Kansas City with the Russian Accent

Summer Cooking: Old Recipe Compilation

m.v. — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:12:36 +0000

Over the years I posted some easy recipes and now, when the City Market is brimming with fresh produce, is a good time to revisit a few of them. Some of the posts may look miss-formatted and Flickr stopped showing some of the photos when they took away their free photo hosting that used to come with the my internet service. If something is missing please let me know.

Zucchini Caviar:

Pickled Watermelon:

Stuffed Bell Peppers:

Eggplant Dip:

Red Borscht:

Green Borscht:

Red and Green borscht recipes are vegetarian, and can be eaten refreshingly cold on a hot and sweaty day.

Dill Pickles ( I have a fresh batch on my kitchen counter as I type this):

Pickled Tomatoes:

Roasted Bell Peppers with Garlic:

Kompot (fruit drink):

Eggplant salsa – caviar:

Garlicky Eggplant Tomato Sandwiches:

Marinated Leaf Lettuce:

Pickled Jalapeños (new crop is coming in right now):

And Honey-Marinated Bell Peppers :

As always, these recipes may or may not be authentic, but that’s how I cook them so deal with it. I know of at least one person who tried a few of these and survived, and hope so will you.

Found In The Russian Store:Smoked Mackerel

m.v. — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:11:28 +0000

It always baffled me that the people who consume hundreds of pounds of raw fish wrapped in seaweed with some sticky rice and a cucumber are not storming their neighborhood Russian stores to get their hands on a vastly superior product -- smoked http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackerel" target="_blank">mackerel. I am here to right this wrong.

Smoked mackerel is a medium-size fish with golden skin and an addictive smell. Cured by cold smoke, just like in the ancient times, its texture is similar to smoked salmon with a slightly salty smoky taste.

I usually cut it up in about one inch slices.

My Mom peels it whole and removes the backbone before she serves it. I am not that patient.

Just peel the skin off and pick the fish with your fingers, there are few large bones like backbone and ribs that are easily found and separated.

The fish is good on a rye bread with a thin layer of unsalted butter (optional -- a slice of cucumber), or just by itself, as a hors d’oeuvre or as a bite to go with a shot of vodka.

Many types of fish products can be found in the Russian store -- brined, canned, dried, semi-dried, hot-smoked, cold-smoked, cured and more. It’s not all about sushi, you know.

And now we dance -- one of my favorite songs from an old Soviet trippy cartoon starring fish.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4zRMF5Kgi4

*Handling this fish will leave your hands smelly, it’s not a great date food, unless both participants partake.
*I am not in any way related, compensated or even known at the Russian store.

Olympics America Didn’t Get To See

m.v. — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:54:03 +0000

30 years ago today 10-year-old me was sitting in front of our 12-inch black-and-white TV watching the opening ceremonies of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. It’s safe to say that everyone else in the country was doing the same. Even though we had only 3 TV channels at that time and many shows enjoyed close to 100 percent rating, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Moscow Olympics were probably some of the most watched events in the Soviet TV history. Unfortunately outside of the Socialist-friendly countries not too many people had a chance to see any of the 1980 Summer Olympics and it’s a shame because the USSR, anxious to show the triumph of the socialist system made them some of the most enjoyable and sincere ceremonies in the Olympic history. Since then many countries used complex scenarios and spectacular special effects but none has achieved the level of pure joy and emotional connection the Soviet people managed to build into their Olympiad.

Even today, so many years later, it’s one of the most nostalgic moments in the lives of my generation. Many people remember the games, beautiful opening ceremony and a tearful closing, a rare glimpse into Western life, with the first Soviet-made Pepsi, never-before-seen imported foods, crowds of foreigners, new construction in Moscow. Others talk about the measures the government took to round up and deport the homeless (and prostitutes) out of the city for the duration of the games, or how many parents received heavy-handed suggestions to send their kids to the out-of-town summer camps away from the “danger”. I didn’t know any of that at the time, and probably didn’t care being 10. All I remember is the summer, beach, friends, little cabin we rented near the sea, and a small TV. A happy place, long time ago, far away from here.

Olympic Presentation:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaWsEfQde84

Athletes entering the stadium:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QmRTy3bE9o

Views of Moscow:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z47yTDsDPXY

Moscow getting ready for the Olympics:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=65GrUXic2k8

A 25-minute video of the Olympic torch and the Opening ceremonies.

Sunflowers

m.v. — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 17:38:02 +0000

Ernest Hemingway is thought to have said that you must do four things to be a man: plant a tree, fight a bull, write a novel and father a son. My life didn’t follow Hemingway exactly but I think I am pretty close: I am raising a daughter, write a blog, planted a sunflower which grew to the size of a small tree and if a bull ever shows up on my doorstep willing to fight, I’ll have only two words for him: “steak dinner”.

This spring I planted some mammoth sunflowers on the 0.00034 acres of land that I own and it proved to be a source of constant amazement and comments from my neighbors. The tallest sunflower is now 9 feet tall and is crowned with a huge flower.

At first is was taller than me…

…than way taller than me.

Soon it was ready to bloom…

…and then it did.

But the most amazing thing is what’s inside.

Sunflowers in front of my house inspired me to get out, play my guitar and sing.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCMy7w3lkL8

Next year I will probably plant corn.

Old Photos: Soyuz – Apollo

m.v. — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 03:57:01 +0000

Yesterday marked 35 years (very old I am) from the launch of the Soviet-American joint space mission Souyz-Apollo.

(L-R) American astronaut Deke Slayton and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Leonov frolicking during US-Soviet Apollo Soyuz linkup.©Time

US Astronaut Thomas Stafford (L) w. cosmonaut Alexei Leonov meeting in padded hatchway of the docking module that connects their spacecrafts (Apollo/Soyuz) during joint mission by US & Soviet Union.©Time

Amer. astronauts Tom Stafford (R) & Donald "Deke" Slayton w. bottle of Russian vodka, aboard Apollo spacecraft orbiting Earth during 9-day joint US/USSR space mission.©Time

Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov displaying sketch he made of American astronaut Tom Stafford whom he encountered during historic rendezvous and link up of Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft.©Time

And now we dance: “We will leave our footprints on the dusty trails of far-away planets”

Kansas City with the Russian Accent

Summer Cooking: Old Recipe Compilation

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Found In The Russian Store:Smoked Mackerel

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Olympics America Didn’t Get To See

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Sunflowers

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