Cold-climate cooking that prizes preservation, grains, root vegetables and dairy. Sour cream and dill finish nearly every bowl; pickles, salted fish and fermented kvass sit at the table. Long-braised stews and beetroot-based soups (borscht), buckwheat kasha, blini and yeasted breads, plus the table-bound zakuski tradition of small starters, anchor the cuisine.
Strips of fillet or sirloin sear hard in a hot pan and lift out so they don't overcook. Onion and mushrooms cook in the same pan with butter; brandy or wine deglazes; mustard, stock and soured cream make the sauce. The beef returns at the end to warm through, off the heat to keep it pink.
Beef shin or short rib simmers slow with aromatics to build a rich broth. Grated beetroot, cabbage, carrot, onion and potato cook together with the beef and tomatoes for the second hour. A splash of vinegar at the end keeps the colour bright; soured cream and dill on top.
A simple egg-and-water dough rolls thin and cuts into circles. The filling is mashed potato folded through with deeply browned onions. Each round folds over a spoonful of filling, sealed and crimped. Boiled in batches; served drowned in butter, with extra fried onions on top and sour cream alongside.
Onion, carrot and beetroot sauté together; the colour bleeds out; cabbage and potatoes join in stock. Tomato paste deepens; bay and dill infuse; vinegar and a touch of sugar balance at the end. Sour cream and dill go on at the table.
