Apple-carrot cutlets
A little sweet, and very different. A time to recover our senses from the circus that we watched the past day or two.
This, from my favorite Russian cooking site, describes what kids ate at school in Russia. She says:
Soviet kids ate nearly all their meals at school, and like school food the world over, it left much to be desired.
Anna Kharzeeva researched and discovered what the kids actually ate, and some of it is wholly revolting. But in the process, she found this delicious little morsel. It is on our list for the coming weekend, but I will make it with a bit of flour for binding, as semolina may be challenging to get in our climes. I will also try one or two with Chia seeds to bind them together. This is the secret, then, of cooking – adjusting as we go. Creating new out of old.
Ingredients:
1 carrot; 1 apple; 1 tsp semolina; ½ tsp sugar; 2 tsp butter
Wash carrot and apple and grate.
Put the carrots in a pot.
Add ¼ cup water and cook until soft. Add apples and simmer until apples are tender.
(I would also suggest to leave at least some crunch and don’t cook ’em to death).
Then add semolina (flour or my suggestion, Chia seeds), sugar, and some salt. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Allow to cool.
Shape in the form of cutlets and fry in butter.
I’m imagining these will go well with a topping squeeze from the honey bottle and then don’t use sugar in the making of it, or even try it with a little white sauce or herby sauce as a dinner vegetable accompaniment. Dress it up with a few raisins or dried cranberries. It is a versatile process.
Cafeteria food of primary and secondary schools must be hated throughout the multiverse if it exists. I did not eat school cafeteria food until Ohio University where I was introduced to “straw hats.”