When describing Russian authentic cuisine one encounters certain difficulties. Firstly it is in the nature of cooking to copycat best practices and experiment with new ingredients.  For example Beef Stroganoff  now known as a Russian dish was an invented by the French cook who served Stroganoff Family. Secondly we are talking about the most geographically spread out country in the world with many distinct cooking traditions. So we will limit ourselves to the dishes that are traditionally considered to be Russian.
 

In addition Russian cousine is very much influenced by the republics and regions of the former USSR. For the duration of the existence of Soviet Union, the movement of people across the lands was very prominent. Upon moving people would bring traditions and food of their region to their new settlements.

One of the most well-known russian dishes, by for would be "borsch" - or cabbage soup. The variations on the same dish are great. Ukranians, for example have a very specific way of cooking borsch that most often involves green leaves and green cabage. It maybe served cold OR warm. Beats are often added to the borsch in other parts of the country, resulting in the "red" borsch. If one would serve it cold, it would be cold "holodnik" (the literal tanslation of "cold soup").

"Pelemeni", "Vareniki", "Krepushki", or "Khingali" are also known as Russian dumplings. They come in various shapes and sizes, and contain variety of fillings, from meat, to potatoes, cabbage, or mushrooms. Often served with Sour Cream - the queen of Russian table sauces.

You would expect these dishes at a traditional Russian feast:

Salad "Olivie" Салат "Оливье".
Caesars Salad of Russia with a cult status.

Olivier
 
Potatoes – 4 medium size
Carrots – 2 medium size
Meat – beef 1 lb cooked
Eggs 4-5
Green peas – 1 can
Salted cucumbers, pickled if you don’t have salted– 1 can
Dill
Cilantro
Mayo
Sour cream
Salt
 
Boil potatoes in its skin and carrots until they are soft. Let them cool down the to room temperature or you can put them in the fridge to speed up the process. Skin off both potatoes and carrots, and cut into small cubes pieces. Meanwhile boil the eggs for 10 minutes, then rinse under cold water for 5 minutes, clean and cut into small pieces. Boil meat until the texture is soft and tender, cut into small cubes. Cut pickled cucumbers and add a can of green peas along with cilantro and dill. Mix Mayo with sour cream and pickled water from cucumbers – add to the salad as needed. Salt as needed. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.
 

Ukranian Borsch - Украинский Борщ

Even though, most of the time, "borsch" often is called a ukranian dish, there are a lot of different variations on what it is, as well as methods of preparation. Originally it was a soup that was made out of a plant called "borschevik", and that is where it got its name. Often it was referred to as the soup of the poor, and since it was the cheapest soup to prepare, the amount of ingridients would increase with the familie's ability to afford components. With time, borsch became one of the most popular dishes in the old Russia.

Ingridients:

1 Liter of water

500 g of beef

1/2 of beats (or 1 medium sized beat)

1/2 head of cabbage

6 medium sized potatoes

2 onions

2 carrots

4 garlic pieces

1 table spoon of tomato paste

3 table spoons of sour cream

Preparation:

Clean all the ingridients, and cut the vegetables into small pieces. 

Clean the meet, and dice into medium-sized portions, suitable for boiling

Prepare the meet broth, and add onions, carrots

Stir fry the thinly diced beats, with the tomato paste, add a little bit of vinegar

Add the diced potatoes to the meat/vegetable broth, boiling on a small heat for 10-15 minutes

Add the stir fried vegetables into the broth and continue boiling over the small heat

When serving the dish, add the sour cream, pepper, and garlic to taste