Blini: Russian crepes
March 12, 2011 in Recipes · No comments
As promised, here is the recipe for Russian blini, or pancakes. There are two main types of blini: one made with yeast, and one without. Both are generally large and fairly thin, so you can fold them around fillings or toppings.
The raised blini are slightly thicker; they have a holey, bubbly texture and that unmistakable yeasty flavor. They are best eaten hot off the skillet, topped with melted butter and sugar. They are also the more traditional kind: in Russia, if you say “Russian blini,” people will know that you are referring to the yeasted version.
The non-yeast blini are a lot like crepes; in fact, the recipe was likely borrowed from the French. Despite not being originally Russian, they have become immensely popular, in part because they are so much quicker and easier to make than the traditional kind. They also keep well in the fridge for a few days (filled or unfilled) and can be frozen (likewise, either filled or unfilled). While they are best eaten warm, they are also perfectly edible at room temperature or even cold, and they make a handy snack when pulled out of the fridge, microwaved for a few seconds if desired, and spread with jam. Finally, these crepe-like blini are great for stuffing with virtually any type of savory or sweet filling. The two fillings that are by far the most common ones in Russia are meat (you either boil a piece of meat and grind it up, or take some ground meat and brown it, and then mix the meat with caramelized onions) and tvorog (mixed with sugar and perhaps raisins).
Anyway, here is the recipe for the crepe-like blini (also known in Russian as “nalistniki”), courtesy of my mom. I’m also throwing in her recipe for a spinach and cheese filling. While not historically Russian, it is easy to make and delicious!
Crepe-like blini
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups milk (2% or whole)
2 eggs
1 tbsp oil, plus more for frying
Preparation
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and then gradually whisk them into the dry ingredients.
Heat a skillet (I use non-stick) on medium heat and lightly grease the bottom. (An old Russian method for applying a light coating of oil to a skillet is to cut off the end of a potato, peel it, dip the flat side into a dish of oil, and use it to grease the skillet.)
Pour some batter into the skillet using a ladle, and swirl so the bottom is evenly coated with a thin layer of batter. If there are holes, you can fix them by adding more batter. You’ll use about half a ladle to a full ladle of batter for each blin, depending on the size of your skillet. I don’t flip these blini but you can if you want to. Grease the skillet after each blin.
Makes 10-20 blini
Spinach and cheese filling
Ingredients
1 lb package of frozen spinach
1/4 cup grated or crumbled cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Defrost the spinach and drain very well, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Mix in the cheese, salt and pepper.
To fill the blini, place 1-2 tbsp filling on the browned side of a blin. Wrap the blin around the filling in a square or rectangular shape, as you prefer. To serve, brown the filled blini on both sides in a skillet in a small amount of oil or butter. Enjoy while hot and crispy!
Fills 10-20 blini