Sea buckthorn punch balances between tangy sourness and sweetness. It is a great drink for when it’s chilly outside.
Frozen sea buckthorns can be bought in Russian shops. They can used to make a quick jam — simly blitz the berries, sieve to filter the seeds out, and mix with sugar. The berries can be used to makea delicious drink and we will share with you 2 recipes.
Sea buckthorn punch- recipe 1
Products
Sea buckthorns — 300 g/10.5 oz
Lemon — 150 g/5.3 oz
Orange —100 gr/3.5 oz
Ginger, fresh root — 20 gr/0.7oz
Ground cardamon — 5 g/0.18 oz
Fresh mint — 10g/0.4 oz
Sugar — 350 g/0.8 oz
Water — 1,7 l/0.4 gallon
Ice (optional)
Method:
Remove the branches and litter from the berries, rinse with boiling water. Crush the sea buckthorn with a mortar.
Wipe through a sieve, then transfer the sea buckthorn cake to a separate pan.\
Squeeze orange juice and lemon juice into sea buckthorn juice – through a sieve so that the seeds do not fall. Cover a glass container with a mixture of juices with foil and put it in the refrigerator.\
Put the remaining pieces of citrus fruits in a saucepan to the sea buckthorn cake. Fill with clean water, put a sprig of mint and send it to the stove to boil.
As soon as bubbles form in the pan, add granulated sugar, ground cardamom. We mix everything.
Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a wide container.
Put a peeled piece of ginger in the strained broth for a couple of minutes. Then we take out the ginger, it is no longer required.
Pour into the hot broth the oblepthorn-citrus juice from the refrigerator.
Stir and pour hot punch (non-alcoholic) into a decanter.
Serve the hot non-alcoholic punch immediately without cooling. If the drink is too hot for you, add a few ice cubes to the glass.
Sea Buckthorn Punch – recipe 2
Products:
Sea buckthorns – 300 g/10.5 oz
Lemon – 1,5 psc
Orange -1.5 psc
Water – 1,5 l/0.3 gallon
Sugar – 250 g/8./8.8 oz
Ginger (root) – 20 g/0.7 oz
Cinnamon (stick) – 1 psc
Anise (star) – 1 psc
Cardamon (ground) – ½ tsp
Method:
Prepare the ingredients for the sea buckthorns punch: the amount of sugar can be change according to your taste, the same goes for the amount of spices.
Firstly we need to prepare the juice. For that we wipe sea buckthorns through a sieve place over a deep pot. We keep the remaining cake.
Add the juice of whole lemon and orange to the sea buckthorn juice. Cut the citrus halves into thin slices – they will be needed to serve the drink.
Remove the pot with juice in the refrigerator for the time being.
Put sugar into a saucepan of a suitable volume, add sea buckthorn cake, leftovers of the orange and lemon, spices and ginger, cut into small pieces.
Fill everything with water and put the pan on medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar completely. Then turn off the fire, tightly cover the pan with a lid and leave to infuse at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
Filter the contents of the pan through the seive. Now citrus skins, cake and spices can be thrown away, and the fragrant broth can be combined with sea buckthorn and citrus juice. Mix everything and serve the sea buckthorn punch warm.
When serving, add a little sea buckthorn berries and slices of orange and lemon to the glasses. By the way, when trying punch for sweetness, you need to take into account that fresh lemon slices will add sourness when serving.
Scrumptious chocolaty Leningradskiy cake is a rectangular cake consisting of 4-5 shortbread cakes soaked in chocolate butter cream “Charlotte” and jam, filled with chocolate icing on top. The sides of the cake are sprinkled with biscuit and nut crumbs. The top is decorated with patterns or inscriptions in white and brown cream. Served after cooling.
The cake got its name after the city of Leningrad, that was the name of St.Petersburg during the USSR time.
Lenigradskiy cake was very popular in the Soviet Union, it was considered the confectionery hallmark of Leningrad.
Leningradsky cake was created during the Soviet era by Victoria Lvovna Tatarskaya,the technologist of the cafe-shop “Nord” (since 1951 “Sever”) in Leningrad on Nevsky Prospekt, 44.
Tushonka is canned braised meat. Hearty food which with a very long shelf live (up to several years). In Soviet Russia it was a part of military ration, and it is now popular among tourists, geologists, archaeologists, mountain-climbers, solders and bachelors. Unlike in Spam or Luncheon meat, it is not pinky substance of processed meats, but rather pulled apart beef, pork – actual meat. It has a distinct flavor of pepper and bay leaf, and these days people sometimes crave this food as a fond memory from the past. Tushonka is present in almost every store and is a source for quick and budget-friendly protein. It can be mixed with potatoes for a lazy dinner or used in a staple dish Makarony po-flotski (Marine pasta).
Valenki is traditional Russian winter footwear. Made of sheep’s wool, these warm felt boots have been worn by generations of Russians in the winter. Valenki are best suited for dry, brisky cold weather. For centuries they shod the feet of peasants and tsars.
Valenki are often worn with rubber galoshes to protect the felt from wetness and to add extra resistance.
Russian valenki date back to the 18th century when the first pair was produced. Mass production of valenki started in the end of the 19th century when factories were opened.
Valenki were the footwear of choice for many Russians, especially for those in rural areas . In valenki, the Russian army stood its ground to victory over Napoleon in 19 century and Hitler’s forces in the 20 century. Even nowadays Valenki are still part of the winter uniform in some parts of Russia. However, popularity of valenki in the 21 century reaches beyond military and rural style – similar to the uggs, valenki is a footwear that makes a strong statement. The rebel fashionistas wear valenki with trendy garments for a look that stands out from the crowd.
Traditional valenki are black, grey or white. Handmade valenki are reputed to be of the highest quality.
How valenki are made:
Traditionally, the Valenki-maker puts a piece of combed wool on the table, and with additional strands on top creates a template. He doesn’t cut it out, or use scissors, needles or thread, just strand over strand.
In the 20th century, improvement in technology allowed manufacturers improve valenki’s water resistance whilst retaining the advantages of the felt. Modern valenki can have a wedge platform or even heels. Valenki are favoured by many parents: children can be warm while skiing, throwing ice-balls or making snowman, having these Russian boots on.
“Dumb as a valenok” saying
The word valenok is a part of an idiom. If somebody calls you a valenok, don’t be flattered. Despite all the wonderful qualities of this Russian boot, valenok means unsophisticated, dumb person, as the footwear itself seems to be very simple and coarse compared to more elegant shoes.
