February 03, 2014

7 Russian Dishes for Olympic Viewing


7 Russian Dishes for Olympic Viewing

OK, so you are recovering from the Super Bowl and starting to look ahead to next weekend’s opening of the Sochi games. Which of course means a viewing party, which means food, which means Russian food!

Here’s our list of a seven ideal Russian culinary delights to accompany your Olympics viewing (for full recipes, we of course recommend our fine cookbook, A Taste of Russia, by Darra Goldstein):

 

Vodka. You knew we’d start there, right? It wouldn’t be a Russian feast without vodka, the “little water of life.” Pop down to the liquor store and get a bottle of Stoli (but wait, that’s not even made in Russia any more!), or better yet Russian Standard for the freezer. (For suggestions on the better vodkas, check out vodkaphiles.com, where thousands of visitors have rated hundreds of vodkas.) But if you really want to make an impression, throw together a home-infused vodka concoction, like limonovka or chesnochnaya. It just takes a day or two, so get one started now.

Stolichny Salad. This wonderful, creamy potato salad is a Russian zakuski table mainstay (and also known as Salad Olivier). Packed with the carbs beloved of all couch potatoes, it also has some protein mixed in there (in the form of chicken) to give your muscles something to be happy about. Throw together a few pounds of this and toss it in the fridge – it’s your go-to dish for all 17 days of the games.

Pelmeni. This Siberian treat is a small dumpling stuffed with a nicely herbed meat. Boiled then slathered in butter and sour cream, it is the perfect accompaniment for a cold winter day full of curling, downhill skiing and ice dancing. Best of all, you can make up a big batch of them ahead of time (or bribe someone more capable in the kitchen to do so on your behalf), freeze them, and have them at the ready for that hockey final.

​Shashlyk. This Russian favorite is doubly appropriate because it is a dish from the Caucasus, where the games are being held. Order up some lamb from your local butcher, marinate it overnight, then roll out the barbeque and serve up a few skewers full of this delectable meat dish for friends. Ideally, it should be served alongside slices of warm, cheese-filled bread known as khachapuri.

Pirozhki. These small pies, filled with savory meats, mushrooms, onions or cabbage are the perfect finger food. Bake them for dinner and you’ll not only warm up the house nicely, but you’ll fill it with the irresistible aromas of baking bread and tasty fillings.

Canapes of Salmon. Looking for something with a bit more upscale panache? Pick up some nice smoked salmon at the store (many stores actually even carry Russian Pacific Salmon) and serve up these bite-sized treats with vodka and some good dill pickles.

Poor Man’s Caviar. We like this far better than the fish egg stuff. Two varieties are common: one made with eggplant, another with chopped mushrooms. Both are delectable atop crackers or with some of that khachapuri. And probably alongside a shot of that chesnochnaya vodka you made...

Leave us a comment to tell us what sort of Olympic feast you are planning.


[Photo credits: Bernd Hutschenreuther (pelmeni); Alexander Sherstobitov (salmon); Vvoevale (stolichny salad); Arboreus (pirozhki); Russian Life (vodka); Wikimedia commons (shashlyk)]

Tags: foodolympics
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955