[Recipe] Baliq Levengi – Baked Stuffed Fish w/ Walnuts

May 14, 2012 Food, Recipes No comments

As usual, thanks to Doc-D for this one:

This recipe is Azeri in origin but it is found in many Russian & Ukrainian restaurants & on home tables as well.

Baliq Levengi – Baked Stuffed Fish w/ Walnuts
Categories: Seafood, Nut, Azeri, Central Asian, Main dish
Yield:

4 lb White fish scaled & cleaned*

Stuffing:
1 ea Onion grated
1 1/2 c Walnuts ground
3 ea Dried sour plums pitted & chopped
3/4 c Fresh pomegranate seeds
Salt & pepper to taste

Rub & Baste
1/2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Black pepper ground
2 ts Lemon juice

*NOTE: Substitute white fish with sea bass, red snapper, grouper or mullet.

Rinse fish under cold water then pat dry with paper towel.

Filling.
Put onion in a fine sieve then press to remove juices.
Combine onion, walnuts, dried sour plums, pomegranate seeds, salt & pepper.
Mix well then adjust seasoning to taste.
Pre-heat oven to 350 deg-F.
Fill fish cavity with walnut stuffing.
Make sure to pack mixture tightly inside.
Pin body cavity shut with wooden barbecue skewers or sew it up tightly with kitchen twine.
Put fish on a baking sheet then pour lemon juice over it.
Put fish on a baking sheet in an upright position with seam side down.hat position.
Bake for about 45 mins. until fish is browned & flakes easily with a fork.
Arrange fish on a serving platter then discard pins or twine.
Garnish with lemon slices & pomegranate seeds.
Serve with rice pilaff.
Slice fish into pieces making sure each has some filling inside.

ORIGIN: Dr. Mehira Molsaz, Baku-Azerbaijan, circa 1998

[Recipe] Irina’s Vorozhnikiy – Cottage Cheese Patties

May 8, 2012 Food, Recipes No comments

Categories: Ethnic, Ukrainian, Russian, Rus, Euro, Dessert, Diary
Yield: 4 Servings

1 lb Cottage cheese
2 ea Eggs beaten
1 ts Lemon juice
1 ts Lemon zest
1 c Sour cream
1 1/2 tb Sugar
-OR-
1 1/2 tb Splenda
4 tb Flour
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Cinnamon

*NOTE: Squeeze all mositure from cottage cheese in a cheesecoth bag.

Put cheese through a fine seive then mix with eggs, sugar, flour, lemon zest, lemon juice & 3 Tb of sour cream.
Add flour by spoonfulls while mixing continously.
Mix until it is very smooth & thick.
Refrigerate covered for 1-hr.
Use a melon scoop to scoop-out balls.
Put balls on a floured surface.
Melt butter in skillet.
Press these balls into flattened, oval patties 3/4″ thick.
Fry on both sides in melted butter.
Serve immediately after placing generous dollops of sour cream over each patty.

*NOTE: An alternative is to use a chocolate or hot fudge sauce in place of sour cream topping.

ORIGIN: Dr. Irina Kolovskaya, Kyiv-Ukraine, circa 1996

My brother and I, May 5, 2012

May 7, 2012 My Photos, Personal No comments

Abbie and I

May 4, 2012 Uncategorized No comments

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My niece decided to monkey around with me today. She’s as much of a ham as her uncle is!

[Recipe] Utka s Krasnokochannoi Kapustoi – Duck w/ Red Cabbage

April 30, 2012 Food, Recipes No comments

Categories: Ethnic, Rus, Ukrainian, Poultry, Vegetable, Slavic, Main dish
Yield: 4 Servings

1 ea Duck 5-6 lbs
1 ea Head red cabbage shredded
1 ea Onion chopped
Salt to taste
6 oz Salt pork diced
1/2 c Red wine

Place cabbage & onion into a bowl, sprinkle with salt & allow to stand 10 mins.
Squeeze out liquid.
Fry salt pork in a skillet until browned.
Pre-heat oven to 425 deg-F.
Add cabbage & onion mixture as well as wine.
Cover & simmer 20 mins.
Place duck in a roasting pan.
Bake for 30 mins.
Drain off fat.
Spoon cabbage mixture over duck.
Reduce oven temp to 350 deg-F.
Bake for 45-50 mins. until duck is tender.
Baste every 10-15 mins.

ORIGIN Dr. Valentina Shevolskov, Kyiv-Ukraine, circa 1999

Some pics for April 28, 2012

April 28, 2012 My Photos, Personal No comments

I felt well enough to get dressed up for a friend’s wedding today. In the last two shots, my niece, Abbie, decided she wanted to horn in on my action. Enjoy!

Me, 4/21/2012

April 23, 2012 My Photos, Personal No comments

After a busy weekend, I managed to have fun with family for my cousin’s birthday. A couple glasses of wine, some good coffee and cake, and I was able to finally unwind a bit. While preparing my iPad for my uncle, who is now interested in buying one, my mother took an opportunity to snap a pic of me. So, here I am in all my candid glory.

[Recipe] Russian Beef Tongue & Raisin sauce

April 22, 2012 Food, Recipes No comments

Thanks to Doc-D for posting this:

Russian Beef Tongue & Raisin sauce
Categories: Meat, Russian, Ukrainian, Slavic, Ethnic, Euro, Maindish
Yield: 4 servings

1 ea Fresh Beef tongue
3 ea Onions
1 ea Carrot
1 ea Parsnip
4 ea Celery ribs & leaves
5 sprigs parsley sprigs
8 ea Black peppercorns
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 c Almonds blanched & split
2/3 c Raisins
6 tb Sunflower oil
3 tb All-purpose flour
1/4 Dry bread crumbs
1 ts Ginger ground
1 ea Lemon cut to small cubes
Hungarian sweet paprika as required

Boil raisins & almonds for 3-5 mins.
Strain raisins & almonds from liquid & reserve.
Reserve liquid as well.
Put tongue in a large pot with onions, carrots, celery & parsley.
Add water to cover.
Add peppercorns & salt.
Simmer gently for 4-6 hrs. until tender.Drain.
Reserve liquid.
Heat oil then add flour.
Cook as you stir constantly until well blended & turning tannish.
Gradually stir in reserved raisin & almond liquid along with enough tongue liquid to make apporximately 3 cups total.
Add breadcrumbs, almonds, raisins & lemon cubes.
Season with salt & paprika.
Pour sauce over sliced tongue.
Serve hot.

ORIGIN: Dr. Irina Buraskova, Sevastopol-Ukraine, circa 2000

New Telecomm Provider Would Put Privacy First

April 18, 2012 Internet, Technology, Telecommunications No comments

Ed Krayewski of Reason.com posts some potentially great news for privacy advocates! A telecommunications company to be formed under the auspices of the Calyx Group is promising that their ISP will not give your personal info to the government. If this turns out to be both legal and feasible, expect them to become huge quickly.

Tim Berners-Lee urges government to stop the snooping bill

April 18, 2012 Computers, Government Intrusion, Internet, Technology No comments

One of the godfathers of the Internet, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, is not pleased with government intrusion in the creature he helped to spawn. The Guardian has an article notice his displeasure here.

[Recipes] Siberian Pelmeni – Siberian Stuffed Dumplings

April 15, 2012 Food, Recipes No comments

Many thanks to Doc-D who originally posted this:

Categories: Meat, Beef, Pork, Russian, Ethnic, Main dish
Yield: 1 batch

Dough:
2 ea Eggs
2/3 c Water
1 tb Sunflower oil
1/2 ts Salt
3 1/2 c All-purpose flour

Filling:
1 ea Onion grated fine
1/2 lb Pork ground
1/2 lb Beef ground
Salt & pepper to taste

Dough:
Combine eggs, water, oil, salt & 1/2 of flour in a food processor.
Add remaining flour then process until a smooth dough forms.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead for about 5-6 mins.r until no longer sticky.
Wrap in plastic wrap then allow to rest for 30 mins.
Dough can be refrigerated or frozen at this point until ready to roll.

Filling:
Combine onion, meats, salt and pepper until thoroughly mixed.

Cut dough into 8 equal pieces.
Keep remainder covered while you roll 1 piece of dough into a finger-width cylinder.
Cut this into 10 pieces.
Roll each piece into a 2″ circle.
Spread 1 ts of filling on circle almost to edges.
Pick up circle then fold to create a 1/2-moon.
Pinch the edges together as you make sure no trapped air is in them.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.
Once you have made 10 pelmeni then drop them into boiling water.
When they float to surfaceyou will boil for another 1-2 mins.
Remove from water with a slotted spoon.
Repeat with remaining dough & filling.
Serve boiled dumplings with melted butter & sour cream.
After boiling your pelmeni can also be sauteed in butter with chopped onions until lightly brown.

ORIGIN: Dr. Nadzhezda Kuprova, Roistov-Russia, circa 1999

WordPress MU

March 28, 2012 Personal No comments

I’ve switched over to WPMU. As I convalesce, I’ll be learning what I can do with the program.

Convalescing in California for now…

March 19, 2012 My Photos, Personal No comments

I’ve returned from Italy for the time being. I left a bit earlier than I needed to, and I have to pay a price for rushing. I’ll rest in Los Angeles for the time being, and I’ll get used to using an iPad in the meantime. Here’s the view of where I unwind:

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Me, today

February 24, 2012 My Photos, Personal No comments

My rest in Skopje has done me some good. For the first time in ages, I feel like the color is really coming back to my skin. Between this and my time with family in Los Angeles, I feel like I’m ready for a busy, but fun, year.

Back in Skopje

February 19, 2012 My Photos, Personal, Travel No comments

The first part of my semi-permanent move to Europe began on February 15, 2012. After a long (and absolutely wonderful) stay with family and friends in Southern California, I began my sojourn back ‘home’ at around 5:30 in the morning. My father drove me to the airport, and made sure to see me off in good order.

Once the trip began, I steeled myself for 30+ hours of airports and a bit of discomfort. I had surgery in January, and though I healed incredibly quickly, I still feel touches of rawness every time I move. Still, considering my condition (which is not bad at all, to be honest), the trip was a lot more than bearable. I flew to Chicago, spent a few hours there in relative comfort, and then headed off to London, where I milled around Heathrow Airport for about 2 1/2 hours before heading off to Sofia, Bulgaria. For those of you who know me well, you know I’m a big fan of the country generally, but not of its capital city. Still, even here, things went smoothly. I found the correct taxi to jump into, rather than getting shanghaied by some dirtbag pirate whose life is spent preying on tourists who don’t know the area so well. Once I went from the airport to the bus station, I took a bus ride to Skopje, and have been here since, waiting one more week before I head off to Naples, Italy, where life begins anew (or so I hope). The picture above is of me freezing a bit at my friend Igor’s apartment, but other than me forgetting to close the window, I’ve been in good hands here. Unless something interesting or out-of-the-ordinary happens, I won’t be posting here again until I’m settled in bella Napoli.

On Returning ‘Home’

February 14, 2012 Personal No comments

My Pop and I.

Europe, for better or for worse, has been and will probably always be home to me. As much as I love staying in the Los Angeles area in the vicinity of my parents, brother, nieces and family in general, everyone around me understands that I forged my own path some time ago, and have become content with life on the Old Country.

As of tomorrow morning, I will be leaving for Sofia, Bulgaria, where I will then board a bus and trek 5 hours or so to Skopje, Macedonia, for some relaxation with my good friends. I need it after enduring a lengthy recuperation after a rather grueling surgery that turned out to be successful. More about that another day.

From there, it’s off to Naples, Italy. The very first time I went, I wasn’t exactly impressed, as there was a workers’ strike which kept the city looking like a cesspool. Amalfi and Maiori were Heaven during that trip, but Naples… meh. After a few more visits, the city grew on me, even as the original reason for visiting the city disintegrated for reasons I still can’t, and probably ever won’t, fathom.

There is much to do work-wise, and many projects will be begun. You see a couple on the home page, but more are developing, as, this time, I seem to be making contacts with people who are less willing to waste time and dream, and more willing to act. Old friendships may rekindle, and new friendships, certainly new alliances, will be formed. This year looks promising. May God will it to be so.</p<

You all know how to contact me. If you don’t, just look at the “PAGES” section and click on “CONTACT ME.” There, that wasn’t so hard to do, was it?

May you all have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Spend it with those you love. If not, remember those you did love at one time. It makes the day go by a bit easier.

Cheers,

Rudy

The Senator – R.I.P.

January 21, 2012 Nature No comments

Cultural Offering Blog posts that ‘The Senator’, a 3,500-year-old, 118 foot tall cyprus in Florida, burned down after being struck by lightning. Think of the implications, as this is something older than most of the great civilizations of this Earth. A profound loss. RIP.

17 Popular Universities That Are Using WordPress

January 21, 2012 Education, Technology, Wordpress No comments

This article is about three years old now, but I find it to be a good demonstration as to what any organization can do with WordPress. The CMS program just gets better and better, and I’m thrilled to be able to tell anyone who will listen about the virtues of this platform. It’s not hard to learn, very flexible with add-ons, and has a really loyal fan-base who are willing to help other bloggers and website designers perfect their pages.

Scrub SOPA

January 19, 2012 Copyright, Corruption, Hypocrisy, Incompetence, Internet, Law, Music, Music Technology, Politics, Technology No comments

The Editorial Board at National Review is thoroughly against SOPA, PIPA and any other lame piece of trash that blocks creativity and censors the end user. I understand that Anonymous wants to make a point by shutting down and attacking websites, this will end up backfiring on them in the end. The reality is that conservative (not “Conservative,” per se) voters and lawmakers who understand business are going to be more effective in crafting laws that would be far more equitable for everyone. When an educated voting populace learns how business works, good laws protecting copyright will emerge. You need the laws to protect and motivate businesses to grow, including those in the arts. Still, common sense should also be used regarding sharing files, blogging, getting off of the backs of podcasters, and leaving those people who might download an out-of-print album alone. Do I have a problem going after rogue governments who blatantly rob intellectual property? Hell, no I don’t! But I do have a problem not being able to share an out-of-print album of progressive rock or jazz or classical music because some worm at the RIAA insists I’m stealing something from their organization.

Take the time to read National Review’s commentary here.

‘Dude, Where’s My Lifeboat?’

January 17, 2012 Bravery, Cowardice No comments

In terms of good manners and bravery, things have changed for the worse.

I had the honor of being raised by a chivalrous father. He had always let it be known that I’d ‘get it’ if I didn’t hold doors open for women, let the woman walk into a room first (except for German girls, where one should walk in first, to make sure the room is safe), and so on. It became something so deeply ingrained into my psyche that every time I hear a feminist cackle about equality to this day, I wonder about the mind-numbing sludge spilling out of their mouth and ponder their seriousness in anything in life. Is that rough? Perhaps, and it’s not entirely meant to be. The problem is that I decided long ago that it was no longer worth my time or effort to decipher things that made absolutely no sense to me.

The problem seems to be two-fold: first, women demand equality, yet expect deference. To say otherwise is to lie, and everyone who thinks critically about this story knows it. It is not to say that feminism, in and of itself, is such a horrible thing. There will be situations in life where you WILL have to rely on yourself, either for your own benefit or for the benefit of those around you. This should be commended and encouraged. Just don’t complain if, in an emergency, that a man won’t steamroll over you to save his skin while you or your child drowns. When you subscribe to certain theories, think fully of the consequences. The second is far more disturbing to me: cowardice. I included a link to National Review Editor Rich Lowry’s column. It left me feeling sick that men feel absolutely no shame in blatant cowardice anymore. It has become an accepted part of society. The man has nothing to defend, and the woman has nothing to shield her from the harsh realities of natural disasters. Our culture rots every time a story like this comes out. We’re in a truly pitiable state.

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