From Russia with Love
To cook a meal that should represent the world’s largest nation sounds like an ambitious task to say the least. But here at Kryddhyllan we don’t shy away from challenges, especially when that challenge involves eating (duh). It turns out our host, Margarita of Moscow, doesn’t either. As the ice hockey world cup was playing in the background, we felt more than ready to have our first introduction to the culinary experiences Mother Russia has to offer. So join us, and say привет (Prevyet) as we embark on the trans-Siberian railway of flavour, and bring some водка (Vodka) for the ride!
As with anything Russian, we went big: a full meal and dessert, enough to feed over 6 people. Although some dishes are quite meat-centered, you can easily substitute the meat in the borshch for more veggies, and remove the meat from the russian salad.
Recipes for a Russian feast
Enjoy with: To be a real rushki, vodka is always the answer. If you are not feeling too keen on the liquid of life we suggest some nice red wine, or bubbles (keep it classy!)
Listen to: Some Bi-2, Max Barskikh, Polina Gagarina and Mashina Vremeni - make a playlist of it!
Borscht (or Borshch)
Time: about 1,5 hours
Serves: 6-8 people
Ingredients:
400 g of beef, preferably with bone left
water
3 large potatoes
Half a white cabbage
5 pre-boiled beets
1 tbsp white vinegar
0,5 tbsp sugar
2,5 tbsp salt
Smetana (for serving (greek yoghurt also works))
Instructions:
Rinse the meat and put it in a large pot and cover with water (fill up almost all the way up) and put heat to high. Cover with lid. When the water boils, add about 2 tbsp of salt. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour under a lid
While the meat is cooking, peel and cube the potatoes (about 1x1 cm) and put in cold water
Cut the cabbage into similar sized pieces
Grate the beets on the largest grade of the grater
After the beef has cooked, scrape off the top layer of residue, so that the soup is clear. Taste with additional salt if necessary
Add in the potatoes and bring to a boil, and then let simmer
In a separate pot, add the grated beets and a few ladles of the borscht liquid (to cover the beets). Add sugar, vinegar and salt (about 1 tbsp). Bring to a boil and then lower heat to let it simmer. It should simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Add the cabbage to the soup and let simmer for 5 - 10 minutes.
Turn the heat off for both pots, and as soon as both stop simmering add the beets into the soup
Take out the meat and cut into cubes, and put it back into the soup. Enjoy!
Russian salad
Time: about 30 minutes
Serves: 6-8 people
Ingredients:
3 large potatoes
2 carrots
4 large eggs
Bologna sausage, about 200 g (half of the sausage)
One jar of small pickles
⅓ yellow onion
150 g of mayo
Instructions:
Peel the potatoes and carrots and cut in half and put together in a pot to boil (once it boils add salt)
Boil the eggs separately (they should be hard-boiled)
Cube the sausage, onion and pickles into very small cubes (about 0,5x0,5 cm)
Once the potatoes, carrots and eggs have finished boiling, cube into small pieces and mix together in a large bowl.
Add the mayo and mix everything together - easy peasy!
Grechka (kasha) with mushrooms
Time: about 30 minutes
Serves: 6-8 people
Ingredients:
5 dl of whole grechka (Kasha - a type of buckwheat)
10 dl of water (or twice the amount of grechka)
0,5 tbsp salt
½ yellow onion
250 g mushrooms
2 tbsp butter
Some olive oil
(some more salt)
Instructions:
Put the grechka in a pot with twice the amount of water - bring to a boil. Once boiling, add 0,5 tbsp of salt and cover partly with lid. Lower heat to let simmer for about 30 min
Finely chop the onion and mushrooms
Once the grechka is finished cooking, add in the butter and stir. Set aside with lid
Fry the onion in olive oil until browned (about 5 min), then add the mushrooms. Add some salt according to taste. Fry until mushrooms are browned
Add the mushroom mixture into the grechka, and you’re ready to serve!
Russian carrot cake
Time: about 45 minutes
Serves: 6-8 people
Ingredients:
2.5 carrots, grated (should be about 3 dl)
3 large eggs
2 tbsp sweet cocoa powder (we used O’boy, but Nesquik or similar works)
1,5 dl sugar
3 dl flour
2 tbsp of smetana (or sour cream, or greek/turkish yoghurt)
0,5 tbsp baking soda
A small amount of white vinegar (few drops)
butter
About 70g of condensed milk
Fresh raspberries (for decoration)
Instructions:
Set the oven to 200 degrees C
In a large bowl, crack the eggs and add the sugar. Whisk together (we used an electric hand mixer)
Add the flour, a little bit at a time while whisking
Once all the flour is added, add the smetana and cocoa
Put the baking soda on a large spoon and add a few drops of the vinegar and carefully mix to make it a liquid (it will start to fizz, but this is nothing to worry about, just some awesome chemistry happening!). Add into cake batter
Grate the carrots and whisk into the cake batter
Butter a round baking pan (about 25x25 cm) and pour in the batter. Put in the oven and let bake for about 30 minutes.
Once the cake is baked, take it out of the oven and spread condensed milk over it (while still hot). Once the cake has cooled, add some more condensed milk
Spread raspberries on top, and enjoy!
Interview time
Kryddhyllan: What's your fave food from home?
Margarita: Definitely can’t live without Borsh (obviously)
Kryddhyllan: Why is it your favourite?
Margarita: My grandmother always laughed I’m a borsh-soul. When I was a child I always refused to eat much, but when Borsh was coming on the scene… No doubts I ate it…
Kryddhyllan: What brought you to Sweden?
Margarita: My lovely job…
Kryddhyllan: And do you have any favourite new dishes since moving here?
Margarita: Of course, meatballs and salmon! (easy choice)
Kryddhyllan: What did you know about Swedish food before coming here?
Margarita: Nothing more than IKEA brings to us (the greatest ambassador of Swedish food happens to be a furniture company)
Kryddhyllan: OK, but what do you think is the best and worst thing about Swedish food?
Margarita: Sauces for everything! I love it! The worst – I can only imagine.. I’ve heard about that kind of sandwich with fish which you eat only on the streets, but have never seen it and definitely not ready to try it…
Kryddhyllan: If you had to pick one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Margarita: Potatoes… I mean, I’m Russian
Kryddhyllan: What's your "spice of life"?
Margarita: Hmm… Changes all the time!
Kryddhyllan: What's the best meal you ever had?
Margarita: I cannot choose, I’m food-addicted haha
Kryddhyllan: What is your favourite restaurant at the moment?
Margarita: Have not been in many places so far, but I like Meatballs for the people for Swedish food and Trattorian for meat
