AngryHobbit
Senior Master
All! Since we kept talking about food and reveling in various forms of cooking on Last Person thread, the idea came up to start a separate discussion for recipes and food traditions. What do martial artists eat?
I'll start. I am originally from Ukraine, where we do all manner of strange and wonderful things with food. When ingredients are either scarce or overpriced, one must be inventive and make hard-to-get foods go a long way.
I am not sure why so many people here in the United States dislike herring. Growing up in Ukraine, herring was one of the few things that were fairly easy to get: pickled, canned or smoked. Many people prepared and preserved herring their own way. In any case, it was a popular meal component, especially during big family gatherings. My favorite part was decorating the herring platter. The herring was already pre sliced, and laid out neatly – head to tail. My job was to surround it with neat round slices of onions with a pickled pea in each one, representing sea pearls. Then, just for fun, I would stick a sprig of green onion or parsley into the herring’s mouth.
Herring in a Fur Coat is another favorite for a celebratory table, and, despite of what you might think (“Ugh, salty, slimy herring…”) it is not only yummy but is also comparatively nutritious.
Ingredients:
•Pickled filet of herring. Filet costs more, but trust me – you’ll thank yourself later, when you don’t have to deal with the tiny snappy herring bones. The quantity depends on the container, in which you buy it and on how salty you want the dish to be. Let’s say get enough to fill a small mixing bowl – about two cups’ worth.
•Two medium-size potatoes.
•Three large carrots.
•Two large beets or two cans of pre-sliced canned beets (not pickled – just the regular canned ones).
•One large onion (I prefer Vidalia).
•One large apple.
•Mayo
Prep:
•Cook potatoes, carrots and beets (if using raw beets).
•Let the veggies cool and then peel (much easier once they are cooked).
•Chop the onions.
•Chop the herring as finely as you can.
•Shred potatoes, carrots and beets on the finest side of your shredder (for the uninitiated – that’s the side with the smallest holes in it).
•Peel and core the apple, then shred it on the medium side of the shredder.
•In a large flat serving dish, lay out the shredded potatoes in a nice even layer, then smear with a thin layer of mayo.
•Add a layer of herring, smear with mayo. (Are you getting a hang of this yet?)
•Add a layer of onion. Nope, no mayo – not yet.
•Add a layer of carrots, then smear with mayo.
•Add a layer of apple, smear with mayo.
•Add a layer of beets, and spread it to cover both the top and the sides, if possible.
•Decorate any way you want – with some peas and carrots, with sprigs of parsley or other herbs.
•Place into the fridge for three hours to chill. You can eat it right away, but it is so much yummier when all the flavors had a chance to sort of merge together.
•Serve as you would a layered cake – with a large spatula or actually with a cake server.
I'll start. I am originally from Ukraine, where we do all manner of strange and wonderful things with food. When ingredients are either scarce or overpriced, one must be inventive and make hard-to-get foods go a long way.
I am not sure why so many people here in the United States dislike herring. Growing up in Ukraine, herring was one of the few things that were fairly easy to get: pickled, canned or smoked. Many people prepared and preserved herring their own way. In any case, it was a popular meal component, especially during big family gatherings. My favorite part was decorating the herring platter. The herring was already pre sliced, and laid out neatly – head to tail. My job was to surround it with neat round slices of onions with a pickled pea in each one, representing sea pearls. Then, just for fun, I would stick a sprig of green onion or parsley into the herring’s mouth.
Herring in a Fur Coat is another favorite for a celebratory table, and, despite of what you might think (“Ugh, salty, slimy herring…”) it is not only yummy but is also comparatively nutritious.
Ingredients:
•Pickled filet of herring. Filet costs more, but trust me – you’ll thank yourself later, when you don’t have to deal with the tiny snappy herring bones. The quantity depends on the container, in which you buy it and on how salty you want the dish to be. Let’s say get enough to fill a small mixing bowl – about two cups’ worth.
•Two medium-size potatoes.
•Three large carrots.
•Two large beets or two cans of pre-sliced canned beets (not pickled – just the regular canned ones).
•One large onion (I prefer Vidalia).
•One large apple.
•Mayo
Prep:
•Cook potatoes, carrots and beets (if using raw beets).
•Let the veggies cool and then peel (much easier once they are cooked).
•Chop the onions.
•Chop the herring as finely as you can.
•Shred potatoes, carrots and beets on the finest side of your shredder (for the uninitiated – that’s the side with the smallest holes in it).
•Peel and core the apple, then shred it on the medium side of the shredder.
•In a large flat serving dish, lay out the shredded potatoes in a nice even layer, then smear with a thin layer of mayo.
•Add a layer of herring, smear with mayo. (Are you getting a hang of this yet?)
•Add a layer of onion. Nope, no mayo – not yet.
•Add a layer of carrots, then smear with mayo.
•Add a layer of apple, smear with mayo.
•Add a layer of beets, and spread it to cover both the top and the sides, if possible.
•Decorate any way you want – with some peas and carrots, with sprigs of parsley or other herbs.
•Place into the fridge for three hours to chill. You can eat it right away, but it is so much yummier when all the flavors had a chance to sort of merge together.
•Serve as you would a layered cake – with a large spatula or actually with a cake server.
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