grannie's russian meatballs

It took a little while but I am here like I promised with one of my all time favorite recipes.

Russian meatballs (kut-ley-ti) come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be made from a variety of ingredients. I have never tasted the same meatball twice. I prefer to make them medium sized - larger than a swedish meatball but smaller than a hamburger. I have even seen them made with fillings. I am going to give you the foundation and you are welcome to experiment to your hearts delight. This recipe is fairly easy to make and doesn't take that much time as long as you have all your ingredients handy.

Ingredients
¾ ground chicken
¾ ground veal
2 eggs
2 teaspoons mayonaise
1 ½ teaspoon vegeta (seasoning mix)
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 garlic cloves minced
1 onion grated
¼ cup spring water
4 tlbsppon matzah meal
½ tablespoon baking soda














Combine all your ingredients in a mixing bowl. If your mixture is too liquidy ad more matzah meal to thicken it up. The mixture will be soft unlike a beef meatball that might be a little drier.
Heat up a large non-stick skillet with some corn oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan but not so they are swimming in oil). Scoop out a small handfull of mixture. Create medium sized balls and brown evenly on both sides - takes about 5 minutes per side - if you like them darker you can cook longer. After removing from pan let cool for a few minutes. They should be soft, moist and juicy.














Can be served with any side dish (potatoes, rice, couscous) or can be eaten on their own (hot or cold). I hope you will enjoy as much as I do.

Check back soon for a great recipe for oven roasted chicken.

Until next time... keep on cooking.

welcome to grannie's kitchen

I would like to begin by saying I love food.

I love to eat, going out to eat and cooking. As much as I go out to New York's finest restaurants and prepare recipes from the finest chefs, I still find myself yearning for the home cooking that I grew up with. When I say home cooking I am talking about my grannie's cooking. My grannie has been cooking and baking since she was a teenager (over 60 years) in the former Soviet Union.

The purpose of these posting will be to share and record my favorite recipes from my grannie's arsenal of European delicacies. If you too, are a food enthusiast, these recipes will blow your mind with their great taste and simplicity.

My first recipe is for a garlic cheese spread appetizer (bey-la-chka) that is quick and easy to make and will be an instant favorite and staple for any occassion.

garlic cheese spread

Ingredients
1 lb block muenster cheese
Mayonaise
Sour cream
3 cloves garlic
salt/ blk pepper
plum tomatoe
parsley











Remove orange skin from cheese - finely grate the Muenster cheese adding in 3 cloves of minced garlic. If available use a meat grinder instead of cheese grater, a lot less work and final consistency will come out smoother. Add 2 tablespoons mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon sour cream. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Mix well until smooth consistency.

Can be served on crackers or with vegetables. I have spread onto mini bread toast with a slice of plum tomato and pinch of parsley.

In my next posting look forward to a quick and easy salad/side dish made from carrots.

Until next time - keep on cooking