Category: Main Dishes (Page 16 of 29)
Yeast Pancakes (Russian Oladi)
September 22nd, 2012 in Main Dishes, No-meat by Julia Volhina
Using yeast in batter is pretty common in Russian cuisine. They not only make batter fluffy but gives it a distinctive taste.
Yeast are very picky about temperature: if it is too cold yeast will not start fermenting and if it is too hot yeast will die. Temperature of mixture should be warm and stable.
That is why I usually set my plastic mixing bowl in a cooking pot filled with hot water and I make sure bowl doesn’t touch water so it isn’t too hot to ensure comfortable conditions for yeast to ferment.
Consistency of the oladi batter should be a bit more stiff than kefir. If you fry pancakes and they don’t rise upon frying that may mean the batter is too liquid, to fix it mix in a bit more flour and let batter rise for 10-15 mins before trying again.
Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Basil Sauce
September 15th, 2012 in Main Dishes, No-meat, Sides by Julia Volhina
Cooking spaghetti squash was yet another food-related discovery for me since we arrived to US.
What makes it interesting is spaghetti-like strands of pulp which can be scooped out with a fork after squash is cooked.
That gives so much room for creativity 🙂 . My first attempt was an easy choice: roast spaghetti squash and mix its pulp with simple tomato and basil sauce.
I hope you will like it.
Minced Fish Cutlets with Rice
September 8th, 2012 in Fish, Main Dishes by Julia Volhina
Tender fish cutlets can be prepared of many kinds of fish to your choice (I used tilapia fillets for example).
If fish you are planning on using has bones, they will need to removed before mincing, skin can be kept intact (presuming scales and fins removed as well).
Fish cutlets can be served warm or cooled down, boiled whole potatoes or mash potatoes are good side dish for these, a dash of mayo is a nice addition.
Steaks Marinated in Onion Juice
September 1st, 2012 in Beef, Main Dishes by Julia Volhina
A simple recipe to marinate steaks for a cookout: onion juice tenderizes meat without draining its own juices and no need to clean onions themselves as if you would need to do when marinating meat with chopped onions.
I used only salt and ground black pepper as seasonings this time, but other spices can be used to your taste: bay leaf, allspice, paprika, whole peppercorns, whatever you like.
Any meat cut will work here, more lean meats may require more time for marinating.
Parmesan Chicken with Tomato Basil Sauce
August 25th, 2012 in Chicken, Main Dishes by Julia Volhina
Chicken fried in breadcrumbs and parmesan breading, baked with tomato basil sauce is a perfect dish for the romantic dinner with mediterranean hints in taste.
You can use canned tomatoes instead of fresh to save some time and possible money, but I believe sauce prepared with fresh tomatoes tastes a way better.
Breadcrumbs are also easy to make at home by drying and then crumbling in blender couple of slices of italian bread.
Curry Chicken with Prunes and Dried Apricots
July 28th, 2012 in Chicken, Main Dishes by Julia Volhina
I wasn’t a big fan of curry, until I actually tried it.
Some time ago we discovered a small family owned buffet which serves pakistani food that with no surprise comes with a lot of curry. And I like it a lot, in fact we are lunching there at least once a week.
So I wanted to try to cook with curry myself, and this is a dish I attempted first: creamy chicken with prunes and dried apricots and, of course, curry.
And it turned out great.
Chicken and Feta Stuffed Mushroom Caps
July 21st, 2012 in Appetizers & Snacks, Chicken by Julia Volhina
I saw these gorgeous fresh mushrooms in the store, and it seemed they were asking to be stuffed – clean, big and even sized.
I decided to stuff them with creamy chicken and feta cheese mix dressed with sour cream and a bit of fresh parsley. If this sounds like a good idea to you, try this recipe.
And by the way, it can be served as an appetizer (especially if you use bite size mushroom caps), snack or even main course.