Recipe for cooking russian salmon loaf

Recipes from Russia and the Ukraine :: Russian and Ukrainian Appetizers and Snacks

In Russia, kasha is sometimes used instead of rice.

Pastry
1 med. onion, sliced
1 bay leaf
5 black peppercorns
2 tsp. salt
2 lbs. salmon steaks*, about 1 in. thick
1 c. water
1/2 c. uncooked regular rice
1 tsp. instant chicken bouillon
8 oz. mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 large onions, finely chopped
1/4 c. butter or butter-replacement
3 hardboiled eggs, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp. minced dill weed
1 tsp. salt
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp. water
Dairy sour cream, melted butter or butter-replacement

Prepare Pastry.

Heat 1 1/2 in. water, 1 onion, the bay leaf, peppercorns and 2 tsp. salt to boiling in a 12-in. skillet; reduce heat.

Arrange fish in single layer in skillet. Simmer uncovered or without a lid until fish flakes easily with fork, 4 to 6 mins. Drain and cool. Remove bones and skin from fish; flake fish.

Heat 1 c. water, rice and bouillon to boiling in 1-quart saucepan, stirring once or twice; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 14 mins. without lifting cover or stirring.

Remove from heat. Fluff rice lightly with fork. Cook and stir mushrooms and 3 onions in 1/4 c. butter until onions are tender. Gently stir rice, mushrooms, onions, hardboiled eggs and dill weed into flaked salmon. Sprinkle and distribute with 1 tsp. salt.

Heat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Shape one-half pastry into flattened rectangle on well-floured cloth-covered board. Roll pastry with floured stockinet-covered rolling pin into a 16 x 7-in. rectangle. Trim edges in an even way. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Mound salmon mixture over pastry to within 1 in. of edges. Roll other half pastry into an 18 x 9-in. rectangle. Moisten edges of pastry on cookie sheet with water. Carefully place second pastry half over filling. Press edges with fork or flute to seal. Leftover pasty can be cut into shapes to decorate top of pastry.

Cut 1-in. circle in center of top crust or cut slits so steam can escape. Mix egg yolk and 1 Tbsp. water; brush pastry with egg yolk mixture. Bake until golden brown, 50 to 60 mins. Serve with sour cream. Yields 8 to 10 servings.

Pastry
1 c. butter or butter-replacement
1/3 c. shortening
4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
10 to 12 Tbsp. cold water

Cut butter and shortening into flour and salt until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle and distribute in water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl. Gather pastry into a ball. Divide into halves; shape into 2 rounds. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.

* Two(16 ounce) cans salmon, drained and flaked, can be substituted for the salmon steak; omit cooking step.