The subtitle is absolutely misleading. It should be - A Return to Soviet Cooking. Lot of these dishes I could make without a recipe because we used to eat like that. But I'm not Russian. I was born in Soviet Union and I'm Lithuanian. She gives recipes from Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan etc., I can see in pictures Lithuanian cured meat, Rigas Balzams - the most famous Latvian alcoholic drink, Borjomi - mineral water from Georgia. Does it really look like Russian cuisine?
Oh, and this romantic approach to pyanka - "Toast, clink, drink, eat, repeat. Toast, clink, drink, eat, repeat. It’s such a beautiful way to spend time together. And that is what a pyanka really is." Srly? Reality is a bit different and it has nothing to do with a beautiful way to spend time together.
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Customer reviews
Healthy, rich, delicious comfort food. I'm in love!
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2019
This is a fabulous book! It’s filled with surprisingly healthy and rich comfort food. Her instructions are really clear and it’s pretty easy to get everything to come out right the first time. Lots of dishes are the sort where they bubble away for a few hours making the whole house smell heavenly. She includes so many personal memories and stories along the way, adding to the charm of the book.My only disappointment is that the legendary Stroganoff from her restaurant isn’t in the book. <sniff>My thoughts and pics of the dishes we tried:1-2) Chicken Kiev – p 297. This is delicious. I found it tricky to get it pounded thin enough to really encase the butter and dill without tearing, but practice will certainly be yummy!3-5) Short Rib Borsch – p 221. This is amazing. Amazing! It’s the healthiest full-on comfort food ever.6) Golubtsi (cabbage rolls) – p 289. These are wonderfully fragrant and yummy. Cabbage stuffed in beef, pork, lamb, and rice in a rich tomato sauce with a touch of sweetness from carrots and balancing tart notes from lingonberries. My daughter had three they were so delicious!7-8) Armenian Pumpkin Dolmas – p 302. Our store had acorn squash so I went with those. I just had to wrap it in aluminum foil so the rice could finish steaming since they were over-stuffed. Fabulous dinner. The spiced dried fruits and apples with rice and a little lamb were lovely with the squash. And they’re awfully cute.I’ll update this as I play in the book more!Some others I have flagged to try: Too many cocktails and other drinks to name – pages 21-65 * Mushrooms Julienne – p 161 * Cabbage Pirog – p 165 * Khachapuri Imertian (cheese and cilantro pie) – p 167 * Chicken Blinchiki (blintzes)– p 177 * Dumpling Dough – p 195 * Siberian Pelmeni (meat dumplings) – p 198 * Sour Cherry Vareniki (fruit dumplings) – p 204 * Cholodnik (creamy beet soup) – p 217 * Okroshka (meat and vegetables with a kefir based dressing) – p 219 * Lyulya Kebab (spiced lamb) – p 242 * Armenian Pumpkin Dolmas – p 302 * Three-Layer Condensed Milk Cake – p 323
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2019
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2018
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Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2019
My only disappointment is that the legendary Stroganoff from her restaurant isn’t in the book. <sniff>
My thoughts and pics of the dishes we tried:
1-2) Chicken Kiev – p 297. This is delicious. I found it tricky to get it pounded thin enough to really encase the butter and dill without tearing, but practice will certainly be yummy!
3-5) Short Rib Borsch – p 221. This is amazing. Amazing! It’s the healthiest full-on comfort food ever.
6) Golubtsi (cabbage rolls) – p 289. These are wonderfully fragrant and yummy. Cabbage stuffed in beef, pork, lamb, and rice in a rich tomato sauce with a touch of sweetness from carrots and balancing tart notes from lingonberries. My daughter had three they were so delicious!
7-8) Armenian Pumpkin Dolmas – p 302. Our store had acorn squash so I went with those. I just had to wrap it in aluminum foil so the rice could finish steaming since they were over-stuffed. Fabulous dinner. The spiced dried fruits and apples with rice and a little lamb were lovely with the squash. And they’re awfully cute.
I’ll update this as I play in the book more!
Some others I have flagged to try: Too many cocktails and other drinks to name – pages 21-65 * Mushrooms Julienne – p 161 * Cabbage Pirog – p 165 * Khachapuri Imertian (cheese and cilantro pie) – p 167 * Chicken Blinchiki (blintzes)– p 177 * Dumpling Dough – p 195 * Siberian Pelmeni (meat dumplings) – p 198 * Sour Cherry Vareniki (fruit dumplings) – p 204 * Cholodnik (creamy beet soup) – p 217 * Okroshka (meat and vegetables with a kefir based dressing) – p 219 * Lyulya Kebab (spiced lamb) – p 242 * Armenian Pumpkin Dolmas – p 302 * Three-Layer Condensed Milk Cake – p 323
Verified Purchase
Healthy, rich, delicious comfort food. I'm in love!
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2019
This is a fabulous book! It’s filled with surprisingly healthy and rich comfort food. Her instructions are really clear and it’s pretty easy to get everything to come out right the first time. Lots of dishes are the sort where they bubble away for a few hours making the whole house smell heavenly. She includes so many personal memories and stories along the way, adding to the charm of the book.Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2019
My only disappointment is that the legendary Stroganoff from her restaurant isn’t in the book. <sniff>
My thoughts and pics of the dishes we tried:
1-2) Chicken Kiev – p 297. This is delicious. I found it tricky to get it pounded thin enough to really encase the butter and dill without tearing, but practice will certainly be yummy!
3-5) Short Rib Borsch – p 221. This is amazing. Amazing! It’s the healthiest full-on comfort food ever.
6) Golubtsi (cabbage rolls) – p 289. These are wonderfully fragrant and yummy. Cabbage stuffed in beef, pork, lamb, and rice in a rich tomato sauce with a touch of sweetness from carrots and balancing tart notes from lingonberries. My daughter had three they were so delicious!
7-8) Armenian Pumpkin Dolmas – p 302. Our store had acorn squash so I went with those. I just had to wrap it in aluminum foil so the rice could finish steaming since they were over-stuffed. Fabulous dinner. The spiced dried fruits and apples with rice and a little lamb were lovely with the squash. And they’re awfully cute.
I’ll update this as I play in the book more!
Some others I have flagged to try: Too many cocktails and other drinks to name – pages 21-65 * Mushrooms Julienne – p 161 * Cabbage Pirog – p 165 * Khachapuri Imertian (cheese and cilantro pie) – p 167 * Chicken Blinchiki (blintzes)– p 177 * Dumpling Dough – p 195 * Siberian Pelmeni (meat dumplings) – p 198 * Sour Cherry Vareniki (fruit dumplings) – p 204 * Cholodnik (creamy beet soup) – p 217 * Okroshka (meat and vegetables with a kefir based dressing) – p 219 * Lyulya Kebab (spiced lamb) – p 242 * Armenian Pumpkin Dolmas – p 302 * Three-Layer Condensed Milk Cake – p 323
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2017
Verified Purchase
Since I have bought this cookbook I have made many recipes from it. The book is written with considerate clarity and the recipes though simple always yield deliciously comforting results. My favorites from Kachka are the pelmeni recipes. If you are like me, the idea of making your own dough for dumplings sounds awfully overwhelming. However, Morales promises so convincingly that a homemade dough is far better than anything you can find at the store and her instructions on how to roll out your own dough are straightforward and foolproof.
The ingredients lists are often short and simple. At times the recipes may recommend a trip to a Russian grocery store to find items, although clear instruction is usually given on how to select more obscure products or find substitutions.
There are many more recipes I can't wait to try. I've sampled a little of every chapter and can say that from appetizers to the sweets, everything was easy to understand and could be whipped up without too much stress even in my small apartment kitchen. The recipes feel like the kind that I will turn to again and again for any occasion whether you are entertaining, or looking to stockpile your freezer with homemade goods which can be made in an instant later. I highly recommend Kachka to cooks of all skill levels wanting to explore Russian cooking!
I was not paid for this review and have no affiliation with the author. I love cookbooks and review and write about them. Check out my instagram @theReadingCook for more photos and information about my experiences with Kachka.
The ingredients lists are often short and simple. At times the recipes may recommend a trip to a Russian grocery store to find items, although clear instruction is usually given on how to select more obscure products or find substitutions.
There are many more recipes I can't wait to try. I've sampled a little of every chapter and can say that from appetizers to the sweets, everything was easy to understand and could be whipped up without too much stress even in my small apartment kitchen. The recipes feel like the kind that I will turn to again and again for any occasion whether you are entertaining, or looking to stockpile your freezer with homemade goods which can be made in an instant later. I highly recommend Kachka to cooks of all skill levels wanting to explore Russian cooking!
I was not paid for this review and have no affiliation with the author. I love cookbooks and review and write about them. Check out my instagram @theReadingCook for more photos and information about my experiences with Kachka.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2021
Verified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
miss kate s mlynar
Great recipes
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 5, 2021Verified Purchase
claudia
This is one of the best Russian cookbooks I have come across
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 15, 2018Verified Purchase
Altruistin
bestes russisches Kochbuch, das mir je in die Finger geriet
Reviewed in Germany on July 14, 2018Verified Purchase
T. Kharitonova
Fabulous book
Reviewed in Canada on October 31, 2018Verified Purchase
Tanzinite
Great Book! Fabulous recipes.
Reviewed in Canada on February 22, 2021Verified Purchase
