Mushroom Pastries
Start by creaming 2 cups of sugar with an egg, then add 200g of margarine, 200g of sour cream (a thicker, tangier version of sour cream common in Eastern European cuisine), salt, baking soda, and enough flour to form a dough that isn’t too stiff. Roll the dough into a log and cut it into pieces like you would for dumplings. Shape each piece into a ball, flatten one side, place them on a greased baking sheet, and bake in the oven. These will be the caps of the mushrooms. For the stems, roll out more dough into a thin log, cut it into 5 cm pieces, and bake them as well. It’s best to make the caps and stems in different sizes.
To attach the stem to the cap, boil half a cup of sugar with 3 tablespoons of water until it forms a thick syrup. Create a small indentation in the baked cap with a knife, drop in some syrup, insert the stem, and place the cap down to dry. Dip the bottom of the stem in syrup and sprinkle with poppy seeds. In the remaining syrup, add a bit of cocoa, boil it, then take the mushrooms by the stems, dip the caps in the syrup, and let them dry. They will turn a beautiful brown, resembling real porcini mushrooms.
Winter Salad
Peel and grate boiled beets. Soak thoroughly washed prunes in boiling water. Remove the pits and chop the flesh finely. Chop the peeled nuts. Mix everything together, dress with mayonnaise, and mound it in a salad bowl. Garnish with parsley.
For 1 serving: 50g of beets, 20g of prunes, 10g of nuts, 20g of mayonnaise.
Snack Salad
Grate boiled carrots and cheese, then mix well. Add crushed garlic and salt. Shape the mixture into balls.
For 1 serving: 60g of cheese, 35g of carrots, 1 clove of garlic.
Meat Casserole with Mushrooms
Pass beef and pork through a meat grinder, season with salt and black pepper, and mix with boiled, chopped mushrooms. Add eggs, milk, and mashed boiled potatoes. Combine the mixture with fat, spread it on a greased baking sheet, smooth it out, and bake in the oven until a golden crust forms. Serve with a cabbage salad.
Ingredients: 500g of beef, 30g of fatty pork, 7-10 dried mushrooms, 3 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 3 large potatoes, 4-5 tablespoons of fat, salt, and pepper to taste.
Minced Meat Roll
Prepare a meatball mixture, place it on a damp towel, and shape it into a log about 1.5 cm thick. In the center, place halved hard-boiled eggs and a thin layer of sautéed carrots, then sprinkle with chopped green onions or fried onions. Fold the towel over the filling and pinch the edges to seal.
Carefully transfer it seam-side down onto a greased baking sheet, brush with beaten egg, prick it in several places with a fork, pour in a little hot water or milk, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, occasionally adding water to the baking sheet.
For 400g of beef: 70g of white bread, 100g of carrots, a small onion, 2 tablespoons of fat, half a cup of water or milk, 2 eggs, salt, and pepper to taste.
Liver Rolls
After processing, slice the liver into pieces, lightly pound them, place filling in the center of each, roll them up, dip in egg, coat with breadcrumbs, and fry in hot fat.
Filling Preparation: Sauté diced bacon with onions, add finely chopped hard-boiled eggs, and season with salt and pepper.
Serve the liver rolls with mashed potatoes or fried potatoes, drizzled with the fat they were fried in, and sprinkle with finely chopped herbs.
For 300g of liver: 20g of bacon, 2 onions, 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, oil (depending on the size of the pan), salt, pepper to taste, herbs.
Polesie Drink
In boiled water, add sugar and coffee, bring to a boil. After cooling, strain, then add apple juice, citric acid, wine, and chill.
For one glass: 130g of apple juice, 10g of natural wine, 1 tablespoon of sugar, half a teaspoon of coffee, 50g of boiled water.
Homemade Sausages
Pass beef, pork, and garlic through a meat grinder twice. Add diced bacon, water, starch, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Form into sausages, coat in flour, and fry on both sides. Finish cooking in the oven. Serve with a spicy tomato sauce.
Ingredients: 320g of beef, 80g of pork, 80g of bacon, 3-4 cloves of garlic, 30g of potato starch, 120g of water, 30g of wheat flour, 4-5 tablespoons of fat, salt, and pepper.
Egg Mushrooms
Carefully slice the tops off hard-boiled eggs with a knife (using the blunt end) so they can stand on a plate. Place halves of tomatoes on top (you can secure them with a piece of carrot), and add dots of sour cream or mayonnaise. These “fly agarics” are usually a hit with kids.