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 Olga 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...

Cabbage rolls with millet

Golubtsy, or cabbage rolls with millet, is a traditional and very laborious Russian dish. It takes a lot of patience and skills to make it. However, we are sure your sweet Anastasia Web Olga from Samara will succeed in pleasing you with the perfect golubtsy!

Ingredients:
4 3/8 lb cabbage
1 c millet
1 ? oz salt pork
2 carrots
1 onion
2 tb flour
4 tb tomato paste
8 tb sour cream
2 tb butter
2 c water or broth
hot peppers
salt to taste

Pour boiling water over a head of cabbage with the stem removed. Separate leaves from head and trim the veins. Dice the onions and carrots fine and saut? until the onions are starting to brown. Wash the millet well, cover with water and bring to a boil. Strain and combine with chopped salt pork, carrot/onion mixture peppers, salt and the raw eggs. Mix thoroughly with hands, then place portions of the mixture onto the cabbage leaves, roll tightly and tuck in the ends. As you finish rolling the cabbage rolls, put them into a Dutch oven, and add the sour cream dressing, boil thoroughly strain, salt and serve.
Sour cream dressing: brown the flour in the butter. Add tomato paste and sour cream and some of the broth from the millet.
Alternative: put cabbage rolls in a large baking pan, make the sour cream dressing without thinning it, cover the rolls and bake at 325 F for about an hour.

Traditional Russian beverages are kvas, sbiten, med, mors, voditsa and many others.
In the good old times when Soviet people had no idea about Coca-cola, they drank refreshing and delicious home-made kvas.
Anastasia Web Olga from Samara can give you the picture of what it tasted like.

Ingredients:
1 cup boiling water
1 cup rye flour
1 ts sugar
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 pkg dry granular yeast (7g)
4 quarts boiled water, cooled to lukewarm

Pour boiling water over the flour and stir briskly until smooth. Cool to lukewarm. Dissolve the sugar in the lukewarm water, sprinkle the yeast over it, and let stand for 10 minutes. Combine the cooled batter, cover and let it rise until light and double in bulk. Stir in 4 quarts of boiled water, cooled to lukewarm. Cover and let it stand in a warm place for 3-4 days. When liquid is clear and tastes mildly sour, pour it off carefully with disturbing the sediment. Cover and keep in the refrigerator.