Blinchiki

Blini are a traditional Russian dish. They are very versatile and can be made either sweet or savory depending on the fillings you choose to use. You can also not use any fillings and just eat them plain!
We made them this morning and had a quick breakfast with honey-filled blinis.
The "dough" mixture for them is VERY watery, but this helps them spread on the pan. It is important that the pan be hot as this allows them to cook better. We don't make these very often, so we are not very good at making them perfectly round, but ideally they are crepe-round bread circles.

Rolled with honey

Watery "dough" mixture

Flipped blin!

Flipped blin!

Cooked blinis

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1-2 tablespoons sugar (more if you want them sweeter)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 cup hot water
3 tablespoons butter
butter for coating the done blinis (optional)

Directions:

1. Whisk together 3 eggs and 1 cup milk, sugar and salt.
2. Add in flour, sift in if possible -this helps to get rid of clumps
3. Add the rest of the milk and mix. The consistency of this dough should be fairly watery. Add 1/2 cup of hot water.
4. Let stand 15-20 minutes.
5. Heat up a pan - a cast iron or a pan that will heat up hotter will work best. Add butter to melt.
6. Using a ladle (we had to use 3 different ones to find the perfect ladle), pour in either half or a full ladle of the dough mixture - depending on your ladle size, swirl pan to coat.
7. Cook until sides start to dry and the bottom turns golden. A good indication to flip, is the blin stops bubbling. Flip, cook until the other side is cooked.
8. Place on a plate and put butter on the top. Stack them up!
9. Eat as is, or roll them up with honey, sour cream, meat, jam, nutella - anything you want!

What we liked:

Quick to make. Fun and delicious. They are light and fluffy and tasty and go with ANYTHING. 

What we didn't like:

We are still getting used to our new pan and we don't make them often enough, so sometimes getting the right dough consistency takes a couple of sample tries of thinning out the dough with hot water. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was too busy to pay attention to them this time, but he LOVES eating them at Babushka's house. 

Next time:

Add a meat filling!

Pork Sliders with Smashed Avocado

These were really good. We did not have slider buns, only kaiser buns, so we made like pork burgers. They were different. Pretty good for what they were. The avocado was really good. We used butter instead of cooking oil when we grilled it and we grilled it on a real grill as we do not have a grill pan.
It's a fairly simple recipe, good for a Saturday lunch. Wouldn't say that it was great - beef burgers are definitely better, but it was fun to try it! We also used a lot more cheese, and just as cheese slices since we were grilling on a real grill anyways.
Here is the original recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pork-sliders-smashed-avocado

Close up!

Ready meat patty with cheese 

Before avocado, lettuce, and tomato were added

Raw meat patties

Ingredients:

4 kaiser rolls, halved 

2 tablespoons butter

12 ounces ground pork

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 thick slices Monterey Jack cheese

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 ripe peeled avocado

1 ripe tomatoe, sliced

4 lettuce leaves

sliced pickles

Directions:

1. Heat a grill to medium-high heat. We used a gas grill

2. Combine pork, parsley, salt, and garlic powder in a medium bowl, gently mixing with hands. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/4 to 1/2-inch-thick patty. Lightly coat both sides of patties with butter - about 1/2 tbsp on each side.

3. Place on grill, cook 4 minutes (per side) on medium high heat on the center grill. Turn patties over; top patties evenly with cheese. Cook 4 minutes.

4. Lightly coat cut sides of buns with butter (not necessary - we didn't do this). Place buns, cut sides down, on grill; cook 1 minute or until lightly toasted.

5. Combine lemon juice and avocado in a bowl; mash avocado with a fork, and stir to combine. Spread avocado mixture evenly over bottom halves of buns. Place 1 patty on each bottom bun. Top each with 1 tomato slice and 1 lettuce leaf. Top with top halves of buns. Serve immediately.

What we liked:

Fairly quick and easy lunch. The avocado was good. Pretty light meal. Nothing really spectacular though.

What we didn't like:

Meat was a little bland. We would spice it more usually.

What Kaspian thought about it:

He just ate the Kaiser bread and pickles. 

Next time:

Spice the pork differently. Parsley was really good with it, but a lot more garlic and onions and black pepper should be added. Perhaps a little bit of cumin would give it a nice little spice.  

Lamb Tajine with Lemon and Olives

This recipe is pretty amazing. The lamb is sooo very soft and tender and all the flavors go together extremely well. The couscous is a perfect complement to the dish.
Here is the original recipe http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lamb-tagine-lemon-olives.
The recipe is pretty perfect as is. Although, Nick is a little bit suspicious of the golden raisins still, but he'll come around if we make it a few more times. None of the flavors are too overpowering by themselves so the dish comes together perfectly. This time, we followed the recipe and removed the lamb from the dutch oven, then re-added, but we think it would be better to not do that. It might be better to just add the onion and all the spices to the lamb.

Plated

Cous Cous

Tajine 

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon paprika, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground roasted cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 lb baby carrots
1/2 cup golden raisins
25 green olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of one lemon
2 cups couscous
4 cups water or chicken stock or a combination (for the cous cous)

Directions:

1. Sprinkle lamb with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add lamb; sauté 5 minutes or until browned.
2. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon red pepper, onion, and next 5 ingredients (through garlic); sauté 2 minutes. Add stock; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 minutes. Stir in carrots and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Partially cover; cook 1 hour. Add raisins and olives. Remove from heat; add cilantro and juice. Serve with couscous.
3. For couscous -bring 4 cups water or chicken stock or combination of both to a boil. Pour in 2 cups of couscous. Turn off heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. 

What we liked:

The wonderful combination of flavors. The meat is super tender.

What we didn't like:

Nothing it's all good, though Nick is still a little suspicious of raisins.

What Kaspian thought about it:

He wasn't too impressed at first. But then he had the idea of couscous + butter, and LOVED it. So, he ate a cup of couscous and a quarter stick of butter with it. 

Next time:

No Change, great as is. 

Dill Steak and Potato Kabobs

This was a super easy recipe to make. We steamed the potatoes - as we have found that is a superior method to cooking them rather than simply boiling them. The meat did not really have much of the marinade/sauce flavor. It just tasted like meat with a little bit of vinegar on it. The dill and red pepper were pretty indistinguishable. The meat itself was really good though, but we were picky about picking out our cut of meat. The potatoes were good, however, next time, we would not add the potatoes to the skewers. Mixing potatoes with olives, fresh rosemary and salt would have yielded a better side. Overall, it was a really nice and simple dinner but there could have been improvements.
Here is the original recipe: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/dill-steak-and-potato-kabobs/

Cooked Skewers close up

Cooked Skewers!

Ready for the grill! 

Close up of uncooked skewers 

Ingredients:

24 oz bag of baby potatoes - variety
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound tri-tip steak or top sirloin steak, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dill seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 medium red onion, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Steam baby potatoes for 15-20 minutes until soft. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss gently to coat.
2. While potatoes are steaming, in a resealable plastic bag, place the steak, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, vinegar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, dill seeds, black pepper, and red pepper. Shake to coat.
3. Alternately thread steak, potatoes, and onion wedges onto long skewers. For charcoal or gas grill, grill the skewers on the rack of a covered grill directly over medium coals for 10 to 12 minutes or until meat is desired doneness, turning occasionally.

What we liked:

It was very simple and easy to make. This recipe required minimum preparations. The meat was excellent.

What we didn't like:

The potatoes should not have been skewered. In fact, a lighter side than potatoes might have been better, maybe beans or rice. We ended up dipping the potatoes in horseradish and mustard as they were also incredibly plain. The meat itself did not seem "dill-y" at all. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

It did not warrant his attention. There was left over mac & cheese from Bonefish last night, and that was way more interesting than our skewers. 

Next time:

Better marinade. Alona loves the lime/chile marinades... yum! Do a different side for this as well. 

King Ranch Chicken and Quinoa Casserole

This recipe looked really appealing with quionoa and rotisserie chicken. It was a little harder to make than expected. The "roasting" of the quinoa in the oven for 14 minutes seemed really un-necessary as it made the quinoa too dry and crunchy. We would avoid that next time.
We substituted bell peppers for poblano peppers as we did not want to make it too spicy.
Overall, this was a pleasant recipe with lots of flavor and quinoa "crunch". It was very different.Here is the original recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/king-ranch-chicken-quinoa-casserole.
We also used more cheese as 3.5 oz really did not seem like enough. Also, we used more quinoa as there was lots of tomato/chile/chicken mixture. This was a good move. And, we also had to use a bigger pan, there was no way that everything was going to fit into an 8 inch square dish.

Plated 

Cooked - you can see how it's a little crispy on top

Before going into the oven

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa
5 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups chopped bell peppers
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 can chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can unsalted fire-roasted tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) mild chopped green chiles frozen or can
2 cups skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast, shredded
1.5 cups cheddar cheese, shredded and divided 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine cooked quinoa and 1 tablespoon oil in a bowl. Spread quinoa on a parchment-lined baking sheet; bake at 400° for 14 minutes. - (NEXT TIME - WE WOULD AVOID THIS STEP!)

3. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil; swirl. Add bell peppers, onion, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in flour, cumin, and chili powder; cook 1 minute. Add stock, salt, tomatoes, and chopped green chiles to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat; stir in chicken. Pour half of chicken mixture into the bottom of a  baking dish; top with half of quinoa mixture and half of the cheese. Repeat layers once with remaining chicken mixture, remaining quinoa, and remaining cheese. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes.

What we liked:

It was very different from what we normally make. The rotisserie chicken was very soft and delicious. The quinoa was also very good. 

What we didn't like:

The top was too crispy. Would not crisp the quinoa in the oven next time. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

Nothing. He was too preoccupied with his bread and butter sandwich. To which he added sour cream. And then dipped it into sour cream. How could any dinner compare to that? He then decided to supplement his dinner with pepperoni. 

Next time:

No crisping of the quinoa. 

Menu Week 7

This week we actually have a plan and recipes picked out.
Here is the plan:

- King Ranch Chicken and Quinoa Casserole (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/king-ranch-chicken-quinoa-casserole)
- Dill Steak and Potato Kabobs (http://www.bhg.com/recipe/dill-steak-and-potato-kabobs/)
- Pork Sliders with Smashed Avocado (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pork-sliders-smashed-avocado)
- Lamb Tajine with Lemon and Olives (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lamb-tagine-lemon-olives)
- Plov

The order may change, but that is the general idea!

Dolma

Dolma is a middle-eastern/turkish dish comprised of grape leaves stuffed with a meat, herb, and rice mixture. It is served with a sauce made of herbs, garlic and sour cream. The sauce should be prepared a couple of hours in advance so the flavors permeate the sour cream. Traditionally, this dish is made with lamb, but can be made with a beef/pork combination or just beef. We just used beef tonight.
It is best to use young grape leaves. We purchased the grape leaves in a jar, and unfortunatelly this jar had various size grape leaves and some of them were very big, resulting in large and non-uniform dolmas. Fresh leaves can also be used, but they will need to be soaked in hot water for 5 to 7 minutes. to make them tender and ready to use. The herbs are best fresh, but when those are not available, dried ones will also do. It is also okay to omit or change the amount of the herbs (basil, parsley, dill, etc)
We used the recipe from here: http://gotovim-doma.ru/view.php?r=771-recept-Dolma-golubtsy-v-vinogradnykh-listiakh The website is in Russian, but there are a lot of great pictures!

Yummy meat inside of the dolma

Served with the sauce

Garlicky Herb Sour Cream

Cooked!

Raw dolma 

meat mixture

Ingredients:

Dolma:
1 jar grape leaves or fresh grape leaves can be used
1 lb ground meat (lamb, or beef + pork mixture) is best
6 tablespoons of arborio rice
1 yellow onion, chopped
small bundle basil
small bundle mint
small bundle of dill
small bundle of cilantro
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 cans beef broth

Sauce:
1 cup sour cream
6 cloves of garlic
basil, cilantro, dill or parsley (we had parsley, the rest we just added dried spices)

Directions:

1. Wash the grape leaves from the jar and cut off the stems at the base of the leaves. Lay the leaves glossy side down. If using fresh leaves, soak them in boiled hot water for 5 to 7 minutes, then drain and remove the stems. Uniform, small, young grape leaves are best. Save any old or torn leaves to line the base of the dutch oven.
2. Add rice to a small sauce pan add water (1 part water - 2 parts rice). Boil. After boiling, cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain. Add to a large bowl
2. Heat up an pan and add butter and oil.
3. Fry the chopped onions until softened. Ad to the large bowl with rice.
4. Chop up the herbs and add to the large bowl with rice and onions.
5. Add the meat to the large bowl.
6. Add cumin, salt and pepper and mix by hand.
8. Line a dutch oven with the old, large, or torn grape leaves.
8. Make a little "sausage" out of the meat mixture and lay it at the base of the grape leaf (glossy side down). Fold the grape leaf, like a burrito, over the meat. Fold the front forward first, then fold the sides in, then roll the meat onto the rest of the grape leaf. Place the dolma into the grape leaf lined dutch oven.
9. Continue with step 7 until you have no more grape leaves or meat. The dolmas can be layered on top of each other.
10. Pour beef broth over the dolmas. Add water to cover.
11. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Cook for 1.5 hours.
12. Let the dolma sit for 10 minutes before serving so they absorb the broth. Serve with sauce!

For the sauce:
1. Mix together chopped garlic, sour cream and herbs and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. 

What we liked:

This is a deliciously spiced version of dolma. All the spices come together for a really great flavor. This is a relatively quick recipe to make and the dolmas turn out really soft and juicy. 

What we didn't like:

The grape leaves from the jar we bought at Talin were old, large, and not uniform :( This resulted in some slight "monster" dolmas this time around. We'll have to make sure to purchase the young grape leaves next time.

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was really into his chicken nuggets tonight after realized he can dip them into sour cream. Yum. He also calls himself the "sourcream monster". 

Next time:

We will try these with lamb and maybe more non-dried herbs.