Blintzes from Russia

 

Today on in the Mega Marathon which has been christened as “Around the World in 30 Days” let us visit Russia!

If you are about my age you will remember the Span and the “Adventures of Misha.” How I used to wait to see what she came up with next.

Apeksha, my elder daughter has been always after me for pancakes. And as I was researching Russia for some reason she borrowed the laptop, the rest is history this was the page that I was on. If that was not enough after that she was trying to convince me to do crêpes as a Sub-category in street food….

On the day I made these Blintzes it was pouring and we had a lot of guests. The idea was to remake the dish for better pics. Never got down to it. Hope to remake these delicious Blintzes again soon!

According to Wikipedia, “A blin (pl. blini), blintchik (pl. blintchiki) or blintz is a type of thin pancake.  Blintzes are thin pancakes that typically lack a leavening agent and are similar to crêpes, whereas blini are typically thicker and include a leavening agent.^”

Traditionally Russian blini are made with yeasted batter, which is left to rise and then diluted with cold or boiling water/ milk. When diluted with boiling water, they are referred to as zavarniye blini and were baked in a Russian oven. Though the blini are pan fried they are cooking of blini is still referred to as baking in Russian.

 French crêpes made from unyeasted batter (usually made of flour, milk, and eggs) are also common in Russia.  Flours used for making blini range from wheat and buckwheat to oatmeal and millet, although wheat is currently the most popular.

Blintzes are made in Jewish cuisine too; blintzes that are stuffed with a cheese filling and then fried in oil are served on holidays such as Chanukah (as oil played a pivotal role in the miracle of the Chanukah story) and Shavuot (when dairy dishes are traditionally served within the Ashkenazi minhag). Blintzes are called "blinchiki" in Russian, and are ordinarily stuffed before frying a second time. Fillings include chocolate, mushrooms, meat, rice, mashed potatoes, and cheese.

Blintzes are the traditional meal in Lithuania during Fat Tuesday.

Buckwheat blini are part of traditional Russian cuisine. They are also widespread in Ukraine, where they are sometimes known as hrechanyky (Ukrainian: гречаники), and Lithuania’s Dzūkija   region, the only region in the country where buckwheat is grown, where they are called Grikių blynai.”

Blintz

Recipe Source: Tony Avey

Ingredients:

  For The Blintzes:

• 2 cup Maida or APF
• 2 cup milk
• 2 tblspn sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tblspn oil
• 2 tblspn baking powder

Ingredients for the Filling:

• 1 cup fresh paneer, crumbled
• ¼ cup cream
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk (optional)
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Method:

• Blend all of the blintz ingredients together using a blender or electric hand mixer. You can blend with a fork too but remember that the batter should not have any lumps.
• Warm up a non-stick tava/skillet until hot.
• The tava/skillet is ready check the heat . Sprinkle a drop of water and if it sizzles on the surface of the of the tava , your tava is ready. If the water pops or jumps out of the pan, the skillet it too hot—let it cool slightly before starting.  
• Grease the tava/skillet generously with cooking oil.
• Pour the pancake batter using a 1/3 cup into the pan.
• Tilt the pan in a circular motion till the batter coats the entire bottom of the pan in a large, thin circular shape.
• Cook for 60-75 seconds until the edges of the blintz brown and the bottom of the blintz is lightly golden. The pancake is done when the centre of the pancake's surface is dry and slightly tacky to the touch.
• Remove the pancake with a spatula and place it on a plate.
• Keep the blintzes separated by pieces of butter paper or paper towels to prevent the blintzes from sticking together.
• Similarly cook all the blintzes.

Now make the filling:

• Put all of the filling ingredients into a chutney bowl of the blender and pulse it. The filling should not be smooth. But should be well blended.
• Now let’s assemble the blintzes
•  Put about 3 tblspn of filling on the lower part of the blintz, about an inch from the edge.
• Now fold the lower edge of the blintz covering up the filling, say about till the centre.
• Now fold the sides of the blintz inward, as though you’re folding an envelope.
• Roll the blintz up and over the filling like a burrito, tucking the edges in as you roll.
• Finish them all. Then let’s fry them…
• Heat about ¼ cup of oil in a non-stick pan over medium until hot.
•  Cook the blintzes in batches see that you have enough space to turn them easily in the pan. Gently lay the flapside down in the oil (take care the oil is hot).
• The oil will sizzle after 1 ½ to 2 minutes flip carefully the blintzes. They will be brown and crispy.
• Fry the flipped side again for a 1 ½ - 2 minutes till they are browned evenly.
• Serve blintzes warm as they are or topped with fruit topping, sour cream, applesauce, whipped cream or maple syrup.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44

An InLinkz Link-up

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

Savoury Corn Fitters from New Zealand

Savoury Corn Fitters

Now that school has reopened I have a problem what do I give in the kiddos tiffin box?

To add to my woes she does not have a breakfast, barely gulps down a small cup of milk. 

 She comes home for lunch but she wants something delicious in her tiffin box. Her idea of delicious and mine are mine are poles apart.

 The day I give something she does not want we end up having the tiffin uneaten but loaded with excuses like I had to go to the staff room as I am the CR etc.

About this time I was researching recipes for this trip around the world. I fell for the simplicity of these delicious corn fritters. It also what doctor ordered an egg…

Sorry those who do not eat eggs replace it with 1 tblspn of egg replacer or 1/3 cup of cream.

The original recipe has cheese and ham included but I did not add as I did not have time to grate the cheese and ham I do not do. Please feel free to use them if you like it.

Also the original recipe used flour or maida, APF I replaced it with oats. Another thing she refuses to eat.

The whole thing went down well with tomato sauce. Infact she ate one of the fitters before she left for school… Ahhhhhhh relief!!

Savoury Corn Fitters

Savoury Corn Fitters

Cuisine: Kiwi Cuisine

Recipe Source:Kiwi Faves 

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup red capsicum/pepper, chopped
• ¼ cup yellow capsicum, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 ½ cup oats
• ¼ cup spring onion chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 eggs
• 1 can cream style sweet corn,1 tin
• ½ tsp baking powder
• rice bran oil for frying

Method:

• In a large bowl mix together the capsicum, spring onion, onion, salt and pepper mix well.
• Add the sweet corn, mix well.
• Add the oats and give it a nice good stir. Check the seasoning.
• Add the egg/ egg replacer, baking powder. Mix well.
• If you feel the batter is dry add a tblspn or two of water. The batter should be of dropping consistency.
• The original instructions said “Heat 2 tblspn of oil in a non- stick pan add a tableful of batter in the hot oil.”  I did that but then  preferred the method of adding the ladleful of batter  on the hot pan and then adding oil to the sides of the batter, much like how we add oil to a dosa but of course I need a little more oil than the dosa needs. And I did that from the second batch that I made on the same pan. Suit yourself.
• Fry till golden on both sides.
• Serve them with tomato sauce.

Notes: 

• I used the circular cookied dough cutter that i kept on the tava/ skillet and added the batter in it to get the perfect sized round shaped.

Savoury Corn Fitters

An InLinkz Link-up

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

Berry Short Cakes

Berry Short Cakes

Berry shortcakes was a Baking partners challenge. The July month challenge (I know I am late) was suggested by Reeni of Cinnamon nice and everything nice.  This eggless recipe is a simple one and you can use any berries of your choice.  

I agree that there is no better way to showcase them then with fresh whipped cream and classic shortcakes. These shortcakes are like biscuits only instead of butter they use heavy cream.

My family love them a lot. In fact by the time I came back from a bloggers meet they were all gone. 
Thanks Reeni and Swati!

Lemon Coconut Bread

If you guys are wondering where I have disappeared it’s just that I am sooooooo overworked that I do not want to sit on the computer in the evening.

So I have been tardy in acknowledging your post and   those that have been posted at the event I am guest hosting. Please bear with me. It’s just this month (hopefully) then I am free.............. J

  Now coming to today’s post...

When I saw this month’s Egg-less baking challenge as Dimah’s Lemon Coconut Bread I was surprised at the combination. Never in my wildest dreams considered lemon and coconut as a combination in bread.

I also had a sinking feeling, as I know for sure this is something my girls will not like. I did consider sitting it out this bake but then that will never open my daughters to newer options, if not today, tomorrow, someday they will be interested in this combo! Live in hope!

Anyway now when I am posting this I was thinking that a dash of chilli in the mixture that is used as filling maybe they would have enjoyed it more.

Next time maybe, right now all my cakes are being looked at with a little bit of suspicion!! Don’t blame them……!

Chocolate Lamingtons

Lamingtons like I said yesterday was our July Challenge for the Eggless Baking Group. A group started by Gayatri where we try and convert bakes with eggs to egg less.

  I posted the Lemon Curd Lamingtons.   check these Chocolate Lamingtons out.

Almond Meal & Banana Muffins~ Eggless Baking

I have in an effort to get rid of my lethargy joined new groups where I will be challenged to push my limits and try new recipes.

One of them happens to be Eggless baking by Gayatri.   This is my first time here and I am already behind schedule. Sorry Gayatri!  Will try to toe the line next time... mind you will try... : D! 

We are to try out banana muffins this time. There are 3 issues in my place one the kids should not know there are bananas in the muffins two there has to be chocolate in it and three has to be healthy read no maida or all purpose flour in it.

Well in an effort to experiment I surfed the web and found a delicious recipe here. To be honest I have not checked out the whole fare here but that I plan to rectify shortly.

Beet Root Cake.

That I am known my family as someone who experiments with food is not new.

 In fact hubby’s aunt once commented that I cannot eat the same amti, bhaji, poli and bhat everyday and I have taught the same to my family. How do you expect variety in food every day?


 At that moment I felt very bad and tried to confirm to the norm but now I realize there are so many ways of making the veggie in question that I cannot eat the same thing everyday also I am not the only one who wants variety she should look at my friends here.

So we do have  problem veggies in our house one of them  is beet root. I just cannot get them to eat it! I have waxed eloquently about the nutrients in beets, the lovely colour that it has etc. but all is like pouring water over the ducks back!!

Banana Bread~A blog Hop

For today’s Blog Hop started by Radhika I am paired once again with Veena of Veg. Junction.


Choosing what I wanted to make was very easy as I had already bookmarked some recipes and plus the banana plant that we had planted decided to bestow its fruits on us.


Seeing Veena’s yummy bread I was a tad bit too confident and my bread did not rise to the occasion.

Kandya- che-Appe

One recipe that had caught my eye long ago was on Priya’s Blog at Now Serving was Baked Pakoda.

And the wonder of wonders I followed her instructions the only place I deviated was( when I the kids got hungry and wanted immediate feeding ) I had to get out my appe patra also know  as gunpangala or paniyaram tava. 

They disappeared as fast as they appeared on the plate. Barely managed the pics.

Here is the original recipe.

Thus ends the story of baked pakaoda which turned into Kandya-che -Appe as my niece called them!!
Thanks Priya this one rocks!!

Sending this to Bookmarked Recipes by Aipi and Priya

Kalyani's Valentine Fest-Served with love

Sangeetha's Show me your Hits

Archana

Yorkshire Parkin(?)/Cake

Why the question mark after the Parkin you may ask?

 Well I did not know what Parkin is till this moment and what I have baked is definitely not parkin.  Parkins are North English form of ginger bread. I left out the most important ingredient ginger not because I don’t have it my people do not like ginger much. So it is more of a cake than a parkin.

The whole story began When Susan of a The Well-Seasoned Cook put up this beautiful picture of Yorkshire Parkin I flipped.

 I had to make it!

Cup Cakes~A Blog Hop

Blog hop this time Radhika has paired me with Priya of Now Serving!

If you know not Priya then you are missing deliciously simple recipes conceived out of a Mother’s love to nourish. Do visit her.  She is a multifaceted personality always helping others. She was one of the many who guided me when I started out from anonymous blogger to the present day avatar.

Now choosing from Priya’s place is difficult for I was like a kid in the sweet shop. But my niece had come over with her mom for just 2 days.

Egg less Apple sauce Chocolate Cake

What is left of the cake

There were 2 things that came into play when I baked this cake.

When my friend Vidya told me there was a sponge cake competition in the local mall.  I was eager to join it for I would meet a lot of other better bakers.

There were apples that were about to say bye bye to this world if not attended too. So I made apple sauce from here.

 The problem was I did not have the Cameo apples as needed and I had just discovered that the apples lying around are gala apples. But I made the sauce anyway using the apples I had and the sauce was delicious. 

The yield was 1 ½ cup.

The cake just out of the oven the night before

Jam Tarts~ A Sweet Punch

For this month Sweet Punch Ria has chosen Jam Tarts!

My heart sank at the sight of the recipe for it looked like a shortcrust pastry and something that had ended as a mess that I had to bin. I was sure I will sink right under again!!

But since I don’t usually give up easily I decided to try my hand once again. One last time I told myself. Make only a few that you can eat up if there are no takers. And so I did!!

Before we start let me confess that I used not only Ria’s recipe to make the tarts but also what I googled about them for my fear about failing this was quite huge. 

But I was unduly worried for the tarts were a huge success!!

Not only I made it & it got over before I had a decent snap in spite of the jam that I had used was strawberry jam that was lying in the fridge for some time and hence I baked the tarts again today. To tell you how good they tasted my husband, yes the mental diabetic, fetched me the ingredients for the next bake most importantly willingly and relished the tarts… Thanks Ria!!!