top of page

Grandma's Menu

This menu is collection of my grandma Sarah recipes with some of my twists.

IMG_1904_edited_edited.png
Vegetarian Borscht

 

Serve  6-8
 

Ingredients

  • 1 Sweet onion

  • 3-4 garlic cloves

  • 1 potato

  • 1 carrot

  • 1 big baked beet•, or 2 medium ones

  • 1 jalapeno pepper

  • 2 inch ginger root

  • 2-3 medium tomatoes**

  • 1 cups sauerkraut ***(квашенная капуста)

  • half medium size cabage

  • 3 tsp of Vegeta Nautre seasoning or 1½ tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste

  • 2 Tbsp. plus ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 tbsp of tomato paste or more to taste

Add-on Ingredients to serve Borscht with

  •  finely chopped parsley and dill for serving

  •  sour cream

  • black rye bread

Recipe Preparation
​

Saute finely chopped onion, garlic,  jalapeno pepper with olive oil till soft, add tomatoes and saute for another 10 minutes, shred carrot, beets, cabbage and add to the pot along with sauerkraut, cut potatoes add ginger ( I like to cut it in big chunks and remove later, but you can also shred it finely - it's gives the borscht an edge), add vegeta or salt to taste,  add tomato paste and add boiling water, cook till ready,

Enjoy! 

​

Notes:

* I always keep baked beets for the borscht and salads on hand. Wrap fresh beets in foil and bake on 400° for an hour, cool, double bag and place into refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Roasted beets have  more intense flavor.

​

** When tomatoes are in season, I pick them from my garden, or buy in a farmer market.. I chop and cook them for 30 min with olive oil, cool and place them in a small zip-lock bags and freeze. This is what I use for my borscht.

​

** I like to do my own sauercraut (recipe below)

IMG_4626.jpg
Mushroom, Bean and Barley Soup
​
Ingredients for 2 liter pot (6-8 portions)

  • 4-5 dry porcini mushrooms ( белые грибы)

  • 1 cup dry white beans

  • 1/2 cup barley

  • 1 medium onions

  • 1 carrot

  • 3 tsp of Vegeta Natur seasoning or Kosher salt to taste

  • water

  • sour cream for serving

​

Recipe Preparation

Soak beans overnight, drain. Place them in pressure cooker or instant pot, add 1/2 cup barley, put the whole onion, cut up carrots (or shred if you prefer), vegeta or salt, add water, close and cook for  30 minutes. Release the seal, discard the onion, serve hot with sour cream, parsley and (or) dill and rye bread if desired.

IMG_1904_edited.jpg
Grandma Sarah Zharkoe
​
Ingredients

  • 2 pound roast beef

  • 2 lb potatoes ( I prefer Idaho for this dish)

  • 4 big sweet or Spanish onions

  • 2-3 cloves garlic

  • 1 L beef or chicken broth

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

  • 4-6 bay leafs

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

​

Recipe Preparation

Saute chopped onions and garlic in olive oil (grandma used sunflower oil) for 10 min or till soft and golden, add cut up meat, salt, pepper, bay leaf, add broth and water ( if needed ) to cover meat, bring to boil and transfer to the 350° oven  - roast for 2 hours, take out and add cut up potatoes, add boiling water, more salt if needed (potatoes should be covered with liquid) and return to the oven for another hour. Enjoy!

IMG_4519.jpg
Home Made Sauerkraut

 

Ingredients

  • 1 medium size head of white cabbage thinly sliced

  • 2 big  carrot shredded

  • 1  cup of fresh or frozen cranberries

  • 3 tablespoon of kosher salt

  • 4 cups of cold water

 

Recipe Preparation

Shred cabbage and carrots, place in a big stainless steel pot, mix well with your hands with salt and cranberries, add water, insert a wooden spoon in the middle, make sure that the air goes all the way down of the pot, cover with paper towel, mix twice a day - should be ready  in 2-3 days, place in jars and refrigerate till use.

Sauerkraut Salad
​

Mix one cup of sauerkraut with thinly sliced sweet or red onion, add sunflower oil to taste and serve.  Enjoy! 

​

IMG_1900_edited.jpg
Home Made Pickled Tomatoes
Ingredients

  • fresh tomatoes

  • 2-3 clove of garlic

  • 1 jalapeno pepper with (if you want it hot) or without seeds

  • black currant leafs (2-3)

  • bay leafs (3-4)

  • black peppercorn (hand full)

  • celery sticks (optional)

  • bunch of dill

  • salt ( 2 tbsp to each liter of water)

Recipe Preparation

1. Wash your jars in dishwasher

2. Pack half of your dill and leafs on the bottom of the jar

3. Pack tomatoes, celery, drop garlic and slices of jalapeno pepper in between,

4. Pack the rest of your dill and currant leafs on top

5. Boil water (2 table spoon of salt to 1 liter of water). Pour water with salt over the tomatoes to the very top of the jar to remove any air bubbles, close with the lead, tighten it up and place the jar upside down on the towel till tomorrow.

bottom of page