I thought that the Seafood I had there was fantastic.

However, one might want to be careful about the "Atlantic Net-Caught Herring" that comes in cans.
I know in the US there is an occasional thumb or molar found inside frozen Burrito's, but seeing this picture made me swallow hard a couple of times.
I will offer a free trip for two to Las Vegas to anyone who can identify the type of Herring seen in this can. And yes, to qualify for the trip you must also participate in a 5 hour timeshare presentation.

I absolutely love the borscht!
I prefer it without the Sour Creme though...

Man that's some tasty lookin' fish.

I gotta go with pelmeni though. Takes forever to make but it's a quick and tasty meal once it's done and you just have to pop some out of the freezer.

Ira's Mom makes a fantastic potato and chicken meal. Basically it's just sliced potatoes and chicken pieces with onions and spices, drenched in mayonnaise. 30 minutes in the oven.

Palmeni is great too, depending on the brand you get, and the sauce you make

Z

That sounds pretty good actually.


I don't live near any Russian stores, so I don't know about any brands. I make my own. I use about 2/3 beef, 1/3 pork and some garlic salt. For sauce, I just use sour cream. Takes about 4 hours but the resulting batch makes a bunch of future meals.

Three things: for quick and easy, the standard pelmeni, my future mother-in-laws fried fish (cannot remember the variety right now), and Alla's fried potatoes.

Oh, yes, and anytime: Alla's blinis!

I actually cant stand this stuff. Well, that's a bit too harsh maybe. I just dont fancy poor grade meats in watery pasta balls. They have to be the blandest food I've had in Russia. They do not make this stuff because its sooo tasty. No. they make it because its very cheap and will sustain life. Nothing more. Its like frozen raviolis without any nice sauces.

I love most Russian soups. Even the quick stuff. Sasha lives and works in Moscow (well, for one more week, anyway ) and she doesnt have much time for cooking. She's quite metropolitan and eats out when she can. Fortunately her taste for food ventures outside the borders of Russia. We both love all types of Asian food and fresh seafood.

I really enjoy almost all other Russian food, but this pelmeni, they can keep. I like this about as much as a nice slab of cold, hairy pork fat. Mmmm. I'm sure some of you have had this too. I'm not really impressed with Russian seafood. I live on the Chesapeake Bay and am a bit spoiled perhaps.

I like to cook with plenty of fresh herbs and spices and this seems to be nonexistant in Russia. As is good sauces. Though they never have a shortage of ketchups and mayos in jars. Yum.

Stateside I don't know any brands either. But in Ivanovo there were, literally, dozens to choose from. Boil for 10 minutes, and done. Then lightly fry with some garlic, onions, and peas for 5 minutes and you're set. Ira likes to eat them with a spiced tomato and mayonnaise sauce -- or when that's not available, a ketchup and mayonnaise mixture.

Sour cream is an interesting sauce choice. I'll have to try it sometime.

Do you think you can PM me with your specific recipe? I do adore palmeni, but can't find any here in the states. And neither Ira, nor her mom, know how to make it from scratch.

Thanks!

Z

I find it amazing that you've been living in Russia for a while and never used sour cream as a sauce on pilmeni.

I find it SUPER amazing that neither Ira, nor her mom, know how to make pilmeni from scratch.


Are you sure you're not a VJ troll? You're not just posting this to get us worked up, are you?

(Actually, I can believe it since there are many kinds of pilmeni readily available in Russian supermarkets. So, maybe they just never made it themselves, only using the store-bought stuff.)

Honest to goodness! Palmeni, to me, comes in a frozen box, or bag, and goes straight into boiling water, or into hot oil. I haven't seen sour cream once (and I wanted to introduce French Onion Dip to Ira one day and I combed two of the largest grocery stores there) during my time in Ivanovo.

Hehe. And if I got you all worked up, I apologize. Now go find your wife to help work off the extra energy

Z

I like many Russian foods but I have to watch the high fat foods. I had a heart scare last year that turned out OK but now I must diet. Russia is no place to be to watch the fat count.

One issue my wife and i will have to address when she comes to the USA is eating low fat foods. I'm not sure it's actually possible for Russians to understand the concept of low fat low calorie cooking. I'd say most of their food is high fat high calorie...and very tasty as a result.

We'll have to ease in to a new eating lifestyle but I think it will be difficult for both of us.

PS: I love the soups and they do a lot with potatoes in soups. Russian yogurt is very good. And there's always champagne and caviar (red)

I like pretty much every type of Russian Salad that I have tried. I eat things in Russian salads that I would never eat at home. I had a beet salad when I was in St. Pete and I loved it. I would not touch a beet with a 10 meter cattle prod at home.

Wow, I thought knowing how to make pelmeni was a right of passage or something. Bizarre! Here's my pelmeni recipe:

For the dough:

1.5 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients and then let it sit. If you're not used to making dough (and I'm not) then you'll notice it's a sticky, gooey mess. Use plenty of extra flour to coat your rolling surface and pin.

While you're waiting for the dough to set, make the filling:

1 pound of meat. I prefer a mixture of 2/3 beef, 1/3 pork. The pork gives it a really nice flavor.
Salt and pepper to taste
Minced garlic to taste (at least a tbsp, more if you really like garlic)
1 or 2 small onions, diced super fine

Mix the filling ingredients together. Now roll out your dough as thin as you can make it without it tearing. Using 2-inch diameter cookie cutter or a metal shot glass (mine is 2" exactly in diameter), cut out a bunch of circles from your dough. Drop some filling into the middle (not too much or the dough will tear, but not too little or it'll taste too doughy) and then fold the dough in half and pinch the edges closed. Then join the two corners and pinch them together. You'll end up with a little flying saucer shaped pel. Now make about a thousand more of those. I find it easiest to sit them on wax paper, and put them in the freezer. Once they've hardened you can move them to a bag or tupperware or whatever.

When you're ready to eat them, drop them into lightly salted boiling water for about 7-10 minutes. Drain, put in a bowl, and top with salt, pepper, and sour cream. You can also boil them in a chicken broth and eat like a dumpling soup.

Mox, you should have a cooking show.... "cooking with mox" or "mox-imize your diet!" You know, something to that effect.

Hehe...yeah well pelmeni's really the only thing I've got. Unless I could do a cooking show on peanut butter sandwiches, Campbell's soup, lunchables, etc. You think someone'd pay me for that? Because that would be a pretty cool gig.

Mmmm cold, hairy pork fat, with some cold leftover collard greens and three day old bread. Im getting so hungry.

That seems strange to me but it is probably the equivalent to people buying Oscar Meyer Kielbasa (Hey guys this isnt really kielbasa since its not made in Poland) I really like the packages that say Polish Kielbasa like there is some other kind. Thats like calling it German Wienshnitzel

As long as you put Tabasco on it, it's edible.

The fish is a Karpa of course, favored by many Russians, and obvious a surprise bonus to this buyer of canned net caught herring. Actually can't stand Karpa too many small bones and I was always brught up with the thought that carp were a trash fish, but the next time you go bonkers over channel catfish remember what they eat. Myself, Pelmeni with a sweet mustard does the trick, the rest I have no love for although my wife cooks it all the time, although the Russian salad with boiled meat, pickles and onions is tasty.

Agree wholehearedly, but to really appreciate the culinary possiilities of Tabasco you must visit Avery Island, La. and purchase General McIllheney's recipe book for Tabasco. The first thing that hits you on Avery Island is the pungent aroma of Tabasco, your eyes water, you sneeze, and think you have died and gone to heaven.

Whatta you do, work there? Sounds like the promotional video or something.

(Can't wait to go someday! My pastor gave a sermon on Tabasco some 15 years ago, and since then, Avery Island, La. has been on my "to do" list.)

And as far as really appreciating the culinary possibilities of Tabasco, I've eaten many a meal in a foxhole and the only thing making all of them "culinary" was the sweet smell of Avery Island.

There's kind of a running joke around the military when civilians ask what MREs (military food in pouches) taste like, there's only one answer even though there are several different kinds of meals.

"They all taste like Tabasco."

The urban legend is that some Tabasco company exec. a long time ago petitioned the DoD to put the little bottles of Tabasco in the MREs, for FREE! Seems they have a whole dept. that strictly bottles Tabasco in little tiny single-serving bottles strictly for military use. I don't know if the backstory is true, but I can confirm they're in there. And I'm glad they are! Thank you Mr. Tabasco company exec.

Two of the other famous things to put on Pelmeni is:

Butter and black pepper
AND
Vinegar and black pepper

As a fine cuisine option, consider "A-1 Sauce." For discriminating tastes seeking a truly American food accompaniment.

Butter and pepper is good, haven't tried vinegar. Sounds good though. I have no doubt mayo and ketchup are also popular toppings.

I also haven't tried fried pelmeni, but I'm told they're really good fried in butter. (natch!) And of course if you're from south of the Mason-Dixon line you'll probably eventually deep fry them.

I like my pelmini with either soy sauce, mayo, or sour cream depending on mood.

I've A-1'd several bowls of pilmeny in my lifetime. I like to throw it right on top of the sour cream.

I hate russian food and no amount of tabasco could fix it. I've hated it since i was a small child and insisted that my grandparents kept a wide variety of sugary cereals around for my visits. I only eat it when the other choice is no food at all. i am glad that i came to russia at a time when there is more choice in terms of cuisine. I like russian japanese restaurants a lot, and pizza hut is much higher in quality there than in the US. There are a few things i like--borsch, for example--but i wouldn't go out of my way to eat them.

I love all the Russian food that I have tried so far. I must agree Russian food is not a good chioce when you want to watch your weight.
I love Kharcho although it is originally Armenian. When I make it at home, I cook extra spicey with Korean touch. (I'm Korean and my husband is Russian) Also, I love Cabbage with spicy salami which I cannot remember the name in Russian. Anything with Beet, I love it!!
I mostly cook, or try to cook, Russian food from the Russian cook book, or recipe of Russian websites.
Whenever we go to Brooklyn to my in-laws, any food there is great to me! I love Brooklyn Russin food!!

Sounds like you've been hanging out in the wrong forum! Welcome!

Actually, my 44 kg fiancée would tell you this is actually why she's never had a weight problem! Good healthy useful Russian food and no American junk food!

I think the fact that Russian women walk everywhere and don't as a rule eat at restaurants helps keep them in shape. And there are those stairs. I once stayed in a flat on the FIFTH FLOOR with no elevator. Two or three times a day we went down and up those stairs. Great exercise! Especially with bags of food and big jugs of water!

fried pelmeni are awesome
if you fry them, you should make them so fried that they are crispy!!!

about mayo and ketchup or soy on them, i have never heard about that and......it must be only now that Former SU has ketchup or soy, never been there before.

I still feel the pain of our eighth floor flat! Lift was constantly breaking whenever Alla & I returned from shopping with 8 bags of food! And, of course, I did all the carrying as she is "not a horse!"

Have to agree with her. I've seen her picture. She's definitely not a horse.

Nadya's apartment was on the 12th story, there was no lift in the building, and we had to walk up the stairs (even when leaving the building--there were no "down" stairs), through the snow, over the constatine wire, and had to fight off wild dogs who would eat our groceries so we'd have to go shopping again. And that's when she lived in the upscale apartment.

Looks can be deceiving, though. Remember the story I told about her tossing her 100 kilo former husband? There is a lot of power in that little package!

I am not a rep. for the company but have enjoyed morning eggs cooked any way with tabasco for 45 years, even melted butter with tabasco and poured on popcorn. Haven't got up to tabasco on ice cream though. Went to grad school at Tulane. Classmate was a McIllheny descendant and got me a tour. Olafactory overload. I think Marine General McIllheny fought on Guadacanal, and instituted the Tabasco in K-Rats (dates me doesn't it no new fangled MREs back in the day) for Korea in teeny tiny bottles, perhaps even in OD. Write the family a letter thanking them and your desire to do so in person, you'll probably get an invite to the plant, and lunch at the company store. if you have never been to cajun country bring an appetite. You can google search General McIllheney, think his first name was Walter. He lived on Avery Island after service retirement, and was a big game hunter in his spare time. There is a book out on him, and if you read historical fiction, WEB Griffin's series of novels on the Marine Corps gives some mention to him. And Tabasco is sold in Russia at my wife's neighborhood store, all the comforts of home except warm weather.

Pizza Hut in Russia is "fine dining" and a pretty upscale place. (Not the jacket required type, but pretty good... and expensive!)



Anyong. Bulgogi gua kimchi ga mogoshipoyo! Han shik oochin lyublu!

Your home probably sounds a little like ours. We met in Korea and both lived there for a few years each so even though the majority of our conversations are in English, there's several times a day when there's a RussEngKoreRuss sentence used. There are just too many "perfect" words from each language.

Isso/Opso cannot be duplicated in any other language. And I believe Han shik has saved our marriage more than once!

Welcome to the Russia forum. Hope to see you here more often.



So the dancing and chasing kids around has absolutely nothing to do with it?



I think I stayed in that apartment's brother in Moscow. There was a lift in this building but it was more of a cruel joke than an actual lift.



Yet another addition to the story of how the sauce got into the rations. Some day I'm going to have to really get to the bottom of this. (I hope I'm on an island in LA when I do. Cajun country sure has some good eatin!)

According to her, no. Her opinion is the healthy food is responsible for her weight while the dancing and chasing are responsible for her sporty form.

Anyong. Bulgogi gua kimchi ga mogoshipoyo! Han shik oochin lyublu!

Your home probably sounds a little like ours. We met in Korea and both lived there for a few years each so even though the majority of our conversations are in English, there's several times a day when there's a RussEngKoreRuss sentence used. There are just too many "perfect" words from each language.

Isso/Opso cannot be duplicated in any other language. And I believe Han shik has saved our marriage more than once!

Welcome to the Russia forum. Hope to see you here more often.

Oh my goodness!! That is soooooo awesome!!!
My husband now loves any Korean food, especially spicy Food. At the beginning, it was a bit hard because he was not exposed to Korean culture at all. Not many people even knew back then where Korea was.
Regarding the language, we both have lived in States for a decade before we got married, we met in grad school. So we have no problem with English. That's probably the main demotivation of not learning each other's native language. I only know some Russian words so far and I'm trying to learn some nice, useful phrases. The only person who doesn't speak Enlighs is my mother-in-law and at in-laws I'm the only one who doesn't speak Russian. Hopefully, I will lean some useful expressions to score good points to MIL.

I actually found Korean to be 10X easier than Russian. (Not that Russian is super hard, it's just that Korean and Hangul is probably the most simplified language ever. Good job, King Sejong!) But, from a cultural standpoint, a MIL is a MIL. It doesn't matter which culture you're talking about, MILs will always want to see their boys taken care of, eating well and generally happy.

There are some pretty simple phrases in Russian that will get you by with the MIL. One of the most important is definitely -
Oochin f'kusna. (Machisoyo!)

And you can never go wrong with the ever classic -

Nazdroviye! (Kan'bbe!!!!)

Good luck, and remember, trying anything at all shows the effort.

Hey Mox,
I got into the reading of this thread somehow and wanted to share how to make that pelmeni dough less sticky, easier to deal with, and better tasting too:)

You gotta use kefir instead of water; you call it buttermilk here. It goes - 1 kefir cup - 1 egg. So, for a fair amount of pelmeni (50-50) you take
2 cup kefir (buttermilk)
2 eggs
1/2tbs salt
2-2.5 cups flower

The doughg should be nice and soft but not sticky. You still would use lots of flower to roll that dough but it tastes so much better and it doesn't really shrink when you cut it. My sister's mother in law gave me this recipe. It's actually for 'vareniki' - do you guys know them, a bit bigger then pelmeni and usually stuffed with mashed potatoes+mushrooms/farmer cheese/cheeries/etc? But I use them for pelmeni, too; the same thing.

Anyway, I cannot wait to make some of those for my new husband. Got married last Friday ! So, I'm officially the missis now; first time in my life. Cheers,

Masha

Ahhh! I'll have to try that, thank you!


Woot! Congratulations!

Would you suggest roses or daisies? Just kidding Masha!