Mrs Kostyras Vegetable Stock Recipes

MRS. KOSTYRA'S BORSCHT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place beets on a piece of parchment paper -- lined aluminum foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold up edges of foil and parchment to enclose beets. Place on a small baking sheet, and bake until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 1 hour. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel, and coarsely grate; set aside.
• Soak mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving liquid. Coarsely chop mushrooms; set aside.
• In a medium stockpot, combine stock, beets, mushrooms, mushroom liquid, celery leaves, parsley, garlic, sugar, a large pinch of salt, and a large pinch of pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.
• Add lemon juice or citric acid. Taste, and adjust for seasoning. In a small bowl, combine sour cream and flour, stirring until no lumps remain. Whisk in a ladleful of soup, then whisk the sour-cream mixture into the soup. Cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in dill just before serving.

BORSCHT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place beets on a piece of parchment paper-lined aluminum foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold foil and parchment up to enclose beets. Place on a small baking sheet and bake until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 1 hour. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel and coarsely grate; set aside.
• Soak the mushrooms in the water for 30 minutes. Drain through a fine mesh sieve; reserving liquid. Coarsely chop mushrooms; set aside.
• In a medium stockpot, combine the stock, beets, mushrooms, mushroom liquid, celery leaves, parsley, garlic, sugar, a large pinch of salt, and a large pinch of pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
• Add enough lemon juice or citric acid until you've reached your desired flavor. Cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate until cooled, up to overnight. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with dill.

MRS. KOSTYRA'S MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish; set aside.
• Warm the milk and tomato paste in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cheddar cheese, and 1/2 cup Swiss cheese; set the cheese sauce aside.
• Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook until pasta is al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain well in a colander. Stir macaroni into reserved cheese sauce.
• Pour mixture into prepared dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup Swiss cheese, and dot with butter. Bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 45 minutes. Serve hot with sour cream, if desired.

COUNTRY CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Dough:Sift together flour, confectioners' sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Sift again. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Add butter; pulse until largest pieces are the size of peas. Add egg yolks and sour cream; pulse until dough just begins to come together. If dough is too dry, add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until dough comes together. Form into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm but pliable, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in center. Lightly butter a 10-inch round springform pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 15-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit dough into bottom and up side of pan. With a paring knife, trim dough to about 1/2 inch below the rim. Crimp edges with the tines of a fork. Freeze until firm, 10 minutes.
• Line dough with parchment. Fill with dried beans or pie weights; bake until crust is firm and dry, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove parchment and beans; let cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Filling:In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together eggs and egg white on medium speed until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in granulated sugar to combine. Add farmer cheese, sour cream, lemon and orange zests, raisins, and vanilla; mix until fully combined. Transfer to cooled crust.
• Bake until set at edges but still slightly wobbly in center, 50 to 55 minutes (if cake is browning too quickly, tent edges of crust with foil). Transfer to wire rack; let cool completely. Refrigerate until cold, at least 8 hours; serve.

MRS. KOSTYRA'S MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then fit the sheet with a wire rack. Brush an 10-by-4 3/4-by-3-inch loaf pan with oil, and place on rack; set aside. Place bread in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade; pulse until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add ground beef.
• Place onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade; pulse until fine. Add to meat mixture, using hands to mix well. Add egg, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, salt, and pepper; use hands to combine thoroughly. Transfer to prepared loaf pan.
• Combine remaining 1/2 cup ketchup, remaining teaspoon dry mustard, and brown sugar in a bowl; stir until smooth.
• Brush mixture over meatloaf; place pan in oven, atop prepared wire rack set on parchment-lined baking sheet. Cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads 160 degrees, about 90 minutes. If top gets too dark, cover with foil and continue baking.

MRS. KOSTYRA'S KIELBASA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a pot of simmering water, poach kielbasa for 20 minutes. Remove from pot, and transfer to a roasting pan with about 1 cup of the poaching water. Using a fork, poke the skin of the kielbasa to prevent it from cracking. Roast until brown and crispy, about 20 minutes.
• Slice kielbasa on the diagonal into 1/2-inch slices. Serve with rye bread, horseradish, and mustard.

MRS. KOSTYRA'S BEEF STOCK

Steps:

• Place meat and bones in a large stock pot. Add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very gentle simmer. Cook, skimming occasionally, until no more foam rises to the surface, about 1 hour. Add water if at any time the surface level drops below the bones. Remove any accumulated fat from the surface.
• Add carrots, celery, parsnip, and bay leaf. Place onion halves directly on the trivet of a gas-stove burner over high heat or on a grill. Turn the onion with tongs as the onion becomes golden brown. If you do not have a gas stove, place the onion on a baking pan, and broil in the oven, turning as each side becomes golden brown. Add onion to stockpot. Continue to simmer until the meat is tender, about 2 hours.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. Strain the stock through a fine sieve, or a cheesecloth-lined strainer, into a large bowl. Discard the solids. Transfer the bowl to the ice-water bath, and let the stock cool to room temperature.
• Transfer the stock to an airtight container. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, and up to overnight so the fat collects on the top and can be removed. Stock can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 4 months.

MRS. KOSTYRA'S VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Combine the carrots, celery, onion, leek, tomato, fennel, peppercorns, garlic, parsley, thyme, and water in a medium stockpot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, discarding solids.