Questions For Our Russian Friends

[JJ3027]

Originally Posted by palo5

It seems they already make pepper vodka in the West.
Another vodka I have a taste for is Koskenkorva. It has a distinct rye flavor, and is made in Finland.

Have you tried watermellon juice + vodka? It's very good

[JJ3027]

Originally Posted by palo5

But traditional Russian food is simple -- soups, stews, bread, potatos, onions & other vegetables, meat, fish. It's good and filling. A lot might be leftovers if you cook big pots

You mentioned stews, does that include ox tail stew? My grandmother use to make it. Yum!

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by palo5

It has changed a lot in the past years, because much more is available. But traditional Russian food is simple -- soups, stews, bread, potatos, onions & other vegetables, meat, fish. It's good and filling. A lot might be leftovers if you cook big pots

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XURUll0gU70




Is Borscht a Russian thing? Would one eat it with rye bread? I think I might try this today (but it is not totally authentic unless I kill a pig or an ox or at least a chicken as well, obviously). Maybe, being British, I'll add some Wensleydale cheese to the rye bread and butter; and I'll drink a double Glenfiddich rather than a vodka to go with.

[seany65]

Originally Posted by JJ3027

You mentioned stews, does that include ox tail stew? My grandmother use to make it. Yum!

Yum?

Only if you get stew made from the middle of the tail. Otherwise you get either the shitty end or the end with loads of flies stuck to it.

[JJ3027]

Originally Posted by seany65

Yum?

Only if you get stew made from the middle of the tail. Otherwise you get either the shitty end or the end with loads of flies stuck to it.

A little more than the middle. The hide is removed and sometimes the fat, which is between the hide and meat/bones. You have the sections/bones separated and popped into a pressure cooker with the rest of the ingredients for the stew. I don't have a recipe, otherwise I'd attach one. Like I said, my grand mother would cook this for gramps and I when I was a little squirt.

This was the cheapest meat to get way back then. A few months ago I came across some in an up-scale meat market and it was unbelievable expensive.

[turat]

Originally Posted by palo5

It seems they already make pepper vodka in the West. I didn't know this - maybe I don't go to the alko store often enough

Anyway, check this out. I haven't tried it, but Absolut is a good Swedish brand, and I'll look for a bottle of their pepper vodka

http://www.absolut.com/en/products/absolut-peppar/

No idea who invented vodka. My unscientific instinct tells me it originates from Belarus/Ukraine/Western Russia/Poland long before those states existed, and they all thieved and raped recipes from each other

Another vodka I have a taste for is Koskenkorva. It has a distinct rye flavor, and is made in Finland. No bottle of this lasts longer than 3 days in my home. Unless it's a 3 liter bottle, which might last 7-10 days

Thanks palo5. I will definitely lookup Absolut Pepper next time. Absolut is a favorite amongst my friends and is priced in the middle-high end of the spectrum. Anytime it's offered at parties it doesn't take long before I see the bottle(s) emptied . I particularly like Absolut Citron.

I have been proffered Sobieski vodka several times (named after the great Polish king Jan Sobieski and his winged hussars) and they claim it as the original vodka made like Kosenkorva from rye. Being a teatotaller I had to refuse. But it's amusing to see people staggering around after a few glasses of it.....

George Anson, I like Sobieski as well. It is a good Vodka and priced reasonably as opposed to say, Absolut. You can get a 1.5 liter bottle here in the US on average for about $20.00. A bit of trivia about Sobieski but I am not sure if it is true. I heard that actor Bruce Willis has a financial stake in the business.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XURUll0gU70




Is Borscht a Russian thing? Would one eat it with rye bread? I think I might try this today (but it is not totally authentic unless I kill a pig or an ox or at least a chicken as well, obviously). Maybe, being British, I'll add some Wensleydale cheese to the rye bread and butter; and I'll drink a double Glenfiddich rather than a vodka to go with.

I made this today, but added some diced beef which I boiled for half an hour first and skimmed off the fatty foam you get when you boil beef. as it turned out, the borscht doesn't really need bread and cheese to go with; it's quite enough by itself.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

I made this today, but added some diced beef which I boiled for half an hour first and skimmed off the fatty foam you get when you boil beef. as it turned out, the borscht doesn't really need bread and cheese to go with; it's quite enough by itself.

I'm trying the recipe without meat this time; I increased the lemon juice and added more onion and some fried leek and red bell pepper to the mix. It seems to be that sort of soup, where you can play with the ingredients around a beetroot and carrot base to suit yourself. It's working for me.

[Motorboater]

Why does Russia host a grand prix?

It's not a motor racing country.

[palo5]

Who said it's about motor racing? F1 is about money, not racing