WINTER ★ TABLE @wintertable - Tumblr Blog

Slice of love @thesuperfiend #tastespotting #wintertable #sundayfunday #verythankful #livinlarge #bestbrunch

#bestbrunch #tastespotting #wintertable #sundayfunday #verythankful #livinlarge

Baby zucchini, roasted red pepper and Yukon frittata with smoked Gouda @thesuperfiend #wintertable #bestbrunch #sundayfunday #tastespotting #livinlarge #castironlove

#bestbrunch #tastespotting #wintertable #sundayfunday #castironlove #livinlarge

The James Beard Awards have added a category for outstanding bar program, 21 years after the prizes began.

BORSCHT

Im not sure if there are any other foods that conjure up so many memories, thoughts, and reminiscent emotions for me than borscht. This one dish, er, soup, is probably the biggest cliche in Russian food and every region of eastern europe has a variation- polish, czech, ukrainian, russian, lithuanian and so many more. and there are as many ways to eat it as there are versions of it. Every russian home cook and food lover such as myself has a way that they make it- its usually some variation of what they grew up with and a little of my own twist (at least thats what it is for me!). im sure there are some die-hards out there that make it EXACTLY the way their family recipe dictates, but i like changing it up a little! When it gets cold outside, when there is snow on the ground, when the sweltering summer beckons the icy cold borscht or simply when i see a bunch of beets at the market, it makes me yearn for that earthy, rich, sweet and sour, sometimes meaty, often garlicky bowl of magenta magic.

Im always (i mean ALWAYS) on the hunt for a great borscht recipe. One of my favorites was one published in Food and Wine Magazine and contributed by Anya von Bremzen. She is one of the most respected authorities on Russian food and has some serious experience, and knowledge of food to back up that claim. Her cookbook, Please to the Table is one i often go to for recipes and stories.

here is the link to the F&W recipe... enjoy!

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/winter-borscht-with-brisket

BORSCHT: GALLERY 2

BORSCHT: GALLERY 1

Super Bowl 2012. A Deviation from the usual splendid Russian fare on WinterTable, but the most watched football game in America just wouldn't feel right with Blini and Caviar!

Tom Yum Wings + Ginger Satay Sauce Lemon Parsley Wings + Orange Hoisin Glaze Brown Sugar Buffalo Wings + Great Hill Blue Sour Cream

Southern Smoked Baby Backs, Dry Rubbed and Double baked

Sweet & Sour Asian Slaw (Napa, Red & Savoy Cabbage)

Half-Sour Peppercorn Kirbys Pickled Beet Blush Onions Salted Jalapeños+Carrots

Zakuski.

Horseradish infused vodka, borscht 2 ways: deconstructed borscht salad and iced borscht cups, Russian hunter's sausage & garlic+pepper cured "salo" and home-cured and smoked king salmon.

Petushok Lollipop.

This simple little candy is very iconic in Russia. it is every child's perfect treat, and might just be one of those things that i can remember longing for and dreaming about when i was little... today, i carry this taste memory with me always- the pure sugary sweetness and glassy crunch of these little red cockerels are enough to send me back in time 30+ years to the first one i ever tasted!

just finished... HIGHLY recommend!

breakfast

Few things remind me of my childhood as much as Chicken Tabaka. I remember fondly the shocking and fantastic smell of savory garlic, laced with the fresh floral scent of dill, filling the room as my father held down the top of a dutch oven and pressed it with all his might onto the chicken to flatten and crisp the skin. Although nothing compares to all of the smells, memories and tastes of how i remember this dish, this Chicken Tabaka at Cafe Glechik in Brighton Beach is a pretty close substitute...

#chicken tabaka #brighton beach #cafe glechik #russian #poultry #comfort food

What are "pelmeni"?

The word itself comes from pel’nyan’ literally “ear bread” in the native Finno-Ugric Komi and Mansi languages. No one knows for sure when pelmeni first entered Russian cuisine but one theory suggests that stuffed boiled dumplings in general, originated in northwestern China - this would explain the use of spices such as black pepper, which are not native to Russia and had to be imported. The general thought is that pelmeni were carried by the Mongols to Siberia and the Urals and then gradually spread as far as Eastern Europe. The dish was particularly favored by hunters, who were looking for light, easy-to-prepare, nourishing food to take with them on long trips in the winter.

Although Pelmeni is a Russian national dish, it does have numerous look-a-likes - in particular the Ukrainian vareniki and the Polish pierogi, which are varieties of dumplings filled with mashed potatoes, cheese or berries. The easiest way to spot the difference is to look at the shape and size; a typical pelmeni is almost circular and about two inches in diameter. The other forms are usually more elongated and larger in size. Also, pelmeni will never have a sweet filling, unlike its Ukrainian counterpart. Another distinguishing feature of the hearty pelmeni is that they can be kept frozen for long periods of time with little loss of quality or flavor; in fact the water they’re boiled in can be great for making soup. Indeed freezing pelmeni is a popular choice. In Siberia the dumplings are generally frozen outdoors and preserved through the winter, and then taken on long journeys, as the food is non-perishable and easy to cook. But pelmeni is not just found on the frozen Siberian tundra! Wherever there is a Russian community you’re bound to find some luscious pelmeni bubbling in a big pot of water on the stove!