caviar | milkandbun

Buckwheat pancakes with pike caviar

Good morning! I guess, pancakes is the most wanted breakfast on Earth. 😀 No matter how you call them in your country, whether you like thick or thin pancakes, sweet or savory – they are all delicious! Today, I’d like to share the recipe of Russian buckwheat oladushki (small pancakes). In Russia we like buckwheat grain and consume it in enormous amounts; it is not only the tasty grain but also very healthy (it contains no gluten, and a good source of protein). So buckwheat flour is also popular and widely-used in preparation of various pancakes, vareniki or cakes.

The flour is a bit heavy itself, plus I used wholegrain one, and as you can see from the photos: my pancakes turned out not very thick. But if you like them thicker and fluffier, add less buckwheat and more plain flour.

These pretty dark and so-healthy pancakes go great with a dollop of fresh sour cream and slice of homemade cured salmon! I brought a can of pike caviar from Russia, and garnished pancaked with it. It’s not very salty and suits perfectly here. Of course I understand that it’s not easy to get pike caviar (at least find it Russian store), but you can substitute it with salmon or any other fish caviar you like, or a thin slice of smoked salmon is another awesome option.

Buckwheat pancakes with pike caviar

Ingredients

100g buckwheat flour (I used organic wholegrain)

100g plain flour

1 egg

200g sour cream (20% fat)

3 tbsp full-fat milk

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1/3 tsp baking soda

1/3 tsp salt

sunflower oil, for frying

Garnish

sour cream

pike caviar (sub it with salmon caviar or cured salmon slices)

chopped chive, optional

Method

In a large bowl, whisk egg with salt, milk, sour cream and oil. Sift plain flour, add buckwheat flour and soda. Mix all ingredients to combine.
Heat a frying pan or skillet of a high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil, if needed. Using a ladle or cup, drop some batter on a pan until desires size of pancake is reached (I made 7-8cm). Cook until edges begin to look dry and bubbles start to form, about 1 minute. Then flip the pancakes and cook 1-2 minutes more on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream, top with a few teaspoons of caviar and sprinkle with chive if desired.

Enjoy Russian Breakfast!

Forgiveness Sunday

Today is the last day of Butterweek, which is called Forgiveness Sunday, when people ask each other for forgiveness.

Farewell to Butterweek is a traditional folk gathering, along with theatrical performances, sleighs’ sliding, games and amusements.

A culmination of the festival is burning of an Idol made from straw and dressed as a woman, which is called Winter scarecrow and symbolized farewell to the winter and greeting the spring.

A straw-woman was burned in a field, beyond villages. Old stuff, clothes were burned also in fires, besides straw and firewoods. Nowadays it takes place in city/town squares, where all citizens are able to come.