Syrniki (Russian Cheese Pancakes)

Do you know someone who’s a real whiz in the kitchen? Someone who's dinner invitations always guarantee a mouthwatering meal? I’m not talking about a gourmet chef, but someone who simply knows how to put out good, tasty food? That’s our friend Vlad.

He loves to entertain, and his approach is to spoil his guests with a smorgasbord of appetizers: Russian dark bread, cheeses, caviar, smoked fish, garlicky cheese spread, beet salad, etc. His simplest concoctions are often the ones guests continue thinking about long after the party’s over.

Nothing demonstrates this better than his Syrniki, or Russian cheese pancakes. He was responsible for breakfast during a group vacation weekend in Lake Chelan and decided to make his family’s favorite (seriously, they request them every weekend). His American version uses cottage cheese, a simple substitute for the traditional, drier Russian farmer’s cheese that can be hard to find. Traditional Syrniki include a fair amount of sugar (and sometimes vanilla or raisins) to produce a sweet dough, but Vlad’s approach is more flexible. An egg, a little flour and a teaspoon of salt is all that’s needed for the basic recipe, which gets shaped into little cakes and pan fried until crisp on the outside. His family eats theirs drizzled with maple syrup but I suspect they’d be equally delicious with jam. While I do enjoy that sweet-salty interplay, I most often whip up a batch of savory Syrniki for a quick weeknight dinner. My go-to mix-ins include fresh chives or garlic and spinach, but this recipe is ripe for experimentation.

Fried cheese in all its cultural iterations is delicious (think Greek Saganaki, Swiss Malakoff or Indian dry chili paneer), and these cheese pancakes are no different. When it’s Syrniki night and I tell the kids what I’m making, their response is predictably, “Yay!! Cheez-nicky!”

Cottage Cheese Pancakes (Syrniki) – Basic Recipe

Traditionally made with hard-to-find Russian farmer’s cheese, this cottage cheese version comes together easily with a few staple ingredients. The thick batter is shaped into cakes, dusted with flour and pan fried until golden brown. Serve the basic recipe with maple syrup or jam, or try some savory mix-ins.

1 egg

1 lb full fat cottage cheese (I like this one made with milk from pastured cows)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup flour, divided

Oil for pan frying (I use this one)

Lightly beat the egg in a medium bowl. Add the cottage cheese and salt and mix well. Add a ½ cup of the flour and stir to combine. The mixture should resemble very thick pancake batter. If it’s too thin and sticky, add a bit more flour. 

Pour enough oil into a large skillet (I prefer cast iron) to generously coat the bottom; heat over medium-low. In the meantime, pour the remaining flour into a shallow plate. Scoop roughly a ¼ cup portion of dough onto the floured plate. Get your hands in there and dust generously on all sides with flour, then carefully shake off excess, forming each into a little flattened cake. Handle carefully - they will be very soft. Repeat this process with the rest of the batter.

Once the oil is hot, place four or five cakes into the skillet – do not overcrowd – and cook until a nice golden brown crust forms on the bottoms, about 4 minutes. Flip and continue cooking on the other side, adding more vegetable oil as needed. Remove to a platter and lightly sprinkle with salt if desired. Repeat with the remaining cakes.

Serve hot with maple syrup, jam or fruit compote, or as a main dish with a fresh salad.

Makes about 12 Syrniki

How to Make the Perfect Grilled Cheese

I don't have the greatest memory. Birthdays? Forget it. The big snow storm of 2008? Clueless. What I did yesterday? Give me a minute. But when it comes to food memories, I can spew out more details than anyone cares to hear.

For example, in 1998 my mother, sister and I were in England during a 6-week European adventure. In addition to visiting the Beatrix Potter museum in the Lake District and the home of James Herriot (author of "All Creatures Great and Small"), our to-do list included a proper afternoon tea in London.

I'll never forget it. My mom was up front ordering while my sis and I grabbed a table. Nearby, a little 5 or 6 year old English boy, outfitted in knee-high socks and dress shorts, was looking us up and down. He was sitting on a bench swinging his little legs when, apropos of nothing, he proudly announced in the most adorable British accent, "I'm having the toasted cheese." I will always think of this when I eat a grilled cheese sandwich.

  
Grilled cheese is a simple comfort food that both children and adults enjoy immensely. While the dish is uncomplicated, it's surprising how many competent cooks admit having a hard time getting it right. Most often this means charred bread. The good news is that scraping the blackened bits off with a knife is a thing of the past. With the correct technique and a little patience, you can serve up perfect, glorious grilled cheese sandwiches every single time.

The number one rule is that the heat needs to be lower than you think. The whole point is to end up with a golden, buttery exterior and an oozy, melted interior, a process that simply cannot be rushed. Number 3 (a solid medium-low) on the stove dial is just right. 

Secondly, I find that putting a weight on top allows for even heating and ensures that the cheese melts properly. I use a simple piece of aluminum foil and an empty pot.

Like I said, it's all about the technique. Here's how I do it:

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. In the meantime, assemble your sandwiches using good bread, sliced cheeses and any other fixins' that strike your fancy. For the sandwiches pictured here, I used raw Cheddar, summer tomatoes and basil from the garden. Swirl some butter in the bottom of the skillet. Place the sandwiches in the pan, cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil and top with a pot that's large enough to press the sandwiches evenly (a baking dish would also work). Let the grilled cheese cook until the bottoms are perfectly golden brown, 4-6 minutes. When you lift each sandwich to flip, swirl a little more butter underneath (don't be skimpy). After flipping the sandwiches, there's no need to continue covering and weighing them down. Cook on the other side until golden, about 3 minutes.

Unless you'd like to cut them, you can now ditch your knife since no scraping will be required. 

Spaghetti with Fish Sauce

Last October my family and I met up in Chicago for a long weekend. We saw a show, took some tours and, of course, ate ourselves siiiiilly. We even had a few serendipitous moments, like when we found ourselves standing in front of Rick Bayless' restaurant Xoco. 

We had just eaten a few Chicago-style hot dogs but knew enough to find room for some of the best churros and Mexican hot chocolate on the planet.

In addition to its vibrant restaurant scene, Chicago is well known for its many ethnic and cultural neighborhoods. In fact, it boasts the third largest Italian population in the country. It also happens to be the first U.S. city to inherit giardiniera, a pickled vegetable concoction that made its way from Italy in the 1920's. Used as a condiment atop Italian beef sandwiches, it also finds its way onto antipasto platters and pasta dishes.

 
I've always loved pickled, briny things (just ask Tristan - he always kept a big jar of pickles in the fridge for me when we first started dating), so naturally I went gah-gah when I heard about a pasta and fish dish packed with green olives, capers AND gardiniera. It happened one day when I was channel flipping and landed on "My Family Recipe Rocks." Joey Fatone (remember him from N'Sync?) was in Chicago learning how to make the Cannistra family's beloved "Spaghetti with the Fish," where pasta gets topped with an olive oil-based sauce that's loaded with chopped garlic, fresh parsley and lots of salty flavor bombs. The final step involves the addition of white fish, which falls apart and melts right into the sauce as it simmers.

I adjusted the recipe substantially for bolder flavors and, well, more sauce. What can I say but YUM-o. The juicy broth is light and fresh, and if you happen to have any left over, it tastes even better the next day.

Spaghetti with Fish Sauce
Adapted and tweaked from My Family Recipe Rocks on the Live Well Network. 
Serves 4-6.

1/2 cup olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
10 large green olives with pimentos, chopped
2 tablespoons capers
Hot water
3/4 cup hot giardiniera*
1 lb white fish fillets (cod, halibut, haddock, etc.)
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, plus more for garnishing
1 lb vermicelli pasta
Asiago or Romano cheese for grating

In a 1 1/2 - 2 quart pot, heat the olive oil, garlic, green olives and capers over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown. Add enough hot water to fill the pot 3/4 full. Add the hot giardiniera* and some salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.

Add the fish fillets and continue cooking for 30 minutes more. The fish will slowly flake into the sauce. Right before finishing, stir in the fresh parsley and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente.

To serve, top each plate of pasta with a ladle of fish sauce. Garnish with grated cheese and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

*My neighborhood grocery store only had regular giardiniera so I added some Mama Lil's Peppers for heat (you could also use hot sauce or red pepper flakes). If you don't want the heat, just use regular giardiniera.