Month: July 2010
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Japanese Eggplant
Those who know me also know that eggplant is one of my favourite vegetables. Unlike many people, including my other half, I absolutely adore this nature’s creation. Eggplant (also aubergine) comes in many shapes, sizes, and colors, and today I experimented with different types of this fruit. I found my inspiration in the past, as…
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Tomato Herring Salad
Herring is one of those products that is under appreciated here in the US. It evokes the feelings of unconcealed disgust and possibility of poisoning. This is strange since anchovies, which are very similar, are widely used in gourmet preparations. Herring is not only Russian traditional food, it is also a favourite in many European countries, Scandinavians being the…
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Cucumber & Crispy Bacon Salad
Oh no, there’s yet another one of my lazy, spontaneous salads. But it is good, I do promise you! At least one witness does agree with me. Today, after another evening of fruitless apartment hunting in the heat and smelliness of New York, I told Gary over the phone that I was in no mood…
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Nutty Fish
How useful leftovers could be – once and again I had a tasty proof of it today. Fish for today’s dinner was planned ahead, but I hesitated for a moment about what to roll fish in before frying. Suddenly I glanced at ground walnuts that were sitting on the counter top since Masha’s elaborate experiments in our kitchen…
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Curried Daikon Salad
No, it is not black caviar you are seeing. It’s roasted black mustard seeds. Working from home today (a luxury I sometimes allow myself), I alloted myself a small lunch break. Not appreciating this distraction caused by hunger, I rummaged through the fridge, uninspired and impatient to get back to work. There was daikon, sour…
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Trip to Maine – Three Pines B & B
What a glorious feeling to leave one’s beloved home to discover new captivating places. Acadia National Park became one of them for me and Alex, when in June we endeavored so anticipated trip to Maine. It took us about 6 hours to get there, and at first I was a little disappointed by the shabbiness…
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Spiced Swordfish
My contribution to this dish is small. With good seafood, most of the flavor comes from the raw ingredients at its own accord: no need to awaken it and draw it out. With excellent fish, the main responsibility of the chef is not to overcook. Yesterday I bought fresh harpoon-caught swordfish at the Whole Foods,…
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Beef Bourguignon – My Variation
One of the prized dishes introduced to Americans by Julia Child, this rich beef stew is a French country classic. To this I add that my French co-worker referred to it contemptuously as “food for the old people”, claiming that it’s been cooked for so long to make the ingredients soft for the toothless that…
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Farmers Cheese Pancakes (Syrniki)
These delightful tender pancakes make a perfect summer breakfast, especially if one has fresh berries for garnish. Syrniki (syr means cheese in Russian) is a traditional Russian and Slavic dish made of tvorog. Tvorog (also quark, topfen, twarog, tvaroh) is curd that is similar to cottage cheese and farmers cheese, but is thicker and drier, it is very well strained…
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