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Classic Russian Cuisine PDF

500 Pages·1993·8.67 MB·English
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Alia Sacharow CLASSIC RUSSIAN CUISINE Photographs by BRUNO HAUSCH Translated by Ursula Zilinsky and Courtney Searls-Ridge ARCADE PUBLISHING • NEW YORK To my husband, Igor, and my daughter, Sonja Special thanks to all who have enthusiastically added to the success of this book: Dorothee and Hartwig-Ulrich von Both Baroness Elissabeth von Cramer-Klett Josef and Anne Riedmiller Helga Rocchling Tomara and Leonid Winokurow The accompanying text was written by Erni Gehrig, who also edited the recipes. Copyright © 1989, 2012 by Wilhelm Heyne Verlag Translation copyright © 1993, 2012 by Arcade Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Arcade Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Arcade Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Arcade Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or [email protected]. Arcade Publishing® is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.arcadepub.com. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file. ISBN: 978-1-61145-748-3 eISBN: 978-1-61145-748-3 Contents Conversion Tables Foreword by Daniel Spoerri Introduction APPETIZERS AND SNACKS SOUPS AND STEWS MEAT INNARDS POULTRY AND GAME FISH SAUCES VEGETABLES GROATS, PASTA, AND QUARK DISHES RUSSIAN PANCAKES AND FILLED CREPES PIROGI AND PATES DESSERTS AND PASKA CAKES, COOKIES, AND PASTRIES PICKLED VEGETABLES AND JAMS DRINKS INDEX Publisher’s Note Because of the repressive events of the last seventy-five years in the former Soviet Union, we tend to forget that Russian cuisine was one of the richest and most varied in the world. Accounts of food shortages, together with images of long lines of people waiting for the most basic foodstuffs, should not blind us to the fact that, in earlier times, Russians ate heartily and indeed richly. Alia Sacharow has done a great service by reminding us how important this cuisine was—and is. It seems fitting to approach the recipes in this elegant book of cuisine from greater Russia as one would the paintings in a museum, paying homage to an art and enjoying what once was in its full historical context. The reader may be surprised at the often extraordinary list of rich ingredients— large quantities of eggs, butter, heavy cream, chicken or goose fat. Keep in mind that the Russian gastronomy recreated here emanates from centuries of glorious eating ceremonies predating our concerns with weight and cholesterol. What was once the norm has in many instances become today s taboo. In bringing these remarkable Russian recipes to North America, we were tempted to adapt all 550 to today's western dietary demands. But in order to preserve their integrity as well as authenticity, we opted to leave them as they were. Those who have dietary concerns should feel free to substitute low-or nonfat and no-cholesterol ingredients. For example, light cream or even skim milk or nonfat yogurt could be used when the recipe calls for heavy cream. Margarine may be substituted for butter. Or the original rich, cholesterol-laden ingredients could simply be used in more modest quantities. Some of the author s ingredients may be difficult to obtain. Certain fish, for example, are limited to specific geographic areas. Substituting another type of fish is acceptable, so long as it approximates the flesh consistency of the fish called for in the recipe. For descriptions of other ingredients that might pose difficulties, as well as suggestions on where to find the more unusual ones, refer to the following list: Almond milk: Available in health food stores and used in the preparation of pastry or sauces. Bitter almonds: Rare in the United States. Substitute with regular almonds and disregard the “bitter” aspect. Black radish: A long tuberlike radish with black exterior. Unlike the little red radish, its peel must be discarded before use. May be obtained in specialty grocers. Crayfish: Though popular in Russia, crayfish are not always available everywhere here, except maybe in New Orleans. Recommended substitutions are crabmeat, shrimp, or a combination of the two. Gooseberries: A green berry with fuzzy outer skin, the gooseberry has a delicious and tart taste. Available in specialty produce stores. Groats: Grain exclusive of hull; a term also used to refer to cooked cereal. Available in health food stores. Kvass: A popular nonalcoholic beverage made from various grains, fruits, and vegetables and used as an ingredient in a number of cold dishes and sauces. Beginning on page 263 there are several recipes for kvass. Millet: A cereal available in health food stores. Nettles: Mostly unavailable in American stores. (Can be picked in open fields.) Substitute with bitter greens. Orange blossom water: Available in most health food stores. Potato flour: Available in health food stores. If unavailable, substitute with cornstarch. Quark: A Russian dairy product, close in consistency to American farmer cheese, ricotta cheese, or cottage cheese. Quark is available in specialty stores. Substitute with the American equivalent if not available. Rowanberries: Difficult to find outside Russia. Blackberries or raspberries are acceptable substitutes. Soup greens: A combination of herbs such as parsley, thyme, and dill, and root vegetables such as turnips, rutabagas, carrots, parsley roots, celery roots, and leeks in any proportion, depending on availability. Soup greens are mostly used in soups and broths and impart a wonderful flavor. “A bunch” of soup greens means about 1-2 pounds. Wheat berries: A cereal available in health food stores. A final note: Whenever baking or oven roasting, be sure to preheat the oven for 15 minutes. Foreword Deeply attached to Russia, her homeland, which she was forced to leave, Alia Sacharow remains faithful to her cultural and religious roots. Exile was a source of great pain, but also inspiration, for her. Perhaps it is this separation that has fueled her passion for sustaining the rich traditions of Russian cuisine that her mother and grandmother so reverently passed on to her. Russian gastronomic ceremonies are regarded as all important. Much care and time are given to celebrating traditional feasts such as Easter, Lent, and many more. Days of preparation during the Orthodox Easter season culminate in a meal that is a gastronomic encyclopedia beyond the comprehension of anyone who has not experienced it firsthand. Alia has prepared every recipe in this book from start to finish, not in her own apartment with familiar equipment, but in a test kitchen. The 550 recipes offered here are only the tip of the iceberg. She has translated thousands more. Ask her if she knows how to prepare them all and she will answer, nonplussed, “but of course.” Personally, I think it is a pity that some of the more exotic and colorful recipes, such as horse stomach Tartar or stuffed pork intestines (known colloquially as, of all things, “Nanny”), fell victim to the selection process. But today, who would bother to cook anything that unique when it is so much easier to reach for the daily ubiquitous hamburger—the same the world over? In the past, traditional Russian cuisine made use of every part of the animals slaughtered for food. Everything from head to tail was eaten, and recipes abound for every single part of the animal. The long fasting seasons of the Orthodox church have led to a separate vegetarian cuisine. Embracing as it does groats, barley, buckwheat, nettles, sour cream, sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers, pickled tomatoes, and white cabbage, these recipes are likely to be rediscovered in light of the present vegetarian trend and health food boom. Russian cuisine as a whole is one of the highest cultural achievements of the Slavic people, though of course there are vast regional differences. I believe Alia when she tells me that there are not many classical Russian recipes for pork, lamb, or veal—”calves are for petting,” she tells me. Beef, venison, fish, and poultry (including duck and goose) predominate. And she emphasizes one other important point: Russians never serve only a main course. A classic Russian meal without several appetizers is unthinkable. This is as true for the very rich as for the poorest of the poor. This tradition, however, has practically disappeared in Russia. This is mostly due to the country’s prevalent scarcity of food these past decades but also reflects a general change of life-style. In Russia, as in other parts of the world, canned goods and boxes of prepared food are relegating our cookbooks to pretty picture books of the past. This volume is probably more carefully prepared and accurately written than any cookbook in print in Russia at this time. Were it to be published in Russia today, it might become a classic there, an irony not without precedent. Russian cuisine influenced the French throughout the nineteenth century and vice versa. Daniel Spoerri Introduction My compatriots say that one is wiser after a good meal, and they use this maxim to make eating well a rule of life. In fact, Russians have always enjoyed eating and drinking. This is not something that will change. We take our time—time to cook and time to enjoy. We are gregarious, hospitable, and aware of our traditions. Our cuisine enhances all of these qualities. It offers tremendous variety, because greater Russia, spread over two continents, is multinational, and each ethnic group has its own specialties. I became acquainted with many aspects of the culinary culture of my country —in my youth in southern Russia, during my university years in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), and later through extensive travel. And I learned that even during lean times it was possible to set a generous table and celebrate splendid feasts. In 1978 my family and I were suddenly torn from our culture and traditions. We were forced to emigrate and were given very little time to decide which of our beloved possessions we would take with us on this journey into the unknown, into our new life. The decision was a difficult one. I wanted to have something tangible to connect me to my Russian homeland. I remembered a book I had been given as a young girl about the cuisine of old Russia. Since I had always been an enthusiastic cook, I suddenly realized that no matter where I lived this book

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Alla Sacharow's passion for Russian cooking springs from her devotion to her native land. For this unique collection she has assmebled 450 recipes, chosen from among thousands, and creates a culinary tour of her homeland. More than 130 full-color photos illustrate the recipes and the art of presenta
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