Uzbek Cuisine

Do these look about right? Here they are in the kazan getting ready to be cooked. Here is the recipe.

I got this very easy recipe from the book, Please to the Table. It sort of like a samsa.

2 Containers Buttermilk Biscuits
1 Pound Ground Beef
1 Large Onion Chopped
1/4 Cup of Parsley or Dill, whatever is cheaper I guess
1/3 Cup Ice Water
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Oil

Open biscuits and let stand for 15 minutes. In large bowl, combine meat, onion, parsley, and water. Mix well and season with pepper. Heat oil in a large pan to 375 degrees. Pat biscuits flat, place 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of each and fold over. Make sure the seals are tight so they won’t leak into the pies. Fry the pies until golden brown.

I have made something like this using tortilla mix. I made the homemade tortillas, filled them with the meat and herbs and fried them. I also put them in the oven. It is not traditional I guess, but we love it. The tortilla mix is available in any grocery store.

When my mother-in-law comes to visit, she always makes golubtsi, or stuffed cabbage rolls for us. Great to make if you have leftover rice.

One head of cabbage
Boiling salted water
1 onion chopped
2 Tablespoons of oil
2 pounds of ground beef
1 1/2 cups of cooked rice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cans of condensed tomato soup
2 1/2 cups of water

Remove core from cabbage. Place whole head ina large pot (kazan) filled with boiling salted water. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Remove softened leaves and repeat until all of the leaves are pulled out. Cut thick denter stem from each leaf. Chop remaining cabbage.

Saute onion in oil. Add meat, rice, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Place a heaping tablespoonful of meat mixture on each leaf. Tuck sides over filling while rolling leaf around the filling.

Place half of the chopped cabbage on bottom of a large pot. Fill with layers of the cabbage rolls. Cover with remaining chopped cabbage.

Combine tomato soup with water. Mix until smooth. Pour over cabbage rolls. Cover and bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours.

Serve cabbage rolls with the sauce

15 servings.

This is not exactly an Uzbek dish, but still popular throughout the former Soviet Union.

1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
2 Tablespons of butter
3/4 Cup cooked rice
1 pound ground meat
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 whole head of cabbage
Boiling Water
2 cups of beef broth
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup

Saute the onion and garlic in butter or vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add rice, meat, salt, and pepper. Stir fry just enough to mix well. Remove from heat.

Remove core from cabbage. This is a very important step. I learned this the hard way. Place the whole head of cabbage in a pot filled with boiling water. Cover the pot and cook the cabbage in the boiling water for three minutes. Remove the soft outer leaves. Repeat until all of the leavesare softened and have been removed. Another important thing to do is to cut off the thick stem from each leaf.

Taking one large leaf at a time, spoon about 1 rounded tablespoon full of meat mixture in center of leaf. Cover with a small leaf. Tuck ends up and just over the edge of the filling. Place one end of leaf fillinf and roll up loosely, Repeat until all filling and leaves are used. Palce cabbage rolls in a large casserole. Do not make more than 2 layers.

Combine beef broth and cream of mushroom soup. Pour over cabbage rolls.

Bake at 350 degrees F about 1 1/2 hours.

Makes 8 servings

From Polish Cookbook by The Culinary Arts Institute