Russian Cookbook

500 g hake fillets
1 cup fish (chicken) stock
1 bay leaf
500 g cooked potatoes, halved
1 red (bell) pepper, seeded and diced
2 spring onions (scallions), sliced
½ cucumber, unpeeled and diced
3-5 large red lettuce leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

Dressing

½ cup Greek (strained plain) yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons capers

To garnish

2 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Put the hake fillets in a large, shallow pan with the fish stock and bay leaf. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and poach the fish gently for about 10 minutes until it flakes easily. Leave it to cool, then remove the skin and bones, and separate the flesh into large flakes.

Put the baby new potatoes in a bowl with the red pepper, spring onions and cucumber. Gently stir in the flaked hake and season with salt and pepper.

Make the dressing by stirring all the ingredients together in a bowl or jug. Season and spoon or pour over the salad. Toss gently.

Place a lettuce leaf on each plate and spoon the salad over it. Mix the finely chopped hard-boiled eggs for the garnish with the dill. Sprinkle the mixture over each salad.

Note:

You may also use halibut, sole or cod.

4 boneless chicken breast fillets, each weighing about 150 - 200 gr
2 cups buttermilk (original recipe required Kefir)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 cups flour

Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cups canola oil for frying

Soak chicken overnight in buttermilk with onions, dill, paprika and garlic.

In a large plastic bag mix flour with seasonings. Place chicken pieces in bag and shake until thoroughly coated and dry.

Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet until very hot. Put chicken on your hot pan and fry on each side for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove chicken from pan, add more salt and pepper to taste and serve hot with mashed potatoes or rice.

5 cups white flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup mixed peel
1/3 cup almonds, chopped
7 gr easy-blend dried yeast
300ml milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 egg, beaten
1 pinch salt

For the icing:

1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon of the beaten egg

Gently heat the milk and butter in a pan until melted. Allow to cool until tepid.

Sift the flour, salt and cinnamon into a bowl. Stir in the sugar, raisins, mixed peel, almonds and dried yeast. Make a well in the center.

Add the egg to the dry ingredients with the milk and butter. Mix well to form a soft dough.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a clean bowland leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F / Gas 5. Grease and line a tall cylindrical tin or a deep 20cm round cake tin with greaseproof paper. Turn the dough out and knead until smooth. Place in the tin, cover with oiled clear film and leave in a warm place until it has risen almost to the top of the tin.

Discard the cling film. Brush the top with the icing egg. Bake for about an hour until a fine skewerinserted into the middle comes out clean. Cover with foil if the kulich begins to brown too much. Turn out on to a wire rack to cool.

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the lemon juice and mix to make a thick icing. Drizzle over the top and leave to set.