Russian dishes

My favorite part of the Russian cuisine is borscht, and of course dessert. Borscht was made primarily by the poorer peoples because beets were cheap. It was not something that you would serve to royalty or their servants.

Borscht: Takes 3 hours to cook.

Ingredients for eight servings:

3 lbs bone-in beef shank

2 tbsp of vegetable oil

1 chopped onion

6 cups of water

1/2 lb of carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 stalks of celery, also cut into 1 inch pieces

1/3 medium head of cabbage, shredded

1 lb of beets, peeled and shredded

1 cup of tomato juice

1 tbsp of lemon juice

2 tsp of white sugar

2 tsp of salt

1/8 tsp of ground black pepper

Directions: 1) In a large pot over medium heat, brown beef in oil. Stir in onion and water, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 2 hours, until meat is tender. 2) Remove meat from broth and set aside to cool slightly. Stir carrots, celery, cabbage, beets, tomato juice, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper into broth. When meat is cool enough to handle, cut meat from bone and into bite-sized pieces and then return to soup. Simmer until vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Honey Mousse

Ingredients (serves 6 to 8 people):

3/4 cups of honey

4 eggs

1 cup of whipped cream (optional instead of using egg whites)

Directions: 1) Separate the yolks for the whites. Add the yolks to the saucepan and beat, gradually adding in the honey. 2) When completely mixed, cook over a low heat, using a SimmerMat (if available) to control the level of heat. Stir constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and cool. 3) Beat the egg whites, or cream, until stiff and fold into the honey mixture. Mix thoroughly. Spoon the mixture into serving dishes and chill before serving.