Whisky Marinated Flank Steak Broiled with Mushrooms & Onions

If you celebrate St. Patrick’s day here is a recipe you will not regret to cook. Tasty and absolutely stress free dish. Very few ingredients are needed and only few minutes takes to prepare it. Please enjoy our second video. I am looking forward to your comments.

Russian Monday: "Kurnik" - Chicken Pie with Mushrooms, Kasha, Eggs & Homemade Chicken Broth

This is not your everyday meal, but rather a very special occasion one. If you have invited dearest friends for dinner or perhaps you’d like to spoil your family with a great dish, this is what you need to cook! It is complicated and time consuming, but it is worth every minute of your time.

Russian Monday: Yellow Split Pea Soup with Smoked Ham Shank - "Gorochovy Soup"

I recall this soup from my childhood, my school and even kindergarten years. Pea soup is very rich, fragrant and delicious. It is also very good in cold weather. The cooking of it is quite simple and fast. 20-25 years ago you could get peas at any store in Russia in few varieties – yellow, green, whole or halves. The halves were especially popular for some reason, they were cheap and in demand.

Pea soup in Germany is practically a national dish and usually is served with smoked pork. Similarly, in Netherlands pea soup is cooked from crushed green peas with pork. Russian version of this soup is cooked with potatoes and served with crackers or toast.

This recipe is my grandma’s – she used to make pea soup with smoked ribs and served it with garlic croutons made in the oven. Fantastically delicious!

Oyster-Corn Chowder & Garlic-Rosemary Biscuits

Nowadays, we think of oysters as a luxury food, but a few centuries ago they where in such bountiful and accessible supply that people actually complained of having to eat too many. Too many oysters - can you imagine?

Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary Marinade & Roasted Vegetables

Lamb leg is considered the choicest cut for roasting, although a boned shoulder or a rack of lamb is also delicious. Legs are usually sold range in weight from 5 to 10 pounds. You may have the leg prepared couple different ways for your cooking. A French way - leg has the shank bone left in and trimmed. An American way - the shank bone is removed, and the meat turned under and either tied or secured with a skewer. If you have trouble carving a leg of lamb, have the shank bone left in, the other bones removed, and the roast rolled and tied. This gives you even slices and presents no trouble at table to the carver.

Baked Acorn Squash with Chestnuts, Mushrooms & Quinoa, also a Story about Horse-Chestnuts!

Halved acorn squash make perfect single-serving bowls. These make a great vegetarian main course for any day, but they're also a festive accompaniment to turkey, chicken or roast duck.

(This post has many beautiful photographs - enjoy them!!!)

Russian Monday: Omelet " po Leningradski" - Omelet with Onion, Tomato, Veal & Fresh Herbs

As you know, I was born and grew up in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad). From my childhood memories I remember most popular breakfast of the time - omelet with onions, tomatoes, any cooked meat and fresh herbs. It was something known to everyone and cooked in great variety of ways. This omelet does not have any “official” name, but I have nicknamed it “po Leningradsky” (“Leningrad omelet”), in honor of my old city. The omelet is fresh, colorful and fulfilling, you can use any leftover cooked meat or cold cuts and it can be done in 15 minutes. It is great breakfast dish in one pan for the whole family. For fresh herbs you can use parsley, dill, cilantro or scallions. Serve it with dark bread toast.

Russian Monday: "Kortofelnaya Zapekanka" - Beef & Potato Сasserole

Recipes using ground meat were very popular when I lived in Russia, probably because ground meat is the kind of ingredient that allows a lot of variety.  Potato casserole with ground meat is the dish used to be cooked by our moms and grandmas. I don’t know the origins of it, but I can say for sure that it is traditional dish of Russian cuisine.

Cauliflower Cake with Flax Seeds

Cauliflower Cake is a very fresh idea for serving your vegetables for dinner. This dish looks impressive on a plate and goes well with any seafood combination or roasted chicken. I really liked it the next day, we had it for breakfast with some avocado slices. If you decide to make it I promise you'll enjoy this rustic cake.

Russian Monday: Chicken Liver Pâté With Red Wine & Cranberry Jelly

History of pâté is rooted in the distant past and many countries contest the right to be named its birthplace, however, by default this right is held by France. In truth, French chefs have simply revived the dish loved by ancient Romans. Interestingly enough, in medieval times, pates were served as feast culmination, and hence were decorated in the most luxurious fashion, often made with “surprise” inside, when live birds could fly out from inside of the dish brought into the feast hall. Often pâtés were cooked wrapped in the layer of dough, like pies. Dough was simply a wrapper and secondary to the stuffing, hence word “pâté” has started being used only for what was inside of such pies.

Braised Rabbit with Mustard - Lapin a La Moutarde

This historically traditional French dish is sure to climb into a top spot on anyone's favorite comfort food list. My own personal experience at BOUCHON had inspired me to bring this amazing dish to life. With simple fresh ingredients, I was able to perfectly compliment the Rabbit's flavors, which always are a welcomed change from our typical everyday sources of protein. Easy to make, without being too fancy, yet fit for every occasion or holiday. Enjoy!

Russian Monday: "Grechnevay Kasha" - Buckwheat with Dried Mushrooms, Pumpkin & Onion

Good hearty buckwheat kasha is a serious matter. It’s a thing in itself crowning the whole of Russian cuisine. It requires a responsible and thorough approach when cooking with it, but the rewards are hundredfold. You will appreciate it when, after one helping of kasha, you will reach out for the second one. Today’s recipe is the old inherited one, from along time ago used in Russia - buckwheat with wild mushrooms.

Russian Monday: "Kartofelnye Zrazy" - Potato Cutlets Stuffed with Mushrooms

Zrazy is a dish of Lithuanian, Belarusian, Polish and Ukrainian cuisines. Word “zrazy” is of polish origin, it means “slices”, “cut pieces” of something. Despite its Polish name, for the first time the dish is mentioned in the Lithuanian historical records of 14th century.

Warm Mediterranean Farro Salad with Mushrooms

Autumn

"When the leaves change hue
The air becomes nice and cool
Fall is upon us"

Cauliflower Soup with Tiny Meatballs & Oregano

This is very simple every day soup, it took me no more then 20 minutes to make it. This time I used all organic ingredients as well as grass-fed ground beef. Healthy food for after school meal. My kids loved it!

Russian Monday: "Pozharsky Cutlets" - Ground Chicken Cutlets with Homemade Breadcrumbs

The Pozharsky cutlets have become a popular dish of the Russian cuisine at the beginning of the19th century. Their name and origin are attributed to prince Pozharsky, one of the noblemen of the time.  Moscow’s crown prince was visiting, and Pozharsky’s favorite veal cutlets were to be served. But as ill luck would have it, no fresh veal was found in any of Pozharsky’s kitchens. To save the day, the prince ordered his chef to prepare the cutlets with chicken. The dish was so much to the liking of the crown prince, that  he asked for its recipe. Since then, these chicken cutlets have spread through the kitchens of the nobility and later on they became popular among ordinary people.

Russian Monday: Vegetarian Borscht

Beet is the main ingredient of this vegetarian borscht, and its flavor and color dominate this well-known soup. It is a classic of both Russia and Poland. Serve this rustic, vegetarian soup before a salad or other light main course. It goes well with whole-wheat bread.

Russian Monday: "Gribnoy Soup" - Mushroom Barley Soup

Mushroom and barley soup is one of my favorite soups since childhood. The only difference between now and then is that years ago the soup had to be made from dried mushrooms. Back then in Russia it was not possible to buy a lot of fresh food during winter time, especially mushrooms. Summer was a busy season for making jams, picking wild berries and mushrooms in a forests. However, to be used throughout the year these had to be dried and frozen.

Stuffed Tomatoes with Black Rice & Basil

In ancient China, Black Rice was known as "Emperor's Rice", and it was reserved exclusively for Chinese Royalty. Loaded with antioxidants, vitamin E and fiber, Black Rice is as versatile as it is delicious. Its slightly sweet, slightly nutty taste, combined with its distinctive dark color, makes it appealing to the eyes and the taste buds. One serving has the same amount of antioxidants as a single serving of cultivated blueberries - without all the sugar. Simple, healthy, delicious - and easy to prepare.

Lamb Soup with Garbanzo Beans & Garlic

This Russian soup made with lamb, and it's substantial and warming - just perfect for taking the edge off a hearty appetite on a cold winter's day. Lamb and garbanzo beans go together so well, they seem to have been made for one another. Thick slices of warm rustic bread would make the perfect accompaniment.