Russian Store

Scattered here and there in the strip malls of every major metropolitan area are Russian stores. Maybe you’ve never been to one. You may not understand their signs.


You may not even notice them at all.


The storefronts tend to be rather nondescript and unassuming. But if you pay attention, you’re certain to find one. It’s worth looking, for these Russian markets and delis hold many tasty treasures within.

The meat case alone makes the trip worthwhile.


It seems to go on and on forever.


It’s loaded with an endless variety of cold cuts, hams, bacon, smoked sausages, dried sausages, and pork in every guise. Happily, the delicious sausages, with names like Maskoska, Estonska, Moldavska, and hunter’s, are quite affordable for any budget.

Another case holds a rainbow of pickled vegetables.


The olives, wild mushrooms, green tomatoes, sour apples, salted cabbage, and various salads are just like homemade. Bulgarian, French, and Greek fetas are sold by the pound. All sorts of other cheeses are available as well.


Salted and cold smoked fish are plentiful.


Choose from mackerel, whitefish, whiting, salmon, vobla, and more. And, I’ll let you in on a little secret, Russian markets are always a great source for caviar, both black and red.

The Russian store’s pastries and cakes will, no doubt, tempt you.


And the bread is brought in fresh daily.


If you make it in before noon, you may be able to get some while it’s still warm.

Sounds fabulous, doesn’t it? Well, that’s just the deli counter. Let me tell you about the rest of the store. The selection of canned goods is astounding.


There are aisles full of jarred vegetables, fruits, pickles, and preserves.


The pitted sour cherries in light syrup are particularly delicious.


They’re perfect with a cup of hot tea. Of course, you can pick up your tea at the Russian store too.


In the freezer section, you’ll find ready-to-cook stuffed dumplings called pelimeni and vareniki.


Last, but certainly not least, every good Russian store will stock a fantastic assortment of sweets and candy.


Bin after bin of yummy chocolate, wafer, fruit, nut, and marshmallow candies with fun and whimsical names like bird’s milk, clumsy bear, cow, lobster tail, and squirrel and with colorful, shiny wrappers are guaranteed to make you feel like a kid again.

A Russian store has all this to offer, and lots more. I crave this kind of food, I grew up eating it. Find the Russian store near your neighborhood, explore and taste your way through it, and I’m sure you’ll love it too.

Anoush Deli (6808 NE Fourth Plain, Vancouver, Washington, 360-693-4359) happens to be my personal favorite Russian store, and my family shops at Euro Deli Too (6832 Coit Road, Plano, Texas, 972-312-0244).

Chocolate Cravings

It’s a good thing that being a chocoholic is considered socially acceptable, or I would have been forced to enroll in a twelve-step program long ago.


Chocolate Panna Cottas
Printable Recipe

1 ½ cups milk
2 ½ teaspoons (1 envelope) gelatin
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped or ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 ½ cups heavy cream
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Measure ½ cup of the milk into a small bowl and slowly sprinkle over the gelatin. Place the chocolate into a bowl over a small pan of simmering water and heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Combine the remaining 1 cup of milk, cream, and sugar in a small saucepan and heat to a bare simmer. Whisk in the gelatin mixture, chocolate, and vanilla. Chill over an ice bath until just beginning to thicken. Divide the mixture among 6 ramekins or dessert cups. Refrigerate for about 4 hours, or until set.

Serve as is, or to unmold, dip the bottom of each ramekin into hot water for a few seconds, wipe dry, and invert onto a dessert plate.

Serves 6. Can be made up to a day ahead of time and kept covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator. These silky panna cottas are sure to satisfy your chocolate cravings, and the best part is that the recipe’s a cinch to make!

Tomatoes the Rest of the Year

Fall’s here, and the rain has set in. I mourn the passing of tomato season. I’ve already stocked up on Pomì tomatoes.


Two cases to get me through to next summer. So sweet, like a ray of sunshine, they’re the next best thing to vine-ripened, and certainly better than anything in a can.

Easiest Cream of Tomato Soup with Orzo
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
53 ounces strained tomatoes, preferably Pomì brand
1 quart water
½ cup heavy cream
¾ cup orzo
¼ cup chiffonaded fresh basil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated Parmegiano-Reggiano, for serving

Heat a large, heavy pot over medium heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute, or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, water, and cream and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and basil and simmer, stirring frequently, for about half an hour, or until the orzo is al dente. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into individual bowls, top with plenty of Parmegiano, and serve immediately.

Serves 6. Perfect with salad and garlic bread or grilled cheese sandwiches. If you prefer soup with a coarser texture, substitute Pomì Chopped Tomatoes for half of the strained tomatoes. You will need 2 26.455-ounce boxes of Pomì tomatoes for this soup. They’re available at most fine grocery stores.

The Flavor Bible

I remember way back, when I began to learn to cook, I was so intimidated by the whole thing. There was so much to learn, and it all seemed so complicated. I was completely mystified by the idea that cooking could be done freely and with improvisation. I remember thinking, “Me, cook without a recipe? Impossible.” I really could have used a book like The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs back then.

Like Karen Page’s and Andrew Dornenburg’s previous books*, The Flavor Bible is a glimpse inside the minds of dozens of well-respected chefs and pastry chefs. It explores how these cooks create memorable dishes by manipulating taste, mouthfeel, aroma, and also the visual, emotional, mental, and spiritual response of the diner, what, when taken together, the authors call “the x factor”. The majority of the book is comprised of carefully compiled, exhaustive lists of flavor matches. This is not a cookbook in the traditional sense of the term; it has no recipes. In fact, the authors reject conventional cookbooks to the extent that they encourage cooks to slavishly follow recipes.

So does The Flavor Bible live up to the promise of its title and subtitle? Perhaps the book wouldn’t have allowed me to bypass culinary school and the lessons learned from years of cooking experience. A working knowledge of cooking techniques and methods, which the book doesn’t cover, is necessary to assimilate and make use of all of the information presented. But The Flavor Bible certainly would have helped me to understand and gain confidence with the creative process of combining flavors to build a dish. Aspiring cooks and professional chefs alike would be well advised to add this comprehensive reference to their libraries.


*Becoming a Chef, the first book by Page and Dornenburg, will always have a special place in my heart. It may sound cliché to say that a book changed my life, but this book alone inspired me to pursue a culinary career. I wholeheartedly recommend it and their subsequent books Culinary Artistry, Dining Out, Chef’s Night Out, The New American Chef, and What to Drink with What You Eat.