5 Russian recipes for fasters and vegetarians

1. Rassolnik

This traditional Russian soup with pickles is quite modest in terms of taste, yet quite nourishing without meat, as it turns out.

How to prepare: Put pearl barley (100 g) in water and cook for 20-30 minutes until ready. During this time, finely chop pickles (2 pcs), peeled carrot (1 pc), potatoes (2 pcs), and onion (1 pc). Add everything to the barley. Tomato paste (1 tbsp) can also be put in. Add salt and pepper, plus bay leaf (2 pcs). If pickle brine is available, add a glass of it. Cook the soup for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are ready. Serve with fresh herbs.

2. Potato pies

Small pies go well with soup or tea. The main thing to remember is that they get snapped up very quickly!

How to prepare: Dissolve fresh yeast (25 g) in warm water (250 ml), add sugar (2 tbsp), salt (1 tsp), vegetable oil (2 tbsp), and mix everything. Pour flour (400 g) gradually through a sieve, and start kneading the dough, gradually adding more flour. The dough should become springy. Cover the dough with a lid or foil, and leave in a warm place for 2 hours so that it rises. While the dough is rising, you can prepare the filling. Boil potatoes with the skin in salted water until tender, then pour over cold water, cool, peel, and grate. Finely chop onion, and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown, then mix with the potatoes. The rising dough is then divided into 12 equal parts, each rolled into a flat cake. Put the potato filling in the middle and pinch the edges. Set the pies seam-side down on a greased baking sheet. To achieve a golden crust, you can use an infusion of strong tea leaves (grease the pies as if with egg yolk). Leave the pies on the tray for 15 minutes while the oven warms to 180°C. Then cook the pies in the oven for 20 minutes.

3. Buckwheat with mushrooms

Russians simply adore buckwheat. It contains lots of fiber, iron, and trace elements, so its importance in Russian cuisine cannot be overestimated. It is usually served as a side, but can also be used as a base for standalone dishes.

How to prepare: Boil buckwheat in salted water (300 g) until half-cooked (about 15 minutes). During this time, halve fresh mushrooms (300 g — for example, champignons), peel and finely chop onion (1 pc), fry everything in vegetable oil until tender. Add salt and pepper. Combine the mushrooms with the buckwheat, and cook for another 5-10 minutes (until the buckwheat is ready).

4. Cabbage cutlets

Cabbage cutlets complement any kind of porridge or mashed potato, or they can be eaten separately — with sauce, herbs, and veg.

How to prepare: Chop cabbage (1 kg) into several pieces, and boil in a pan for 10 minutes. Run the cabbage through a grinder, and squeeze so that no juice remains. Peel and grate onion (1 pc), and crush garlic (2 cloves). Add the onion and garlic to the minced cabbage, plus salt and pepper, and mix. Add flour (0.5 cups) and semolina (0.5 cups — oatmeal can be used instead), and mix everything together. Shape the resulting mass into cutlets, roll in breadcrumbs (100 g), and fry in vegetable oil on both sides.

5. Baked apples with honey

This recipe is simple, and all the ingredients can be measured by eye. Oven-baked apples with honey, nuts, and raisins make for quite a filling dessert, but the option with honey and cinnamon is no less appetizing.

How to prepare: Wash apples (one per serving), and remove the core from the top so as not to slice through them. Grind walnuts (10 pcs), mix with raisins (3 tbps) and cinnamon (0.5 tsp). Put the apples in a heat-resistant dish and fill each with the mixture, adding about one tablespoon of honey on top. Bake the apples in a preheated oven (180° С) until the peel begins to crack.