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!
Russian Monday: Yellow Split Pea Soup with Smoked Ham Shank - "Gorochovy Soup"
Carrot & Green Apple Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
Carrots and green apples, both of them crunchy and sweet, are a winning combination in this tangy salad. Serve this salad as an accompaniment to a smoked turkey sandwich or grilled chicken, shrimp or fish. Look for interesting varieties of carrots in different colors, and use a Thin Julienne Slicer to slice them perfect thin strips.
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: Family Dinner - Cornish Hens Under a Brick, Roasted Potato & Cucumber Salad
March can be a very tricky month. One day the sun is shining and birds are singing, but the next day you wake up and find a pile of snow from overnight snowstorm on your doorstep. That is what happened to us a couple of days ago. School was cancelled, train service was suspended and life came to a complete standstill.
Winter Salad with Beans, Potato & Roasted Beets
The beets color this warm winter salad a delightful purple, but if you like to keep colors separate, add the beets last. This salads good on its own as a side dish, or as a base for pan-fried fish or chicken.
Tuna & Potato Fishcakes
These fishcakes are delicious, no matter how many you are going to make they will disappear in front of your eyes. Usually I have a few photographs for a recipe, but today I have only two photos for you, you know why? I have started eating the cakes from my photo shoot-)) They are great for a party, your friends are going to love it. You can make the tuna cakes few hours before the meal, but before serving put them in the oven preheated to 375F for about 10-15 minutes. The fishcakes will be hot and crispy, and ready to be eaten-)) Serve them with tartar sauce or Country Rémoulade sauce.
Potato Gnocchi with Baby Lima Beans
There are few things tastier than light, freshly cooked, fluffy potato gnocchi. The addition of certain spices in combination with other ingredients can elevate this simple foodstuff to heights of gourmet artistry.
Kasha Cakes with Mushroom Sauce
Made from buckwheat, kasha has very nutty taste. Here, it is combined with a fragrant parsley, scallions and carrots, and formed into small cakes. Serving with mushrooms sauce these kasha cakes made an excellent lunch or a tempting appetizer.
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.
Russian Monday: Carrot Salad with Walnuts & Garlic
I would like to present you a simple salad recipe from my own childhood times. There has not ever been a complete holiday table in our house without this salad. I recall myself a little girl helping my mom to peel garlic and chop walnuts, and later, it has become my own dish I cooked preparing for the arrival of guests.
Roasted Cauliflower Bites with Spices, Garlic & Lemon
Roasted Cauliflower Bites are so simple to make, yet your quests will always be impressed by them. They have a wonderful flavor and can be given quite a "kick" too by including the cayenne. The spicy bites are great snack at any time of the day, so don't just make them for parties.
Roasted Rolled Turkey Breast with Garlic & Herbs
We have four people in our family and for us to cook the whole turkey for Thanksgiving is never "too much". But if you would like to cook something different or have decided not to cook the whole bird, here is a time saving substitute. Roasting the breast on its own will ensure moist, tender meat. This recipe gives it a lot of flavor using lemon juice, garlic and fresh herbs.
Black Beluga Lentils Salad with Roasted Pumpkin
Looking for a rustic salad/side to round out your Thanksgiving menu? Black Beluga lentils have a nutty, peppery flavor and a firm texture that holds up well to cooking. Delicate in taste and size, Black Beluga lentils are named for their caviar-like appearance. This flavorful salad can make a delicious accompaniment to a simple roasted turkey. Black Beluga lentils with roasted pumpkin salad shows off bold tastes, textures and colors.
Russian Monday: Buttery Potatoes with Garlic & Fresh Herbs
Potato is a relative newcomer in Russian cuisine. It has started to occupy a regular spot on the dining table from the early 19th century, while prior to that turnips have been used in the same capacity, served boiled, mashed with butter or sour cream, fried, baked and used as side to various dishes.
Start of potato growing in Russia is usually attributed to Peter the Great. Unconfirmed historical myth mentions Peter the Great tasting potatoes for the first time while in Holland during one of this European travels. Impressed by the value of the new food item, he sends a sack of potatoes back to St. Petersburg, addressed to Count Sheremetev. However, proof of such royal parcel existence is lacking, but nevertheless, even if it was true, this would have been only one of the potato pathways into Russia.
Russian Monday: Roasted Marrow Bones on Toast with Onion-Capers Salad
Every ethnic Russian has an opinion about this drink, but let’s not rush with naming vodka a “national drink”, since it has been introduced in Russia by foreigners. The only justification for the term “national” is the level of this drink consumption. Usually opinions about vodka differ drastically – some people like it and some can’t stand it. There is a view out there that vodka is a rough drink not suitable for ladies and it has to be drunk in one gulp after getting it freezing cold. Unfortunately, this view is quite wide-spread, but it is nevertheless completely wrong.
Tomato Soup with Meatballs, Carrots & Parmesan Cheese
What is the better way to persuade picky children or uneasy adults to eat a healthy portion of vegetables than to make a superb soup? Tomato soup is an old favorite, but it can be made special by an addition of fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. Sweet tender carrots find their moment of glory in this scrumptious dish. Deliciously smooth texture of the soup and rustic meatballs makes it very desirable.
Russian Monday: "Solyanka" - Rustic Potato Soup with Smoked Meat & Olives
Solyanka (pronounced “so-lyan-ka”), a Russian word which can be translated as “grab-bag” or “hodgepodge” is the name of the dish symbolic in Russian cuisine known far beyond Russia. As a matter of fact, knowing the name of this dish is enough never to go hungry if you are a foreigner visiting Russia. For the first time “solyanka” is mentioned in the Russian literature of the 15th century and by the 18th century it is widespread and referred by two names – “solyanka” and “pohmelka” (“pokh-mel-ka”), which meant a greasy and very hearty soup served as snack with vodka or served as an entrée. Nobility, however, did not accept this dish at all, considering it a sign of bad taste and only commoners and poor people loved it, since it was very filling and warming while being a good source to replenish energy after a whole day of hard labor. Solyanka also helped common people to drink without actually getting drunk.
Avocado-Egg Salad & Poached Salmon Sandwich
Succulent poached salmon and eggs combined with creamy avocado, sautéed onions and fresh basil makes a substantial sandwich. The ingredients all blend together perfectly to create a gourmet-tasting experience. This sandwich takes a little work to prepare, but is not short on taste. It can be served warm or chilled.
Flounder with Grapes, Raisins & Marsala Wine
The inspiration for this recipe came from South African cuisine, where they tent to marry fish with fruit a lot. The sweetness of the fruit is offset by sharpness of the balsamic vinegar. This is a really light, well-balanced dish, which tastes particularly fine when served with an arugula salad.
Rustic Beef Tomato & Carrots Chili - NO Beans
This is certainly a simple and interesting dish, it looks like a chili, though a bit unusual. This sort of chili is normally not made with beans. Basically what you have is a bowl of meat, carrots and spices in tomato sauce. But you can serve it different ways.
When you serve it "two way", the sauce comes on a pile of spaghetti. When you serve it "three way", you add some grated cheese. A "four way" adds chopped yellow onions and a "five way" adds some sour cream. You can have great fun with this and I am sure that your children will think up some additional "ways" of serving this delicious dish.
