The Secrets of Russian Cooking Revealed!
By Shausha Shaleesa
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The other day, while scouring the "net" looking for creative interpretations of Russian cuisine, I happened upon an article from
Harper's called "Restauration: The art of eating returns to Russia" by Leon Aron. You can imagine my delight to see somebody in the West finally realizing all that Russian culinary tradition has to offer.
The article was a joy to read, starting from the clever little pun in the title. While Aron pays homage to the ability of writers like Gogol and Chekhov to describe gastronomical pleasures, I think he ranks right up there with those greats. Just look at some of the original nuggets I selected from his story:
Black bread isn't just bread, but "black, pungent borodinskiy studded with caraway seeds."
What are
sochniki? "Hefty little bricks of sweet cottage cheese surrounded by a crumbly dough shell." Yummy!
His
zharkoe at Shinok was "served piping hot, under a thick, dark orange sauce, the cubed brisket was tender but fully textured." Make me a reservation!
His borderline erotic descriptions make me at once jealous and captivated. Just thinking of them gives me the chills. I want to show him the next level of Russia's obsession with food. I want to cook for him alone. I want to stuff him with hot mounds of love so that he will spout more passionate musings!
My only regret is that Aron mentioned so many types of food and my space is limited... I can only describe one of those delectable dishes. What do I pick -
shawarma,
cheburek,
ukha,
sloyk? He liked them all, and I wouldn't want to disappoint.
Finally I settled on the
cheburek, that deep fried staple with its crispy outside and processed innards. If you are someone who has only ever tried one on the street, you don't know what you are missing. By being just slightly more discriminating about the meat products you use, you will never bite into cartilage or be at risk of contracting unwanted bacteria. Besides, by adding animal appendages available for bargain prices at your local
rynok, you can give your
chebureki that added zing that says "from Russia with love". But enough talk; let's get cooking!
BISHKEK CHEBUREK
- 5 one-liter bottles of sunflower oil, refined
- 2 lamb hoofs
- 4 bull scrota
- 500g farsh
- 6 cups flour
- 400g butter, very cold
- 2 egg yolks
Place oil in a large fryer on high heat. Combine meat products in blender (use an industrial strength blade to take the edge out of the hoofs). To make the dough, chop butter into the flour and stir in yolks. Making sure not to wash your hands, ball up golf ball-sized pieces of processed meat product and place in 6-inch circles of dough. Fold circle in half, sealing the meat product inside. Drop the chebureki in the hot oil, removing them when browned. The meat should still be slightly red inside to keep it tender. This recipe makes enough for about 10
chebureki.
Priyatnogo appetita!
Is this it?