Delicious writing: how restaurants "enliven" recipes from literature
Modern masters of haute cuisine nowadays are increasingly looking for inspiration in ancient recipes. Such experiments are sure to resonate with a certain part of gourmets, especially when it comes to reconstructing food mentioned in classical literature. Many dishes, the names of which have been familiar to us since childhood, cease to be an artistic abstraction and acquire a very real taste and shape. Izvestia found out which appetizers, soups and desserts from the books of Russian classics find a second life in gastronomic projects in different cities of our country.
Roast beef "bloody" and buckwheat pancakes with mushrooms and kvass sauce at Cafe Pushkin (Moscow)
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of the first chapter of the novel in verse "Eugene Onegin" by Alexander Pushkin. This outstanding work, in addition to its artistic merits, contains a lot of interesting historical details that convey the spirit of a bygone era, including from a gastronomic point of view. In honor of the anniversary, the Pushkin Cafe restaurant launched a series of literary dinners, especially for which chef Andrey Makhov created a set of eight dishes, where each dish is dedicated to the plots and characters of Eugene Onegin or is associated with the habits and preferences of the poet himself.
—There are quite a few dishes mentioned in Eugene Onegin, so we had to choose the most striking and interesting positions from a gastronomic point of view,— chef Andrey Makhov told Izvestia. — It was also important for us to meet the dinner schedule so that all the dishes logically followed one after another, first the appetizer, then the hot dishes and desserts.
Limburg cheese with grape and walnut jam
The set begins with sitnik, oysters in jelly with seaweed and Limburg cheese with jam made from grapes and walnuts. Chef Makhov prepares the famous Strasbourg pie with a filling of coarsely ground duck and goose meat, foie gras and caramelized onions (stewed in red wine, with the addition of port wine), which gives sweetness and a characteristic taste. The appetizer is served with a piece of sauternes jelly pie shell and decorated with microgreens with raspberry dressing and cherry puree. The pancakes mentioned in "Eugene Onegin" in the restaurant are made from buckwheat flour, stuffed with mushrooms and accompanied by a sauce of kvass boiled to a concentrate state.
Roast beef Parade with potatoes "Anna"
Our interlocutor separately focused on roast beef, which in Pushkin's works is described as the hallmark of the very famous Talon restaurant in St. Petersburg at that time. It was prepared from beef tenderloin, adding red wine, which was absorbed into the meat, and the blood that flowed out was also used by Russian gourmets (unlike the French) in food. Chef Makhov prepares his own version of roast beef, called parade, according to a classic recipe, but using today's technology. The meat is pre-fried, and then cooked for several hours in a special oven at a temperature of 68 degrees Celsius. With this method, the degree of roasting does not change, but the blood is evenly distributed throughout the piece, as a result, the meat is tender, and the cut acquires a beautiful red hue. Roast beef is served with Anna potatoes, also prepared according to a recipe known since the 19th century. The tubers are cut into very thin slices and heavily fried on the outside in butter, keeping the inside soft. Roast beef with potatoes is seasoned with madeira sauce and sprinkled with freshly grated truffle.
— It is known that Pushkin sometimes signed himself "Your apple pie", and therefore we decided to cook this dish for dessert, — our interlocutor shares the details. — Bake it on a thin shortbread dough, adding a little buttercream, and placing a thick layer of caramelized apples on top. We take out the pie almost entirely on the board, homely, and already in the hall we put the guests on plates.
Svetlana Sidorova, an associate professor at Moscow State University, a teacher at the Seasons School and the author of the Literary Cuisine project, is responsible for the educational program of the events. Upcoming dinner talks dedicated to the cuisine of the Pushkin era will be held at the Pushkin Cafe on April 16 and May 22.
Labardan and mutton side with porridge in the Central House of Artists (Moscow)
One of the most well—deserved gastronomic establishments in the capital does not seek to rest on the laurels of its former glory and continues to actively seek new formats that are interesting for guests and comfortable for themselves. Recently, a series of gastronomic dinners based on classical Russian literature has been launched here. This week, a dinner dedicated to the works of Gogol was held, which was prepared by the chef of the Central House of Artists, Fyodor Verin, and his colleague, the brand chef of the Matryoshka restaurant, Vlad Piskunov.
Kulebyak "on four corners" of three types of fish
Nikolai Vasilyevich, as you know, knew a lot about food, appreciated fine cuisine and was an excellent cook himself, often delighting friends with, for example, branded pasta with butter and parmesan cheese. Unsurprisingly, food occupies a special place in his writings. Who among us does not remember with what appetite Patsyuk devoured dumplings with sour cream from Dikanka, how Chichikov ate pancakes with melted butter on a visit to Korobochka, or how the landowner Rooster explained to his cook ahead of time which kind of four-cornered cake should be prepared for breakfast?
— In any cookbook of the 19th century, we will not find any mention of a four-cornered kulebyak. It was first described by Gogol in the second volume of Dead Souls, and it is described in some detail. Perhaps we are talking about a real dish that the writer got acquainted with. Kulebyaka is also one of the few dishes of Russian cuisine that have taken root in European cuisine,— said Vlad Piskunov.
Grey cabbage soup and "shanishki" with baked potatoes
Of course, kulebyak was also included in the menu of the Gogol dinner in the form of a hot snack. Just not about the four corners, but the classic one, in the shape of a log, but with five generous layers of filling and with a sauce based on madeira. The kulebyak was preceded by labardan, that is, cod, with marinade, which was served with cucumber tartare and horseradish mousse. Then it was the turn of gray sour cabbage soup with thick farm sour cream and baked potato soup. According to Verin, this dish is prepared as authentic as possible, this is how it could be eaten in the first half of the 19th century. The cabbage leaves were fermented in October, and when used, they were not cut with a knife, but crumbled with a special chopper. This technique of processing at the outlet gives the cabbage a completely different texture.
Side of mutton with buckwheat and pickled plum
However, the culmination of the set was expected to be a side of mutton with buckwheat porridge — it seems that Gogol's most famous and endlessly quoted literary and culinary masterpiece. A spicy, juicy, rich dish with a ruddy crust on the outside and a delicate porridge soaked in mutton fat inside, served with pickled plums — for harmony and balance of complex taste. At the end of the meal, the guests were offered gelato a la limoncello.
— This dish is a fantasy dish, Gogol does not have it. It's just that in this way we wanted to remind you of Nikolai Vasilyevich's great love for Italian cuisine in general and for ice cream in particular. It is known that he was a regular in some Roman coffee shops, where he often ordered several servings of ice cream at once," said Fyodor Verin.
Gelato a la limoncello
Each presentation was accompanied by a fascinating narration by Verin and Piskunov — historical, cultural and gastronomic at the same time. It is not yet known which writer the next dinner will be dedicated to. It is only clear that such meetings in the CDL will be held regularly — about once every one and a half to two months.
Tartini with salpicon and unzipped calf cheeks in the "Thunderstorm" (Kostroma)
The concept of the Groza restaurant of modern Russian cuisine in Kostroma is directly related to the name of the playwright Alexander Ostrovsky. The founder of the national repertory theatre often visited and worked in the ancient Russian city. Several years ago, this historical fact became the starting point for the creation of a new restaurant and hotel project Ostrovsky, which opened a restaurant named after the author's most famous work. The interior of the restaurant is stylized to match the atmosphere of the mid-19th century, and the playwright's legacy was continued in gastronomic experiments, which were embodied in a special menu based on his work.
"In the process of reconstructing dishes from Ostrovsky's works, we not only relied on ancient recipes, but also used associations that arose when reading texts, as well as the author's idea of what food might look like in that era,— recalls Anton Rubtsov, brand chef of Groza and Syrovar restaurants. — We wanted to convey the spirit of the times using the traditions of Russian cuisine, while adding elements of modern culinary art to create an interesting dialogue between the past and the present.
Tartins with salpicon
The special menu opens with tartins with salpicon, a hot appetizer based on roti tortillas stuffed with pickled cucumbers, boiled pork tongue, beef or veal brains, and cheese. Groza also prepared their own version of Ostrovsky's favorite dish, meat pie. In addition to the veal cheeks, the filling contains carefully fried onions and spices, and the pie dough is prepared according to a classic recipe, which provides it with lightness and a crispy crust. The traditional Georgian chikhirtma soup was very popular in secular society in the 19th century. The gastronomic feature of this dish lies in its rich taste, which is achieved through a combination of tender chicken broth and acid from vinegar. This makes the soup not only satisfying, but also refreshing. It is also important that the eggs are added to the hot broth, but not boiled for too long to preserve their texture. It is also impossible to imagine a merchant's meal without a piglet stuffed with a mixture of boiled buckwheat, fried onions, carrots and celery, as well as mushrooms, which give the filling a special depth of taste.
Chicken and egg Chikhirtma
At the time of serving, the piglet is carefully cut into portions and placed on plates, where buckwheat porridge soaked in juice and fat from meat is located under it. A thick demiglas sauce is added to the dish, which is prepared on the basis of beef bones. For sweets, Ostrovsky's Set is offered, consisting of four desserts: baskets of sable with blueberry compote and violet mousse, pistachio ice cream, mini eclair with cherry stew and pineapple gratin.
"We also make gooseberry jam, which was once a favorite delicacy of the playwright,— adds brand chef Rubtsov. — This is an amazing treat imbued with the spirit of the times, the recipe of which was given to us by the staff of the Alexander Ostrovsky Museum-Reserve Shchelykovo.
Dessert "Seth Ostrovsky"
Currently, all dishes from the special menu are prepared in the restaurant upon reservation.
Sudachki a la naturelle and "Spanish wind" in the Bulgakov bar (Krasnoyarsk)
The Krasnoyarsk Bulgakov bar is located in the building of a former shoe factory founded in the 1920s, and was named after the famous Soviet writer, one of the brightest representatives of that time. The interior of the restaurant is stylized in the spirit of a bygone era (there is even a sculpture of a girl with a fork instead of an oar inside) and decorated with bookshelves and library lamps, so the idea of creating special literary menus naturally coincided with the concept of the project.
"It was a small challenge for all of us to conduct research, find mentions of dishes, and then reproduce what people have eaten over the past couple of centuries, but with existing knowledge, products, and modern techniques," the brand chef of Sadko and Dze restaurants, an ex—brand chef, told our publication. Mikhail Mikhailov of the Bulgakov bar. — In fact, it's very difficult to understand how a particular dish was actually prepared before, because in books it's just a line, no one wrote a detailed recipe there.
Walleye a la naturelle with crayfish necks and salmon roe
In their research, the Bulgakov team, among other things, relied on information from William Pokhlebkin's book "It's served! The repertoire of food and drinks in Russian classical drama", where the author cites some recipes that he managed to find in various sources. As a result, two literary menus were created in the bar. The first one includes dishes found in books of various Russian classics and typical of Russian gastronomy in the 19th–20th centuries. It includes the already mentioned roast beef from Pushkin's Eugene Onegin, levashniki from the novel "In the Woods" by Pavel Melnikov-Pechersky, green cabbage soup from the poem "The Russian Spirit" by Gabriel Derzhavin, a four-cornered kulebyak and fried pullet from "Dead Souls" by Nikolai Gogol, dessert "Spanish Wind" (as it was called in that time of meringue) from Ivan Turgenev's short story "My Neighbor Radilov". The second menu focused entirely on dishes from the works of Mikhail Bulgakov. Among them, the famous walleye a la naturelle, Woland's hangover sausages for Stepan Likhodeev, de-volyai cutlet, Kara shish kebab and Kerch herring, which the Hippopotamus cat enjoyed, were selected.
— By the way, herring with mustard on black bread was Mikhail Afanasyevich's favorite snack, — said brand chef Mikhailov. — We took the idea and products from the original source — black bread, herring, beetroot and mustard — but we also added our own. Horseradish was made into mousse, and the yolk was dehydrated and grated on top, fish was served on rye toast with beetroot vinaigrette.
Roast beef with truffle sauce on Cuban seeds and salted pears
The listed literary specials were offered to guests at the bar in 2021 and 2022, but two dishes have still remained on the main menu since then — roast beef with pears and a sauce based on seeds and the dessert "Spanish Wind" with lingonberries and condensed milk.
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