Goldstein - Russia in Recipes and Lore

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book came to be thanks to Jenny Wapner, my visionary editor at Ten Speed Press, to whom I owe so very much. Im also enormously grateful to Stefan Wettainen, who took the gorgeous photographs for the book (as he did for Fire + Ice ). I cant imagine a more fun, or more intrepid, creative partner. The studio shots came alive thanks to the brilliant styling of Anastasia Lundqvist and Niklas Hansen in Stockholm. Im thrilled that Betsy Stromberg, who designed Fire + Ice , turned her attention to Russia with equal verve. And Im grateful to the others at Ten Speed who made this book happen: Emma Rudolph, for so adeptly shepherding the book to completion, and publicist David Hawk, for his infectious enthusiasm; Windy Dorresteyn, for her excellent marketing; and production manager Jane Chinn, for her expert eye. Without the wonderful creativity of Olga Katsnelson and Hannah Davitian at Postcard PR, the books reach wouldnt be nearly so broad. Heartfelt thanks go to my fabulous agent, Angela Miller, not just for her professional skills but also for our friendship.

I couldnt have dug so deeply into Russian culture without the help of many extraordinary people, friends and new acquaintances alike. Luba Kuzovnikova of the art collective Pikene p Broen in Kirkenes, Norway, started the ball rolling by introducing me to Oksana Arzhanova, who immediately took me under her wing, introducing me in turn to the Murmansk restaurateurs Svetlana Kozeiko of Tsarskaya Okhota and Sergei Balakshin of Restaurant Tundra, as well as to her husband, Maxim, and friend Katya Bruyaka, a master of ferments and preserves. Luba of the art collective also connected me with Svetlana Mashkova, the owner of Kayut-Kompaniya Caf on Solovki Island, and with her parents, Alexandra and Yuri Kuzovnikov, who shared their dacha life with my husband and me for a day of cooking and bathhouse construction.

Nowhere was excitement for this book more palpable than in Arkhangelsk, where Svetlana Kornitskaya and her team at the Tourist Information Centre set up a dream itinerary. I never would have met such remarkable people or seen so many fascinating places without her help and imagination. These people include Natalia Kuzmina of Kiar-Dom in Arkhangelsk; Yevdokia Mushukova, Elena Mitkina, and Natalia Kruptsova in Kimzha; Nadezhda Ulanova at Forest Hotel Golubino; Zhanna Dementeva and Arina Nazarova in Velsk; Maria Egorova, Ekaterina Osina, and Marusya Klocheva in Kargopol; Natalia Tsokorova in Ustiany; and Yevgeny Tenetov at Arkhangelsks Maritime Museum. Further south, Natalia Kochnyova generously opened her home to us, as did Sasha Kremnyov, to whom I was introduced by one of my oldest and dearest Russian friends, Nadia Shokhen. In Moscow, I had lively conversations about food history with Olga and Pavel Syutkin.

Whenever possible, I bookended my trips to Russia with visits to Helsinki, where I came to rely on the exceptional warmth and hospitality of my devoted friends Maria and Micke Planting, who always provided the necessary R & R in addition to being lots of fun. I recorded my travel notes in Le livre venir The Book to Comea very thoughtful retirement present from Karen Olson. And speaking of thoughtful presents, when John McMath of Wild Winds Farm heard I was writing a Russian cookbook, he sent me a case of his New York State buckwheat.

Treasured friends who helped with this book include Elena Siyanko for her brainstorming, Olga Shevchenko for her astute readings, and Julie Cassiday, Leyla Rouhi, Leslie Morgenthal, Deborah Rothschild, Ilona Bell, Eva Grudin, and Lauren Gotlieb for their enthusiasmand for taking so many leftovers off my hands. My sister, Ardath Weaver, tirelessly posted to the Facebook page she created and was always there to share helpful ideas. I also want to thank Cortney Burns and Jim Poris for their tasting notes (and Jim for his heroic delivery of calfs feet for the studen ), and Jim Dodge for his long-distance baking advice for the pear charlotte.

My most profound thanks go to my husband, Dean Crawford, with whom Ive shared Russian adventures for nearly forty years now, from a squalid dorm room at Moscow State University to luxurious digs at the Metropol Hotel. Not only is Dean my favorite traveling companion, in-house editor, and taste tester, but he also makes the most perfect blini. I dedicate this book to him with love.

Barry Goldstein

DARRA GOLDSTEIN has been immersed in Russian culture and cuisine for more than forty years. She served as the spokesperson for Stolichnaya Vodka when it was first introduced to the US and consulted for New York Citys Russian Tea Room and Firebird restaurants. Goldstein is the Willcox B. and Harriet M. Adsit Professor of Russian, Emerita, at Williams College and the founding editor of the James Beard Awardwinning journal Gastronomica . She has authored and edited more than a dozen books, most recently Fire + Ice: Classic Nordic Cooking .

SOURCES

Most major cities have markets that specialize in Russian products, including the NetCost chain, which has a number of stores in New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. You can also buy a wide assortment of Russian foods online from sites such as Russian Food USA (russianfoodusa.com) and Russian Table.com (russiantable.com).

Below are additional online sources for specialty products.

Beet juice: I like the Biotta brand of lacto-fermented beet juice available from amazon.com.

Berries (black and red currants, gooseberries, lingonberries, sea buckthorn, and more): Northwest Wild Foods at nwwildfoods.com

Bird-cherry flour: Biokarma brand from biokarma.eu

Borodinsky rye: I like the Latvian AmberRye brand from russianfoodusa.com.

Brown mustard seed: Amazon.com

Buckwheat flour: Ground whole-grain flour is available from Anson Mills (ansonmills.com), Pereg Gourmet (pereg-gourmet.com), and Bobs Red Mill (bobsredmill.com).

Caviar: American Caviar Company sells a variety of sustainable American roes at americancaviarco.com. Imported caviar is sold by many companies, including Browne Trading Company at brownetrading.com.

Halibut cheeks: Northwest Wild Foods at nwwildfoods.com

High-fat sour cream: I like the Amish Style All Natural brand with 39 percent fat sold by russianfoodusa.com.

Malted barley and rye: Muntons Maris Otter Malt and Briess Caramel Rye Malt are available from Rebel Brewer (rebelbrewer.com) and Great Fermentations (greatfermentations.com).

Morello cherries in syrup: Trader Joes Dark Morello Cherries in Light Syrup are available at Trader Joes or at amazon.com

Sea buckthorn juice: Amazon.com

Venison: If you dont know a friendly hunter, you can purchase high-quality venison from DArtagnan (dartagnan.com). Substitute chops for the shoulder steak or buy the venison preground.

Whitefish roe: Browne Trading Company at brownetrading.com