Blinis are a type of thin pancakes, which are made by adding yeast in batter, and are served in a festival. The word “blin” is derived from the Old Slavic word “mlin”, meaning “to mill”. The Early Slavic people in pre-Christian times worshipped blinis as they were considered a symbol of the sun due to their circular geometry. They were prepared usually at the end of the winters to welcome the new sun. The Orthodox Church adopted this tradition and is even carried in the present world. This dessert is crispy. It can be fried or sautéed. It appears reddish in color. Mushroom Cheese Blintzes, Spinach Blintzes are some popular blini recipes.
INGREDIENTS AND METHOD OF PREPARING BLINI
The ingredients, which are required to prepare blini recipe, are eggs, white sugar, salt, milk, vegetable oil and butter. Initially, for preparing blinis in a medium bowl, the eggs, white sugar and salt maybe whisked together. The flour maybe sifted into the bowl and stirred in along with milk. The batter maybe mixed until smooth and well blended. Even the batter should be thin. The griddle or skillet maybe heated over medium heat. The pan maybe lightly oiled or sprayed with cooking spray. The batter maybe poured into the pan as much as desired. The batter maybe spread out evenly by tilting the pan. When the edges maybe crisp and the centre appears dry then with care under the blin a spatula may slide. On the other side, blinis maybe flipped and cooked for about 1 minute or until lightly browned. These are removed to a plate. A little butter maybe put on both sides and maybe continued to stack. Then it is ready to serve and ready to eat.
VARIETIES OF BLINIS
Buckwheat Blinis is a traditional Russian cuisine. Other varieties of blintz are Classic Cheese Blintzes, Mushroom Cheese Blintzes, Spinach Blintzes and Cheese Blintzes Maslenitsa.
SERVING BLINIS
Blini maybe served hot or cold according to people’s preference. It is served as a sweet dish or as a dessert. They maybe eaten as it is or the batter may contain various add-INS such as grated potatoes, apples and raisins. Blini maybe topped with butter, sour cream, jam, honey, or caviar and then they maybe folded or rolled. If blinis are rolled, they resemble French Crepes. In Russia, caviar filling is famous in cocktail parties. Some filling such as jam, fruit, potato, cottage cheese or farmer cheese, cooked ground meat, cooked chicken, chopped mushrooms, bean sprouts, cabbage, and onions is rolled or enveloped into a pre-fried blintz and then the blini is lightly re-fried, sautéed, or baked. It maybe served in parties by cutting into different shapes and size.
SOME HEALTH FACTS OF BLINI RECIPE
Blinis are healthy as well as unhealthy. This includes some nutritional values as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The recipe is unhealthy because it is re-fried and it contains lot of oil. People suffering from obesity should avoid the blini as it is just an intake of empty calories. People suffering from heart disorders, hypertension, etc should not consume it. It should be consumed in limited quantity.