Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas Food!

Have a drink... courtesy of our English Café Christmas Party!

In the spirit of our English Café Christmas Party we hosted on Saturday, Dec. 21, I am posting several of the drinks and foods we prepared.  I don't have many pictures from the preparation process, since I was pretty busy trying to make a lot of food for the party.  So I tried to find some pictures on the internet to show you approximately what I did.  Hopefully everything will make sense for you.  And I hope you are able to enjoy some of them over these holidays!

Egg Nog

Egg nog is a favorite of many Americans over the Christmas holidays.  There are, of course, many recipes and varieties of Egg nog.  Some use alcohol, some do not.  This recipe does not use alcohol, since I don't care for the taste and the burning sensation as it goes down my throat.  This recipe should yield 6-8 cups of egg nog, depending on how much you consider a "cup".  ;-)

Ingredients:
6 Eggs
1 L Cold milk
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/3 cup Heavy cream (сливка 20%)
1 packet (3 g) Vanilla (ванилин)
1 pinch Nutmeg
1 pinch Salt

Put it all in a 2L blender and mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds.  I poured two batches of this recipe into a large glass bowl and used a ladle to serve it to guests.  It is best served cold, which is against Russian tradition of drinking warm or hot liquids.  Some like it with a cinnamon stick in the glass.  Some like it with whipped cream on top.  Experiment to see what you like, and enjoy!  :o)

Hot Apple Cider (Rebecca's recipe)

Based on the fact that this was drunk as fast as the egg nog says it was a popular drink at the Christmas party as well!  It's also a very popular drink in America during the winter months.  Since Fall comes later where we live, apple harvest also comes later than in Russia.  And since there are so many apples available early in winter, they are generally used in many recipes during the holidays.  Apple pies, applesauce, apple cider, caramel apples, and apple butter are all traditional apple-based foods.  Since this one is a hot drink, it's not a secret why our Russian friends seemed to enjoy it so much.  :-)


Ingredients:
2 L  Apple Juice
2L  Water
Cinammon Sticks (корица) - the more you use, the stronger the cinnamon flavor
Cloves (гвоздики) - again, the more you use, the stronger clove flavor


Simply put it all in a big pot and heat!  The longer it simmers on the stove, the better your apartment smells... its a wonderful, natural air freshener!  :-)

Saucy September!

Tomato-based Sauce

When we lived in America, we had a family tradition of having a "Pizza and Movie Night" every weekend.  We would buy a cheap pizza or two from the local Pizza restaurant and watch a movie with the kids.  Everyone loves pizza in our home... sometimes more than the movie!  So when we decided to move to Russia, we wanted to find a way to continue that tradition.

A few weeks after we first arrived in Ekaterinburg, we were walking around the КИТ shopping mall.  Like most malls, there was a small food court where several dining options were available.  I was overjoyed to see a sign that said "American Hot Pizza!"  I immediately thought "Yes!  American pizza in Ekaterinburg!  This is great!"  Unfortunately, as I forced down my first piece, I quickly realized that the Russian idea of "American pizza" involved a mayonnaise or ketchup-based sauce, a very light sprinkle of cheese (something other than mozzarella), and a healthy dose of dill seasoning.  My friends, this is NOT American hot pizza!  It wasn't even hot pizza... :-P

Today I will share with you MY recipe for Pizza Sauce.  Although I don't like to brag, I am happy to allow my children to brag for me!  :-)  They say that the pizza I make in Russia is the best they ever had!  You can't argue with kids... especially my kids... because if you do, I'll beat you up.  So just trust them when they say that my pizza is good.  And the backbone of a great tasting pizza is the sauce.  But do you know what's especially awesome about this recipe?  You can also use it for Spaghetti Sauce too!  And once you make the spaghetti sauce, you can use it in other Italian food recipes like Lasagna, Calzones, Manicotti, etc.  It may be a simple recipe, but it opens the doors to many, many more delicious ideas! 

Ingredients (Pizza Sauce):
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Medium onion - chopped
1 Can tomato paste (380 g)
3 Cups water
2 Tablespoons Parsley
4 Tablespoons Flour
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 teaspoon Garlic
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Basil

Step 1:  Heat a pot over medium high heat.  Add the oil and chopped onion.  Saute until the onion is soft and translucent. 
*Note: If you prefer, you can also add about 2-3 minced garlic cloves with the onion instead of using garlic powder later.















Step 2: Add the tomato paste and water.  Stir until it is well combined.
















Step 3: Mix the dry spices together (Parsley, Flour, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Oregano). 
*Note: it is important to mix the dry spices together before adding them to the tomato sauce!  If you add them individually, the flour has a difficult time dissolving in the water-based sauce.  It often creates unexpected "flavor bursts" of dry flour in your mouth.  Ick!















Step 4: Gradually add the mixture of spices to the pot of tomato sauce, stirring continuously.  Simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes to allow the seasonings to blend together.  The sauce will thicken as it cools.

This recipe makes enough sauce for approximately three pizzas (2 cups per pizza).  Of course, I like more sauce on my pizza than I have traditionally seen in Russian pizza restaurants.  So you might be able to make four portions using less sauce.  Since the sauce freezes well, I often double the recipe and freeze 5 or 6 portions at a time.  A little extra work when I make the sauce allows me to be lazier in the future!  ;-)

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Ingredients (Spaghetti Sauce):           
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion - chopped
1 Green Pepper - chopped
(Optional) 2 Carrots (or other vegetables) - chopped
0.5 kg Hamburger
1 Can tomato paste (380 g)
3 Cups water
2 Tablespoons Parsley
4 Tablespoons Flour
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 teaspoon Garlic
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Basil

As you can see, the spices are identical for the spaghetti sauce.  The only major differences in the two recipes are the additions of chopped vegetables and hamburger.  You can adjust the ingredients according to your tastes.  If you want a healthier sauce, don't add the hamburger and do add more vegetables.  If you want a more manly, filling sauce, add more hamburger or add ground pork (свиной фарш).  Feel free to experiment and make this recipe your own!

Step 1:  Heat a pot over medium high heat.  Add the oil, chopped onion, green pepper, and any other chopped vegetables you wish to add.  Saute until the vegetables are tender. 
*Note: If you prefer, you can also add about 2-3 minced garlic cloves with the onion instead of using garlic powder later.

Step 2:  Add the hamburger and cook thoroughly until it is no longer pink.  Drain the excess fat from the pot.

Step 3: Add the tomato paste and water.  Stir until it is well combined.

Step 4: Mix the dry spices together (Parsley, Flour, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Oregano).  Gradually add the mixture of spices to the pot of tomato/meat sauce.  Stir continuously as you do so.  Simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes to allow the seasonings to blend together.

This recipe makes enough for one family of 6 (two adults and four children) with a little left over.  It is just enough for one entire 500g package of prepared spaghetti noodles.  I like to double the recipe and freeze half the sauce for a later day.  Do you remember why?  That's right!  So I can be lazier in the future!  :-D

I hope you enjoy your new recipes!  Good luck to you this week as you cook like an Italian-American in Ekaterinburg! 

Cinnamon Rolls!

                                     













When I started to learn how to cook as a child, the first things I baked were desserts!  What else would motivate a young boy to spend an hour in the kitchen instead of playing outside on a warm sunny day?!  So, in order to motivate you, I  decided to post a delicious, sweet dessert for my first recipe on this blog.

Cinnamon rolls have been a particular favorite for many of my friends in the city, especially my good friend Slava Grin.  You've never seen a bigger smile on a man than when I show up to church with a tray or two of these sweet treats!  Though they have often been compared to Cinabon's classic cinnamon rolls, I assure you it doesn't take a professional to make.  Be warned, however, that these are very sweet!  They are NOT breakfast rolls.  They are really best suited as a dessert.

INGREDIENTS:
1 kg Bag of pre-prepared dough with yeast
100 g Butter (softened)
4 oz. (or 1/2 cup) Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

1 Bag (250 g) of powdered sugar
75 g Butter (softened)
2 Tablespoons Milk
1 package (3 g) of Vanilla

MAKING THE ROLLS:
Step 1 - Roll out the dough on a floured surface until you make a rectangle approximately 1 ft. x 2 ft. ( 30 cm x 60 cm) in size.  Spread the softened butter all over the dough.
















Step 2 - Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, then sprinkle over the buttered surface of the dough.

Step 3 - Roll the dough into a long cylinder.

Step 4 - Cut the cylinder into approximately 15 equal slices.  Set them upright in a buttered 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Step 6 - Cover the rolls with foil and allow them to rise.  They will expand and fill the baking dish.  When I use them as a dessert in the evening, I allow them to rise at room temperature for approximately 2 - 3 hours before baking them.  When I take them to church in the morning, I allow them to rise in the refrigerator overnight.

Step 6 - Pre-heat the oven to 175 C.  Uncover the rolls and bake them (on a lower rack in the oven) for approximately 30-40 minutes.  When you can press down on the rolls and they spring back up, they are done.  If the rolls begin to get too brown, cover them with foil and finish baking.

MAKING THE BUTTER-CREAM ICING:
While the rolls are baking, mix together the powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla with a fork or spoon.  When the rolls are done, allow them to cool for about 30 minutes.  Then spread the icing over the warm rolls, and allow it to melt over the top. 

**Serve warm for best taste (in my opinion).

Notes about Icing:

The quality of powdered sugar varies greatly by brand.  None of the different brands seem to behave like powdered sugar in America when you make icing.  Fortunately, when making icing for cinnamon rolls, it doesn't really matter which brand you use, because it will melt over the rolls anyway. 

For other desserts, like cakes and cookies, I suggest the "Parfe" brand of powdered sugar.  I have seen it only in Zvozdny's near our apartment, though I haven't really looked for it at stores like "Ashan" or "Okey" or other large grocery stores that tend to carry unique items.  It seems to form thick, butter-cream icing similar to what I am used to in America.  It does hold its shape well, especially when cooled.  The quality of the icing will also depend highly on the quality of butter you use.  A quality brand of butter like "Valio," for example, works well.  But I suspect that any butter that feels harder when refrigerated will be better than butter that feels soft when refrigerated.

If you want to try cinnamon rolls with a twist, try Cream Cheese Icing. 

2 containers (140 g each) of Cream cheese (творожный сыр)
1 bag (250 g) Powdered sugar
1 package (3 g) Vanilla
Milk (as needed) for consistency

The cream cheese icing will be more runny than the butter-cream icing, unless you use Philadelphia brand cream cheese from America.  Unfortunately, it is extremely hard to find in Ekaterinburg, and I currently do not know where to find it.  But for cinnamon rolls, the Russian cream cheese will be just fine!  :-)

I hope you enjoy!  And congratulations on taking your fist stem towards cooking like an American in Ekaterinburg!

American System vs. Metric System: the Art of Converting Ingredient Amounts

Starting with the Basics

As an American, many of my recipes have originated from websites or cookbooks written and/or posted from America.  The fundamental units of measurement for most ingredients in all American recipes are:

Volume
cup, tablespoon, teaspoon

Weight
pound, ounce

While shopping at Ashan or Ikea, I was very pleased to see the familiar measuring spoons and cups that I might commonly see in America!  It seemed to me that cooking in Russia wouldn't be that complicated after all... that is, until I read the volumes printed on the spoons more closely:

Does that say what I think it says?!?!  Ugh!  Yes!  They used MILLILITERS!  Does this mean I am going to have to calculate crazy amounts of ingredients every time I cook?  Actually, after a little investigation, everything looks like it will work out.  The conversions look like this:

1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5 mL
1 tablespoon (TBS) = 3 teaspoons = 15 mL

So far, so good!  Using the small measuring spoons will not be a problem here... WHEW!  Everything should be fine... right?

Oh no... something's NOT right... I'm starting to see a problem with the bigger measuring cups.  According to my conversion charts, things aren't adding up:

1/4 cup = 4 Tablespoons = 4 x 15 mL = 60 mL
1/2 cup = 8 Tablespoons = 8 x 15 mL = 120 mL

So this nice, pretty measuring cup that looked like it would be approximately 1/2 cup (120 mL) is actually a 100 mL measuring cup!  Ugh!  I should have known it wouldn't be easy... so my options to measure 1/2 cup of something are:

1) Measure one 100 mL cup of ingredient and add one extra tablespoon and one extra teaspoon to make it exact, or...
2) Measure out a "heaping" 100 mL cup of ingredient and pray really hard that it's close enough, so you don't have to wash any extra dishes when you're done.  I've made peace with using this second option to reduce my cleanup time when I'm done... :-)

Now, you might be thinking, "what about that nice glass measuring cup I saw earlier?  Can't I measure cups and half-cups using that?  Wouldn't it be easier and more accurate? 
Ok... let's investigate this option... but be afraid, my friends!  Be verrrrry afraid!  Because I was shocked when I came across something very unsettling about this particular glassware!

Take a close look at the measurements...                              

Can you find something unusual?  Take a good, hard look... specifically at the units on the right side (the American units)... what do you see?  I'll give you a hint - the units are in ounces, with larger measurements in pints.  What do you know about American conversions?  Specifically, what do you remember about ounces and cups and pints?  Do you see it?  Do you see the problem here?  Let me help you out:

8 ounces = 1 cup = 1/2 pint = 240 mL
16 ounces = 2 cups = 1 pint = 480 mL 


Do you see the problem?  According to the right side of this measuring cup, 1/2 pint (or 1 cup) is equivalent to 10 ounces!  I don't know who made this measuring cup, but it certainly wasn't made in America.  When I first began using it, I wasn't sure whether to use 8 ounces or 1/2 pint to measure one cup.  Two ounces of ingredients above or below the required amount can make a big difference!  After doing the calculations, I decided to use 8 ounces (240 mL) because that seemed to work out correctly, mathematically, in the metric system.

So, be warned, my friends!  Although converting volumes and weights mathematically is not difficult, you must always check your measuring cups and spoons to make sure they are accurate!  Just because they are sold at the big stores in the city does not mean you can necessarily trust them.
 
Oh, I'm not done... there's more!  In regards to weight, everything in Russia is sold in grams or kilograms.  So we must understand what conversion units to use to relate grams to ounces, kilograms to pounds, etc.  Remember, most American recipes, because of our lazy nature, are based upon standard sized cans, boxes, jars, etc., that can be easily found in stores.  Few such standards seem to exist in Russia.  Therefore, a 15 ounce (oz.) can of corn, for example, that can be found in any store in America, in 10 different brands, might be found in 10 different varieties in Russia - 380 grams, 420 grams, 350 grams, 400 grams, etc.  This doesn't usually cause a problem, however, since a few more or less grams of corn (for example) doesn't usually cause a problem in most recipes.  So, for weight, the following conversions are helpful:

1 pound (lb.) = 450 grams (g) = 16 ounces (oz.)
1 kilogram (kg) = 2.2 pounds (lbs.)

Oh yeah... I almost forgot...  In America, we also have a
unique unit of measure for butter: "sticks" - as in one stick of butter, 1/2 stick of butter, etc.  This is because butter is sold in precisely packaged "sticks" or bars, each of which measures approximately 1/2 cup by volume.  Therefore, when using butter, the following conversion is helpful:

1 stick of butter = 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons = 113 grams

113 grams of butter?  Seriously?  If I bought a 200 gram block of butter here in Russia, I would have to somehow measure how 113 grams of butter for a recipe?  No.  You don't.  During the 5 years I have cooked here, I have never owned a scale to measure out anything according to weight.  And I don't plan to do so any time in the near future.  Just estimate.  Butter is one of those magical ingredients that usually does not cause problems if you use too much or too little.  As long as you are close, you will be fine!

If you ever need any other conversion factors, check out the online cooking unit converter at: http://www.onlineconversion.com/cooking.htm

Ok... I think that's all you need to know about converting.  Does it sound difficult?  It is!  Does it sound like a pain in the neck?  It is!  Which is why you should be very thankful that I, your wonderfully thoughtful and considerate blogger, have already done all the hard work for you in every recipe I will post!  For most recipes, I will give you the Russian amounts of ingredients to help minimize your struggles as you try to cook like an American in Yekaterinburg.  =oD

 

Welcome!

Greetings to my fellow chefs, grillers, and cooks!  Since this is my first ever blog, and I have a lot of other electronic social media apps to catch up on, my first few blog posts will be simple and cover some basics necessary to cook like an American in Yekaterinburg.

First, I want to share a little about myself...
        
I was born and raised in the Midwest, near the large city of St. Louis.  Since this is not one of the biggest or most famous cities in America, I added a small map to show you where St. Louis is located.  Our area of the country is mostly known for agriculture (corn, wheat, & soybeans), barbeque (ribs, bratwurst, and chicken wings), great baseball, bad football, and a clean American accent! 

This is me:

(I am happy, not drunk...)

My family and I have lived in Yekaterinburg for about five years.  When we first arrived in 2008, we did not know how to speak Russian.  In fact, I had such a hard time pronouncing the name of the city, that I just called it "E-kat" for short.  As you can imagine, grocery shopping was quite a challenge!  The first set of vocabulary words I learned were mostly related to food.  Within a few weeks, I had a good idea of what I was buying.  But it took me another year before I could effectively cook without the "normal" pre-prepared, frozen, or instant food I was accustomed to in America. 
                                      
In the first two months of our time in Russia, I lost over 20 pounds (8 kg)!  How can culinary culture shock result in such a dramatic weight loss?  Simple - I am a picky eater, and few of our beloved short-cut foods were available in this city.  Nonetheless, we tried to cook our meals as if we were still in America, and the lack of pre-prepared options forced us to cook everything from scratch.  Dinner preparation went from 30-45 minutes in America to 1.5 - 2 hours in Russia! 

 

We continued to evolve our eating practices over the next year... our next phase was making more soup, just like our Russian friends.  But, as America has done over and over with other cultures, we tried to "American-ize" the concept of soup for dinner.  Although soup is often considered a main dish in Russia, it is generally regarded as a side dish in America.  So even though we cooked soup, which would last several days, our preparation time rarely decreased, because we were always making a sandwich or salad or something else to go with the soup... We could not accept that soup was a meal all by itself! 

The next step in our culinary adaptation was to begin eating more salads.  Although salads are a healthy alternative, they were met with much resistance from some of the children and myself.  On good days, our family was pretty evenly split about whether or not the salads were a good idea.  On bad days, we almost unanimously agreed that we needed to find another alternative.  Over a period of about a year, we ended up settling on a compromise of American dishes, soups, and salads that have gradually changed and evolved over the years.  And as a result, we generally eat more healthy in Russia than we ever did in America! 

In the months to come, I will introduce you to many of our favorite dishes.  As holidays come and go, I will make sure to offer you some of our more traditional foods as well as some of our more fun and interesting ones.  I will try to avoid any dishes that require ingredients imported from America.  After all, how can you try these wonderful recipes if you cannot find all the ingredients here in the city?! 

I encourage anyone who reads this blog to post your own experiences using my recipes.  Please feel free to offer thoughts, opinions, suggestions, etc.  I simply ask that you please be kind and constructive!  And most of all, I hope you enjoy the wonderful adventure of "cooking American" in Yekaterinburg!

Gary