Sweet cheese blinzes

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

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

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 kitchen towel.

Heat oven to 350 F

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 cake onto the towel, releasing the cake and wax paper. Apple filling covered by parchment paper on a top. Slowly peel the wax paper and 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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)

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)

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.

Our history

Cheese Kreplach

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

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

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

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.

Ricotta mini cakes

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 cool on sheets for 3 minutes, than remove from the rack to cool completely.

Beat confectioner's sugar and milk together until well blended. Dip tops of cookiеs into glaze 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...

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.