Grenki (Гренки) and the Importance of Flowers

Today, I would like to bring to your attention one of my favorite dishes-- Grenki. Grenki traditionally are eaten in the morning. The history of their appearance is ancient. In the olden times people used to take stale bread and try to liven it up a bit. Grenki can be sweet or savory. I'm partial to savory; although, sweet Grenki is a great treat for breakfast or whenever. I shall say more about "whenever". If you are just staring to familiarize yourself with Russian traditions you will be surprised to learn that Russian people and people form some other Former Soviet Republics do not always keep order in which they eat their food. Some Russian people eat soup upon awakening,  yet some other Russian people would eat a sweet treat and later would  follow it up with a pickle. Everything goes as long as it pleases your palate. Many variations of Grenki exist. I will show you somewhat unusual version that doesn't require eggs. Traditionally Grenki are prepared with bread,eggs, and milk. Some cooks use different syrups, fruit, sour cream, whipped cream. My recipe is savory and can be consumed at any point during the day. I recommend it for breakfast as a main dish and for other times of day as an appetizer.

Turn them over like this

You'll need for 2 people:
White bread-4 pieces
Cheese --4 slices
1 Large tomato
2Tbs Olive Oil
Salt, pepper

Slice tomato thinly

Cover with cheese

Slice bread thinly. Warm up the frying pan. Pour Olive Oil. Fry bread on medium heat. Turn over, decrease the heat to very low point. Place sliced tomato on top of the bread pieces. Add salt and pepper (just a little bit). Place cheese slices on top of tomato and keep the heat very low. Grenki are ready when you see the  cheese melt to your liking. I purposely did not post the picture of this  dish as different people prefer different level of melted cheese. It is up to you how much to let the cheese melt, just please watch for the  lower part of the bread not to burn. That should not happen if you keep your heat low. Enjoy!!!

I can't say enough about importance of using  flowers at your table. They make every meal much more appetizing and bring joy to otherwise everyday dishes. Especially in the summer try to get some locally grown flowers for  your table. To save money Farmers markets are famous for low prices for really simple flowers. They don't have to be fancy, sometimes you can find something for $3 and you'll see what a difference it will make for the whole atmosphere of your house. Ta-ta for now!!!