Vinegret is a very popular salad in Russia and former USSR countries. In some families it is a popular dish on a celebration tables, but it can brighten up your weekly diet too. The main ingredients are boiled beetroots, carrots and potatoes, with pickled cucumbers and sauerkraut adding to the zingy flavour. To save time, you may boil the veggies in advance, say the evening before.
Variations include adding peas and fresh herbs and substituting onion with green onions. A tip for all the vegetables to preserve their original colours is to first mix beetroot with oil and then add other diced vegetables.
Tip 1. Oil. You should add oil if you are planning to serve the salad straight away. If you are not planning to serve the salad later, bring the diced and mixed vegetables to the fridge (beetroots in a separate bowl) and mix with oil before serving.
Tip 2. Variations. Try adding some mustard to a new flavour/Substitute potatoes with beans/Or bake the veggies instead of boiling them.
Ryazhenka is a Russian-Ukrainian dairy drink similar to yoghurt. It has creamy color and characteristic taste with a caramel twist. Because of its health benefits and lovely taste it is a great drink for children and it is loved by healthy eaters as a dietary product.
Ryazhenka has almost the same nutritional properties as milk but they are better absorbed and digested by human body, especially protein. Rich in calcium and phosphor, this Russian dairy product is more delicate in taste than kefir but higher in calories.
Ryazhenka is cooked from baked milk by adding special souring ferments. Baked milk (топленое молоко) is drink which has a long tradition. It was cooked in Russian villages by leaving a jug of boiled milk in an oven for a day or over night until it is coated with a brown crust. The milk changes its color and taste and gets thicker consistency.
Today, both baked milk and fermented ryazhenka are produced on an industrial scale. However, those who like to experiment can try to cook baked milk at home by pouring the milk that has just boiled into a thermos flask (which is washed with hot boiled water) and leaving for 4-6 hours.
As with pelmeni, the key secret is the meat. Best if you mince it yourself, otherwise get it from a trustworthy butcher or from an organic shop. Fatty pork will make the burgers juicy. You can also pour some water into the minced meat to make it even softer and juicier – leave it for a minute and the meat will absorb it.
Second tip is the seasoning. Finely chopped onion will slightly marinate the meat. Family seasoning tips: crushed bay leaves, some pepper and caraway seeds.
Third tip is an energetic, focused and considerate mixing with your hands (you can wear rubber gloves). The technique is the following: once all the ingredients are mixed in, you take a small portion of the mix and energetically throw it back into the bowl. Be careful not to splatter the meat around – you can place the mix with the minced meat into the bowl.
And finally, and extra touch: once you’ve shaped the meat into the ellipses, you can add a small amount of butter, that will add to the juiciness.
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