Uncle Bills Lapshevnik Russian Noodle Casserole Recipes

UNCLE BILL'S LAPSHEVNIK - RUSSIAN NOODLE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, add noodles and 3 cups of water.
• Bring to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes.
• Drain well and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Prepare a 8" x 8" oven-proof casserole dish by rubbing inside with a vegetable oil or margarine.
• In a mixing bowl, mix together eggs, whipping cream, baking powder, salt and sugar.
• Add noodles and stir to mix well.
• Pour noodle mixture into prepared casserole dish.
• Bake in preheated 400 F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.
• Serve with melted margarine or butter.
• You can eat the Lapshevnik cold as it is good as a quick snack.

UNCLE BILL'S VARIETY OF FRUIT FILLINGS FOR PYROSHKY

Steps:

• If using strawberries, remove hulls, wash and slice.
• If using raspberries, huckleberries, use whole.
• If using rhubarb, cut into small pieces.
• If using cherries, pit first.
• If using peaches or apricots, remove stones and cut fruit into pieces.
• In a mixing bowl, mix together sugar and tapioca starch, mix well to blend.
• Add sugar/tapioca starch mixture to fruit and mix well to coat.
• Let sit for 5 minutes before using.
• Fill pastry cups with 1 1/2 tablespoons of your choice of fruit mixture.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar to each tart.
• Bake in preheated 400 F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until crust is just lightly browned.

UNCLE BILL'S CARROTS - TURNIP - PARSNIP DISH

Steps:

• Prepare vegetables as noted and place them in a large saucepan.
• Cover with water, bring to boil.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutues or until vegetables are tender.
• Drain well.
• Add salt, pepper and butter and mash well.
• Serve as a vegetable with your meal.
• This is also very good the next day, re-heated.
• Parsnips are available in different sizes. Measured across the top of the parsnips, Small - about 1 inch, Medium - about 1 1/2 inches, Large - about 2 inches.

UNCLE BILL'S PETITE PEA SALAD

Steps:

• In a microwave-proof dish, microwave peas on HIGH (full power) for 2 minutes; stir.
• Continue to microwave for an additional 2 minutes on HIGH (full power).
• Drain and cool completely with cold water and ice cubes; then drain.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together peas, sour cream, mayonnaise, dill weed, onions and celery and mix well to blend.
• Chill for at least 30 minutes in refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, fry bacon until well done and crispy; DO NOT BURN.
• Place fried bacon on paper toweling to drain.
• Crumble bacon and garnish salad when serving.

UNCLE BILL'S MARVELOUS LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying, add ground beef and fry until cooked, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Drain off any fat and discard.
• Add remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to frying pan, chopped onions and garlic and saute' for 5 minutes.
• Add chopped celery, diced green and red peppers, sliced mushrooms, chopped zucchini, and saute' until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add grated carrots, cover and cook until carrots are limp, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer this mixture to a large cooking pot.
• Add tomatoes including liquid, tomato sauce, parsley, hot pepper flakes and allspice and heat to boil.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Blend in wine and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• FILLING: Squeeze water from spinach and discard.
• Chop spinach small.
• In a mixing bowl, combine spinach, cottage cheese, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, beaten egg, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, mix well and set aside.
• TO ASSEMBLE: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Use a 10" x 14" x 2" deep, heavy duty aluminum foil baking dish.
• Layer about 1/2" of prepared sauce over the bottom.
• Place enough lasagna sheets to cover area and press lightly into sauce.
• Layer another 1/2" of prepared sauce.
• Place lasagna sheets over and press lightly into sauce.
• Add spinach filling and level.
• Place lasagna sheets over and press lightly into filling.
• Add another layer of lasagna sheets.
• Layer another 1/2" of prepared sauce over.
• Place another layer of lasagna sheets and press lightly into sauce.
• Add the remaining sauce over and level.
• Sprinkle top generously with grated mozzarella cheese.
• Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese over.
• If desired, grate a 1/2 cup of Emmentaler Swiss cheese and sprinkle over top.
• Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil being careful not to let foil touch the lasagna.
• Bake in preheated 450 F oven for 20 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 425 degrees F.
• Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese melts.
• Remove from oven, cover and let sit to set for about 5 minutes before cutting.
• Cut into pieces and serve hot.
• Ondine Delverde Lasagna is a brand name and is sold in packages of 15 lasagna sheets and also 3- 8" x 8" aluminum foil pans.
• You can use these pans if desired.
• This lasagna is pre-cooked and does not require any cooking before hand.
• They now make fresh lasagna sheets that do not require pre-cooking.
• You may also use lasagna strips but you will require cooking these.

UNCLE BILL'S RUSSIAN CABBAGE ROLLS

Steps:

• In a medium size saucepan, add 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water, bring to boil; reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
• Fluff rice with a fork; set aside and let cool.
• Remove core from savoy cabbage using a long thin knife.
• Using a large microwave container with a lid, place cabbage with core side down and add 1/2 cup of water.
• Cover and microwave on HIGH (full power) for 10 minutes.
• Turn cabbage over and cook on HIGH (full power) for an additional 10 minutes.
• Cook each cabbage head separately.
• When cabbage is cooked, drain water and let cabbage cool slightly.
• Separate leaves carefully and set aside.
• Divide chopped onions in two.
• In a frying pan add margarine or butter, 1/2 of the onions and saute' until translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes but do not brown.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together both cooked and uncooked rice, cooked and uncooked onions, ground beef, pork sausage, garlic cloves, dill weed, salt, black pepper and sugar and mix well until well blended.
• If cabbage leaves are too big, cut them in half along the rib.
• Spoon about 2 or 3 heaping teaspoons of mixture onto the wide end of the cabbage leaf.
• Bring the end of the cabbage leaf over the mixture, roll part way, then tuck or fold inward the ends to prevent the filling from falling out and continue to roll.
• Carefully place each cabbage roll in a single layer (with the end of the roll down), in a 9" x 13" oven-proof casserole dish.
• You will require 2- 9" x 13" casserole dishes.
• In a food processor or blender, process condensed soup and tomatoes until smooth.
• Pour tomato mixture over cabbage rolls until just covered.
• If the cabbage rolls are not covered with tomato mixture, add more condensed soup or water.
• Place 6 bay leaves on top of the sauce in each dish.
• Cover each dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 300 F for 2 hours.
• Maintain oven heat at this temperature so that the cabbage rolls do not burn.
• When cooked, remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes.
• Remove foil and serve while still hot.
• These cabbage rolls freeze well.
• You may also make small or petite cabbage rolls by cutting the cabbage leaves smaller and reducing the amount of filling.

LAPSHA - HOMEMADE RUSSIAN NOODLES

Steps:

• To a large saucepan, add water and bring to boil.
• Add butter to boiled water and let dissolve, whisk well to blend; let cool to warm.
• In a large mixing bowl, add salt, eggs and beat well.
• Gradually add water/butter mixture to eggs and whisk well to blend.
• Add flour to egg mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes.
• Cut dough into pieces to form dough balls the size of a medium orange.
• Cover dough balls with a damp cloth while rolling out dough.
• Using a wooden rolling pin, roll each dough ball until paper thin or as thin as possible.
• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Place dough circles on a large round pizza cooking sheet.
• Dry each dough circle in the preheated oven until dry to the touch, about 20 minutes, BUT DO NOT BROWN.
• Fold each dried dough circles individually into a fold that is about 1 1/2 inches wide.
• Cover folded dough with a cloth until all circles are dried and folded.
• On a cutting board, using a very sharp knife, cut off very thin slices, cutting on a slight angle and cutting across the 1 1/2 inch fold.
• Spread cut strands on cookie sheets and dry in a preheated 350 F oven for about 20 minutes, or until nice and crisp,stirring the strands at least twice during the drying process.
• Cool completely and store in noodles in glass jars with a tight fitting lid.
• Use in soups or make a Lapshevnik.