The Russians have a soup meal at least once a day. Schi, borsch, rassolnik, botvinia, ukha, okroshka and solianka has been a peculiarity of Russia since ancient times. Soups can be made on meat, fish, mushroom, vegetables or milk stocks.

How about a plate of Russian borstch? Nothing can warm your heart and stomach better than this traditional soup meal.
Ask Anastasia Web Aliona to make it for you!

Ingredients:
3/1/2 c canned tomatoes
5 or 6 med. size potatoes cut in halves
1 large carrot cut fine
1 small peeled beet
black pepper & salt to taste
1 small onion chopped butter
4 c shredded cabbage
¾ c sweet cream
½ c fresh green pepper chopped
2 tb fresh or dried dill
1 celery chopped fine
2/1/2 qts water
1/1/2 c diced potatoes

Put water to boil in large kettle. Add 1/2 c canned tomatoes. Drop in boiling water 5 or 6 med. size potatoes, chopped carrot and the beet. Add 3 tb butter in frying pan. When melted add chopped onion, cook tender but do not brown. Add 3 c canned tomatoes and let simmer with onion and butter until a thick sauce. Into a separate frying pan put 2-3 tb butter to melt. Add 2 c shredded cabbage and fry. Cook tender but do not brown. Shred another 2 c to add later to the borstch. When potatoes are tender remove them to a bowl. Add 2 tb butter, mash well, then add ? c sweet cream and mix well and set aside.
Add 1/1/2 c diced potatoes to the stock and the remainder of the shredded cabbage. When diced potatoes are tender, add the onion-tomato-sauce, then add the cooked cabbage, and the potato-cream mixture. Add 3 tb butter to the borstch. Stir well.
Add fresh chopped fine green pepper. Add 3 tb fresh or dried dill. Remove beet, one hour later after borstch is ready.
Borstch is ready to serve. Serve with chopped garlic in your soup bowl and a fresh piece of bread and butter. Yummy, enjoy...

Small pies filled with minced meat

Are you hungry? Have you had dinner yet? Wanna try Russian pelmeni?
Anastasia Web assures you Aliona from Tver makes them so yummy!

Pelmeni came to Russian cuisine from Siberia; the name is translated "bread ear" from the Komi language.

Ingredients:
Dough:
2 c flour
1 c milk or water
1/2 ts salt
1 tb vegetable oil
3 eggs

Mincemeat:
250 g beef
250 g pork
1 onion
salt and pepper to taste

Grind beef and pork in the meat chopper. Add chopped onion, salt and pepper. Mix flour with eggs, salt and oil until soft dough forms. Knead on floured surface until the dough is elastic. Take some dough and make a "sausage" out of it (1 inch in diameter). Divide into pieces (1 inch thick). Roll each piece so that they are 1/16 inch thick. With the help of a cup (2 inches in diameter) make rounds on the dough. Fill each round with 1 teaspoon of the mincemeat, fold into half-moons. Pinch edges together and connect the opposite sides. Pelmeni can be frozen to be cooked later, or cooked immediately. To cook pelmeni, boil a lot of water, as they can stick to each other. Drop pelmeni into boiling salted water. Stir them from time to time. Boil for 20 minutes. Pelmeni are served with butter, sour cream or vinegar, ketchup.

Russian pancakes

Have a taste of Anastasia Web Aliona's special - true Russian bliny!

Ingredients:
4.5 glasses (7 cups) flour
4 glasses (4 1/2 cups) milk
25 g (1 1/2 tbsps) yeast
25 g (1 1/2 tbsps) butter
100 g (1/2 cup) cream
2 eggs, 2 tsps sugar
1 tsp salt

Dissolve half the flour, the yeast and butter in milk and let it rise. Beat up the dough, add the rest of the flour, salt and egg yolks ground with sugar. Beat again, add the beaten egg whites and cream, let the dough rest and then begin to bake.