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42 recipes

Cocido quemadoBurnt sugar mate drink

Cocido is how Paraguay starts the day: in Asunción, in the villages of Guairá and Itapúa, and in school kitchens, a pot of burnt yerba is brewed and poured into cups with chipa, the cheesy cassava bread, or with a hard galleta. The old way is to drop a glowing piece of charcoal into a pot with yerba and sugar and stir until the sugar burns. On a home stove you caramelise them together in a dry pan instead, which is safer and gives the same smoky, toffee-like taste. The drink is clear amber-brown, with roasted, slightly bitter mate notes over burnt-sugar sweetness; with milk added it becomes cocido con leche, creamy and coffee-coloured. Yerba mate contains caffeine, so treat it like a cup of coffee. The common mistake is letting the sugar go black: it turns acrid and bitter. Pull it off the heat when the caramel is deep amber and the yerba smells toasted, not burnt. It is ready when the liquid is a clear dark amber and tastes of toffee and smoke. Chef's tip: the water will spit fiercely when it hits the hot caramel, so pour it in from the side, at arm's length.

14 minParaguayanDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Morcilla dulceSweet blood sausage with walnuts

No Uruguayan parrilla is complete without morcilla dulce: a soft pork blood sausage sweetened with sugar and scented with orange peel, studded with walnuts and raisins, grilled until the skin crisps and served first, as part of the achuras, while the beef is still cooking. It is pork throughout: pork blood, pork back fat and natural pork casings. Making it at home is a project. Buy fresh pork blood with an anticoagulant added from a butcher who supplies it for sausage making, keep it chilled below 4 °C and use it within a day. The common mistake is poaching at a rolling boil, which bursts the casings. Chef's tip: keep the water at 80–85 °C, just shivering, and prick a sausage after 25 minutes: it is done when brown, not red, juice comes out.

120 minParaguayanMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ivan-chai (fireweed tea)

Long before Chinese tea reached ordinary villages, peasants around Koporye near St Petersburg, and on through Karelia and the Arkhangelsk forests, were rolling and fermenting the leaves of fireweed, the tall pink-flowered plant that floods clearings every July. Ivan-chai is having a revival now, sold in paper bags at markets and drunk at the dacha in the evening from the samovar, because it has no caffeine and will not keep anyone awake. It brews to a clear amber with a soft, slightly fruity, honey-and-dried-apple taste and almost no bitterness. Granular kinds taste deeper, leaf kinds more floral. The common mistake is brewing it for two or three minutes like black tea; it needs a full 10 minutes in a warmed pot to open up, and it never turns bitter if you leave it longer. It is ready when the liquid is a deep golden-amber and smells of honey and dried fruit. It is traditionally drunk as a calming evening tea; if you are pregnant or on regular medication, check with a doctor before drinking it daily. Chef's tip: the same leaves give a second, lighter pot; just top up with fresh hot water and wait another 10 minutes.

13 minRussianDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Oblepikha tea (sea buckthorn tea)

Sea buckthorn grows wild along the rivers of Altai and the Baikal shore, and by October its thorny branches are crowded with tiny orange berries. Siberians freeze them by the bucketful, and all winter a glass teapot of oblepikha tea glows on café tables from Irkutsk to Moscow, ordered after skiing or against the dark afternoons. The taste is sharp and tropical, somewhere between passion fruit, pineapple and lemon, with a faint oily richness from the berries, softened by honey and warmed by ginger. The common mistake is pouring boiling water straight onto the honey and berries: it dulls the fruit, makes the honey taste flat and can turn the tea bitter. Let the kettle settle for a couple of minutes first. It is ready when the tea is a cloudy sunset orange, smells of citrus and ginger and the berries have released their juice. Outside Russia, look for frozen sea buckthorn in Eastern European or Nordic shops, or use unsweetened sea buckthorn purée. Chef's tip: crush a big batch of berries with honey, keep it in a jar in the fridge for a week, and spoon it into mugs whenever you want a cup.

13 minRussianDrinksGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

BusecaTripe and white bean stew

Buseca arrived in Montevideo with Italian immigrants from Lombardy and became a classic winter dish of Uruguayan bodegones and family kitchens, eaten on cold June and July days. Honeycomb tripe is simmered until tender, then stewed with white beans, pork chorizo, bacon, peppers, tomato and paprika into a thick, warming stew served with crusty bread. Buy tripe that is already cleaned and blanched (dressed). The usual mistake is undercooking the tripe: it needs a full 2 hours, until it's soft enough to cut with a spoon. Slow-cooker option: after step 4, cook on low for 8 hours. Chef's tip: a little grated lemon zest and parsley stirred in at the end lifts the rich, gelatinous sauce.

185 minParaguayanMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kefir

Kefir is the sour, lightly fizzy fermented milk that families across Russia, Georgia and the North Caucasus drink plain from a glass at breakfast, as an evening snack or alongside a meal, and also use in pancakes and cold soups. It is made by leaving milk with kefir grains, a living culture of yeasts and bacteria, at room temperature for a day until it thickens. Nothing is added: no salt and no sugar. About 0.25 g salt per 250 ml glass, all from the milk itself. Always use pasteurised milk. The usual mistake is leaving it too long, until it separates into curds and whey; check after 18 hours and stop when it is just thick and pourable. Chef's tip: a second ferment of 6 hours in the fridge in a closed bottle makes it smoother and a little fizzier.

1445 minRussianDrinksGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

TereréIced yerba mate

In Asunción the hottest part of the day stops for tereré: a horn or cup packed with yerba mate, topped up again and again with ice water infused with crushed herbs, and passed round the group through a metal straw. It was recognised by UNESCO as part of Paraguay's cultural heritage, and the herbs (yuyos) change with the season and the drinker's mood. Yerba mate contains caffeine, so it isn't one for small children. The common mistake is pouring water straight into loose yerba, which then clogs the straw; tilt the yerba to one side first. Chef's tip: for tereré ruso, swap the water for cold orange or grapefruit juice.

10 minParaguayanDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Postre MassiniCustard sponge with burnt sugar top

Montevideo's birthday cake of choice since the early twentieth century, the Massini is two thin layers of sponge sandwiching a thick filling of whipped cream folded with egg-yolk custard, crowned with a thin glassy crust of torched yolk and sugar. Bakeries across Uruguay sell it on Sundays. Traditional versions sometimes add a sweet fortified wine to the custard; this one is alcohol-free. The custard is cooked to a safe 71 °C. The common mistake is assembling with warm custard, which melts the cream into a puddle. Chef's tip: if you don't have a blowtorch, put the sugared top under a very hot grill for a minute and watch it closely.

80 minParaguayanBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Berezovy sok (birch sap)

For two or three weeks at the end of March and into April, while there is still snow under the trees and before the buds open, the birches around Moscow, Tver, Vologda and across the north start to run. Families tap a few trees at the dacha and drink the sap straight from the jar: clear, cold, very faintly sweet, tasting of rainwater and fresh wood. Because it spoils within two or three days, villagers bottled the rest with sugar, raisins and lemon zest, letting it ferment slightly into a sparkling drink that kept into early summer; like any ferment it makes a trace of alcohol, well under 1% if drunk young. Only tap with the owner's permission, choose trees thicker than 20 cm, drill one small hole and plug it with a wooden peg afterwards so the tree heals. The common mistake is sealing the bottles tight at warm room temperature, which can make them burst; keep them cool and open the caps daily. The bottled sap is ready when the raisins float, a ring of fine bubbles forms on top and it tastes gently sparkling. Chef's tip: drink the first glass straight from the tree; it is never quite as good again.

15 minRussianDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KartofdzhynPotato and cheese pie

Ossetian pies come in threes at every celebration in Vladikavkaz, stacked on one plate for the sun, earth and water, and kartofdzhyn, with potato and cheese, is the everyday family favourite of North Ossetia. Soft kefir-yeast dough is wrapped around a ball of filling and patted flat by hand into a wide, thin round, so dough and filling are each barely a centimetre thick, then baked hot and soaked with butter. Ossetian cheese is a fresh brined cheese made with animal rennet; for a vegetarian pie use a feta-style or young brined cheese labelled vegetarian. The usual slip is overfilling, which makes the pie burst as you flatten it; aim for about the same weight of dough and filling. Chef's tip: stack the hot pies and butter each one, so the butter soaks through and they stay supple.

90 minRussianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KholodetsMeat jelly

Kholodets is winter food, made in big batches before New Year and Orthodox Christmas when the cold balcony doubles as a fridge. Pork trotters and beef shin are simmered for hours until the broth is rich enough to set on its own, no added setting agent; the meat is shredded, layered with garlic and covered with the strained stock to set into a trembling, clear jelly. It is eaten cold, cut into squares, with sharp horseradish and mustard and hot boiled potatoes. This dish uses pork (trotters and knuckle) as well as beef. Where most people go wrong is letting the pot boil hard, which makes the jelly cloudy and greasy. Chef's tip: spoon a little broth onto a cold saucer after 5 hours; if it sets firm in the fridge in 15 minutes, the stock is ready.

480 minRussianMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KhupluBeef, lamb and potato pie

The Chuvash people of the middle Volga bake khuplu for harvest festivals and to welcome guests: one large, round, closed pie with a thin yeast crust and a deep filling of diced meat, potato and onion, traditionally with a little vent on top and a ring of dough to decorate it. Cut at the table, it spills meaty juice into the potatoes, and it is eaten warm with a glass of cold buttermilk or a bowl of soup. The usual slip is under-baking; a pie this deep needs well over an hour and a thermometer check. Chef's tip: lay the potatoes at the bottom and the meat on top, so the potatoes drink the juices and the base does not go soggy.

150 minRussianMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KoryushkaFried smelt

When the ice breaks on the Neva in April and May, St Petersburg goes mad for koryushka, small silvery smelt that famously smell of fresh cucumber. Stalls sell them by the kilo, the city holds a smelt festival, and every cafe fries them by the plateful. Dusted in flour and fried in hot sunflower oil, they come out golden and crunchy outside, sweet and tender inside, eaten with fingers, soft bones and all, with lemon and boiled potatoes with dill. A common mistake is crowding the pan, which drops the oil temperature and leaves the fish soggy; fry in small batches. Fish is done when the flesh is opaque and flakes easily from the backbone. Frozen smelt or sprats work out of season. Chef's tip: rye flour gives a darker, nuttier crust, a favourite in Petersburg homes.

25 minRussianFish
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KulebyakaSalmon and rice pie

Merchant feasts in old Moscow were judged by their kulebyaka, a long, plaited-top pie cut at the table to show neat stripes of filling, and it still appears at name days, Easter and New Year. Under a golden yeast crust sit layers of dill-scented rice, chopped egg, buttery mushrooms and pink salmon, each one seasoned separately. Slices are eaten warm with melted butter or a cup of clear fish broth. The usual slip is assembling with warm, wet fillings, which steam the base into a soggy mess; cool everything and keep the rice and mushrooms fairly dry. Bake until the salmon at the centre is opaque and reads at least 63 °C. Chef's tip: lay a thin pancake or a sheet of cooked rice under the fish; old cooks used blini as a sponge for the juices.

150 minRussianFish
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KulichEaster yeast bread

Easter Saturday queues outside Russian churches are full of baskets holding a tall kulich, a few dyed eggs and a pot of paskha, all waiting for the priest's blessing; the bread is then cut in rounds at breakfast after the night service. The crumb is rich with butter and yolks, scented with cardamom, vanilla and lemon zest and dotted with raisins and candied orange, under a white cap of icing and coloured sprinkles. Many families plump the raisins in rum; here they soak in hot tea, so the loaves are alcohol-free. The usual slip is underbaking: the tall tops brown early, so tent them with foil and test with a long skewer. Chef's tip: cool the baked loaves lying on their sides on a folded towel, turning now and then, so the soft crowns do not sink.

300 minRussianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KurzeLamb dumplings in broth

Every mountain people of Dagestan, Avars, Laks and Dargins among them, has its own kurze, but all share the beautiful plaited seam that runs along each teardrop dumpling like a braid. The lamb filling is chopped with plenty of onion and a little fat, then the dumplings are boiled and served in their broth with a sharp garlic and tomato dressing. In mountain villages they are made in big batches for guests, and in summer the same dough is filled with pumpkin or young nettles. The usual slip is overfilling, which makes the pleats burst in the pot. Chef's tip: practise the plait on a few pieces without filling first; once your fingers know the rhythm it goes quickly.

105 minRussianMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mochenaya brusnikaSoaked lingonberries

In Siberian and northern villages a barrel of lingonberries standing in water was the winter larder, ladled out to sit beside roast game or meat, a plate of potatoes and mushrooms, or a bowl of porridge. The tart ruby berries keep thanks to their own natural acidity and only a light syrup; after a few weeks they turn faintly fizzy, sweet-sour and refreshing, and the pink liquid is drunk cold as a drink. This is a fridge version: cooled spiced syrup is poured over clean berries in a jar, which then waits three to four weeks before opening. A common mistake is pouring the syrup on hot, which cooks the berries so they burst and turn dull. Chef's tip: frozen lingonberries work well too, and an apple cut in wedges and tucked into the jar soaks up the flavour and is a treat of its own.

20 minRussianBasicsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Myaso po-frantsuzskiPork, onion and cheese bake

Despite the name, nobody in France would recognise "French-style meat": it is a Soviet celebration bake, made for New Year's Eve and 8 March from whatever a family could find, and it still fills oven trays across Russia every holiday. Thin slices of pork loin are layered with onion and potato, spread with mayonnaise and covered in grated cheese, then baked until the top is golden and the meat tender. It is rich, savoury and a little indulgent; serve it with a crisp salad or pickles to cut through. A common mistake is leaving the pork thick, which keeps it chewy while the cheese burns; beat it thin. Check the pork reaches at least 63 °C and rest it 5 minutes. Chef's tip: mix half sour cream into the mayonnaise for a lighter, tangier sauce.

65 minRussianMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pirog s kapustoiCabbage pie

Sunday baking in a Russian village house often meant a long rectangular pie like this, cut into thick slabs and carried warm to the table with a bowl of soup or a glass of kefir. Soft milk dough wraps white cabbage braised slowly in butter with onion until sweet and pale gold, folded through chopped hard-boiled egg and dill. Leftover slices are just as good cold the next day, which is why it ends up in lunch boxes and on train journeys. Where most people go wrong is a wet filling that steams the crust soggy from inside: cook the cabbage until the pan is dry and let it cool completely. Chef's tip: brush the hot crust with butter and cover it with a clean tea towel for ten minutes, so the top softens the way Russian grandmothers like it.

145 minRussianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

RasstegaiOpen fish pies

Merchant taverns in old Moscow and St Petersburg served these boat-shaped little pies alongside a bowl of ukha, and the waiter would spoon hot fish broth through the open top at the table. A soft, buttery yeast dough wraps chopped salmon, white fish, rice and soft onion; the top stays open, so the filling bakes juicy while the rim turns glossy and brown. Eat them warm with a cup of clear fish soup or simply with strong tea. Where most people go wrong is pinching the opening too wide: the filling dries out and the broth runs straight through. Chef's tip: cut the fish into 1 cm dice rather than mincing it, so each bite stays flaky and you can see the pink and white through the hole.

150 minRussianFish
by KrazyBadal 0 views

SbitenHot honey and spice drink

Long before tea reached Russia, street sellers wrapped in shawls carried copper urns of sbiten through winter markets, pouring steaming glasses of spiced honey water for traders and coachmen. It comes back every Maslenitsa at fairs in Moscow and Suzdal, drunk beside blini. The taste is warming and sweet, with the bite of ginger, a bitter edge of bay and clove, and a resinous note from St John's wort or mint. Where most people go wrong is boiling the honey hard, which dulls its perfume; simmer the spices first and dissolve the honey off the boil. Honey should not be given to babies under one year old. Chef's tip: make the spiced base ahead and keep it in the fridge, then reheat a glass at a time and finish with a squeeze of lemon.

25 minRussianDrinksGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

ShangiPotato and sour cream buns

From the Urals across to Siberia, shangi turn up on Sunday breakfast tables, at village markets and in the lunch bags of fishermen and hunters. They are flat rounds of soft yeast dough topped, not filled, with a thick swirl of buttery mashed potato beaten with egg, then brushed with sour cream so the top bakes into golden, slightly crisp peaks. Eat them warm with tea, milk or a bowl of mushroom soup. Older northern versions used barley dough or a millet topping, and sweet shangi carry tvorog instead. The usual slip is spreading the potato right to the edge; leave a rim so the dough rises around it like a frame. Chef's tip: brush the baked shangi with melted butter and stack them in a covered pot for ten minutes, which keeps them soft the way Siberians like them.

115 minRussianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kissel

Kissel is the drink of Russian childhoods: a glass of silky, ruby-red berry juice, just thick enough to coat the tongue, poured warm at kindergarten lunch or cold in summer from a jug on the dacha veranda. It is also the old Maslenitsa and wake-table drink, and frozen berries make it possible all year. The flavour is sweet-sharp and fresh, the texture smooth and slightly jelly-like. A common mistake is adding the starch mixture to boiling liquid and letting it bubble for minutes; bring it just back to a simmer, then take it off, or it thins out again and can turn gluey. More starch makes a spoonable dessert kissel. Chef's tip: lay cling film or sprinkle a little sugar on the surface as it cools to stop a skin forming.

20 minRussianDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tula pryanikStamped honey-spice cake

Tula, a few hours south of Moscow, has pressed these slabs in carved wooden boards since the seventeenth century, and a pryanik stamped with the town's crest or a samovar is still the souvenir every visitor carries home. It is made from a cooked dough: honey, sugar and butter are warmed with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and clove, then flour is beaten in, giving a dense, soft and fragrant cake. A layer of thick plum jam runs through the middle and a thin sugar glaze sets white and crisp on top. Cut it into fingers and serve with black tea. The usual slip is a runny jam that leaks from the seams, so use a stiff jam or cook it down first. Chef's tip: wrap the glazed cake and leave it overnight; it softens and the spice deepens, which is why Tula bakers never sell it warm.

85 minRussianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

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