Help! I've recently become a vegetarian, and everything I cook is
disgusting. I used to be a fairly good cook "by intuition" - but my
intuition is all wrong when it comes to veggies, and things taste like
glop. Can someone recommend a nice, simple, Russian recipe for a main
dish? Something hot and filling.

Thanks in advance,

LM

In article >,
(Larisa) writes:
....
Can someone recommend a nice, simple, Russian recipe for a main
|> dish? Something hot and filling.


Here is a whole Russian menu:


Borscht:

Finely shred:
1/2 head small green cabbage
4 peeled beets
1 onion
1 carrot

Heat a little oil in frying pan, add 1 bay leaf, a few whole cloves,
and several peppercorns. Add the vegetables and saute a few minutes.
Transfer to cooking pot and add equal amounts of tomato juice and
apple cider to cover the vegetables. Simmer 30-40 minutes. Now add
lemon juice or vinegar until the broth is distinctly tart, balanced
by the sweetness of the cider. Add salt to taste. Serve with
horseradish and (if you're lacto-veg) nonfat yogurt.


Kasha Varnishkas:

Mix toasted whole buckwheat kernels with a little beaten egg (if you're
ovo-veg). Heat this in a dry skillet and stir constantly until grains
are dry and separate. Add some good vegetable broth to just barely
cover the buckwheat; bring to boil, cover and keep on low for 15-20
minutes. Don't overcook or it'll get mushy.

While the kasha is cooking: boil up an equal amount of bow-tie pasta.
Look in the kosher section of the store for farfel pasta which is a
toasted pasta product, but if you can't find that use regular
bow-tie pasta.

While the pasta and kasha are cooking slice some onions and mushrooms
and saute these in a little butter. Drain the pasta, fluff up the kasha,
and mix everything together. Add plenty of fresh ground black pepper.
Note: if you use the farfel pasta you can cook it with the kasha since it
cooks in about the same time. Just add proportionally more liquid.

Potatoes:

Peel, dice, and boil Russet or Yellow Finn potatoes just until tender.
Drain. Mash potatoes just until they hold together; mix in one pressed
garlic clove (roasted if fresh is too strong). Serve with a pitcher of
warm cultured buttermilk and minced scallions.


Rye crackers:

Mix coarse rye flour with some whole wheat flour, 2/3 rye 1/3 wheat. Add
1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 Tbsp. honey per cup of flour.
Stir in cultured buttermilk until you have a very stiff dough. Pat out on
a non-stick baking sheet to 1/2 inch thickness (dough will be very sticky
flour your hands well). Sprinkle with caraway seeds (optional). Prick all
over with a fork and bake in 400 degree oven until browned.

On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 14:20:54 GMT, (Larisa)
wrote:

>Help! I've recently become a vegetarian, and everything I cook is
>disgusting. I used to be a fairly good cook "by intuition" - but my
>intuition is all wrong when it comes to veggies, and things taste like
>glop. Can someone recommend a nice, simple, Russian recipe for a main
>dish? Something hot and filling.
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>LM

Try a veg/vegan stroganoff:

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons butter or polyunsaturated margarine
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 teaspoons basil
1 1/2 pounds firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons tamari
4 tightly-packed cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 quarts water
1 pound dry noodles
1 cup sour cream or vegan-type soy sour cream
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large, deep, heavy-bottomed skillet.
Add onions, garlic, dill weed, and basil and saute for about 5
minutes, then add tofu and continue to cook on medium heat, stirring
gently occasionally, until tofu browns nicely. Add tamari. Then add
mushrooms, salt, and cayenne. Lower heat, stir, and cook another 5
minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Cook noodles until tender but
not mushy. Drain and return to pot. Toss noodles with 1 tablespoon
butter to prevent sticking.

3. Add sour cream and parsley to mushroom mixture and mix well.

4. Place noodles in a pretty serving bowl, then spoon stroganoff on
top. Garnish with a sprig of fresh parsley.

Serves 4.

On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 14:20:54 GMT, (Larisa)
wrote:

>Help! I've recently become a vegetarian, and everything I cook is
>disgusting. I used to be a fairly good cook "by intuition" - but my
>intuition is all wrong when it comes to veggies, and things taste like
>glop. Can someone recommend a nice, simple, Russian recipe for a main
>dish? Something hot and filling.
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>LM

Try a veg/vegan stroganoff:

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons butter or polyunsaturated margarine
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 teaspoons basil
1 1/2 pounds firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons tamari
4 tightly-packed cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 quarts water
1 pound dry noodles
1 cup sour cream or vegan-type soy sour cream
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large, deep, heavy-bottomed skillet.
Add onions, garlic, dill weed, and basil and saute for about 5
minutes, then add tofu and continue to cook on medium heat, stirring
gently occasionally, until tofu browns nicely. Add tamari. Then add
mushrooms, salt, and cayenne. Lower heat, stir, and cook another 5
minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Cook noodles until tender but
not mushy. Drain and return to pot. Toss noodles with 1 tablespoon
butter to prevent sticking.

3. Add sour cream and parsley to mushroom mixture and mix well.

4. Place noodles in a pretty serving bowl, then spoon stroganoff on
top. Garnish with a sprig of fresh parsley.

Serves 4.