Classic Russian Cuisine

500 Pages·1993·8.67 MB·English

by  Alla Sacharow

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
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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