Russian
Brine-Braised Giblets
When braised in a tart brine, gizzards are truly delectable! This is an easy dish to serve guests, as it can be made a day in advance and reheated. Cooked barley is a perfect side to soak up the rich sauce.
By Darra Goldstein
Now Is the Time to Make Some Borscht
The brightly colored, beet-based soup is endlessly riffable and fit for all seasons.
By Kendra Vaculin
Darra Goldstein's Cheap Thrill: Farmer's Cheese Pancakes for Dinner
These cheesy Russian pancakes are all she needs at the end of a long day. But a little sour cream on top wouldn't hurt.
By Darra Goldstein as told to Joe Sevier
Burn Your Dinner. On Purpose.
Blackened, charred, scorched: Sometimes, it's the burning that brings the best flavor.
By Joe Sevier
Syrniki
Classic Russian cheese pancakes have a tangy-sweet flavor that goes well with a dollop of jam or sour cream on the side.
By Darra Goldstein
Monastery Salt
This flavored salt takes its name from Russian monks who flavored blackened salt with herbs from the monastery gardens.
By Darra Goldstein
The Charming Easter Breads That Are Baked in Tin Cans
A Russian Easter tradition, sweet, brioche-like kulich are iced with a sugary glaze and decorated with flowers, candy sprinkles, or nuts.
By Joe Sevier
This Spring Lamb Recipe Is a Gift—But Only If You Wrap It Right
It took me two tries to get this herby and buttery-soft lamb to work. But I eventually clinched it.
By Anna Stockwell
Crispy Skin Chicken With Dill and Garlic Sauce
Quickly shallow-frying chicken halves locks in their juices and yields crispy, golden-brown skin. Serve them with garlicky potatoes, fried shallots, and dill.
By Kat Boytsova
A Guide to German and Eastern European Sausages
Can't tell your knackwurst from your bockwurst? We're here to help.
By Janet Rausa Fuller
The Best Grocery Store in America Is Net Cost
It's not grim Communist bread lines. It's not Putin-era luxury. It's a wonderland of salt, smoke, and fat.
By Adina Steiman
Yeasted Blinis
These are great at room temperature, so cook them (using two skillets at a time!) an hour ahead.
By Chef Bonnie Morales
Shrimp Olivier
Morales insists it's not a Russian party without this retro seafood salad on the table.
By Chef Bonnie Morales
Goose Stew with Barley and Celery Root
I originally designed this recipe for wild snow geese, and because many of California's snow geese spend their summers on Wrangel Island, near Siberia, it seemed fitting to give the stew a Russian feel. But of course the legs of any goose or duck, wild or domesticated, will work here.
It's important to remove the meat from the bones before you serve this stew, otherwise everyone will be picking through their bowls for small, sharp objects. It takes only a few minutes, and your family and friends will thank you for it.
This stew keeps well in the fridge for a week, though the grain in it will continue to swell over time, absorbing moisture and making this more like a French potage. It also freezes well.
By Hank Shaw
Kotleti
Mom's Russian "Hamburgers"
Kotleti for lunch, kotleti for dinner, kotleti of beef, of pork, of fish, of chicken—even kotleti of minced carrots or beets. The entire USSR pretty much lived on these cheap, delicious fried patties, and when comrades didn't make them from scratch, they bought them at stores. Back in Moscow, Mom and I harbored a secret passion for the proletarian, six-kopek variety produced by the meat-processing plant named after Stalin's food supply commissar, Anastas Mikoyan. Inspired by his 1936 trip to America, Mikoyan wanted to copy Yankee burgers in Russia, but somehow the bun got lost in the shuffle and the country got hooked on mass-produced kotleti instead. Deliciously greasy, petite, and with a heavy industrial breading that fried up to a wicked crunch, Mikoyan factory patties could be scarfed down by the dozen. Wild with nostalgia, Mom and I tried a million times to recreate them at home, but no luck: some manufactured treats just can't be duplicated. So we always reverted back to Mom's (far more noble) homemade version.
Every ex-Soviet cook has a special trick for making juicy, savory patties. Some add crushed ice, others tuck in pats of butter or mix in a whipped egg white. My mother likes her kotleti Odessa-style (garlicky!), and adds mayo as binding instead of the usual egg, with delightful results. The same formula works with ground turkey or chicken or fish. Buckwheat kasha makes a nostalgic Russian accompaniment. Ditto thin potato batons slowly pan-fried with onions in lots of butter or oil. I love cold kotleti for lunch the next day, with some dense dark bread, hot mustard, and a good crunchy dill pickle.
By Anya von Bremzen
Cherry Vodka
Wiśniówka
"Life is dandy, cherry brandy!" So goes a line from a poem by Russian writer Osip Mandelstam—meant to be ironic, of course, as he lived in the darkest days of Stalinism and died in the Gulag. Cherry brandy, cherry vodka, cherry liqueurs: These are the obvious consequence of Eastern Europe's famous and abundant cherry orchards, of which there are just as many in Poland as there are in provincial Russia. Do note that this recipe works for any kind of fruit that is not too sweet. In particular it is worth trying with black currants or Polish jagody—wild blueberries—if you can find them.
The quantities given here are for a 34-oz/1-L jar, but do reduce them (or increase them!) in proportion to the bottle you are using.
By Anne Applebaum and Danielle Crittenden
Beluga Lentil Caviar on Blini
This appetizer is a total fake-out and a lot of fun to serve. Ellen and Portia absolutely loved these the first time I served them. They both had fond memories attached to caviar, and this recipe brought back those fun times without compromising their vegan diet. Serve these little morsels with a glass of Champagne and share them with some cool friends.
By Roberto Martin
Eggplant Caviar
This dish calls for purple globe eggplants. Instead of cooking them over an open flame, you can use the oven: Place the eggplants on a shallow baking pan, and place under the broiler. Broil, turning the eggplants every 5 minutes, until the skin is blackened all over and the flesh is falling-apart tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
White Cupcakes with Pastel Buttercream Peaks
Fanciful peaks in a spectrum of shades crown cupcakes with a motif inspired by a vintage Russian cookbook. You could also opt to use just one color of frosting, or leave it untinted. White cupcakes, made with egg whites only (instead of whole eggs), are very light and delicate. For a stronger vanilla flavor, scrape the seeds of one vanilla bean (halved lengthwise) into the milk in step one, and omit vanilla extract.
Sbiten
This groglike drink has been popular in Russia for centuries. It’s usually prepared without alcohol, but it’s pretty good with it, too—just add 1/2 to 3/4 cup vodka or brandy during the last couple of minutes of simmering. It’s not often served cold in Russia, but I like it that way, as a kind of spicy, odd relation of Masala Chai (page 668).