28. Belarus

Kasha

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups water
•  Salt to taste (I used 3/4 teaspoon)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup toasted buckwheat groats (kasha), preferably medium-cut (cracked)
• 1 egg

• PREPARATION

  1. Combine water, salt, and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it reaches the boil turn off heat and cover.
  2. Meanwhile, beat egg in a medium bowl and add kasha. Mix together until grains are thoroughly and evenly coated.
  3. Transfer to a medium-size, wide, heavy saucepan (I use Analon nonstick), place over high heat and stir egg-coated kasha constantly until grains are dry, smell toasty, and no egg is visible, 2 to 3 minutes. Add just-boiled water, turn heat to very low, cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes for cracked kasha, 30 minutes for whole kasha, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.
  4. Remove lid from pan, place clean dish towel over pan (not touching the grains), and cover tightly. Let sit undisturbed for 10 to 15 minutes. Fluff and serve.

  5. Draniki

  6. • 12 potatoes
     • 1 onion
     • oil
     • salt

     Peel, wash and grate potatoes and the onion (the onion will help you keep grated potatoes from turning brown). Use a grater with small holes. Add salt and mix until a smooth even consistency is obtained.

     Heat the frying pan with vegetable oil. Put a full tablespoon of mixture from the bowl onto the frying pan and form a small pancake. Flip over once browned and crispy - about 2 to 3 minutes each side.

     Serve hot with sour cream.

     Draniki can also be served with soused cowberries, apple and sour cream sauce, onion and sour cream sauce, machanka. Draniki can be stewed in ceramic pots with meat, sausages, mushrooms…

  7. Kotleta Pokrestyansky

     Country: Belarus 
     Course: Main 
     Makes: 4 servings 
     
      
     Ingredients
     • 7 ounces mushrooms, sliced
     • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
     • 1 ounce butter
     • 1/2 cup sherry
     • 1/2 cup chicken or pork stock
     • 1 1/2 tsp corn starch
     • 4 pork chops
     Directions:
  1. Melt half of the butter in a frying pan and add the mushrooms and garlic. Keep stirring until the mushrooms start to shrink and soften.
  2. Add the sherry and the stock and a little salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for five minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, melt the rest of the butter in another pan. Brown the pork chops on both sides, then pour the sauce over the chops.
  4. Cover the pan and cook until the internal temperature of each chop reaches 160 degrees.
  Niamiha Cutlet

  Ingredients Edit

  • 400 g pork or beef
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • fat
  • greens
  • salt

  Directions Edit

  
  

  1. Cut the pork (brisket) into pieces each containing a bit of bone, scrub clean the end of bone, pound the meat, add the salt, pepper and fry.
  2. Separate egg white from the yolk.
  3. Rub the white together with sugar, salt and milk, add flour and whip with a whisk until smooth, then add the whipped white.
  4. Dip the browned cutlet in dough and deep fry.

  Baked Apples with Honey

  Country: Belarus 
  Course: Dessert 
  Makes: 4 servings 
  
   
  

  Ingredients

  • 4 apples
  • 1/2 to 1 cup of honey
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar

  Directions:

  1. Scoop out the core from each apple, leaving the rest of it whole.
  2. Pour honey into the hollows of each apple where the core was.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The texture should resemble the apple slices in a pie.

  Mead
• (Good Eats: Free Range Fruitcake)