Kolobki Russian Cottage Cheese Donuts Food

KOLOBKI (RUSSIAN COTTAGE CHEESE DONUTS)

Steps:

• Combine first 7 ingredients to form a very thick batter.
• (Original recipe calls for 1/2c flour and crumbs, but even with double the flour mine was too sticky to roll.).
• Heat oil in a wide frying pan.
• (According to Good Eats, more oil is better since the oil is absorbed when oil temp drops, which happens when too much cold stuff is added to not enough oil. I used enough to fill the pan with 1/3 of an inch).
• Use a tea-spoon to quickly scoop and drop dough balls. Since the batter is pretty thick, use your finger to make the drop.
• Alternatively, form balls roughly 1" in diameter, then drop into oil.
• Do not crowd the pan or drop so many that you won't be able to flip them comfortably.
• Fry past golden-brown, about 90 sec. Adjust oil temp if needed.
• Flip using 2 forks.
• Fry the other side.
• Carefully lift each Kolobok out onto racks lined with paper towels, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
• Repeat until batter runs out, and serve whatever hasn't been stolen from the plate. Top with sour cream or possibly syrup/jams? Should keep well overnight.

TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN PIROZHKI

Steps:

• Place 1/2 cup milk in a cup or small bowl. Stir in sugar and sprinkle yeast over the top. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Pour the remaining milk into a large bowl.
• Add the melted butter, egg, salt and 1 cup of flour to the large bowl with the milk. Stir in the yeast mixture. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and doesn't stick to your hands. Cover the bowl loosely and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour. Dough should almost triple in size.
• While you wait for the dough to rise, melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, until cabbage has wilted. Mix in the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until cabbage is tender. Set this aside for the filling.
• Place the risen dough onto a floured surface and gently form into a long snake about 2 inches wide. Cut into 1 inch pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Flatten the balls by hand until they are 4 to 5 inches across. Place a spoonful of the cabbage filling in the center and fold in half to enclose. Pinch the edges together to seal in the filling.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line one or two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Place the pirozhki onto the baking sheet, leaving room between them for them to grow.
• Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

RUSSIAN DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Mix farmer's cheese, flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together in a bowl until a sticky dough forms.
• Roll dough into 1-inch balls with wet hands to prevent sticking.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or heavy saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). The oil should be hot but not smoking. It is ready for frying if you see little air bubbles around a wooden spoon placed in the oil.
• Fry a batch of the dough balls in the hot oil until golden, about 2 minutes. Place doughnuts on paper towels to soak up excess oil. Repeat with remaining dough. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.