Tori Harris-H.

RUSSIAN FOOD NETWORK

Project form

Please fill out the form below, print it to turn it in, in HARD COPY,and also send ELECTRONICALLY, on the due date you selected on the sign up sheet. The Russian Food Network Event as a follow up to your Russian cooking experience will take place during class time as indicated on the syllabus. Please duplicate your recipe and bring it in for the event.

Recipe: Vinegret (vinaigrette) orВинегрет

  • 2-3 beets
  • 2 carrots
  • 3 potatoes
  • 1 sweet onion
  • 1 green apple
  • 1 cucumber
  • 2 pickles
  • 1 can of peas
  • 1 tomato (optional)

1. Boil beets for 5-7 minutes, add potatoes and carrots, and boil for 10 minutes, and then 15 more minutes with all veggies.

2. Let them cool down.

3. Peel beets, potatoes, and carrots.

4. Cut all vegetables in small and even cubes and add peas.

5. Mix and add olive oil (2-3 table spoons.)

6. Sprinkle greens, salt, and pepper.

Photo of the prepared dish:

A synopsis of your research on the recipe and the area where the recipe originated:

-I originally had no clue what I was going to make for this project. My father’s side of the family is from Russia, and he is 100% Russian, as well as my grandmother. My grandma has lived in the US (Pennsylvania) for about 25 years now, but she still enjoys making various Russian dishes. Since I am a vegetarian, she told me to try out this dish that originated in Russia, although there are a few opposing websites that say it originated from the Ukraine. I started researching it more and more, but ended up using the recipe that my grandmother told me. It seems to be quite the popular dish in Russian culture. It is most popular during Christmas and the New Year, and is served at most Russian parties, and at Easter for their ancestors.

Your description of the experience of preparing and tasting the recipe (any ingredients you needed to substitute, any changes you made to the recipe… does it remind you of something you tasted before? What would you serve to accompany it? Etc.

-The making of this dish was fairly easy. I didn’t substitute any ingredients and didn’t change anything involving the recipe. It reminded me of raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing. Makes sense since this is a salad type dish. I would probably serve bread or plain tortilla chips to dip it in, since I wasn’t a fan of the taste by itself, personally. I will probably add some more salt and pepper when I make it for the class, and maybe a small dash of sugar, since it tasted quite bitter to me. I think that the apple added a sour yet sweet taste to it, so I might even add another apple next time.

Like a wine recommendation to accompany a dish, make a recommendation of a reading from Russian literature that would accompany the making or tasting of the dish you prepared. Perhaps the reading would suit the mood of the dish, its spiciness or its sweetness… perhaps there was a mention of one of the ingredients or the dish itself in the reading… etc. You may select from the stories read or presented in class, or some other Russian work with which you are familiar.

-This may sound strange, but this authentic, tart, sweet salad sort of makes me think of the character Tatyana from Alexander Pushkin’s text Eugene Onegin. The color of this dish is a deep pink/red color. This could resemble Tatyana’s pure and honest heart. The salad is sweet, as is Tatyana. She loves nature, and nature is green, and there is green in this dish. It also has a strong taste to it, and Tatyana is a very strong character.