PelmeniPelmeni are among the most popular Russian dishes. They are served in special Pelmennaya cafes and sold frozen in shops, but any cook considers a matter of honour to make pelmeni herself. Pelmeni have spread throughout the whole country from Siberia, which is why they are often called Siberian pelmeni. Siberia is not only an enormous and extremely rich territory, with wonderful towns, rivers and lakes, but is also the home of many original dishes, which have become part of Russian cooking. Pelmeni originated in Siberia long ago. To the Komi, a people living in the area of the Urals, the word pelnyan means an 'ear made of dough' and pelmeni really are this shape. They are made from pastry and meat. People in Siberia usually make them in huge quantities, by the thousand, and then freeze them — the Siberian winter makes this easy. Any Siberian who sets out on fishing or hunting expedition, or just on a long journey, inevitably takes a whole bag of pelmeni with him. All he has to do when he feels hungry is build a fire, boil some water and drop some of the pelmeni, frozen hard by the frost, into it; a few minutes later an appetising smell will rise over the taiga, letting him know that lunch is ready. People serve pelmeni for ordinary meals and for special occasions; guests are usually invited to a 'pelmeni party'. According to an old tradition, the cook puts some object like a button into one pelmen, instead of the filling. It is a sign of luck for the person who gets this pelmen. Making pelmeni begins with the preparation of the pastry. Sift 300-400 grammes of flour into a mound, make a well in the centre and add a teaspoonful of salt, one or two eggs, half a glass of warm water and knead the dough. Cover it with a tea towel and leave to stand for 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, make the meat filling. Take 200 grammes of beef and 200 grammes of pork and put through the mincer twice, together with two onions. Add first salt and ground black pepper totaste and then some cold boiled water. The mixture should be not quite as thick as for rissoles. When the filling is ready, return to the pastry. Roll it out thinly, cut out circles and put a small ball of filling onto each. The edges have to be joined and pinched together, which is not as easy as it sounds. No one cook's pelmeni are the same: some make large ones, others small ones; some pelmeni are very intricately, and others more simply joined. Put the pelmeni in the fridge so that they become firm. To serve, cook the pelmeni in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes, until they rise to the surface. They are served with sour cream, melted butter, vinegar, pepper and mustard.
IV. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following words and expressions: - дело чести - «хлебное ухо» - готовятся из теста и мяса - испытывать чувство голода - накрывать салфеткой - делать углубление - пропускать через мясорубку - вырезать кружочки - тонко раскатывать (тесто) - пока они не всплывут на поверхность
V. Agree or disagree with the statement: 1. Pelmeni are made from pastry and meat. 2. Pelmeni originated in china long ago. 3. The word “ pelnyan” means an “ear made of dough”. 4. A button into one pelmen is a sing of luck for the person who gets it. 5. People serve pelmeni only for special occasions. 6. Pelmeni are put in the fridge to become firm. 7. Pelmeni are served with orange juice.
VI. Continue the sentences: 1. Pelmeni are the most …. 2. Pelmeni have spread throughout …. 3. To the komi the word …. 4. Making pelmeni begins …. 5. For meat filling take …. 6. Roll the pastry out thinly …. 7. No one cook’s pelmeni are the same: …. 8. Cook the pelmeni in boiling salted water for …. 9. Pelmeni can be served with vinegar ….
VII. Say the same in another way: 1. Siberia is a very large territory with wonderful towns, rivers and lakes. 2. Pelmeni were invented in Siberia many years ago. 3. When a hunter wanted to eat something, he boiled some water and dropped pelmeni into it. 4. The mixture should be middle consistency. 5. The edges of your pelmeni have to be joined and pinched together, but it’s very difficult. 6. No one cook’s pelmeni are the same: they can be different shape and size.
VIII. Answer the questions: 1. Are pelmeni among the most popular Russian dishes? 2. Are there many wonderful towns, rivers and lakes in Siberia? 3. What is the Komi? 4. What are pelmeni made from? 5. What do people serve pelmeni for? 6. What is the old tradition in making pelmeni? 7. How is the pastry prepared? 8. How is the meat filling made? 9. How can pelmeni be served?
IX. How can pelmeni be made?
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