Kremlin Cookery Secrets

The Rostik Corporation, which owns the popular Rostik’s restaurants (Russia’s answer to KFC) as well as the Patio Pizza and Planet Sushi chains, recently announced that Boris Nemtsov, the former leader of the liberal Union of Rightist Forces, has signed on as a consultant. Nemtsov will undoubtedly put his economic expertise to good use, but his experience in politics, and his connections to power, will surely prove as useful, if not more so. 

Although some may feel that food and politics should never mix, the Russians have long known that food and drink can effectively be used to political ends. As early as 945, Princess Olga avenged the death of her husband, Igor, by inviting his killers, the fierce Derevlians, to a funeral feast in his memory. Invoking the great tradition of Russian hospitality, Olga plied them with vast quantities of mead, and when they were thoroughly drunk, she had them massacred, 5000 in all.

Carefully preserved menus from tsarist times allow us a glimpse of the meals served at court. Things were less open under Soviet rule, the stories of billowing mounds of caviar and endless quaffs of champagne suppressed at a time when the lowest common denominator in food was the national norm. Only in 1998 did a rather quirky volume devoted to Kremlin Cookery appear.  This book, by Galina Krasnaya, presents itself as a gossipy account, with secrets to share. Tellingly, the entries on Yeltsin are mainly about vodka, and about his disdain for Gorbachev’s attempt to limit production. We also learn that Yeltsin loved beer nearly as much as vodka, especially Czech Pilsner. 

Krasnaya would have us believe that, as Chairman of the Supreme Soviet, Yeltsin made his first official visit abroad to Czechoslovakia – to drink beer. She writes that he even sneaked out of a state reception with Vaclav Havel to go to a bar. Then, in 1993, during an important state visit to Poland, he apparently scurried off to Prague for five hours.

Krasnaya presents Chernomyrdin as an avid hunter, but a dry politician. She compares him to Brezhnev, who, contrary to his usual image, was savvy enough to serve his speechwriters and ghostwriters the tastiest morsels of wild boar he had shot. Poor Chernomyrdin’s speechwriters got only minced carrot cutlets – and that’s why they served him, in turn, such dry prose.

Krasnaya’s book was published before readers could be regaled with stories of Vladimir Putin. In fact, we know surprisingly little of the president’s eating habits. In January 2002 Pravda reported that London restaurants were serving a new dish called “Putin’s Ear,” the recipe for which Putin’s wife had given a reporter for the London Times. “Putin’s Ear” is none other than a rich fish soup, containing zander, pike, potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, orange peel, celery, and spices. As for the curious name, it apparently resulted from static on the phone line between Moscow and London, a confusion of the word ukho (ear) for ukha (fish soup). 

I happened to be in Moscow in August 2001, when the reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Il traveled to Russia in an armored train for a summit with President Putin (photo, above). Visiting my old haunts in the Metropol Hotel, I literally ran into his bodyguards. What I didn’t know about then was the protocol surrounding Kim Jong Il’s Kremlin dinner, tales of which soon circulated among Russians. At the banquet, Kim Jong Il, a notorious gourmand, was served a dish called “celestial cow,” said to be a favorite of his. After the meal, the Russian guests asked what the mysterious dish contained. They were surprised to learn that the “celestial cow” was none other than donkey meat. The Kremlin had deemed it inappropriate to publicly announce that Kim Jong Il likes to eat … such a lowly creature. So they gave the dish a lofty name, a choice both politic, and political. 

In the spirit of “celestial cow,” here is a traditional dish that carries its own diverting name, fitting provender for any Kremlin feast. 

– Darra Goldstein

Roast Beef in the style of “Hussar’s Liver” 

3 lbs. beef sirloin roast

Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste 

2 T. vegetable oil

Filling

2 onions, finely chopped

6 T. softened butter

1/2 c. grated Swiss cheese

2 egg yolks

1 c. fresh breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 400o F. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in an ovenproof roasting pan and brown the meat on all sides. Place the pan in the oven and roast the meat at 400O F for 15 minutes, basting occasionally.

While the meat is roasting, make the filling by mixing together the onions, butter, cheese, egg yolks, and breadcrumbs. If it seems too thick, moisten the filling with a little water or milk so that it can be spread on the meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Slice the meat 1/2-inch thick. Spread some of the filling between each slice, then reassemble the roast, using kitchen twine to hold it together.

Return the roast to the pan and baste with the pan juices, adding a little water if necessary. Braise over low heat for 10 minutes to warm. Transfer the roast to a platter, remove the twine, and serve immediately. 

Serves 6.

(Adapted from Natalia Bragina’s Culinary Collection, published in 2001 by Novoye literaturnoye obozreniye.)