечного масла, 1 средней величины головка лука, 1 большая морковь, 2 небольшие картофелины, 1 1/2 чашек тонко нарезанной капусты, соль, перец и лимонная кислота по вкусу.

1. Налить воду в кастрылю и закипятить. Положить в воду свеклу (буряк) и сварить до готовности (приблизительно 1 час). Вынуть свеклу, остудить, очистить от кожуры и натереть на крупной терке.

2. Закипятить воду, добавить очищенную и мелко нарезанную морковь. Уменьшить огонь и варить 10 минут. Тем временем на сковороде пожарить лук в течении 5 минут, потом добавить натертую свеклу и продолжать жарить на малом огне в течении 10 минут.

3. Добавить эту смесь в кастрюлю с морковью. Добавить картошку, порезанную на небольшие кусочки. Варить 5-8 минут. Добавить капусту и варить еще 15 минут. Посолить, поперчить и по желанию добавить лимонной кислоты.
Подавать с йогуртом или сметаной.

Applesauce Bread

2009-07-04T13:48:00.003-05:00

Family Recipe

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, 1 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, 1 3/4 cups of flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1 cup sweetened applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease a 9×6x3-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl gradually add sugar into butter, cream until light. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients.
4. Combine dry mixture with the butter mixture. Then add in 1cup of applesauce and combine.
5. Pour into pan. Bake for about 1 hour. It’ll be a nice golden brown and a toothpick will come out clean. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.
Wrap it up in some plastic warp or foil to keep it fresh.

Кекс с яблочным пюре

1/2 чашки мягкого (растопленного) сливочного масла или маргарина, 1 чашка сахара, 2 яйца, 1 3/4 чашки муки, 1 чайная ложка соли, 1/2 чайной ложки соды, 1чайная ложка разрыхлителя (baking powder), 1/2 чайной ложки корицы, 1/2 чайной ложки натертого мускатного ореха.

1. Нагреть духовку до 350Ф. Нагреть немного формочку для выпечки light bread.
2. В большой посуде перемешать сахар и масло. Добавить яйца и взбить в течении нескольких минут.
3. В отдельной посуде соединить муку, соль, соду, разрыхлитель, корицу, мускатный орех.
4. Соединить все ингридиенты и в последнюю очередь добавить яблочное пюре.
5. Вылить жидкое тесто в формочку. Печь 1 час. Вынуть из духовки, дать остудить в течении 10 минут и вынуть из формочки.

Остудить и завернуть в пластиковую пленку для сохранения свежести.

Recipe from Applesauce Bread

Passover Seder

2009-03-31T16:38:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year!

2008-12-28T11:00:00.005-06:00

Stop taking ourselves so seriously!

Let's have more laughter and fewer tears,

less exclusion and more acceptance,

less pretense and more authenticity,

less anger and more hope,

less argument and more collaboration,

less anxiety and more fun,

less hatred and more peace,

less judgment and more compassion,

less blame and more responsibility,

less whining and more accountability,

less deceit and more truth,

less fear and more love,

less effort and more ease,

less stress and more peace.

Hanukkah slideshow

2008-12-24T10:26:00.005-06:00

New York's Times Hanukkah slideshow

Wild rice pancakes

2008-12-03T18:08:00.006-06:00

Wild rice pancakes

1/2 cup milk, 1/3 cup cornmeal, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup butter, melted, 1-1/2 cups cooked wild rice, drained and cooled, 2 egg yolks, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, 1/2tsp. ground black pepper, 2 egg whites Clarified butter or canola oil
1/2 cup creme fraiche or dairy sour cream

In a large bowl whisk together milk, cornmeal, flour, and melted butter. Stir in wild rice. Lightly beat egg yolks with a fork and stir into wild rice mixture. Stir in salt, pepper, and parsley. In a small mixing bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight); fold egg whites into rice mixture.

Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add a little clarified butter. Ladle about 1/4 cup of batter onto heated surface and cook about 1 minute or until bubbles appear uniformly on upper side and bottom is browned. Turn pancake over and cook about 1 minute more or until bottom is browned. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in a warm oven while cooking remaining pancakes.

Place pancakes on a serving platter. Top each with a little creme fraiche. Makes 10 servings.

Make-Ahead Tip: Pancakes may be prepared ahead and refrigerated several hours or overnight. Warm on a cookie sheet in a 300 degree F oven for 10 minutes.
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens

A bagel is a round bread

2008-11-26T09:07:00.005-06:00

The Jewish bagel’s probably birthplace is Poland. The first known reference to the bagel among Jews in Poland, Ms. Balinska writes, precedes the battle of Vienna by seven decades. It is found, she says, in regulations issued in Yiddish in 1610 by the Jewish Council of Krakow outlining how much Jewish households were permitted to spend in celebrating the circumcision of a baby boy – “to avoid making gentile neighbors envious, and also to make sure poorer Jews weren’t living above their means.” The origin of the word “bagel” is ultimately unclear, but many experts agree, she says, that it comes from the Yiddish beigen, to bend.

Read more about bagels and bagel's recipes

Real Fresh Pumpkin Bread

2008-11-24T15:20:00.006-06:00

Real Fresh Pumpkin Bread
Serves: 1 loaf

2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup vegetable oil, 3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 cups shredded fresh pumpkin.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.
In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour into a non- stick 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. If your pan is not non- stick coat it with butter and flour.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At this point a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. For muffins temperature should also be 325 degrees F., but bake for 30 minutes.

Recipe from Alton Brown on Food Network

Кекс со свежей тыквой.

2 чашки муки, 2 чайные ложки молотой корицы, 1 чайная ложка соды, 1/4 чайной ложки разрыхлителя, 1 1/2 чашки сахара, 3/4 чашки растительного масла, 3 яйца, 1 чайная ложка ванильного экстракта, 3 чашки мелко натертой свежей тыквы.

Нагреть духовку до 325 Ф.
Смешать муку, корицу, соду, разрыхлитель и соль. Все перемешать. В отдельной посуде смешать сахар, растительное масло, яйца, ванильный экстракт. Положить очищенную тыкву к кухонный комбайн и провернить до образования мелкой крупки. Добавить тыкву из комбайна к яйцам. Смешать ВСЕ ингридиенты и хорошо перемешать. Приготовить формочку для выпечки кексов "light bread" Вылить тесто и поставить в нагретую духовку на 1 час 15 минут. Печь до готовности, вынуть и оставить осывать в течении 10 минут. Вынуть из формочки и дать полностью остынуть.

Прекрасно сочетается со сливочным кремом Philadelphia.

For those, who like YEASTED pumpkin bread, I would like to refer to the site Happy Home Baking

The world's greatest baking tips

2008-11-22T10:56:00.004-06:00

All baking has huge costs you can't escape: fuel to heat the oven, all the time you dedicate, and ingredients that aren't so affordable any more. So I delved into my address book and spoke to some of the great talents out there to see what they advise, and the response was huge; especially from those baker / writers in the US who for years have encouraged people to tackle challenging recipes rather than hide from any complexity and just passively consume. So here are their top baking tips from around the world just for you.

United States
1. From the US I turned to Shirley O Corriher, the scientist turned kitchen sleuth I most admire, and her new book Bakewise is honestly the only one I've waited patiently for. For Corriher, getting cakes and cookies to last that bit longer helps when you have to stretch the budget, and she told me how science helps. "Just substitute an equal measure of vegetable oil for a third of the butter in your cake or muffin recipe and this helps to keep them moist. The reason: oil greases the flour proteins better than butter and prevents gluten forming, so leaving more water in the batter." Brilliant, and it saves money on butter too.

2. It's cool to be accurate. Though baking appears all bish-bash-bosh, the key to achieving those extraordinary loaves is all in the detail. Jim Lahey, the king of New York bakers at the Sullivan Street Bakery, says: "Measure precisely. This will avoid unnecessary mistakes and bad food. Don't open your oven door while you're goods are cooking. If you have leftover ends of bread, try to convert them into another dish. In these new lean times it's better that we waste nothing."

3. Rose Levy Beranbaum at realbakingwithrose.com, the top baking author in the US with The Cake Bible and blog advice pioneer suggested making life easier for others is the kindest thing to offer. "When you give home baked cakes include the baking tin and recipe. Ideally, cakes should be long-keeping ones, especially ones with a liqueur or lemon syrup. Cool the cake completely. Wash and dry the pan in which it was baked and coat the interior lightly with sunflower oil or non-stick spray. Return the cake to the pan, wrap it tightly with clear plastic film then finally cover it with beautiful gift paper."

4. The über chic Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking: From My Home to Yours goes for boldness at Christmas. "Bake big, it saves both time and money. My best go-to sweet is what we call a Bundt cake, a kind butter cake. It's quick to make and beautiful as the shape of the pan does all the decorating for you; and if it's cut in thin slices – what most people want – you can stretch a Bundt to serve 16 or more."

5. Before you launch into baking breads or cakes after googling for a recipe, it's essential to check if it's from a good reliable source. This doesn't mean they have to be famous, but check for site reviews, comments and helpful pictures. Sarah Phillips at baking911.com, home to some of the best baking know-how on the net says, "Be really careful with some of the recipes online from unnamed sources simply because most of them do not work. Rely on experts, it will save you money."

6. Like exquisite couture, the most impressive baking usually has good taste and simplicity at its heart. David Lebovitz, the savvy American in Paris who writes about chocolate, ice-cream and life's other essentials, reminded me of that one important piece of advice. "Keep it simple. Not only will you use fewer ingredients, but it'll be less work. A great spice cake with a scoop of ice cream is just as appealing as a multi-layered extravaganza. To jazz it up, add a drizzle of caramel sauce." Just keep it simple.

7. Sometimes you can spend to save, especially if you have room in your cupboards to store ingredients. Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito from Baked NYC in Brooklyn, authors of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking and the handsomest purveyors of sweet love in New York told me, "Buy a good quality chocolate in bulk form, rather than expensive 100g bars, and just break it up yourself. Also, avoid recipes that need expensive ingredients and make more use of caramel: an easy combo of sugar, water and cream."

8. "My advice would be much more about charity at in this difficult time," says Jeffrey Hamelman, who's book Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes really is the bible for serious breadheads worldwide. "Rather than bake less this Christmas season, bake just a little more than you think you need. Surely a neighbour or local food charity would be delighted with the unexpected gift."

9. Bread can be a beautiful gift too. I asked Peter Reinhart, the best-selling bread expert and author of Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavour. "Sweet fruit breads like German stollen or the Greek Christosomos make wonderful, relatively inexpensive gifts. And, most importantly, they are always appreciated as a gift from the heart, and symbolize the nativity of Christ and the gifts of the Magi." Certainly, it shows more thought than a plastic something.

England
10. For Yotam Ottolenghi, a little creativity with flavours can make the most of the most unlikely ingredients. "Take plum pudding, you can crumble it into a simple biscotti mixture instead of using dried fruit and it gives a very rich, gently spiced accent to the biscuit. Same with leftover fruit mince, fold it though vanilla or yoghurt ice-cream and the combination works really well."

11. "I'll be making lots of mini cheese scones for the freezer, so handy at Christmas", said Gerhard Jenne, the baker patron from Konditor and Cook. "Then if you have people calling by you can rustle up snacks with a little smoked salmon, or if you make herb ones you can serve them with small cups of hot soup. Even if you don't make your own soup it's nice to add you own little touch."

12. For John Rolfe, the founder of Jamie Oliver's Flour Station bakery and now baking bread at the home of the best sourdough pizza in London, Franco Manca the secret is to soft moist crumb is simple. "Put some cooked mashed potato in your bread dough, it's the quickest way to add moistness and softness to the crumb and it's literally as cheap as chips. Or if you have leftover chestnut puree that works really well too. Surprisingly, it wont turn you bread heavy and you can still get a great crisp crust."

Scotland
13. Flour holds the spirit of the bread you bake, but it's odd how we then expect miracles from the cheapest we can find. Robert Winters at the Tapa Bakery in Glasgow, the home of great sourdough in Scotland, says the best tip starts with the flour you use. "Don't worry about saving money of the flour you buy, because even at it's most expensive its still good value. Find a stoneground flour, preferably wholemeal wheat or rye, and add that to your dough. You'll gain so much flavour that way."

14. For the respected Scots food historian Catherine Brown, now is the time to stir up a few forgotten traditions and reawaken the practice of simple hard biscuits like oatcakes. "If they're made well and given a good firing, oatcakes taste perfect on their own. I go a bit mad and make maybe a 100 at a time - cut into big triangles - as this makes best use of the oven. This way you've got them all winter, and you can have them with soup or crowdie."

Ireland
15. Keep a look out during the year for interesting decorative boxes to pack gifts into, and then squirrel them away in a cupboard. Rachel Allen, the new star of Market Kitchen and author of Bake told me that a little planning is all that's needed to turn a simple recipe into a beautiful gift. "Keep a look out when you travel, then make a recipe that suits the style of the container. I picked up some beautiful decorative tins from a shop in Paris, and I'm going to make some delicate butter biscuits to go inside them. This is the just the kind of present I'd love to receive at Christmas."

France
16. When it comes to good bread, don't think quick; instead encourage a slow undisturbed rise for the dough - forget about airing cupboards and hot water bottles. Arguably the finest artisan baker in the world, Eric Kayser told me that there really is one piece of advice any aspiring baker must to repeat to themselves over and over. "Time and rest are all that the dough needs to rise and become good bread. Keep the yeast to a minimum and do other things while the flavour and texture mature."

17. "As we say in French: en cuisine on ne jette rien (in the kitchen, we don't throw anything away)," says Pascale Weeks, author of Cadeaux Gourmands, and the blogger at scally.typepad.com who suggests making the best use of your freezer. "When I make pastry, I always line tartlets cases with the leftovers, which I then freeze. When I'm alone for lunch I can then bake a small quiche for myself. When I use yolks for petits pots de crème au chocolat for example, I freeze the whites. I can use them after to make financiers, petits moelleux aux chocolat or amaretti."

18. Most cookie dough can be chilled in logs and kept in the fridge, which means that you can simply slice and bake what you need. Clotilde Dusoulier from chocolateandzucchini.com says that tradition doesn't have to be sacrificed to make life a little easier this way. "When I was little, we would make cut-out Christmas cookies, but when I'm pressed for time I use the same recipe and use the slice-and-bake method. I roll the edges in unrefined cane sugar for a festive effect, and nobody's ever complained."

19. For Fanny Zanotti in the Côte d'Azur, the talent behind the beautiful idea-packed foodbeam.com the stark realties of baking needn't stop you if you're careful. "Baking can turn into an expensive hobby, especially if you're anything like me: super-conscious about the ingredients' quality. To keep costs on the lower side, my best advice is to stay seasonal. Autumn and winter can seem a little sparse when it comes to harvests but … consider it a challenge and make your best to tingle your imagination." Think apples, pears, quinces, and dress them up with jams and a little brandy.

20. Getting more done with less seems daunting, but sometimes a little planning helps. "One ingredient, one oven, two recipes", says baking blogger Sandra Avital.

"Try making a couple of different kinds of cookies: one using only egg yolks, the second using only whites then bake both the same day, in the same hour, even at the same time to make the best use of the oven." This cuts fuel costs and probably saves time too.

Australia and New Zealand
21. Donna Hay advises every harassed cooks to go-easy after the Christmas dinner, lighter on the stomach and more likely to leave everyone with a sweet memory. "My version of a bread and butter pudding has a festive spin but it's easier to cook than Christmas cake or pudding, uses less ingredients and takes less time to put together, saving you effort, money and time." says Donna. "Just use good-quality brioche soaked in brandy-spiked custard, sprinkle it with brandy-soaked muscatels and top it with demerara sugar to form a crunchy crust. It's a winner in my house!"

22. The great daddy of artisan baking in Australia is John Downes, the guy who started the sourdough movement down-under during the 70s. His Natural Tucker Bread Book (1983) was the prescient handbook for hardcore bakers and is still relevant today. John tells me "if you've been saying all year, 'gee, I'd love to try making a sourdough but I don't have the time' then Christmas is perfect," says John, "because you're in the house, warm but not too hot, around to nurture it through those delicate first steps.

23. For Dean Brettschnieder, the NZ artisan baker and author of The Global Baker, the best advice is more of an idea for life rather than a baking tip. "This year I'm in Shanghai for Christmas. What I'm going to do is make a batch of butter shortbread flavoured with dried cranberries and orange zest, and plan to wrap these as beautifully as I can and give them to the people in my life here who might otherwise have been incidental but, if I'm really honest, have helped me enormously through the last year."

Canada
24. The best way to give your creativity the support it needs is to get organised. Rather than restricting your style, it will give you the freedom to express yourself. Elizabeth Baird, author of The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book and food editor of the magazine reminded me that, however obvious it sounds, we all forget sometimes. "It's those simple things. Plan ahead so you have all the ingredients fresh and ready to bake. Read the recipe first so you don't forget an all-important ingredient. Then enjoy the whole process - the great aromas, the first taste and the fun of sharing something you've made."

25. I first tasted the sourdough breads of artisan baker Cliff Leir, made with the rare Red Fife wheat, at the Slow Food Terra Madre in 2006, and remember being struck with their extraordinary flavour. I spoke with him as he was setting up Fol Epi, his new bakery on Vancouver Island's Dockside Green, and asked what his tip was for getting some of that flavour at home. "Try making your bread dough the day with just a tiny amount of yeast and let it ferment slowly overnight. Actually, as the nights are cold you can just put the dough in a covered bowl on the back porch rather than using the fridge. It's really sweet that way as you work with the elements."

26. "The economy may be harsh and cold on either side of the pond", says Marcy Goldman, editor of betterbaking.com "but home baking helps us feel warm and reassured. It's no wonder we bake as we do at holiday times and with a Scrooge-like market, all the more reason. The first thing I do is sleuth out butter on sale and squirrel away many blocks of unsalted (sweet) butter as I can. Butter is the basenote, as it were, in baking and having lots on hand is inspiring - but its best to find at a great price. I also refresh my spices. It's funny how people dive into baking for the holidays, without thinking twice about using ages-old cinnamon or cloves. Fresh spices and fresh baking powder is the key."

Norway
27. Gunn Borrowman, my favourite Norwegian making utterly perfect cakes up in the Cairngorms at Inshriach Nursery, gave this advice, "Add a small amount of ground almonds to your cakes if you want them to stay moist. I sometimes replace all of the flour in cake recipes with ground almonds, and customers are so surprised you can get something gluten free and so good. "

Sweden
28. Johan Sörberg, the award-winning artisan baker at Riddarbageriet in Stockholm told me that very simple rye breads, not much more that rye flour, salt and water mixed to a firm dough and rolled ultra thinly, are almost a Christmas tradition in Sweden. "You can't get easier than that," says Johan, "and flavoured with anise, black pepper or caraway, cut into "gingerbread" men, and baked till crisp they can be hung from the tree, and then eaten with the meal with soft cheese."

29. From baking maestro Jan Hedh, the skill behind Peter's Yard in Edinburgh, and the authority on Swedish baking: don't overlook the breadth of flavour your can get from a little yeast and good flour. "If you're stuck for time, stirring a pinch of yeast into an equal quantity of flour and water and leave it somewhere cool for a week; then use it in place of the same quantities of flour and water in the recipe. This will act as a powerful flavour enhancer and ferment. It's not sourdough, but it's the next best thing."

Denmark
30. Camilla Plum is to Denmark what Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is to Britain, one of the few celebrities willing to stand up to the supermarkets and challenge consumers without worrying about being loveable. The key difference is that Camilla is an exceptional baker as well. Her advice is wise. "If you don't buy any kind of ready-made food, just for a week, but actually cook yourself … you'll save a lot of money. And this you can use for real butter, lots of currants and raisins, lovely fresh vanilla pods and cardamom.

Printed from Guardian

Potato soup with smoked salmon

2008-11-22T09:25:00.005-06:00

Potato soup with smoked salmon
4 servings

2 cups water, 2 cups vegetable broth, 1 finely chopped onion, 750 gramm fresh chopped potato, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 chopped celery rib, 250 gramm smoked salmon, finely chopped italian parsley, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt and pepper.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, melt a little bit of butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Add stock, potatoes, water and celery and simmer until potatoes are tender, 20 minutes. Add lemon juice and heavy cream.

Puree 2 cups of the soup in a blender until smooth, and return to pan. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook more 8-10 minutes. Add smoked salmon and parsley before palcing on a table.

I'm sure, this soup will become one of the favorites at your table. It goes well with home-made bread.

Картофельный суп с копченым лососем.
На 4 порции:

2 чашки воды, 2 чашки овощного бульона, 1 средних размеров луковица, мелко порезанная, 750 г картофеля, очищеного и мелко порезанного, 1 чашка сливок, 1 палочка мелко нарезанного сельдерея, 250 г копченого лосося, порезанного на ленточки, петрушка, мелко порезанная, 1 столовая ложка лимонного сока, соль и перец по вкусу.

Обжарить в кастрюле луковицу в сливочном масле, добавить картофель, сельдерей, воду, бульон и варить, пока картофель не будет мягким. Посолить, поперчить, выдавить сок лимона. В конце добавить сливки.

Вынуть часть картофеля из супа. Остальной суп вылить в комбайн и прокрутить до получения пюре. Вернуть суп в кастрюлю, добавить картофель и поварить еще 8-10 минут. Перед подачей на стол добавить smoked salmon и мелко нарезанную петрушку.

Challah Collection

2008-11-13T13:36:00.006-06:00

Russian
1. Праздничная хала
2. Хала на желтках
3. Breadsmith's Challah
4. Whole Wheat Challah
5. Литовская хала
6. Белорусская хала
7. Сдобная хала
8. Высокая хала
9. Черновицкая хала
10. Хала плетеная
11. Meggie Glezer
12. Чешская хала
13. Claidia Roden's Challah
14. Gilda Latzky's Challah
15. Rebecca's Challah
16. Тунисская хала
17. Хала сахарная по-киевски

English
1. Roasted garlic Challah bread
2. Challah (The New York Times Bread and Soup Cookbook)
3. Egg Challah
4. Pumpkin challah (wonderful braiding pictures)
5. Chocolate and apricot challah
6. Challah from The knead for bread
7. The Ultimate Challah
8. Tammy's Challah
9. No-Knead nutella Challah
10. Challah from "taste of home"

Ivanka Trump's Giur. Do you believe it?

2008-11-11T18:23:00.005-06:00

Ivanka Trump has begun the process to convert to Judaism.
The daughter of real estate tycoon Donald Trump began the conversion process at Kehilath Jeshurun, an Orthodox synagogue on Manhattan’s East Side, Ynet reported Oct. 31.
Trump, 27, is engaged to Jewish businessman Jared Kushner. A former model, she is the vice president of real estate development and acquisitions for her father’s Trump Organization.
The couple will wed next year.
Source JTA

Jews and Obama: hopes for CHANGE

2008-11-05T08:39:00.004-06:00

Despite the tense rift between Republican and Democratic Jews over the course of the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, exit polls on Tuesday showed that Barack Obama received about 77 percent of the Jewish vote Read (English)

«Предварительные результаты голосования потрясают, — говорит Айра Форман, исполнительный директор Национального еврейского демократического совета. — Но нам нужно увидеть окончательные цифры». Read (Russian)

Are we ready for a better HEALTH CARE system? Is he going to do? REMEMBER: CLINTONS BROKE THE PROMISE, and now...

Are we ready for new and better jobs, which will create stability in our life? Is he going to do? REMEMBER: WE NEED JOBS!

Chicken With Apples And Raisins

2008-10-29T12:34:00.004-05:00

Chicken With Apples And Raisins

1 pound chicken, сalt to taste, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 medium size apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch wedges, 1 cup dark raisins, 1/2 cup dry white wine, freshly ground pepper to taste

For marinade: 3 tablespoons honey, 3 tablespoons ketchup, 3 tablespoons soy sauce.

To prepare marinade, combine all ingredients and mix everything together.
Cut the whole chicken (if using) into serving pieces, detaching the wings and legs and dividing the breast into 4 parts and the thighs in half crosswise. (If using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut them into 1-inch wide strips.) Sprinkle with salt.

Pour marinade over each of the chicken pieces to evenly coat until no marinade remains. Place in a large sized plastic bag and marinate three to five hours under refrigeration

When ready to prepare, preheat oven to 375°F (350° convection). Remove chicken from marinade and discard any remaining marinade. Pour olive oil, place apples and raisins on a bottom of baking pan, sprinkle with cinnamon. Top with pieces of chicken and pour marinade and wine over. Bake chicken for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is browned well. (Internal temperature should read 165°F. When using an instant read thermometer be sure not to touch bone when taking temperature.)
Place one serving (one chicken piece) on individual serving dishes and sprinkle center of chicken with a small amount of paprika. Garnish with slices of lemon and a sprig of curly parsley.
Курица с яблоками и изюмом

500 грамм курятины, 3 средниx яблока , 1/3 ч.ложки корицы, 1 чашка изюма, 2 столовых ложки оливкового масла, 1/2 чашки белого сухого вина, соль и перец по вкусу.

Для маринада: 3 столовые ложки меда, 3 столовые ложки кетчупа, 3 столовые ложки соевого соуса

Порезать курицу на куски. Посыпать солью.
Для маринада смешать мед, кетчуп и соевый соус. Положить куски курятины в маринад и мариновать в течении 3-4 часов в холодильнике.

Нагреть духовку до 375Ф. Приготовить глубокую дечку, Полить оливковым маслом, уложить нарезанные яблоки, посыпать изюмом и корицей. Вынуть курицу из маринада, уложить поверх яблок, залить маринадом и вином. Поставить в духовку на 30-40 минут.
Вынуть из духовки, положить по одному куску на тарелку, посыпать сладким перцем и украсить петрушкой.

Appetizer with avocado and herring

2008-10-27T11:31:00.004-05:00

Appetizer with avocado and herring.

4 servings

1 large avocados, 1 cup chopped Herring fillets, 1/4 cup chopped red onion, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise to bind, freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.

In a mixing bowl, combine avocado, herring fillets, and red onioin. Add mayonnaise to bind and season with salt and pepper. Chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving
It goes with borscht very well.

Закуска из авокадо и сельди

На 4 порции.

1 авокадо, 1/2 небольшой селедки, 1/4 чашки мелко нарезанного красного лука, 1 столовая ложка лимонного сока, 2 столовый ложки майонеза, соль и перец по вкусу.

Сельдь мелко нарезать,авокадо нарезать небольшими кусочками,сбрызнуть лимoнным соком, добавить красный лук, Все перемешать с майонезом. Поперчить и посолить. Поставить в холодильник на 1-2 часа перед подачей на стол.
Прекрасно сочетается с борщем.

Pear-Walnut Cake with Honey-Orange Syrup

2008-10-26T15:17:00.004-05:00

Pear-Walnut Cake with Honey-Orange Syrup
А DELICIOUS FALL TREAT!!! TREAT YOURSELF!!!

This is similar to pan d'Espanya (Spanish bread), which is what Sephardic Jews call sponge cake. Brushing the honey-orange syrup over the warm cake infuses it with moisture and delicate aromas. For a second-day treat, try toasting a leftover slice. Garnish with orange rind curls and star anise.

Cooking spray, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 3/4 cups sugar, 4 large eggs, 3 cups all-purpose flour (about 13 1/2 ounces), 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon aniseed, crushed (optional), 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon finely grated orange(lemon) rind, 1/2 cup fresh orange (apple) juice, 1/2 cup canola oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cups chopped peeled pear (about 2 medium ones), 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Syrup:
1/3 cup honey, 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 325°.
To prepare cake, coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tablespoons flour. Set aside.
Place sugar and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until thick and pale (about 3 minutes).

Lightly spoon 3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, aniseed, salt, and cinnamon, stirring well with a whisk.
Combine rind, 1/2 cup juice, oil, and vanilla. Add flour mixture to egg mixture alternately with juice mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; blend after each addition just until combined. Stir in pear and walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula or knife. Place a plate upside down on top of cake pan; carefully invert cake onto plate.

To prepare syrup, combine honey and 2 tablespoons juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Brush warm syrup over top and sides of cake. Cool completely.

Yield: 18 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ореховый бисквит с грушами.
На 18 порций.

Непригорающая аэрозоль (non-stick cooking spray), 2 столовые ложки муки, 1 3/4 чашки сахара, 4 яйца, 3 чашки муки, 1 столовая ложка разрыхлителя, 1/2 чайной лоски соли, 1/2 чайной ложки молотой корицы, 1 чайная ложка свежей цедры апельсина (лимона), 1/2 чашки свежего апельсинового сока (яблочного сока), 1/2 чашки подсолнечного масла, 1 чайная ложка ванильного экстракта, 2 чашки мелко нарезанной груши (2 груши средней величины), 1/4 чайной ложки мелко нарезанных грецких орех.

Сироп: 1/3 чашки меда, 2 столовые ложки апельсинового сока.

Нагреть духовку до 325Ф. Приготовить формочку для выпечки бисквита. Побрызгать непригорающей аэрозолью и посыпать 2 столовыми ложками муки.

Перемешать сахар и яйца. Взбивать миксером на средней скорости в течении 3 минут.
В другой посуде перемешать муку, разрыхлитель. соль и корицу. Добавить цедру, сок и масло. Перемешать и добавить яйца с сахаром. В последнюю очередь добавить орехи и грушу. Вылить тесто в форму, поставить в духовку и печь 55 минут до полной готовности. Вынуть бисквит из духовки, остудить в течении 15 минут, вынуть из формочки и остудить полностью.

Для сиропа, перемешать мед и сок в небольшой кастрюле, помешивая поставить на средний огонь и варить 2-3 минут, не забывайте постоянно помешивать. Залить сиропом верх бисквита.

Recipe from Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2006

kasha is never better than when made this way

2008-10-22T08:24:00.004-05:00

Kasha, toasted hulled buckwheat, is not what you would call versatile. But kasha varnishkes — kasha, noodles (typically bow ties), loads of slow-cooked onions and fat — is an amazing dish, one I used to beg my grandmother and mother to make for me, one that shows kasha in a light that does not shine on it elsewhere, at least in my repertory. Read, make and enjoy it

Is the Great Jew back in Fashion?..

2008-10-20T10:50:00.002-05:00

How can he help us in difficult financial times? Why do some people look for the answers in his books?

Publisher Karl-Dietz said it sold 1,500 copies of "Das Kapital" this year - up from the 200 it usually sells annually. Written in 1867, sales of the tome rarely hit double digits but have been on the rise since 2005.

Read and think English and Russian

Old-fashioned Yiddishe salad with white radishes and chicken(beef)

2008-10-19T19:03:00.007-05:00

Old-fashioned Yiddish salad with white radishes and chicken(beef)

Serves 2.

2 medium size white radishes, 1 1/2 cups sheredded boiled/roasted chicken/beef, 1/4 cup finely shopped red onion, 1/2 of medium size chopped white onion, parsley, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Dressing: 1/3 cup mayonaise, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, salt, pepper.

Peel white radishes and shred finely. Preheat a frying pan with oil. Pour white onion in a frying pan and saute for 8-10 minutes. Add shredded chicken or beef and continue frying more 8-10 minutes. Remove from a heat and set aside for 5 minutes to rest. Add mixture to radishes.
Meanwhile, for the dressing, place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add dressing, reserving some to drizzle, and toss. Top salad with chopped parsley.

Еврейский салат с белой редькой и курятиной (говядиной)

На 2 порции.

2 средней величины белых редьки, 1 1/2 чашки нарезанной варенной курятины (говядины), 1/2 чашки мелко нарезанного красного лука, 1 небольшая белая луковица, петрушка, 1 столовая ложка подсолнечного масла.

Соус: 1/3 чашки майонеза, 2 чайных ложки американской горчицы, соль, перец.
Почистить редьку и натереть на терке. Нагреть масло в сковороде, добавить белый лук и тушить в течении 8-10 минут. Добавить мясо и продолжать тушить еще 8-10 минут. Снять с огня и дать немного остыть в течении 5 минут. Добавить мясную массу к редиске.

Тем временем приготовить соус. Перемешать все составляющие в миске и хорошо перемешать. Добавить к салату. Посыпать петрушкой.

Caviar, caviar, and again caviar....

2008-10-17T11:32:00.007-05:00

I would like to post information for those who REALLY enjoy a black caviar.

for Russian-speaking readers: BBC News

For English-speaking readers: Yahoo

Holocaust and Your vote....

2008-10-16T08:47:00.004-05:00

“America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, ’cause it’s gonna put up a fight.” - movie "The American President"

Here's the article for Russian-speaking visitors

Here's an info on English

Bergson, FDR and the Holocaust

Kosher Wars

2008-10-15T08:08:00.004-05:00

ONE SUNNY DAY in late August, Andy Kastner made the short drive from his apartment in Riverdale, in the Bronx, to Yonkers First Live Poultry Market, a narrow cinder-block shop that sells live chickens, pigeons, quail and rabbits stacked in ancient-looking metal cages. At Yonkers First, workers usually slaughter and butcher the animals for customers, but Kastner was there because he wanted to kill his own chickens.

Read more

White radish salad

2008-10-12T13:49:00.005-05:00

White radish salad (very popular among Russian Jews)
1 large white radish shredded, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/2 big cucumber thinly sliced, 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and dill

Peel the radish and shred it, using a mandolin or the proper slicing disk of a food processor.Whisk the vinegar with the vegetable oil, salt, and pepper. Toss the radish, red onion, cucumber with the vinegar, vegetable oil and sprinkle with dill/parsley.

Салат из белой редиски

1 большая белая редиска или несколько небольших редисок, 1 столовая ложка уксуса, 2 столовые ложки подсолнечного масла, 1/2 чашки тонко нарежанного красного лука, 1 столовая ложка мелко нарезанного укропа и петрушки, соль и перец по вкусу.

Очистить редиску от кожурыи натереть на терке. Смешать уксус и подсолнечное масло. Влить в редиску, добавить лук и огурцы. Посолить, поперчить и все хорошо перемешать. Посыпать петрушкой или укропом.

Для тех, кто не знаком с белой редиской, прошу почитать в Wikipedia

Pineapple Upside-Down Biscuits from Paula Deen

2008-10-09T11:58:00.007-05:00

Pineapple Upside-Down Biscuits
Serves: 10 biscuits
1 (10-ounce) can crushed pineapple, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature, 1 (12-ounce) package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease 10 cups of a muffin tin. Strain the can of crushed pineapple, save juice for later. Combine the pineapple, sugar, and butter, and mix well. Divide the pineapple mixture among the muffin cups. Place 1 biscuit in each cup on top of sugar and pineapple mixture. Spoon 1 teaspoon reserved pineapple juice over each biscuit. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool for 2 minutes. Invert the pan onto a plate to release the biscuits. Serve warm.

Пирожные-перевертыши с ананасом

Это быстро, вкусно и дешево.

1 банка консервированного ананаса, порезанного на кусочки, 1/2 чашки коричневого сахара, 1/2 чашки сливочного масла комнатной температуры, 1 упаковка замороженных булочек (они продаются в молочном отделе магазинов)

Нагреть духовку до 350Ф.

Приготовить формочку для выпечки кексов (muffinet). Отцедить сок из банки с ананасом. Сок оставить для поливки. Перемешать кусочки ананасов, сливочное масло и коричневый сахар. Распределить полученную смесь на 10 углублений для кексов и накрыть одной порцией теста для булочек. Полить 1 столовой ложкой оставленного ананосового сока. Поставить в духовку на 12-15 минут. Вынуть из духовки, остудить в течении 2 минут. Перевернуть и выложить пирожные на тарелку. Подавать теплыми. Прекрасно сочетается со взбитыми сливками или йогуртом.

Для тех, кто не знает, как выглядит упаковка замороженных булочек

Couple words about Paula Deen “I am as fascinated by the change in her as anybody,” Bobby Deen said. “We never talked about her agoraphobia, but we lived it for years.” I think, we should celebrate her recovery. Life is beautiful!

Recipe from Food Network

Tofu Stir-Fried with Eggplant

2008-10-05T14:22:00.005-05:00

Tofu Stir-Fried with Eggplant

Serves: 4
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 5 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes, 2 finely shopped cloves garlic, 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced, 1 big eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick slices, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, salt and pepper, 2-inch grated fresh ginger, 2 teaspoons sesame seeds.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan or wok until hot, but not smoking. Lower heat to medium-high. Sauté tofu, stirring gently, about 5 minutes, until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Reduce heat to low and swirl in remaining tablespoon oil. Stir in garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Raise heat to medium and stir in eggplant and pepper. Add soy sauce and honey. Stir-fry until soft, about 10 minutes. Add tofu to pan and stir just to reheat tofu.
Note: tofu might be substituted on sliced chicken.

Баклажаны и тофу по-китайски.

На 4 порции.

2 столовые ложки подсолнечного масла, 150 грамм тофу, порезанного на небольшие кубики, 2 зубца мелко нарезанного чеснока, 1 большой красный перец, нарезанный на тонкие полоски, 1 большой баклажан, нарезанный на небольшие кубики, 1/2 чашки соевого соуса, 1 столовая ложка меда, 5 см свеже натертого корня имбиря, 2 чайных ложек семочек сезама, соль и переж по вкусу.

Нагреть 1 столовую ложку масла в китайской сковородке "wok". Уменьшить огонь до среднего. Положить тофу в сковороду и жарить 5 минут. Вынуть из сковороды и положить в тарелку.

Добавить еще 1 столовую ложку масла, чеснок и имбирь. Жарить около 2 минут. Увеличить огонь и добавить баклажан и перец. Полить соевым соусом и медом. Все перемешать и жарить 10 минут. Добавить тофу и жарить еще 1-2 минуты.

Если Вы не любите тофу, то можете использовать кусочки курицы.

Wok - китайская сковородка.

Cleaning Up After the Holidays.

2008-10-04T15:14:00.006-05:00

Here are some good hints & cleaning tips, which might be helpful for you:

Alternative Cleaners and Recipes

Natural Cleaning Recipes

Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things

We need a CHANGE!!!

2008-10-03T18:55:00.000-05:00

Harvest Honey Challah

2008-09-29T16:07:00.007-05:00

Harvest Honey Challah
Dough: 1/2 cup lukewarm water, 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/4 cup honey, 2 large eggs, 3 - 4 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon active dry yeast.
Filling: 2 cups dry cherries (cranberries or dark raisins), 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, fresh zest from 1/2 of lemon, 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Glaze: 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, coarse white sugar, optional
To make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water with a dash of flour and sugar. Combine all ingridients except flour in a food processor. Add yeast mixture, turn on the motor and slowly add flour. Immediately stop adding a flour, when a soft and smooth dough is being formed.

Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 2 hours, or until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk. Punch dough down. Lightly grease a 9" round cake pan that's at least 2" deep. Or grease a 9" or 10" spring form pan.
Preparing filling, thoroughly mix sugar and zest, add cinnamon.
Gently deflate the dough, transfer it to a lightly greased work surface, and flatten it into a rough rectangle, about 8" x 10". Spread cinammon mixture and dry cherries all over the dough. Roll the dough, using the dish towel to help. Take a bench knife or a knife, or even a pair of scissors, and cut the cherries-filled dough into 16 pieces. To achieve this, cut the rolled log horizontally into 2 parts, then cut each part into 8 pieces.Lay the dough chunks into the pan; crowd them so that they all fit in a single layer
Cover the challah gently with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise for about 1 hour, until it's a generous 2" high. It should just crest the rim of a 9" round cake pan. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 325°F. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the dough with the egg mixture, and sprinkle heavily with the coarse sugar, if desired. If you're going to drizzle with honey before serving, omit the sugar.

Place the bread in the lower third of the oven. Bake it for 55 minutes, or until the top is at least light brown all over, with no white spots. Remove the challah from the oven, and after 5 minutes loosen the edges and carefully transfer it to a rack.

Serve the bread hot, warm, or at room temperature. Drizzle with honey just before serving, if desired; or serve with honey for dipping.

Idea for the recipe from King Arthur Harvest Apple Challah

Cook for Rosh Hashanah

2008-09-24T17:03:00.005-05:00

Here are some excellent sites full of recipes and ideas for anyone who wants to celebrate Holidays in STYLE:

NY Times

All recipes

Montreal Gazette

SF Gate

Plus honey-cake recipes I tried:

Walnut Dry Fruits Honey Cake

Applesauce Honey Cake

Happy Holidays! Start holiday baking.

2008-09-23T09:16:00.009-05:00

Health And Happiness For You !
A warm and bright New Year wish for your friends and dear ones.

Honey Carrot Raisin Loaf
This recipe is extra delicious and healthy!
1 cup flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 ground ginger, 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, zest and juice of one medium lemon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup Canola oil, 1/2 cup honey, 2 eggs, 1 cup finely grated carrot, 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350°F.Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch or 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pan.In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, spices, zest and salt. Set aside.In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, zest and juice of lemon and eggs until blended, and then stir the egg mixture into the flour with a rubber spatula.Fold in the grated carrot and raisins.Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool until easy to handle, and turn out onto a cake rack. Frost when completely cool.

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature, 3 TBSP unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 cup powdered sugar
In a bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, combine all the ingredients and beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes.Spread the frosting on the top of the loaf. Place in refrigerator for several hours before serving

Медовик с морковью, изюмом и сливочным кремом

ПРЕДУПРЕЖДАЮ! Это очень вкусно!!!

1 чашка муки, 1/2 чашки сахара, 1 чайная ложка соды, 3/4 чайной ложки разрыхлителя, 1 чайная ложка молотой корицы, 1/4 чайной ложки молотого имбиря, 1/2 чайной ложки молотого мускатного ореха, сок и натертая цедра с одного лимона, 1/4 чайной ложки соли, 1/3 чашки растительного масла, 1/2 чашки меда, 2 яйца, 1 чашка мелко натертой морковки, 1/2 чашки изюма.

Нагреть духовку до 350Ф Приготовить формочки для выпечки "Light bread". Обычно это прямоугольная форма.

В большой посуде смешать муку, сахар, соду и разрыхлитель, специи и соль. В другой посуде смешать масло, мед, лимонный сок и цедру, яйца. Влить смесь в мучную смесь. Добавить морковь и изюм.

Вылить тесто в формочку, поставить в духовку. Печь 50 минут до полной готовности.

Тем временем приготовить медовый сливочный крем.
120 грамм (пол пачки) сливочного сыра "Philadelphia", 3 столовых ложки сливочного масла, 1 столовая ложка меда, 1 чашка сахарной пудры.
Все смешать и взбить миксером в течении 5 минут. Дать постоять и выложить по верху кекса. Поставить в холодильник на несколько часов перед подачей.

Idea for the recipe from Peabody

Honey Raspberry Muffins with streusel topping

2008-09-22T19:30:00.004-05:00

Honey Raspberry Muffins with streusel topping

Yield: 1 dozen.

Here's an universal recipe, which you can use with any berries. Many people used to complain that berries sink to a bottom and create a mushy and soggy texture. I used to place berries on a top of the dough and this way muffin texture is always smooth and elegant.

Dough: 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 egg, 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup butter, melted, 1/4 cup honey

Topping: 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
For muffins, In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk, butter and honey; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Place 3-4 raspberries on a top and sprinkle with topping

For topping, combine sugar and flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle about 1 tablespoon over each muffin.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.
Медовые кексы с малиной и сладкой посыпкой

Это универсальный рецепт, который может попробывать даже начинающая хозяйка. Обычно я кладу ягоды на поверхность жидкого теста. Таким образом, они не утопают в тесте. Мои кексы всегда выглядят элегантно.

Тесто: 2 чашки нуки, 1/2 чашки сахара, 3 чайные ложки разрыхлителя, 1/2 чайной ложки соли, 1 яйцо, 1 чашка молока, 1/4 чашки предварительного распущенного сливочного масла, 1/4 чашки меда.

Посыпка: 1/3 чашки сахара, 1/4 чашки муки, 2 столовые ложки масла или маргарина.

В посуде смешать муку. сахар, разрыхлитель и соль. В другой посуде смешать яйца, молоко. мало и мед. Всыпать мучную массу в жидкость. Все перемешать и заполнить формочку для кексов на 3/4 объема. Наверх положить 3-4 агод свежей малины и посыпать посыпкой.

Посыпка: смешать сахар с мукой. Нарезать масло на мелкие кусочки и перетерь с мукой и сахаром.
Печь при температуре 350Ф 20-25 минут. Вынуть из духовки и подавать теплыми.

Greek Salad with heirloom tomatoes

2008-09-20T14:35:00.006-05:00

Greek Salad with heirloom tomatoes

2-3 cups chopped romaine lettuce, 3 heirloom ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks, 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, 1/2 European seedless cucumber, cut into bite-size chunks, 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chunked, 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chunked, 1 cup Kalamata black olives, Several sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, about 1/2 cup, 2 (1/4 pound) slices imported Greek feta, 1/4 cup (a couple of glugs) extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Coarse salt and black pepper

Combine vegetables, olives, and parsley in a large bowl. Rest sliced feta on the top of salad. Combine oil, lemon juice in a small plastic container with a lid. Shake vigorously to combine oil and lemon juice and pour over salad and cheese. Season with salt and pepper and let the salad marinate until ready to serve.

Serve salad with pita bread blistered and warmed on a hot griddle or grill pan.
Греческий салат с осенними помидорами.

2-3 чашки салатных листьев (romaine lettuce), 3 разноцветных мелко нарезанных томата, 1 маленькая тонко нарезанная кольцами головка красного лука, 1/2 нарезанного огурца, 1 маленький красный перец и 1 маленький зеленый перец порезанные кольцами, 1 чашка черных оливок, около 1/2 чашки мелко нарезанной петрушки, 100-150 грамм греческой брынзы, 1/4 чашки оливкового масла, 1 столовая ложка лимонного сока, соль и перец по вкусу.

Поместить все овощи в салатницу.
Встряхнуть оливковое масло, лимонный сок, соль, перец и полить заправкой салат. Сверху положить фету, порезанную кубиками и посыпать петрушкой и орегано. Оставить салат на 20-30 минут, чтобы овощи немного пропитались заправкой.

Подавать с греческим хлeбом PITA.
Для тех, кто не знает о разноцветных помидорах, пожалуйста, прочитайте в энциклопедии

Roasted Beet Salad with Barley, Feta, and Red Onion

2008-09-19T10:54:00.015-05:00

Roasted Beet Salad with Barley, Feta, and Red Onion
Makes about 5 cups

1 cup dry pearl barley, 4 medium beets, tops removed, 1/2 medium red onion (about 1/2 cup),
1/2 block of feta (about 4 ounces), cut into small squares or crumbled, 4-5 scallions, sliced into fine rounds, 1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper to taste
extra sliced scallions for garnish

My addition: 1/2 cup finely shopped fresh cucumbers (they are in season). I think, 1/2 cup finely chopped pickles woudl be also good.

Heat the oven to 400-degrees.
Loosely wrap the beets in tin foil and roast in the oven until they are just fork tender--30 - 45 minutes. Peel and dice the beets into small cubes.

Meanwhile, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the barley and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the barley is al dente, about 30 minutes. If there is extra liquid in the pot, drain the barley and return it to the pan. Cover with a clean dishtowel until ready to use.
Combine barley, beets, red onion, feta, and scallions in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the lemon juice and olive oil over the top and toss to coat.
Taste the mixture. As needed, add salt 1/4 teaspoon at a time (the feta is really salty!). Pepper to taste. Serve family-style in a large bowl or in individual bowls.

Garnish with extra scallions.
Осенний салат из буряка (красной свеклы), перловки и брынзы.
На 5 порций.

Для русских это необычно, но это вкусно. Обычно мы привыкли к супу с перловкой (шрапнель) и сушеными грибами. Попробуйте этот рецепт.

1 чашка сухой перловой крупы, 4 средних по размеру бурячка, 1/2 головки мелко нарезанного красного лука, 1/2 чашки мелко нарезанной брынзы, 4-5 стручков мелко нарезанного свежего зеленого лука, 1 1/2 столовых ложки лимонного сока, 1 столовая ложка оливкового масла, соль и перец по вкусу.

Я добавила 1/2 средней величины мелко нарезанного свежего огурца. Если у Вас нет свежего огурца, то можно добавить мелко нарезанные соленые огурцы.

Нагреть духовку до 400Ф. Положить свеклу в фольгу и запечь 30-45 минут в духовке. Вынуть ис духовки, остудить, очистить от кожуры. Нарезать на мелкие кусочки.
Пока свекла печется в духовке, сварить перловку. Налить 3 чашки воды в кастрюлю, нагреть до кипения и добавить перловую крупу с 1/2 чайной ложки соли. Варить до готовности, отцедить лишнюю воду. Дать остыть до комнатной температуры.
Перемешать перловку, красный лук, брынзу, буряк, зеленый лук и огурцы. Полить лимонный соком, посолить и поперчить.

Recipe from Source

Cold season is coming

2008-09-19T10:54:00.014-05:00

Let's talk about immune boosters...
I found several reputable articles on Internet.
Here they are:

1. Project Foodie
2. Care2
3. Dr.David Williams
4. Vegetarian Times

Roasted Beet and Cucumber Salad with Ricotta Salata

2008-09-17T15:27:00.004-05:00

Roasted Beet and Cucumber Salad with Ricotta Salata
1 bunch small beets, salt, to taste, extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, freshly ground pepper, to taste, 1 English cucumber, 1 bunch radishes, 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill (or more to taste), Ricotta salata (optional)

Roast the beets: Remove tops and wash beets. Place beets in a roasting pan; sprinkle with salt and olive oil. Add a little water to the pan to prevent beets from sticking. Roast in 350°F oven until beets are easily pierced with a knife. Let cool; peel off the skins and slice into quarter-inch slices. Toss with a little vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Make the cucumber salad: Prepare this at least half an hour before serving to let the vegetables soften. Peel cucumber in alternating strips, cut it in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Slice on the bias into quarter-inch slices. Slice the radishes into thin rounds. Cut the red onion in half and slice it as thin as possible against the grain. As with the beets, toss cucumber, radishes, and onion with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper as well as the dill and mint.
Place beets on the plate, put the cucumber salad on top of the beets, and shave ricotta salata on top.
Салат из огурцов и молодых буряков

2-3 небольших молодых буряка, соль и перец по вкусу, оливковое масло, уксус, 1 большой огурец, несколько небольших редисок, 1/4 чашки тонка нарезанного красного лука, 1 чайная ложка мелко нарезанного укропа, итальянский твердый сыр для салатов (ricotta salata)

1. Помыть буряк, положить на деко, посыпать солью, полить оливковым маслом. Добавить немного воды и поставить в духовку, предварительно нагретую до 350Ф. Запечь буряк до полной готовности. Вынуть, остудить, очистить от кожуры, нарезать на мелкие кусочки. Полить уксусом, оливковым малом, поперчить и посолить. Дать постоять 10 минут.

2. Пока мелко нарезать огурцы и редиску, добавить красный лук. Заправить маслом, солью и перцем. Выложить буряк на тарелку, а сверху положить вторую часть салата. Украсить укропом. Подавать с итальянксим сыром (по желанию)
Дать постоять и перемешать перед подачей.

Original recipe from SeriousEasts