Russian Oven: Mushrooms in sour cream

Russians are known as avid mushroom hunters. Every late summer and early fall, Russian forests are full of people searching for all sorts of wild mushrooms. Russians eat them boiled, salted, fried, and baked.

If that seems crazy, hold on – Russians are great at identifying edible mushrooms. In remote villages every child will tell you which mushroom is better suited for salting and which for boiling. And every single mushroom dish is always an unforgettable (and safe) culinary experience.

The king of Russian mushrooms is the bolete or penny bun, which in Russian is known as “white mushroom” (белый гриб). We’re going to bake freshly picked mushrooms in sour cream, a lip-smacking delight! 

So let's get cracking! For this great mushroom feast, you will need:

• 1 kg (2.2 lbs) wild mushrooms (make sure they are edible)
• 2 onions
• 3 tablespoons grated cheese
• 230g (1 cup) sour cream
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
• 1 bunch of dill
   

Then follow these steps:

• Chop the mushrooms and cut the onions into rings. 
• Put the mushrooms and onions in a deep frying pan. Add water and stew for around 50 minutes. 
• Put the mushroom and onion blend into a baking pan or casserole, pour on the sour cream, then powder with grated cheese mixed with breadcrumbs.
• Put the baking pan into the oven, bake at 160C for around 10 minutes. 
• Decorate with dill

Enjoy!

Russian Oven is a video series devoted to Russian pastries, featuring traditional age-old pies and cakes, inventive cookies and tarts of recent years, plus Soviet classics and much more. Stay tuned!

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