can anyone give me a classic russian recipe?

Well, ok .... but after this, I can retire.

Pirozhki

(pronounced ~ more or less: peer-ojjh- ki ... accent on the second syllable)

they are made of a really nifty dough and baked

Dough

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1/4 lb each cream cheese and butter

and 2 1/2 cups of flour ....

cream the butter and cr. cheese together until light and fluffy then gently mix in the flour in four batches..

note: it is a little bland, which I happen to like since you can 'accessorize' it easily, but you might want to add salt if not using salted butter ... and maybe a touch of spice powder .... like a touch of cumin or coriander powder if using.

you may either:

*** divide the dough into little balls the size of a walnut; gently with hands dipped in cold water & patted dry with paper towels and immediately roll the balls smooth.... keep dipping and drying if your hands are too warm ... and put them in rows onto lightly oiled cling film which has been put on a baking tray or large flat pan ...cover them all with a piece of lightly (!) oiled clingfilm, tuck it in so no air hits them and put into the fridge for about an hour ...(make your filling, meantime)

when ready to fill, take from fridge and bring to room temp. and on a lightly-floured surface roll out each ball into a circle of dough to fill ... put them aside on a flat, clean surface ...

*** dough treatment #2 ... put the dough in one or two flat discs into the fridge, wrapped in *lightly* oiled clingfilm, for about an hour .... when ready to use, bring to room temp. and roll out sections of dough on a f'd surface, cut 3" circles to fill, put aside onto a clean, flat surface until ready to use.....

Filling

*******

the traditional filling is:

minced meat

cooked rice

chopped fresh dill

s&p

(personal comment: aaaargh! I hate dill this way.... but if you like it, be my guest. If not, use another herb or some other thing .. hot green chillies would just rock the boat! --- but, don't do that!)

You also might make up a 'borek' filling which is Lebanese / Armenian but hey, recipes travel these days: make it of two kinds of white cheese, some egg, parsley (blanch it first), and some s&p, and one slightly stronger cheese .... like an aged cheddar or even a parmesan....

be daring, don't let anybody tell you what to do, and do your own thing...

Go ahead, grate some cooked beets on top of a filling like this, I dare you! ( Don't foget the cumin!) ...nag, nag, nag....

or you could spread anchovy paste and some cooked egg yolk on top of a cheese filling .. ... and a little dill weed which would be a take on Koulibiac ..... sort of ...

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the deal is to put filling on one half of the circle and pinch them shut like a half-moon, (brush with a weak egg/milk wash or just milk or whatever....) and maybe poke just one hole for a vent on the tops of each....if you wish, you can brush them with a weak egg wash: if it is too strong, it really does not taste good when baked ... there is something about the heat hitting the egg and you know what burned eggs smell like if you multi-task whilst making breakfast .....uggggh! ...so bake them on a parchment-lined tray or one 'greased' with oil or clarified butter

Pirozhki are used as a snack, hors d'oeuvre or as an accompaniment to a borscht or other soup .... they are also good for picnic fare, lunch boxes, and for bags of goodies to hand out to the poor, if you are so inclined ...and: you can also make them of flaky pastry ...

This dough ~ the cream cheese dough mentioned above ~ also will make a very nice cracker to go with drinks before dinner, with crudites and dip or with pieces of ham and cheese .... and they, being rather 'ambidextrous' (neither sweet or savoury) will also take jam for tea treats...just cut or roll them out into 3" crackers..../// you can use them for a quiche ... and you can put seeds and herbs and grated cheese into the dough ....you could add some sugar and use the dough for a sweet tart ... and I saw a recipe for Lahmejun in one of Paula Wolfert's books using this as the basis (a meat-based pizza pie!) ... also: put two thinly rolled out 3" circles filled with little flat slices of ham and cheese or pate or whatever, crimp shut, brush if you wish and cut a tiny slit in the top ... don't put too much filling.... they should be like filled cookies ...and served for cocktails or put into a lunchbox; cd add parmesan for more nourishment, and seeds for flavor ...caraway, or poppy .. ..as you wish.

***also it will make Russian Tea Cakes

which are the same as Ruglach, which is Jewish fare ..... the Russians simply roll out a rectangle of dough and spread strawberry jam on top and sprinkle a mixture of chopped walnuts and cinnamon sugar, roll the rectangle up lengthwise and cut 1" pieces, put jam side up/down onto a buttered baking sheet or pc. of parchment ...

(For this you could add a few drops of vanilla to the dough and a couple of spoons of sugar)...don't, please don't ask me when is "done" ... you know when "done" is ..... I mean, that size, with that sweet a filling, what could it be? 20 minutes? What temperature. Oh, dear .... 350'F, how about 350'F .... would 350'F do?

Brush them? Oh, ok ... brush them....with uh... some little sugar syrup with a touch of butter and the tiniest amount of vanilla mixed in and sprinkle them with chopped blanched almonds .... and use almonds instead of walnuts in the filling. Can I go now? Oh, no? ..... Jewish people put a lovely lining of rolled-out marzipan onto the dough and then fill with jam and nuts ...they are called Ruglach... and they are about $12.50 a pound. Arf! So, either the Russian or the Jewish version would make a hostess gift ...

One more?

Russian Cream

******************

***heavy cream

***& the same amount in sour cream

sugar & vanilla .... or orange zest, etc ...or almond xt (and garnish with toasted sliced almonds)

***gelatine & a little water

Pour into a mould lightly oiled with flavorless oil or almond oil, chill until set and serve unmoulded onto a plate with the most beautiful pieces of fruit you can find ..... for dessert... if you are on a rapid weight gain diet, serve cookies also ....

Peace & Love

Beef Stroganoff III

have been making this recipe for over 20 years. This can be served over either rice or noodles. A little work but worth the effort."

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds beef chuck roast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 ounces butter

4 green onions, sliced (white parts only)

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef broth

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

1 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup white wine

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Remove any fat and gristle from the roast and cut into strips 1/2 inch thick by 2 inches long. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of both salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and brown the beef strips quickly, then push the beef strips off to one side. Add the onions and cook slowly for 3 to 5 minutes, then push to the side with the beef strips.

Stir the flour into the juices on the empty side of the pan. Pour in beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and stir in mustard. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.

Five minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms, sour cream, and white wine. Heat briefly then salt and pepper to taste.

I'm partly Russian.

Here's a drink:

Russian Cocktail:

3/4 oz vodka

3/4 oz gin

3/4 oz white creme de cacao

Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.

& this is A DELICIOUS meal.

Classic Russian Borscht

2 quarts beef stock

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup cabbage, finely chopped

1 cup potatoes, diced

1/2 cup carrots, diced

1 stalk celery, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes

1/2 cup juice (from can of beets)

1 cup cooked or canned beets, diced

1 teaspoon vinegar

chopped dill or parsley (for garnishing)

sour cream

In a large heavy pan, melt butter and lightly sauté cabbage, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion for approximately 5 minutes. Add beef stock.

Blend canned tomatoes or press through a sieve until fine. Add pureed tomatoes and beet juice to stock. Cover and simmer over low heat until vegetables are firmly tender but not soft.

At this point, add the chopped beets and vinegar. Season well with salt and pepper and remove from heat before the beets begin to lose their color.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of dill or parsley over each bowl.

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