Sauerkraut and Meat Soup

The Russians have a soup meal at least once a day. Shchi, borsch, rassolnik, botvinia, ukha, okroshka, solianka and many others 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 shchi? Nothing can warm your heart and stomach better than this traditional soup meal. Ask Anastasia Web Alena to make it for you!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb breast beef
1/2 lb breast pork
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups sauerkraut
1/2 cup sour cream
1 carrot
1 parsley
2 onions
2 potatoes
3 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp dill
8 black pepper corns

Pour the beef and ham with boiling water, add an onion, potatoes and a part of roots (whole), boil for 1.5 hours until the meat is half-ready. Then add the sauerkraut and chopped onion, the rest of the roots cut in strips and continue to boil for 1 hour.

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 Alena from Voronezh 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 Alena'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.