Russia ~ Salmon Kulebyaka ~ Dinner

 

Salmon Kulebyaka

One word, NOM!

Don't freak when you see the Salmon part of this, honestly it is pretty easy to tell that I got a bit of sticker shock over the price of Salmon at my local store as well and decided that Sole was good fish also :)

If you can afford Salmon then by all means go for it, I am sure it would be even more tasty and it was pretty freaking tasty.

The first time I tried this recipe the silly puff pastry simply would not thaw fast enough so I tried using bisquick to make a quick bread crust and while it was pretty good, it paled in comparison to using puff pastry so don't cut corners with the dough. Use the puff pastry dough, you will be glad that you did.

Right after I made this, I had an appointment with my doctor for a checkup and we went over that common question about what kinds of foods you eat. I knew that the question was going to proceed a long winded sermon about the benefits of eating healthy and eating fresh  ingredients, I mean come on, we have all been there and if any of you carry extra weight like I do, sometimes you get that sermon even more! I will say that after I told her what I had made for dinner, as well as what I do every month with food and the family and how we have almost eliminated fast food from our diets, well I could tell she was impressed. 

It is almost sad to think that cooking is a dying art form for many families in America. 

With the addition of Food Network to basic cable, one might think that there would be a surge of new interest for people to get back into the kitchen, and while it may even be true for some, many still believe that cooks are just that, people who cook for us and that the common person could not possibly be able to prepare new and delicious dishes without a degree in culinary arts and their own television show. I shake my fist at non believers! *shake*

I am self taught in the kitchen, have learned through trial and error (sometimes lots of error) on how to cook good food. If I can do this you can do this people, I have faith that everyone who puts their mind to cooking can make great meals that taste good! So lets make the Kulebyaka and when you taste it you will be convinced that you can also. (That was my pep talk, did it work?)

This recipe was obtained from "Russian, German & Polish food & cooking" by Leslie Chamberlain

*Butter   *Onion   *Rice   *Dill   *Lemon Juice   *Puff Pastry   *Salmon(fish)   *Eggs   *Salt/Pepper

Recipe

4 tbsp Butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup of cooked long grain rice

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp chopped dill or dried dill

1 lb puff pastry, defrosted if frozen (the sheets of pastry)

1 lb of salmon *or other fish* cut into 2 inch pieces 

3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 beaten raw egg for sealing and glazing

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1) preheat oven to 400, melt the butter in a pan and add the chopped onions to cook for about 10 minutes or until soft

2) stir cooked rice, dill, lemon juice, salt and pepper into onions

3) roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to about a 12 inch square and spoon the rice mixture over half the pastry, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges. 

4) arrange the fish on top, then scatter the eggs in between

5) brush the pastry edges with the beaten egg, fold it over the filling and press the edges together to firmly seal.

6) carefully lift the pastry on to a lightly oiled baking sheet and glaze with beaten egg, pierce the pastry a few times with a skewer or a fork to make holes for the steam to escape

7) bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 40 minutes, leave to cool on the baking sheet when done before cutting into slices.

 What I did differently
Well you already know about my fish debacle, that is all.

How my family reacted
NOM NOM NOM
They were too busy shoving it in their face holes to tell me how good it was, but the fact that it was gone and there were no leftovers for the fridge let me know just how well they liked it.
Two thumbs up!