A Pinch of Russia

Pelmeni are a Russian version of meat-filled dumplings. Served hot with a dollop of sour cream during cold days, just like chili in the States. Most people drain and serve them, but i like to leave some water in my bowl so it's more like a soup. Served with sour cream, butter or soy sauce. My sister is adopted from China and she loves my handmade Pelmeni with soy sauce. Prep Time: 1 Hour 30 Min | Cook Time: 30 Min | Total: 2 Hours Serving: 60-70 Pelmenis Ingredients for Dough: 3 Cups of All Purpose Flour 3/4 Cup of Warm Water 2 Eggs 1 tsp of Vegetable Oil 1 tsp of Salt Ingredients for Filling: 1 lb of Turkey Meat Green Onion, chopped 1/2 of White Onion, grated 2-3 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped 1/4 Packet of Onion Recipe Soup & Dip Mix 1/2 Tbsp of Vegeta Other Things You Will Need: Dill, chopped Plastic Wrap Rolling Pin Glass Extra Flour  Instructions for dough: 1) In a large mixing bowl combine eggs, vegetable oil, salt and water; mix well 2) Sift in flour and knead into...

Blini are large, thin crepe-like pancakes. A whole week is dedicated to eating them during a popular Slavic holiday called Maslentitza, right before Easter. Blini are extremely versatile as they can be sweet or savory. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dessert. They should be served warm with a variety of filling such as meat, mushrooms, smoked salmon, caviar, or cottage cheese; however, most Russian prefer them sweet filled with fruit, preservatives, honey, Nutella and condensed milk. My favorite is with condensed milk or preservatives with a glass of milk! Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 Min | Total: 30 Min Serving: 14-17 Blini Ingredients: 2 and 1/2 cups of room temperature milk (pop it in a microwave for 20-30 second) 2 egg 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 Tbsp sugar (if you want them more sweet add another 1/2 Tbsp of sugar) 1 Tbsp of melted butter 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil 1 cup all purpose flour Instructions: 1) In a large bowl whisk two eggs and add milk 2) Then add s...

Olivier Salad is a traditional cold Russian Potato Salad; usually prepared on New Year's Eve, Christmas, Easter or any celebratory occasion. Russian cuisine is knows for it's root vegetables and this salad is exactly that, plus ham and eggs. Every bite is a mixture of different ingredient, chopped into small pieces which delivers fresh flavors. It's like a celebration in your mouth! Prep Time: 15 Min | Cook Time: 25 Min | Total: 40 Min Serving: 4-5 Cups Ingredients: 3 medium Potatoes or 2 large ones, diced  2 medium Carrots, diced  3 Eggs, diced  1 Cucumber, diced 1 Onion, diced  2 or 3 Dill Pickles, diced  3 Green Onion strands, chopped  Small Can of Peas 1/2 cup of Mayonnaise  3/4 lb of cubed Ham or Bologna  Dill, chopped  Salt & Pepper to taste Instructions: 1) Dice potatoes and carrots and cook them together until you can pierce a fork through them but not too soft that it falls apart (20-25 min). Remove from pot and set aside to coo...

Buckwheat or grechka is a grain much like quinoa and rice. The name is deceiving because it does not grow on grasses like wheat. Buckwheat belongs to a group of foods knowns as pseudo-cereals which are seeds/grains that are consumed as hot cereals or can be grinned into flour. Other examples of pseudo-cereals are quinoa, amaranth and chi seeds. Buckwheat is mainly harvested in Russia, China and Central and Eastern Europe. It has become very popular due to its high mineral and antioxidant content, plus it's gluten free! It's a superfood. If you live in Nashville, TN I recommend Aleksey's Market . Regular grocery stores don't usually carry buckwheat so I get mine at our local Russian/Eastern European store.  Prep Time: 5 Min | Cook Time: 20 Min | Total: 25 Min Serving: 2 Cups Ingredients: 1 cup of buckwheat groats 1 and 3/4 cups of water  2 Tbsp of butter 1/2 Tbsp of Salt  Pepper to taste Instructions: Bring water to a boil and add 1/2 Tbsp of salt and 1 tbsp of but...