SC - Russian dishes

[Traci_Bjers at radian.com]

Bit of a late reply (working on getting a newsletter out the door) - but
here is an entry I submitted in our kingdom cooking competition earlier this
year and it tied for first place (probably because of the vodka shots) and
all the dishes received raving reviews from the populace we invited over
afterwards.

It's an age old custom that seems to still be in practice today (according
to Web search finds of modern day Russian hangouts).  So, it should qualify
as comfort food for your visitors, while still incorporating your historical
interests; yet it's not a presumptuous full course Russian meal that only
their grandmothers could make (and potentially snicker at after they leave).
You may want to ask your visitors for a recommendation (or to bring some) of
their favorite vodka.

- - Angelika

ZAKUSKY

Origin:  9th Century, Northern Russia

The cuisine of zakusky (meaning "to bite it down") are appetizers that are
served to chase down shots of vodka.  Serving zakusky with vodka is a
typical Russian dining custom, which dates back to the ninth century.  It
was adopted from the convivial Scandinavian smorgasbord, or cold board, when
Rurik became the first czar of Russia.  This tradition is usually conducted
as a social hour in Russia as a chance to relish in frequent toasts before
the main meal is served.

Originally zakusky consisted of herring and other fish, game and meats.
Herring, the favorite chaser, is generally accompanied by dark rye bread and
pickled vegetables.

MENU:  Vodka; Rossolye served with rye bread; Pickled Mushrooms; Pirozhki

RECIPES:

Rossolye (herring salad): Russians almost always eat herring with vodka.
The salted or preserved fish may be served with oil and vinegar in a
marinade or made into some inventive dish. (Recipe from modern cookbook)

1 medium tart apple, cored, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 fillet of pickled herring, diced
2 hard-cooked eggs, shelled and diced
1 cup sour cream
2 Tb wine vinegar
2 Tb sharp mustard
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
Mix together sour cream, vinegar, mustard, sugar and salt and spoon over
other ingredients.  Mix.  Serve in a mound on a plate or in a bowl.  Garnish
with slices of beets and wedges of egg.  Serve with rye bread.  Serves six.
 
Pickled Mushrooms: Mushrooms would be preserved to use throughout the year
and pickled mushrooms are one of the most popular zakuska. (Recipe from
modern cookbook)

1 lbs small mushrooms
2/3 c red wine vinegar
1 small bay leaf
6 whole peppercorns
3 whole cloves
2 tsp salt
1 Tb vegetable oil
Clean mushrooms and remove stems.  Put caps in a saucepan with lightly
salted water to cover.  Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.  Drain and
cool.  Spoon into a jar.  Put vinegar, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, and
salt in saucepan, and bring to boil.  Pour over mushrooms.  Spoon oil over
them and cover jar tightly.  Leave at least 3 days before serving.  Remove
from marinade to serve.  Serves 4 to 6.

The above Russian version of Pickled Mushrooms falls in line pretty closely
to the following period recipe from Sir Kenelme Digbie's The Closet Opened,
as found in Cariadoc's Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks.

"Pickled Champignons" 

"...Cut the great ones into halves or quarters, seeing carefully there be no
worms in them; and peel off their upper skin on the tips: the little ones,
peel whole.  As you peel them, throw them into a bason of fair-water, which
preserves them white.  Then put them into a pipkin or possnet of Copper (no
Iron) and put a very little water to them, and a large proportion of Salt.
If you have a pottle of Mushrooms, you may put to them ten or twelve
spoonfuls of water, and two or three of Salt.  Boil them with a pretty
quick-fire, and scum them well all the while, taking away a great deal of
foulness, that will rise.  They will shrink into a very little room.  When
they are sufficiently parboiled to be tender, and well cleansed of their
scum, (which will be in about a quarter of an hour,) take them out, and put
them into a Colander, that all the moisture may drain from them.  In the
mean time make your pickle thus: Take a quart of pure sharp white Wine
Vinegar (elder-Vinegar is best) put two or three spoonfuls of whole Pepper
to it, twenty or thirty Cloves, one Nutmeg quartered, two or three flakes of
Mace, three Bay-leaves; (some like Limon-Thyme and Rose-mary; but then it
must be a very little of each) boil all these together, till the Vinegar be
well impraegnated with the Ingredients, which will be in about half an hour.
Then take it from the fire, and let it cool.  When the pickl is quite cold,
and the Mushrooms also quite cold, and drained from all moisture: put them
into the Liquor (with all the Ingredients in it) which you must be sure, be
enough to cover them.  In twn or twelve days, they will have taken into them
the full taste of the pickle, and will keep very good half a year.  If you
have much supernatant Liquor, you may parboil more Mushrooms the next day,
and put them to the first.  If you have not gathered at once enough for a
dressing, you may keep them all night in water to preserve them white, and
gather more the next day, to joyn to them."

Pirozhki:  Small round plump pastries made with non-sweet dough and filled
with various food combinations.  The term is derived from the old Russian
word pir, meaning feast.  Can be made with either raised dough or plain
pastry. (recipe from modern cookbook)

½ lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 hard-cooked egg, chopped
1 Tb fresh dillweed or 1 tsp dried
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Cook beef and onion.  Stir in rest.

Pastry:
¾ c butter, soft
2 c flour
1 tsp salt
½ c sour cream
Cut butter into flour/salt.  Stir in sour cream.  Gather into ball.  Divide
into fourths.  Cover with damp towel.  Roll each into 12" circle.  Cut out
3" circles.  Place filling in center of each.  Fold over and moisten edge
with water and seal.  Place seam side down on cooking sheet.  Brush with egg
yolk.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  

BACKGROUND ON INGREDIANTS

Vodka:  Vodka ("little water") is the preferred Russian alcoholic drink.  It
is an unaged grain alcohol distilled from wheat, rye or other grains.

Herring:  Herring has been caught in large quantities for centuries in the
North and Baltic Seas.  Preserved fish was another practice the Russians
adopted from the Vikings.

Rye:  Eastern Europeans started cultivating rye in 1700 BC.  It became the
major bread grains of Slavs in northern areas where the growing season is
too short for dependable wheat production.

Mushrooms:  Mushrooms of many varieties have always grown in abundance in
Russia.  Again, due to the severe winters, Russians learned to preserve
foods for winter use, such as pickling vegetables.

Dill:  Dill is the favorite herb for Russian flavoring.  The herb is a
native to southern Russia and the Mediterranean region, and was well known
throughout Russia dating back to the first century.

SOURCES

Grieve, M.  A Modern Herbal.  Dorset Press, New York.  1992.

Nelson, Kay Shaw.  The Eastern European Cookbook.  Dover Publications, Inc.,
New York.  1973.

Trager, James.  The Food Chronology.  Henry Holt and Company, New York.
1995.


> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Richard Keith [SMTP:keith.78 at osu.edu]
> Sent:	October 22, 1999 6:33 AM
> To:	sca-cooks at Ansteorra.ORG
> Subject:	SC - Russian dishes
> 
> I will be having some Guests from Russian during the first week of
> Novemeber.  Does anyone have some period Russian dishes I can make.
> 
> Thanks Frederich
> 
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