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 Tatiana 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...

Preserving vegetables and fruits is an ancient Russian tradition and is still very popular. Nothing can compare with home-made pickled mushrooms and cucumbers. And who never tried grandmother's gooseberry preserve has lost a truly delicious joy of life!
You can ask your Anastasia Web Tatiana from Rostov-na-Donu to make some pickles for you! We are sure she has stored up some old grandmother's recipes.

Ingredients:
4,4 lb little cucumbers
2 tb vinegar 9%
2 tb sugar
100 g salt
water
horse-radish
dill
garlic
pepper
leaves of black current

Cucumbers are pickled in large jars. You can use little ones, it's more comfortable to open them. Clean cucumbers well and put them in cold water for 5-10 hours. Sterilize the jars in the boiling water for 20 minutes. Put a leaf of horse-radish, dill and few cloves of garlic, pepper and couple of black current leaves on the bottom of the jar. Put the cucumbers up to the top. Pour hot water in the jar. Let it cool down for about 10-15 minutes. Pour off this water into a pan, add salt, sugar and boil it again. After boiling add vinegar and let liquid boil for 2-3 minutes. Sterilize the covers in the boiling water for 15 minutes. Pour hot liquid into the jar to the brim. Close the jars with covers. Turn the jar upside down. Cover them with a warm blanket. Leave them for 4-6 hours. If the jars are still warm, let them cool down. Place them in a cool place and keep for months.

Russian pancakes

Have a taste of Anastasia Web Tatiana'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.