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Pastry stuffed with fish, mushrooms, ginger

Stuffed pastry plays an important role in many culinary cultures in the world, ranging from the ravioli of the Italians to the dim sum of the Chinese. In Russia, stuffed pastry is called «Pelmeni» and comes in a myriad forms and with all manner of fillings (meat or fish, potatoes, mushrooms or herbs). Traditionally, Pelmeni has been eaten with a scoop of sour cream, clarified butter, vinegar or pepper or a stock. The art of preparing the classic Pelmeni involves making the dough as thin as possible while ensuring that the pieces of dough do not stick together or break up during the cooking process. We, however, like our Pelmeni made with a somewhat thicker dough: its noodle-character then comes into effect in a more flavoursome fashion.

Light Shock

In winter the residents of Moscow hang out their Pelmeni to dry on little lines outside their kitchen windows or in the tiny balconies of their high-rise apartment houses. That’s because the dough tastes particularly good when it suffers frostbite for a short while. Of course, some might contest that belief – but, certainly, the handling of the pieces of dough is a lot easier once they have been frozen (see Tip below). Our Pelmeni recipe comes from the Lemusan secret agent, Hektor Maille, who got it originally from Ruslan Rachmaninow, a master chef from Moscow. Somewhere down the line ginger crept into the preparation of Pelmeni in Santa Lemusa – not without profit, in our opinion, because the spice gives the dough a fresh accent. The bachelor Ruslan was rather shocked when Hektor introduced him to the Lemusan-style Pelmeni one fine eveneing in Moskow. «Earlier», he criticized Hektor with a marked tendency towards exaggeration, «earlier, one would have had one’s head chopped off for this.»

Vinegar dipp

Maille served his Pelmeni with a dip of white vinegar, black pepper and a bit of finely chopped dill – which, in his opinion, made an interesting combination with the ginger in the dough. One can also serve the Pelmeni with a light fish or mushroom stock, or with somewhat sour cream or salted butter. What’s more, the dish is equally good as a starter and as a main course.

350 g flour (plus some flour to dust over the working board)

1 eg

½ teaspoon salt

20 g dried mushrooms without strong falvour (i.e. butter mushrooms)

500 g filet of salmon, minus skin and bone

2 onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, finely chooped or grated

salt

pepper

For the dipp:

1 dl white wine vinegar

Black pepper

2 tablespoon dill, finely chopped

1. Mix flour, egg, salt with 1 or 1.5 dl water and knead into firm, smooth dough. Leave aside for 20 or 30 minutes in a cool place.
2. Soak mushrooms, cook soft, drain and cut into small pieces.
3. Cut fish into big chunks and run the chunks together with mushrooms, onions and ginger through meat grinder. Add salt and pepper, and mix well with a fork.
4. Roll out the dough into thin sheets on a flour-dusted work-board and then cut into circles of roughly 8 cm in diameter.
5. Place one teaspoon of meat in the middle of every circle, then wrap the dough over the meat and press the sides of the dough together firmly. If the dough feels sticky, dust more flour over the Pelmeni.
6. Place the Pelmeni over a lighted flour-coated plate, or freeze.
7. Just before eating, cook the Pelmeni in lightly boiling, salted water (or in a light stock). When the Pelmeni rise to the surface (after 5 minutes or so) allow them to cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes, then remove them carefully from the stock.

When you wish to freeze the Pelmeni, place them on a small board or plate that can fit into the freezer. Once they are deep frozen, one should transfer the Pelmeni into a plastic bag or a Tupperware box.

More about the travel adventure of Secret Agent Hektor Maille:

• Episode 3: Ballad in Moscow
• Startpage of «Mission Kaki» (with overview map)
• More Recipes of the Secret Agent

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