Need an authentic but "eater friendly" RUB recipe!

[HannahP 119]

Okay. I don't eat RUB food at all. I'm a vegetarian and I hate beets so Borscht is out. However, I have to cook a RUB-authentic meal for a club that I'm in.

I need something that's fairly "eater friendly" but still authentic. It doesn't need to be vegetarian -- I mean, is vegetarian an option for RUB folks? But yeah. Figured you guys would be the best to ask. I google RUB recipes but have no idea how they'd taste.

[Marilyn. 340]

there is borscht recipes that don't have beets..

this is my mom's recipe for borscht...

1 pound fried ground beef or stir-fried beef (you could leave this out)

4 cups water

1 OXO Beef cube (or veggie cube)

1 each, onion, carrot, potato and celery stalk

2 cups shredded cabbage

Bring all of the above to a boil.

1/2 cup tomato juice, sauce or paste

1/4 cup ketchup

2 teaspoons lemon juice

handful of fresh dill or 3 teaspoons dried dill

Add these ingredients to the stuff already in the pot and simmer for about 30 minutes or until veggies or done.

Edited March 5, 2011 by Marilyn.

[sea-monkey 13]

How about a pie stuffed with cabbage? Could do a mushroom pie, pickle pie or fish pie also.

[eekee 182]

Borsch without beets: can it really be called borsch? Discuss.

(I also argue for the need for SALO in borsch.)

[ONA 133]

Borsch without beets: can it really be called borsch? Discuss.

Borsch without beets is not really borsch... Some people cook it that way if they're abroad and can't find beets.

Btw, OP, I hate beets too, but I love borsch I know it's hard to explain, but

I think blini/blinchiki is a good option: most foreigners like them and they can be sweet or not sweet, you can wrap in them whatever you like: fruit, cottage cheese, caviar (i know American people hate it, but my fiance loves it for some reason), salty fish, minced meat with onions, mushrooms and whatever you can think of They're also good just with sour cream and sugar or cchocolate syrup and whipped cream.

Also, I think pelmeni are "eater-friendly". Not vegetarian, but good.

Another option is vareniki - I would say it's more Ukrainian that Russian, but still. Can be sweet, can be not sweet also.

[Neonred 3,562]

Borsch without beets: can it really be called borsch? Discuss.

(I also argue for the need for SALO in borsch.)

My wife makes her borsch without beets. I don't care either way, but it is her preference. Seems like more of a cabbage soup.

No salo.

My wife insists she does not eat pork, but loves bacon and ham. Then again she says she is allergic to peanuts but loves those peanut butter filled pretzels.

Edited March 5, 2011 by Neonred

[ONA 133]

My wife makes her borsch without beets. I don't care either way, but it is her preference. Seems like more of a cabbage soup.

there is a "cabbage soup", it's called schee. so some people say that borsch with no beets is schee, which is also not quite right, cause it's a completely different recipe

[eekee 182]

I think bliny, plus a bunch of different fillings, sweet and savory, are a good choice.

[Captain Hammer 113]

Yeah, bliny stuffed with just about anything will be authentic. Meat, fruit, cottage cheese--but try to get the cottage cheese from your local Rus/Ukr store, it's different--cabbage, kolbasa, even cheese works.

Pirogi are also good, and you can probably find some stuffed pepper recipes too. If you want to go really easy, go to your local Rus/Ukr store, get some salo, and spread it on some crackers or black bread. You could buy some pre-made pelmeni but it would be kind of a pain to serve.

You can also make a salad with almost no effort. Corn, diced onions, immitation crab meat, diced tomato, chopped black olives is one of my favorites.

[SMR 368]

Okay. I don't eat RUB food at all. I'm a vegetarian and I hate beets so Borscht is out. However, I have to cook a RUB-authentic meal for a club that I'm in.

I need something that's fairly "eater friendly" but still authentic. It doesn't need to be vegetarian -- I mean, is vegetarian an option for RUB folks? But yeah. Figured you guys would be the best to ask. I google RUB recipes but have no idea how they'd taste.

To what extent are you vegetarian? Do you eat seafood, eggs, or cheese? RUB food contains a good selection of salads that I would recommend. I am a big fan of herring in a fur coat, crab sticks salad, and olivye. These are heavier salads with mayonnaise, not green salads. But they are reasonably easy to fix and work out well most of the time, in my experience. Olivye, for instance, is pretty much a potato salad with peas, bologna, and olives added in. Carrots are usually used as a garnish. Crab sticks is similar but crab meat (fake is fine in my opinion) replaces the bologna, rice replaces the potatoes, and corn replaces the peas. Let me know if you want a recipe for one of these and I can probably make something up.

As has been mentioned, blini, various pirogi, or vareniki are all good choices for eater friendly cuisine. However, in my opinion, they are all a little more difficult to get right the first time, especially when you're going off a written recipe with no one to give you pointers as you go. Anything with dough has a certain human element that takes some experience to get right.

[1HappyGuy 45]

I hate beets too, so naturally I thought I wouldn't like borscht. Well, after you shred it and cook it the raw beet taste is long gone. Get a good recipe, add a little meat if you want, bring along some light sour cream and fresh bake bread (not sliced bread). You will be the most authentic and a hit of the evening.

[Sergi9 110]

Okay. I don't eat RUB food at all. I'm a vegetarian and I hate beets so Borscht is out. However, I have to cook a RUB-authentic meal for a club that I'm in.

I need something that's fairly "eater friendly" but still authentic. It doesn't need to be vegetarian -- I mean, is vegetarian an option for RUB folks? But yeah. Figured you guys would be the best to ask. I google RUB recipes but have no idea how they'd taste.

Anything made with cabbage, pirogi stuffed with kraut mushroom mix is excellent and eater friendly for vegans. Make some meatballs serve with pirogi and a side of fresh or cooked kraut with it. Simple and authentic and you might be lucky enough to find the pirogi already made at a local RUB grocery.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Borsch without beets: can it really be called borsch? Discuss.

(I also argue for the need for SALO in borsch.)

NO! It is not borsch. I HATE beets, but love borsch.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

If borsch is out, I vote for (not in any order)

Vereniki, Pelmini, Blini. Alla makes them but I do not have the recipe. I think you can look it up. Blini is just a thin pancake or crepe stuffed with virtually anything you like

I like creme cheese and fruit, pulled pork (BBQ Blini!) I also LOVE fruit vereniki

[dogspot 90]

How about some "meat jelly"?

Here is a kick-a55 recipe for holodets:

http://tasterussian.com/holodets.html

It definitely looks more fun to prepare than to eat.

Edited March 6, 2011 by dogspot