The mention of Russian food brings about confused stares and mumbles of terror in most people I know. For the majority of the spawn of Chorleywood, Russian food consists of Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Kiev and Borsch all washed down with gallons of cheap Vodka. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with those dishes at all. They’re all excellent examples of one of the most catholic cuisines the world has to offer. Russian cookery embraces culinary influences from Eastern Europe all the way across to Kazakhstan, and everything in between. So it would be quite possible to see dishes such as Pirozkhi sat next to Shashlyk – A dish many in the UK consider to be Indian.
Traditionally, Russian food could be opulent, rich and decadent. Huge quantities of butter, cream and meat would be piled before guests in a show of enormous generosity. Folk would boast on their capacity for the consumption of Pelmeni, traditional Siberian dumplings, some claiming they could eat upwards of 100 in one sitting. Not even I could manage that, and believe me, I love Pelmeni. Thetraditional Russian cookery book was Elena Ivanovna Molokhovets’s A Gift To Young Housewives. This much loved tome fell out of favour with the Communist Elite due to its “bourgeois and decadent” tone and sneering attitude towards the lower classes. Still, this didn’t stop folks reading the book behind closed doors, filled with nostalgia for richer times.
Kasha, however, crosses all boundries. Although the word actually refers to a whole family of grains, Kasha is commonly used to describe Buckwheat groats. These firm, nutty, grains are like Russian comfort food. Indeed, a famous Russian saying more or less translates as “Cabbage soup and kasha is all we need”. I love these little guys, and the following recipe is one I make whenever I feel down. It’s adapted from a recipe in the excellent book Please To The Table, which you really ought to add to your collection.
Unrefined, yet utterly beautiful.
So, what do you need?
- 200g Kasha (Buckwheat Groats)
- 1 ripe green Avocado
- 4 – 6 Chicken thighs, boned
- A handful of fresh dill
- Good quality extra virgin olive oil
- A clove or two of Garlic
- A lemon
- Salt and Pepper
This one’s easy peaski. Preheat the oven to about 180. Rub the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 – 25 mins, until the chicken is well done yet still juicy. I like the crispness that leaving the skin on gives, but that’s up to you. Alternatively, you can use roasted salmon. The crispy skin on the fish is delicious in this dish.
Meanwhile, put the Kasha into a saucepan along with the garlic cloves. Cover with 400 ml water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer for about 6-10 mins, until all the water is absorbed. Check a couple of grains to ensure they’re cooked through – they should be soft to eat with a little bite retained. Remove the garlic. You can now puree it and add it back or bin it.
Let everything cool for a few mins. Peel and dice the avocado, and chop the chicken or salmon into cubes. Finely chop the dill. Add all this to the Kasha. Pour in a good few glugs of olive oil and the juice and zest from the lemon, and stir well. Taste, adjust seasoning if needs be and enjoy.
I love this dish – it’s simple in preparation and taste, yet manages to be filled with enough goodness and flavour to bring a smile. It goes very well with a cold and crisp white wine, or alternatively with a nice glass of Perry.
Perry is, simply put, the pear version of Cider. It’s a wonderful, sweet and refreshing drink that is now starting to be found in UK shops once more. Until recently only a few very specialist local producers made this, so it’s great to see it more widely available.
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