Cooking the Russian Way (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks) [Library Binding]

Gregory Plotkin (Author), Rita Plotkin (Author), Robert L. Wolfe (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Series: Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks

Introduces the cooking and food habits of the Soviet Union, including such recipes as borscht, chicken kiev, and beef stroganoff, and provides brief information on the geography and history of the country.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Library Binding: 52 pages
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group (April 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822509156
• ISBN-13: 978-0822509158
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,050,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good little book, August 10, 2000

By 

Alexandra Romanov (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cooking the Russian Way (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks) (Library Binding)

This is a good little book for children or a beginning cook looking for Russian flavour. But honestly, the price was a bit much for a book with less than 50 pages and less than 2 dozen recipes. You can find the same recipes in the larger books.....plus many others, for less money.

The one plus this book gets over the others is that it has pictures. Lots of pictures. If you aren't hungry when you get the book you will be after you open it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cooking the Russian Way, July 15, 2009

By 

Laura Temple "Moscow mom" (Providence, RI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cooking the Russian Way (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks) (Hardcover)

Our two children are from Russia, and this book has lots of wonderful authentic Russian recipes that they enjoy making. The Russian names of the dishes are also given. Great, simple recipes.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cookbooks Should Not Include "Buy and Boil Prepared Dishes", November 25, 2011

By 

Jarrod Brown (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cooking the Russian Way (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks) (Hardcover)

This books is almost okay, but it isn't really a true cookbook in my opinion as a foodie. It should be called instead "eating the Russian way." The images are wonderful, but the recipes are lacking--there are not that many of them. I guess I should have been warned by the "Easy Menu" series title, and it is just because I didn't pay attention that I am giving this 3 stars rather than 2. I was really looking forward to cooking some authentic, made-from-scratch Russian dishes. If there is a sausage recipe, I except to learn how to make and stuff authentic Russian sausages. I copy (in full) the ingredients list for the "Russian sausages" or Sardelka recipe.

1 lb. smoked, precooked beef or pork sausage (such as kielbasa)

That is it! Go buy precooked sausages and boil them. That is not a recipe! And kielbasa is just the Slavic word for sausage--we never learn what is distinctive about Russian sausage or what kinds there might be.

I was most disappointed though with the zakuski section--and this is why the cookbook nearly got two stars from me. Zakuski, or the appetizer course, is one of the unique features of Russian culture. Vodka is traditionally drank with an array of such dishes, from meats, pickles, and rye bread to carefully prepared aspic dishes (known as "kholodets" or "studen" in Russian). Again, rather than a single recipe for these myriad of dishes instead we are given a shopping list and told to "Arrange all ingredients attractively in an assortment of small dishes and bowls."

There are a few excellent recipes. However, the shopping list instead of zakuski recipes incurred my reviewer's wrath. For those who really aren't foodies but want a handy "Russian entertainment" or eating guide, this would be adequate. There are some good recipes--the borsch recipe was great. Overall,, though, if you are a real food enthusiast and want to truly explore what makes cuisines unique and strive for authenticity--even if it means a full weekend in the kitchen--then this book is probably not for you. If you really want an "easy ethnic menu" just order take-out.