Frittering Away the Harvest

One of the treasures in Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery is Aleksei Gavrilovich Venetsianov’s painting The Harvest: Summer (mid 1820s). Venetsianov painted a number of scenes depicting rural life that idealize the peasantry and its connection to the land. Here he portrays a peasant girl in a moment of repose. The day seems endless, as do the expanses of Mother Russia. Yet the scene conceals the real labors of the Russian peasant — the backbreaking work in the fields. Peasant families depended on a good harvest to get through the winter. Otherwise they would have to go “begging for crusts” or adulterate their bread with unpleasant fillers like chaff, acorns, or bark.

The steps involved in getting a loaf of bread to the table were many. First, the land had to be prepared by breaking up the soil with shovel and hoe. Then the seeds were sown, usually by women, who broadcast them by hand along the rows. Another peasant followed behind to harrow the seeds into the ground. After the grain had ripened into a golden sea, the peasants kept a very close eye on it, because bad weather could ruin the harvest in an instant. A dry, sunny day was needed for bringing in the grain, which the peasants harvested with razor-sharp scythes by bearing down on it with a rhythmic swinging and slicing motion. Then they gathered the grain into shucks to take to the threshing floor, where they beat it with a flail to separate it from the straw — the dry stalks. This was extremely hot and dirty work. 

Sometimes the grain was put through a coarse sieve to eliminate the last of the straw. The final step involved removing the chaff — the outer husk of the grain. The best way to do this was to toss the grain into the air; the heavier grain fell to the ground while the chaff blew away. These whole grains could be boiled into tasty porridges, such as the ritual dish kutya, made of whole-wheat berries. In times of hunger, the peasants sometimes picked the grains before they were ripe, to boil into a less appetizing, and less nutritious, meal. 

Most of the grain, though, was brought to the mill for grinding into various grades of flour. This was a day of celebration, when the muzhiks often indulged in a glass — or more — of vodka while waiting for their flour to be milled. They paid for this once-a-year celebration by relinquishing some of their newly-milled flour, even though it meant they would bring home less to the family. 

Freshly-milled flour made the wonderful array of Russian baked goods taste even more delectable. It found its way not only into the staple black bread, but into such celebratory dishes as bliny (yeast-raised pancakes), blinchiki (very thin, crêpe-like pancakes), oladi (fritters), and all sorts of dumplings and pies. 

The recipe below tastes delicious even if you don’t have freshly milled flour. For ease of preparation, it can be started the night before. Simply mix the batter and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight, then bring it to room temperature the next morning before proceeding.

Apple Fritters (Олады)

1⁄2 package (11⁄4 tsp) active dry yeast

1 cup lukewarm milk

2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

2 eggs, separated

2 tablespoons butter, softened

3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1⁄4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons rum

Vegetable oil for frying

Confectioner’s sugar

Dissolve the yeast in 2 tablespoons of the milk, then stir in the remaining milk, the sugar, the salt and the 1 cup of flour to make a sponge. Cover it and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Then stir in the egg yolks, butter and the remaining 1 cup of flour. Cover and let rise for 11⁄2 hours.

Meanwhile, mix the apples with the sugar and rum. Let stand for 1 hour. When the batter has risen, stir in the apple mixture, including the liquid.

Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold them into the batter.

Pour vegetable oil into a large frying pan to a depth of 1 inch. Drop the batter by tablespoonsful into the hot oil and cook over medium-high heat until puffed and brown, turning once. Each fritter takes only about 4 minutes to cook.

Dust with confectioner’s sugar (and cinnamon if you like) and serve immediately.

Makes 11⁄2 to 2 dozen fritters.

Adapted from A Taste of Russia