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One of the huge advantages of this dish is that it’s fast to cook, and is cheap and flavorful, and this allows a lot of variations. This is a traditional fleet dish, and also favorite dish of tired college students and tired wives.

Ingredients for 4:

1 pack of ground beef or ground pork (possible, use canned meat instead of this)
1 pack of any pasta (traditionally, in Russia this is macaroni)
1 large shallot onion
Salt, black pepper, other spices, – on taste


Method:

Ingredients for 8:

1 lb boiled potato
¼ lb any fish (boiled, baked, smoked, or from the can – any fish you have in your kitchen) with no bones
1 large salt cucumber
1 medium onion
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
Black pepper and salt on taste

Method:

Peel potato, cut into small cubes.
Cut the fish, the cucumber and the peeled onions into small cubes.
Mix all the ingredients in a dish, add oil, and mix well once more.

Note:

Time required: 15 minutes



The original recipe is somewhat involved, so I am giving you a simpler version that still tastes great. That includes using ingredients available in your nearest grocery store (although I usually buy them in Costco.)

Ingredients for 4:

½ lb boiled and peeled beets
¼ lb dried pitted black plums
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp sour cream
Salt, sugar, lemon juice on taste

Method:

Soak plums for 1 hour.
Grate beets.
Cut plums into small pieces.
Mix beets and plums in a medium dish, add lemon juice and salt to the dish, mix.
Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, and sugar; pour in the dish with beets and plums.
Mix very well and serve.

Every University student of the Soviet Union knew this very cheap and very tasty dish perfectly. “Ponchiki” are lighter and fluffier analog of doughnuts, and Soviet student ate them with coffee. Although a serving of “ponchiki” is ready in about 1 minute, this was not fast food in the general sense, because they cooked it only from freshly prepared dough.

Traditional Russian “ponchiki”:

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
2 cup flour
1 egg
1/8 lb margarine (half of the stick)
1 tbsp sugar

Ingredients:

1/2 garlic head
1 cup walnuts (peeled)
1 lb home cheese
Salt
Parsley
Coriander

Method:

Cut every ingredient into very small pieces.
Blend them together. Serve with any green salad and fresh bread.

Ingredients for 2:

1 chicken breast without skin and bones
1 1/4 lb ready champignons (not salted, not pickled)
1 cup walnuts
Salt and mayonnaise on taste

Method:

Boil chicken breast until ready. Cool, then tear by hands (do not cut!) into thin stripes, and add to a dish.
Dry and slice champignons, and add them into the dish.
Add medium walnut pieces to the dish.
Add salt and mayonnaise (or a mix of mayonnaise and sour cream, 1:1), and mix well.

Ingredients:

2 lb lamb
4 medium onions
Species: cumin (black sort is preferable), grinded coriander seeds, dried sumac or barberry, and salt on taste
½ tsp vinegar or lemon juice

Method:

Grind the lamb with the lamb fat (or without it.)
Cut 3 onions into small cubes (or grind it too.)
Add all spices, knead it all together until the color is almost white, and let sit for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 380 F.
Grease the baking sheet.