Wild Things Indeed

This deer was shot, after seven hours in the woods (with a break in between), including 3 hours without moving despite seriously freezing toes and fingers, out of a .30-30 Marlin rifle with broken-off rear sights (whose sad remains were being propped up by a chunk of wood into an elevated position to serve as a replacement), at about 50 yards. The second bullet did the job, the deer fell right down. Jacob's pretty sure this deer is from the same group as the big doe he killed the opening weekend. Tells you something about the power of prayer and persistence - I talked to my wonderful God the Father, while Jacob said a couple of Hail Mary's for me. Gonna make lots of jerky this year - now that Jacob and I both hunt, the deer pile up! The deer on the background of this picture, have been shot, at different times, by different members of our family and friends, including Jacob.

To put this in perspective, I never held in my hands or fired a gun until the end of September of this year, so it's only been two month of hunting for me before I nailed this one. My only other kill was a squirrel so far. I've gone hunting the total of 6 times, all of which were limited to 2 to 4 hours out except today. This was the first proper day I spent in the woods, hunting morning and evening, from 8 to 10:30 and from 12:30 to 5. I think I've been incredibly lucky (and Jacob served as a wonderful guide). Thank you Jacob!

From East to West: A (Miniscule) Recipe Collection

I gave these to Julia as a part of her wedding gift.

From East to West:
A Recipe Collection

Classic Russian Borscht

Like any traditional Russian dish, this soup has a lot of steps and is best prepared for a special occasion. It can be made a day ahead – it tastes even better the next day, after all the flavors have gotten the chance to blend. Borscht was always among my favorite dishes. It should be served with sour cream.

To make stock:

2-lb soup bone with generous amount of meat, or 2 lb short ribs
3 Q water
1-2 bay leaves
1 onion studded with 8 cloves
10-12 black peppercorns
1 carrot, peeled
8 allspice berries if you have them, but they are interchangeable with cloves.
½ celery root (celeriac?)

Place the bone in a stockpot, add water, and bring to a boil.
Remove the foam rising to the top (this happens closer to the boiling point) with a slotted spoon (you’ll never be able to remove all of it).
Add onion, carrot, ½ celery root (all vegetables are added whole), and all the spices Simmer for 2 hrs. Strain the stock, reserving the bone and the meat that might have come off, and discard everything else. Remove the meat from the bone, cube, and reserve. I don’t de-grease my stock – I add the borscht ingredients directly to it right after it’s been made.

To make borscht:

Stock (above)
1 tiny cabbage, shredded
4 beets (I like to choose very dark, wine-colored ones).
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, grated (this is a good task for the CuisineArt)
1 turnip, grated
1 parsnip, grated
½ celery root, grated.
2 medium to large potatoes, cubed
4 T tomato paste
1 whole head of garlic, each clove peeled and pressed.
lemon juice (up to ¼ C)
¼ C chopped parsley

While the stock is being prepared, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the beets in foil; pierce with a fork in several places to allow the steam escape and to prevent explosion, and roast for 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and let cool. Peel, grate, and reserve.

In a large skillet or a Dutch oven, sauté the onion and all the grated vegetables. Add tomato paste at the end and mix in. Remove from heat.

In the meantime, add cabbage and potatoes to the boiling stock and boil for 10 min.
Add the sautéed vegetables, beets, and the reserved meat, and cook for another ten minutes. If you find that your borscht is becoming too thick, add a little boiling water (and a vegetable bullion cube).
Add garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cook for a few more minutes.
Add parsley and remove from heat.
Serve with sour cream.


Dovga
Azeri hot or cold yogurt-and-herb soup

Of all the delectable dishes I grew up with in Azerbaijan, nothing reminds me more of home than this yogurt-and-herb soup. I wouldn’t exaggerate if I said this is my most favorite dish in the world – and also Josie’s absolute favorite – being so mild and creamy and filling it’s a perfect kid dish. My mother used to make it a lot for me – she’d make a great big pot that lasted most of the week for me to have for lunch while she was at work. I got my recipe I give here from a neighbor, however. I do realize that this dish might seem unusual to an American palate, but I’d like to share it with you anyway.

As is very characteristic for Azeri foods, a real special part of this dish is the subtle bouquet of different herbs. The original combination calls for six kinds, but it works just as well with just three basic and widely available ones – cilantro, spinach, and scallions.

1 bunch cilantro
1 small bag of spinach
1 bunch scallions (can be replaced by ramps)
1 bunch garlic chives (OPTIONAL)
1 bunch dill (OPTIONAL)
1 bunch sorrel (about 5-6 large leaves) (OPTIONAL)

2 Q yogurt
2 Q water
1 beaten egg
1 to 1 ½ C white rice, depending on how thick you like it (I like mine pretty thick)
Salt to taste

Chop all the herbs finely. Place yogurt into a large pot and beat with a fork until it loses its lumpy texture and becomes smooth. Add water and mix together. Add rice and a beaten egg. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring very frequently. Add the herbs and salt to the boiling mixture. Turn the heat down to medium, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for additional fifteen minutes. Serve hot or cold.


Tarator
Bulgarian cold cucumber and yogurt soup

I find this very refreshing in the summer. This soup is not cooked and can be mixed up in minutes.

1 Q yogurt
1 Q water
1 large cucumber (preferably long and skinny), peeled and grated
1 T dried dill (fresh can be used instead)
1 t garlic flakes (or a clove of garlic, pressed)
Salt to taste

Place yogurt in a pot. Beat with a fork until it becomes a smooth mass and is no longer lumpy. Mix in water slowly, mixing all the time. Add grated cucumber and all the spices and mix.


Newborn-in-the-house Roast Chicken

This is the recipe I’ve developed after Cyrus was born, and I could no longer afford cutting, browning, and baking a chicken a la grandma Kate, but still wanted a tasty chicken dinner. I found that this was grand enough for a dinner party. I don’t make gravy for this one, but one certainly can – the drippings are more than generous. It started with a recipe I found online and I later modified it. The beauty of this recipe is its absolute simplicity which in no way compromises its outstanding flavor. I especially love the fact that leftover meat can be used for a chicken salad (recipe follows) and the bones and skin and the back can be used for making a chicken stock. It strikes me as a wonderfully thrifty way to stretch a chicken.

I have not yet tried preparing this with a stuffing – so this recipe is for an unstuffed chicken.

1 large farm-grown chicken between 4.5 and 6.5 lb.
Table salt – lots of it
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Wash the chicken, taking care to remove the kidneys (or whatever they are) along the lower part of the back on the inside of the cavity. Homegrown chickens will occasionally have internal organs – especially lungs, “forgotten” inside – take care to check for and remove those to avoid bloody juices pooling up in the cavity. Dry well with paper towels. Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper (I use about a dash of each), and then salt the outside generously – I like to use plain table salt and to “rain” the chicken – the metaphor provided in the original recipe I’d found online. This results in a delicious, salty skin, but also the deliciously salty meat underneath (though I don’t rub it b/w the skin and the meat). Tie the legs together, and wrap wingtips in aluminum foil to prevent them from burning, though you can also bend the wingtips and tie them behind the bird’s back (don’t ask me how). If you don’t have kitchen twine, a solid stalk of quack grass that had gone to seed in the summer will do the job of holding the legs together (it ties just like a twine). I don’t brush the skin with anything (like butter, sourcream, etc) because the drier it stays, the better the crisp.

Place it on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 20-30 min, then turn the heat down to 375 and roast for an additional hour. After an hour, turn the heat down to 350 and roast for another 30-40 min, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees (I like it nice and cooked all the way through until the bones practically fall apart at the joints). Bake without any basting at any point – the less steam, the better, I find.

Chicken shears are good for carving. Here’s how I carve a roast chicken:

1. Remove the wings with a knife. Eat one immediately.
2. Remove the thighs with a knife. Cut through a joint b/w the thigh and the drumstick to separate them cleanly.
3. Using your knife, cut through the center of the breast lengthwise, cutting all the way through the meat, then use kitchen shears to cut through the bone, thus splitting the breast in half.
4. Use kitchen shears to remove the back (reserve for stock). Do eat the oysters though – the 2 meat morsels nestled in the back of the chicken, where the thighs connected to the back.


Chicken Salad

Roast chicken meat, finely cut
A rib of celery, finely cut
½ onion, finely cut
A handful of walnuts, chopped
Chives or tarragon, finely cut

Dressing: Mayo, yogurt, mustard (yellow or Dijon), salt, and pepper.


Salad Dressing (Basic Vinaigrette)

½ C to 1 C olive oil
a squirt of lemon juice
a dash of balsamic vinegar (optional, makes for a sweeter flavor)
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried basil
1 garlic clove, pressed (this is the key ingredient)
salt and pepper

Mix everything together and pour over the salad. Toss the salad well. Or make a larger batch and keep in the fridge to use like a bottled dressing. The olive oil tends to solidify in the fridge, so let it sit out for a bit before using, or run hot water over the bottle/jar that holds the dressing.

Note: I like to add an avocado and some finely crumbled feta to my salads, because both of those provide an extra coating for the greens when the salad is tossed.


Homemade Lemonade

Mix sugar, lemon juice, and water in the proportions pleasing to the palate, then leave the squeezed lemon halves sit in the lemonade overnight. I like the slightly bitter, deeper flavor this imparts to the lemonade. (Approximately 2 Q water + 4-6 lemons + 1/2 C to 1C of sugar).


Ayran
A Yogurt Drink

They have it both in Bulgaria and in Azerbaijan, but there’s a difference – the Azeri ayran is salty, while the Bulgarian ayran is not, in my experience.

1 Q yogurt
1 Q water
Salt to taste (or no salt, if you are feeling Bulgarian)

Beat the yogurt with a fork until smooth. Add the water slowly, mixing all the time. Add salt to taste. Serve cold. A glass a day is guaranteed to keep away the vampires and the Gypsies.


No-Knead Bread

This is delicious, foolproof, and easy enough for a working person to pull off.

Note: You will need a cast-iron Dutch oven with a lid for this.

4.5 C flour (I use white)
2 C water
Additional ¼ C water for diluting the yeast
1/3 t active dry yeast
2 ½ t salt

In the evening, before retiring, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Mix together flour and salt and then add the 2 C of water and the yeast-and-water mixture. Mix everything with a wooden spoon or with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (not a dough hook) until it resembles really thick batter. Cover the bowl with a plate. Let sit till you get home from work the next day (it doesn’t have to be that long, though – you can bake it as soon as you wake up in the morning or in the afternoon and the results will be similar). When you decide to bake, place the Dutch oven into the oven, covered with a lid, and turn the dial to 450 degrees. The Dutch oven will need to spend about half an hour in the oven prior to baking. In the meantime, flour your counter or a board and dump the dough out. It will be very sticky so plenty of flour is good. Quickly fold the dough on itself several times without pressing down, and then shape the bread quickly into a round by pressing the edges underneath the loaf. Cover with the bowl it was made in and let sit for another 30 min (the same 30 min that it takes your oven and the Dutch oven in it to preheat). Place into the Dutch oven seam side up. Bake covered for 30 min and then remove the lid and bake uncovered for additional 10 min or until the desirable shade of gold has been achieved. Let cool somewhat before cutting. If it looks pleasingly golden after the first 30 min, don’t bake it any further. Cool on wire rack.


Fried Potatoes Russian Style

In Russia, this is more of a supper side dish to be served alongside a meat course (steak, fish, etc) – not a breakfast item.

4-5 large potatoes, Yukon gold or Russets
1 onion, chopped
Vegetable oil (but not olive).
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet on high heat until hot but not smoking. It has to be pretty hot.
Add potatoes and stir until all potatoes are nice and oily. Cook, stirring frequently with a spatula, until the potatoes are starting to become golden-brown.
Add the onion and turn the heat down to medium, then closer to the end to low. After you add the onions, add salt and pepper to taste. The potatoes are done when they are tender and the onions are translucent to brown. Do not cover the potatoes during cooking.

Homemade Yogurt in a Crock-Pot

I find that homemade yogurt tastes milder and has a softer texture than store-bought one, and in this way it tastes more authentic to me, and very much like the yogurt I was used to having in Azerbaijan (where, in fact, it was all homemade – you couldn’t buy it in a store, only at the farmer’s market, though most people made their own).

2 Q nice fresh milk
2-qt crock-pot (increase cooking time to 2 hrs 45 min if using a 4-qt crock-pot).
½ C plain yogurt, I like “Seven Stars” yogurt, to be used as starter.

Pour the milk into the crock-pot and cover. Turn the heat to “low” and cook for 2 ½ hrs. Turn off the crock-pot and unplug it. Let cool for 3 hrs. At this point I like to remove the film form the top and discard it.
Remove 1 C of milk, stir yogurt into it, and whisk this mix back into the milk in the crock-pot. Whisk everything thoroughly.
Transfer the crock-pot’s pot into the oven with the light on. Avoid moving the pot while your yogurt is being cultured (otherwise it’s not as firm).
The yogurt is done in 8-12 hours. I like to leave it overnight.
When ready, pour the whey off the top, pour into quart jars, and store in a fridge. The yogurt can be used as starter for a new batch. Further refrigeration will make yogurt thicker and more sour.


Lyulya-Kebab
Ground beef “sausages” on a grill

In Azerbaijan, these are usually cooked on special large skewers, but I find this here easier. I like to grill on a kettle grill with hardwood charcoal, not charcoal briquettes, which tend to have a chemical-tasting off-flavor. Hardwood charcoal is also cheaper and the bag lasts longer. Use short tongs to manipulate the sausages on the grill.

Mix together

1 lb ground beef
1 grated onion (not chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste
Several table spoons each chopped cilantro, chives, and dill (or skip the dill)
1 slice of white bread, soaked in milk until soft, and added to the mix along with the milk

Form into “sausages” 2 to 3” long and about 1” wide. Grill on all sides until nice and red and even somewhat charred. Serve in warm flatbreads (pita, etc), topped with a yogurt sauce (below) and a mix of sliced raw onions and cilantro (fresh tomatoes and pickles are a good addition too).

Yogurt sauce:

Yogurt
1 clove of garlic, crushed
A little salt
A little dill, cilantro, and chives (or you can add mint instead of this combination).

I like to serve this with fried or roasted potatoes.


Spaghetti Sauce

2 quart-sized jars canned tomatoes
Olive oil
1 carrot, cut up into small dice
1 large onion, chopped
Several garlic cloves
Generous amount of tomato paste (around 4 T)
1 ½ - 2 C red wine (alcohol and sugar in wine are needed to maximize the flavor of tomatoes, I am told). Any red wine is fine, but I like merlot.
1 T dried oregano
1 t dried bazil
1 t nutmeg
Salt and black pepper to taste
Hot pepper flakes/other source of heat to taste
1 lb ground beef
Montreal steak seasoning, to taste.
Chopped parsley (OPTIONAL).
½ lb frozen (or fresh) cut green beans, broccoli, asparagus, or some other green vegetable along these lines (OPTIONAL)

I like to use my Dutch oven for this.
Sauté onions and carrots in olive oil until onions begin to brown.
Add garlic and sauté a few more minutes.
Mix in the tomato paste.
While the stuff is sautéing, separately brown ground beef (I like to use a cast iron skillet) in a bit of oil.
Add Montreal steaks seasoning to the beef (or just salt and pepper if you are worried about MSG in the seasoning, which, undoubtedly, is there – or just enjoy the MSG-enhanced flavor like I do).
Add crushed tomatoes (I like to use my CuisineArt for this), wine, the herbs and spices, salt, pepper, and browned beef to the onions and carrots in the Dutch oven.
Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened. If the sauce is becoming too thick, add more red wine.
Add parsley and cook for the additional 5 minutes.

If, like Jacob, you like vegetables in your pasta sauce, add them closer to the end of cooking, allowing just enough time for them to soften. I especially enjoy the addition of asparagus in the spring.

Instilling the Desire for Consumption in Little Kids

Jacob and I noticed twice already that mall-bought jeans/pants for toddler girls, very occasionally given to Josie by relatives, are cut in a way as though to make them look like little women - tight around the butt and all (because she only ever owned 2 pairs of such). Do you think it's part of a general trend to make children want to grow up/feel like they are growing up/becoming like adults earlier in order to instill in their little hearts a desire to consume from the early on? I think it's fine for her to enjoy wearing several fancy clothing items that she owns, but it's a part of my general philosophy of child-rearing that the desire for shopping and consumption should be kept at minimum (without children feeling deprived, however, as "crash-dieting" doesn't work and makes no sense either). That's, in part, why it's so important to me that she goes to school where people share a similar philosophy of life, and where there's little or no peer pressure to own certain brands (and also why I refuse to allow a TV in my home). The Waldorf elementary school in town used to (and probably still) have a rule where children were not allowed to wear to school anything with brand names/pictures, unless the brand name could be covered by a hand (a very small-size brand labels only, in other words). There was some controversy around it - but now, while I think that pictures of the most innocent nature are OK (flowers! butterflies!), it's great that brand names are banished.