What are some really good french and russian dishes?!
Answers: i'm really into experimenting with food. i love to cook and am always in the mood for something new. my favorite things to cook are italian, mediterranean, english, and irish. my father is irish, and my mother was half french, half russian. i was raised by my dad, so i know all my irish meals, but i was hoping to get in touch with the other side as well. any help on this would be great! thank you!
Coq au Vin
(French chicken braised in wine)
INGREDIENTS
Chicken cut into serving pieces 3 lbs
Flour 1/3 cup
Salt & pepper to season
Butter 2 Tbsp
Oil 1 Tbsp
Bacon or salt pork rinsed, chopped 2 pieces
Pearl onions peeled 2 cups
Mushrooms chopped 2 cups
Cognac or brandy (opt.) 1/4 cup
Red Wine 3 cups
Garlic crushed 3 cloves
Sugar 2 tsp
Bay leaf 1 each
Thyme, fresh or dried crushed 1 Tbsp or 1 tsp
Rosemary 1 small sprig
Parsley minced 1 Tbsp
Nutmeg (opt.) pinch
Salt & pepper to taste
Butter 2 Tbsp
METHOD
Basic Steps: Brown → Sauté → Simmer → Reduce → Finish with Butter
Dry the chicken pieces off with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour and shake off the excess.
In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat the butter and oil over medium flame. Add the bacon and sauté till cooked through. Add the onions and cook till lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and cook down about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove all to a bowl and reserve.
Add a little more oil to the pot and brown the chicken pieces on all sides, one small batch at a time.
Add all chicken back to the pot. Pour in the cognac or brandy and cook down (flame it off if you like). Add the red wine, garlic, sugar, herbs, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on low heat 1 hour.
Stir in the bacon-onion-mushroom mixture and simmer 30 minutes more. Skim off excess fat.
Remove all the ingredients from the sauce to a large serving bowl. If needed, turn the heat to medium-high and reduce the sauce down some. Remove sauce from heat and stir in the final 2 Tbsp of butter. Season to taste.
Pour sauce over chicken and serve.
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Go??bki-Golubtsy
(Polish, Russian stuffed cabbage rolls)
INGREDIENTS
Cabbage, green core removed 1 head
Oil or butter 2 Tbsp
Onion minced 1 each
Beef ground 1/2 lb
Pork ground 1/2 lb
Veal ground 1/2 lb
Rice 1 cup
Egg beaten 1 each
Thyme, fresh or dried 1 Tbsp or 2 tsp
Salt & pepper to taste
Tomato sauce 2 cups
Stock or water 1 cup
Salt & pepper to taste
METHOD
Basic Steps: Blanch → Mix → Stuff → Braise
Blanch the whole cabbage in boiling water, removing leaves carefully from the outside as they wilt; you'll need about 10. Run the leaves under cold water. Trim or pound the large vein on the back of each leaf to make it flush with the surface of the leaf.
Sauté the onion in the oil or butter till translucent, but not browned.
In a large bowl, mix the onion together well with the meat, rice, egg and seasonings.
Lay a cabbage leaf out, veined side down, and put about 2-3 tablespoons of meat filling in the middle. Fold the bottom of the leaf up over the filling, then fold each side in. Roll the leaf up loosely over the filling like an eggroll. Complete with rest of leaves till filling is used up.
Mix the tomato sauce, stock or water, and salt and pepper together. Place about 1/4 cup on the bottom of a casserole dish. Place all of the cabbage rolls, seam side down, tightly in the dish. Pour rest of sauce over the rolls.
Bake, covered, in a 350° oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add water or stock as needed to keep from drying out (rice will soak up liquid as it cooks).
Serve topped with a little sour cream.
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