Liev and Faina’s Siberian Christmas Feast Recipes

Siberian Dumplings or pelmeni

Dough: 2 large eggs ½ cup water 1 Tbsp. olive oil ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. sugar 1 Tbsp. sour cream 3 cups flour
Filling: 1/2 a large onion, grated 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 chub country sausage 3-5 dashes hot sauce
Garnish: black pepper, fresh dill, and melted butter.  Dip in lemon juice, sour cream, or vinegar.
Procedure: To Make the Dough: Wisk together the wet ingredients.  Add the salt and sugar. Change mixer to the bread hook. Slowly add flour until a soft stretchy dough is formed that no longer sticks to the side of the mixer. Wrap in cellophane and let sit 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
To Make the Filling: Grate the onion and sauté in olive oil. In a bowl, stir onion into raw sausage and hot sauce.
Putting it all together: Boil a pot of salted water or beef broth. Roll dough into 1? thick snakes. Cut off a chunk of dough about the size of a gumball. Roll out the dough into a thin circle, making sure there are no holes. Place 1 tsp. of the raw meat mixture into the circle. Fold over into an ear shape and press closed; there should be no air bubbles. Fold up the corners of the ear into a little packet shape. Or you can just leave them shaped like ears. Once you have ten dumplings, drop them into the pot. When they rise to the surface let them boil for 1-2 minutes longer. They should boil for at least 5 minutes total. Remove with a slotted spoon. Drizzle in melted butter. Sprinkle with black pepper and dill. Serve with melted butter, lemon juice, sour cream, or vinegar.
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Salmon Potato Salad—losos’-kartofel’nyy salat:

Ingredients:
8 ounces roasted, smoked, or canned salmon, flaked 2 large red potatoes, cubed and boiled until just tender 1 bunch of green onions, diced 2 ribs celery, diced 6 small radishes, thinly sliced 2 Tbsp. fresh dill chopped, plus dill for garnish 1 small garlic clove, crushed 4 large hard-boiled eggs, diced 2/3 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream 1-2 Tbsp. lemon juice salt and pepper
Procedure: Cube and cook the potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes, cover and cool in the refrigerator. Hard boil the eggs. Let cool, peel, and chop into small chunks. Finely chop all of the vegetables and herbs. Whip the cream until frothy but not completely stiff. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Garnish with dill and chill until ready to serve.
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Russian Blueberry Tartlets—chernika tartaletki

Pastry Dough: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 Tbsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup very cold unsalted butter, grated with a cheese grater. 2/3 cup ice water

Filling: 3 cups fresh or frozen (unthawed) blueberries ½ cup fresh diced lemon 3 Tbsp. sugar 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour Finish: 1/2 cup sour cream 3-4 Tbsp. sugar 2 Tbsp. lemon juice Garnish: confectioners’ sugar whole mint leaves grated lemon zest

Process: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In bowl mix flour, sugar, and salt. Using a cheese grater, grate in the cold butter until well mixed. Sprinkle in water while stirring until a firm dough is formed. Wrap dough in cellophane and refrigerate. In a separate bowl, mix together blueberries and cut lemon pieces. Stir in 3 Tbsp. of sugar and 3 Tbsp. of flour. Roll out pastry dough and cut into 4? to 4 ½? circles. Press the dough circles into a greased muffin pan. Fill pastry with blueberry mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes. In bowl, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice, and sugar. When tarts are finished baking, spoon sour cream mixture over top of the tarts while they are still hot. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh mint leaves and a small amount of grated lemon peel.