The French might have invented the crepe but it does not mean other countries don't have their own version they think is better. Russian is no different and the traditional hot pancake is called Blini.
Ingredients:
½ cup plain flour (sifted)
2 eggs
2 ½ cups of milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 teaspoon of baking soda (optional if you want a lighter mixture)
Steps:
Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk with the sugar and salt. Combine with the flower and stir in the milk (if mixing by hand add the milk in slowly to avoid lumps). Mix by hand or with a food processor to a smooth consistency. You should have a thin batter at this stage.
Optional – Add the baking soda to make the mixture more light (porous). For the best result, cover your mixing bowl and leave your batter in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest. If the mixture is too thick, add water/milk. If the mixture is too thin, add in flour.
Heat a pan over medium heat and lightly coat the cooking surface with oil or butter. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the batter (or more if you want) onto the pan and spread the batter out evenly. Make it as thin as you can for traditional Blini. Each side should only take about a minute. When bubbles appear in the mixture or the centre of the uncooked side is dry, flip it over to finish it off.
Take your finished blini, butter one side and stack them on a warm plate while you cook the rest of the batch. Serve them by putting jam in the center and folding them. Fold them a second time to make a neat triangle. They are best enjoyed with hot black tea with lemon.
Russian Salads
If you want to prepare a Russian salad, then forget about tossed lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber. Russia is a cold country where energy packed root vegetables such as potato fill the dinner plate. This is a country where an avocado or banana costs more than a bottle of vodka because all tropical fruits have to be imported.
This gives us a traditional Russian salad - a salad with some bite. The salad we will cook for you today is the Dressed Herring Under Fur Salad. If you are use to a delicate vinaigrette, then this salad will put hairs on your chest.
Ingredients:
2 herring (salted)
5 potatoes
4 carrots
4 beets
5 eggs
1 lb mayonnaise
Steps:
Bring a large pot of unsalted to the boil and add the vegetables. Boil until soft, drain and set aside.
Skin the herring and remove any bones. Dice the fish into small cubes about half an inch wide. Take a large serving bowl and spread the herring on the bottom. Cover with a thin layer of mayonnaise.
Take the potatoes and mash them. Do no add butter or milk to the mash. Spread the potato as the second layer and cover with mayonaise. Repeat the process for the beets and 3 of the eggs. Top the dish with the remaining egg and put in the fridge (covered) for one hour before serving.
Source : http://www.articledashboard.com
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