A delicious family lunch

To prepare 4 servings you will need:

• medium-sized beets – 2 pcs.
• pitted prunes – 100 g
• young chard – 100 g
• pine nuts – 30 g
• olive oil – 2 tbsp.
• table vinegar (9%) – 1 tbsp.
• mustard – 1 tsp.
• lemon juice – 1 tsp.
• balsamic vinegar – 1 tsp.
• salt, freshly ground black pepper – to taste

How to cook:

• Prepare the beets for the salad. Wash the beets and place them in a saucepan. Cover with hot water and bring to a boil. Add vinegar to preserve the beets' color and simmer over low heat for 2 hours. Let the beets cool and peel them. If desired, wrap the beets in foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour at 180°C.
• Rinse the prunes thoroughly and place them in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes. Chop coarsely. Lightly toast the nuts in a dry frying pan and let cool.
• Prepare the salad dressing. Pour the olive oil into a small bowl. Add the mustard, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar. Whisk with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir.
• Combine the beets, pine nuts, prunes, and Swiss chard in a large bowl. Drizzle with the prepared dressing and toss. Transfer to a salad bowl and serve immediately.

By the way

• Per
• 100 g: protein
• 2.41 g (3.01% of daily value) • fat
• 10.14 g (11.27%) • carbohydrates
• 18.40 g (10.95%) • kcal 165.41 (9.19%) • sodium
• 120.41 mg (8.30%) • total sugars
• 10.92 g (21.84%) • SFA
• 1.16 g (5.80%) • dietary fiber
• 3.22 g (10.73%)

Chakhokhbili is an ancient Georgian dish, prepared even in pre-Columbian times, when tomatoes were unheard of on our continent. To give the sauce its characteristic tartness, they used tklapi, a type of dried cherry plum or dogwood pastila. You can also add a piece of tklapi—it's always available from Georgian vendors at markets. If possible, try to buy fresh utskho-suneli, from this year's harvest. It's a crucial spice for chakhokhbili. And of course, the chicken should be farm-raised, not that poor broiler with no flavor and a fishmeal smell.

Cooking time: 3 hours

To prepare 6-8 servings you will need:

• chicken (preferably farm-raised) – 1 pc. (weight 1.5-2 kg)
• tomatoes – 4-6 pcs.
• onions – 4-5 pcs.
• parsley – 1 bunch
• dill – 1 bunch
• purple basil – 1 bunch
• garlic – 5-6 cloves
• hot pepper – 2 pcs.
• utskho-suneli – 1 pinch
• tklapi – a small piece
• ghee
• sea ​​salt

How to cook:

• Cut the chicken into serving pieces. Heat the ghee in a large, deep skillet or heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the chicken pieces and fry over medium-high heat until golden brown on all sides. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until half-cooked.
• Peel and thinly slice the onion. Sprinkle the onion over the chicken and mix thoroughly.
• Scald the tomatoes with boiling water and peel them. Chop or grate them coarsely, leaving small pieces.
• Add the tomatoes to the chicken, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until almost tender. Finely chop all the greens, including the stems, but chop the stems separately.
• Peel the garlic and chop coarsely. Remove the seeds from the chili peppers, if desired, and finely chop the flesh. Place the chili, garlic, and herb stems in a mortar and crush to a paste, adding salt.
• Add the greens, pestle paste, utskho-suneli, and tklapi pieces to the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the chicken is tender. Serve the chakhokhbili hot.

By the way

• Per
• 100 g: proteins
• 15.94 g (19.93% of daily value) • fats
• 5.81 g (6.46%) • carbohydrates
• 2.73 g (1.63%) • kcal 129.69 (7.21%) • sodium
• 67.73 mg (4.67%) • total sugars
• 1.36 g (2.72%) • SFA
• 1.87 g (9.35%) • dietary fiber
• 0.63 g (2.10%)

This warm couscous and vegetable salad is a variation on the Middle Eastern tabbouleh salad, but with warm, preserved vegetables. This salad can easily replace a full meal. It's a very filling and delicious dish of grains and vegetables, with a bright accent of olives and an abundance of fresh herbs. You can use any broth for the couscous; vegetable or chicken broth is best, but you can experiment with fish or even meat. A version with vegetable broth or water is also suitable for vegetarians.

Cooking time: 30 minutes

To prepare 4 servings you will need:

• couscous – 120 g
• canned corn – 1 can
• pitted olives – 12-15 pcs.
• red bell pepper – 1 pc.
• lemon – 1 pc.
• green onions – 4 stems
• garlic – 1-2 cloves
• hot vegetable broth (or boiling water) – 200 ml
• sesame oil – 3 tbsp.
• olive oil – 1 tbsp.
• salt, freshly ground black pepper

How to cook:

• Cut the pepper into small cubes and finely chop the garlic. Finely zest the lemon and squeeze out the juice.
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan, add the pepper, and sauté until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for 1–2 minutes, then add the couscous and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Pour hot broth or boiling water over the couscous. Cover the saucepan and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the couscous from sticking. Season the finished couscous with sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper, and let it cool slightly.
• Drain the corn, slice the olives, and finely chop the green onions. Add the corn, olives, onion, and parsley to the salad and toss. Serve warm.

By the way

• Per
• 100 g: proteins
• 8.51 g (10.64% of daily value) • fats
• 15.19 g (16.88%) • carbohydrates
• 14.03 g (8.35%) • kcal 227.90 (12.66%) • sodium
• 256.78 mg (17.71%) • total sugars
• 1.09 g (2.18%) • SFA
• 6.12 g (30.60%) • dietary fiber
• 0.70 g (2.33%)

Rice with smoked fish, vegetables, and curry sauce is a truly vibrant combination. Any hot-smoked seafood goes perfectly, whether pink salmon, mackerel, cod, or herring. But fatty fish often wins—try ivashi, for example; it's truly incredible. Just be sure to remove all the bones. Fresh herbs are a wonderful addition to this dish. You can use not only parsley, but also cilantro, green onions, and even thinly sliced ​​rings of fresh chili.

Cooking time: 45 minutes

To prepare 4-6 servings you will need:

• long-grain rice – 200 g
• hot smoked sea fish – 400 g
• cream with fat content of 30% – 200 ml
• hard-boiled eggs – 4 pcs.
• large onion – 1 pc.
• parsley – 1 small bunch
• vegetable oil – 30 ml
• butter – 50 g
• curry powder – 2 tsp.
• bay leaf – 1 pc.
• salt, freshly ground black pepper

How to cook:

• Place the smoked fish in a saucepan, cover with 700 ml of cold water, add the bay leaf, bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to low, remove the bay leaf, and cook for 7–8 minutes.
• Remove the fish and strain the broth into a clean saucepan. Bring the broth back to a boil, add salt, pour in the rice, and stir. Cover and simmer over low heat, without opening the lid, for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover with a towel, and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut the fish into pieces. Peel the eggs and cut them into quarters lengthwise. Chop the parsley.
• Peel the onion and cut into medium pieces. Fry in the oil mixture for 8 minutes. Add the curry, stir, pour in the cream, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.
• Pour the creamy onion mixture into the rice, add the fish and chopped parsley, and mix gently. Divide the rice and fish among bowls, top with the eggs. Serve immediately.

By the way

Chicken with cauliflower and mushrooms is a family-friendly casserole for every day. This oven-baked recipe is easy. If you don't like the hassle of cutting up chicken into portions, use chicken drumsticks or thighs. You can even make this dish using only chicken breasts, although it's best to reduce the cooking time slightly to avoid overcooking the chicken. You can supplement or replace the cauliflower with broccoli, zucchini, or other vegetables.

Cooking time: 55 min

To prepare 4-6 servings you will need:

• chicken – 1 pc. (weight 1.2-1.4 kg)
• cauliflower - 1 small head
• small champignons – 200 g
• shallots – 4 onions
• dry white wine – 200 ml
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt, freshly ground black pepper

How to cook:

• Cut the chicken into portions, rub with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and let sit for 10–15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C. Wipe the mushrooms dry with a paper towel. Peel and coarsely chop the shallots. Separate the cauliflower into florets, discarding the stem ends.
• Place the chicken pieces, skin side up, and the shallots in a deep baking dish and place in the upper third of the oven. Bake until golden brown, 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms in olive oil in a skillet over high heat for 5 minutes. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and remove from heat.
• Pour the wine-mushroom mixture over the chicken, scattering the cauliflower between the pieces. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (325°F) and bake until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes more. Let it rest for 7–10 minutes before serving.

By the way

• Per
• 100 g: proteins
• 11.36 g (14.20% of daily value) • fats
• 9.44 g (10.49%) • carbohydrates
• 3.29 g (1.96%) • kcal 149.59 (8.31%) • sodium
• 197.28 mg (13.61%) • total sugars
• 1.24 g (2.48%) • SFA
• 2.56 g (12.80%) • dietary fiber
• 1.13 g (3.77%)

Charlotte cake as we know it today—a sponge cake with apples—only emerged in the 19th century, but a pie by that name existed even earlier. It was made from dried white bread or crackers soaked in a mixture of milk and butter or eggs, then baked with the addition of fruit, puree, or confit. Most modern Charlotte recipes are similar—the base is eggs beaten with sugar, to which flour and a pinch of salt are later added. Some cooks add a little baking powder or baking soda, and sometimes sour cream or yogurt are used, as well as vanilla sugar.

Cooking time: 1 hour

To prepare 8 servings you will need:

• apples – 400 g
• flour – 100 g
• chicken eggs – 4 pcs.
• sugar – 80 g
• salt – 1 tsp.
• butter – 200 g
• boiled condensed milk – 200 g
• berries for decoration

How to cook:

• Beat the eggs with a mixer until stiff peaks form, gradually adding sugar, for 10 minutes. Sift the flour and salt into the batter, and mix thoroughly to remove lumps.
• Peel and slice the apples. Mix the batter with the apples. Grease a 20 cm diameter baking pan with butter and pour in the batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30–40 minutes.
• For the cream, beat the softened butter until fluffy and light, add the condensed milk, and beat again. Let the charlotte cool, then spread the cream over it. Garnish with berries.

By the way

• Per
• 100 g: protein
• 4.60 g (5.75% of daily value) • fat
• 16.36 g (18.18%) • carbohydrates
• 32.26 g (19.20%) • kcal 287.07 (15.95%) • sodium
• 200.10 mg (13.80%) • total sugar
• 14.98 g (29.96%) • SFA
• 9.62 g (48.10%) • dietary fiber
• 0.21 g (0.70%)

There's nothing better than a morning cup of good tea or coffee with freshly baked goods. And this bright and cheerful carrot cake will set the mood for the day with a sunny orange glow. The aroma of nuts, cardamom, and lemon zest will draw the whole family to the kitchen. You can also soak this cake in a little syrup or spirits and top it with a simple lemon glaze made with lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes

To prepare 8 servings you will need:

• carrots – 200 g
• peeled hazelnuts – 100 g
• flour – 40 g
• sugar – 80 g
• eggs – 2 pcs.
• butter – 50 g
• lemon – 1 pc.
• baking powder – 2 tsp.
• ground cardamom
• salt
• powdered sugar - for serving

For the cream:

• cream cheese – 400 g
• cream with 22% fat content – ​​150 ml
• powdered sugar – 4 tbsp.
• cover

How to cook:

• Peel and finely grate the carrots. Grease a muffin tin and line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
• Finely chop the nuts. Wash the lemon with hot water, grate the zest on a fine grater, and squeeze out the juice. Separate the yolks from the whites and beat the yolks with sugar until creamy. Add the chopped nuts, grated carrots, and lemon zest and juice, mixing thoroughly.
• Mix flour with baking powder and a pinch of cardamom, sift and add to the carrot mixture.
• Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold the egg whites into the carrot mixture, a little at a time, using a spatula to fold until smooth.
• Transfer the dough into a cake pan, place in the oven and bake for 40–50 minutes.
• Let the finished cake cool slightly in the pan, then carefully transfer it to a wire rack. Cool completely.
• Beat the cream cheese, heavy cream, and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add a little cinnamon, if desired.
• Before serving, dust the cake with powdered sugar through a fine sieve and serve with cream.

By the way

• Per
• 100 g: proteins
• 6.56 g (8.20% of daily value) • fats
• 21.15 g (23.50%) • carbohydrates
• 30.31 g (18.04%) • kcal 324.70 (18.04%) • sodium
• 126.89 mg (8.75%) • total sugars
• 19.48 g (38.96%) • SFA
• 6.28 g (31.40%) • dietary fiber
• 3.35 g (11.17%)