An image like this calls for a moment of silence.
1950s
CHANAKHI
Georgian Stew of Lamb, Herbs, and Vegetables
In Soviet times, without access to travel or foreign cuisines, Russians turned to the Union’s exotic fringes for complex, spicy foods. Georgian food was Moscow’s de facto haute cuisine, satisfying our northern cravings for smoke, herbs, garlic, and bright, sunny seasoning. If you can forget that this might have been Stalin’s favorite dish, this soupy one-dish meal is a marvel. The Georgian penchant for masses of aromatic herbs is on captivating display, and the meat essentially braises in its own herbaceous, garlicky juices, along with tender eggplants, tomatoes, and spuds. By tradition the stew is baked in an earthenware pot called chanakhi. But enamel cast iron, such as Le Creuset, or a large, sturdy Dutch oven will do just as well. All this stew needs is good hot flatbread to soak up the juices, and a sprightly salad of peppery greens.
1 tightly packed cup chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
1 tightly packed cup chopped basil, plus more for serving
1 tightly packed cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving
12 large garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon paprika, plus more for rubbing the lamb
Large pinch of red pepper flakes, such as Aleppo, plus more for rubbing the lamb
3 to 3½ pounds shoulder lamb chops, trimmed of excess fat and halved lengthwise
3 medium onions, quartered and thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped; plus 4 plum tomatoes quartered lengthwise
1½ cups tomato juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Boiling water as needed
3 slender long Asian eggplants (10 to 12 inches long)
3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. with the rack set in the lower third. In a mixing bowl combine the cilantro, basil, parsley, and garlic. Toss the mixture with ½ teaspoon of salt, generous gratings of black pepper, paprika, and pepper flakes.
2. Rub the lamb chops with salt, black pepper, paprika, and pepper flakes. In a mixing bowl toss the lamb with the onions. Add a large handful of the herb mixture and the oil, and toss to coat.
3. Place the lamb and the onions as snugly as possible on the bottom of a very large enamel cast-iron pot with a tight-fitting lid. Set the pot over high heat and cook until steam begins to rise from the bottom, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover tightly, and cook until the lamb is opaque and has thrown off a lot of juice, about 12 minutes. Turn the lamb, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer. Add the chopped tomatoes, another handful of herbs, 1 cup of the tomato juice, and 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, and bring to a vigorous simmer. Cover and transfer the pot to the oven. Cook until the lamb is tender, 1½ to 1¾ hours, checking periodically and adding a little water if it looks dry.
4. While the meat cooks, place the three eggplants directly on three burners set over medium-high heat. Cook, turning and moving the eggplants until the surface is lightly browned and begins to char in spots but the flesh is still firm, 2 to 3 minutes total. Watch out for drips and flame sparks. Using tongs, transfer the eggplants to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, cut each eggplant crosswise into 4 sections. With a small sharp knife, make a slit in each section, and stuff some of the herb mixture into each slit. In two separate bowls, season the potatoes and the quartered tomatoes with salt and a little of the herb mixture.
5. Remove the lamb from the oven and stir in the potatoes, using tongs and a large spoon to push them gently under the meat. Add the remaining tomato juice and vinegar, another handful of the herb mixture, and enough boiling water, if needed, to generously cover the potatoes and meat. Scatter the eggplant sections on top, nestling them in the liquid. Cover and bake for 30 minutes longer. Add the tomatoes, scattering them on top without stirring, and sprinkle with the remaining herb mixture. Cover and bake for another 20 minutes.
6. Raise the oven temperature to 400°F. Uncover the pot and bake until the juices are thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove the stew from the oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve straight from the pot, sprinkled with additional herbs.
1960s
CORNBREAD FOR KHRUSHCHEV
Moldovan Cornbread with Feta
Say “Khrushchev” and a Russian will laugh and immediately cry kukuruza (corn)! And so, in memory of Nikita “Kukuruznik” (Corn Man) Khrushchev and his loony crusade to hook our Union on corn, Mom and I wanted to prepare a maize tribute. The notion of cornbread, however, struck Mom as odd. To a northern Slav, she insisted, bread made from maize sounded oxymoronic; it verged on sacrilege. Bread was sacred and bread was wheat. The breadlines that sprouted during the 1963 crop failure helped push Khrushchev into early retirement, and after he’d gone, corn was either forgotten or recalled as an agricultural gag in northern parts of the Union. But not so in southwestern USSR, I reminded my mother. There cornmeal had been a staple for centuries. Georgians prepared it into gomi (white grits) or mchadi, griddled cakes to be dipped into stews. Western Ukrainians and Moldovans ate mamalyga, the local polenta, as their daily kasha (gruel).
I myself discovered the bounty of the Union’s corn recipes when researching my book Please to the Table. And I fell in love with this fantastically moist, extra-savory Moldovan cornbread—enriched, local-style, with sour cream and tangy feta cheese. Recently, I made it for Mom. It came out so yummy that we ate it straight from the pan—warm and topped with fire-roasted red peppers. Mom recalled how in breadless 1963 she’d thrown out a bag of cornmeal someone had given her. What am I to do with this yellow sawdust? she’d wondered back then. Well, now she knows. Here’s the recipe.
2 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
½ cup sour cream
2 cups fine yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups grated or finely crumbled feta cheese (about 12 ounces)
Roasted red pepper strips for serving, optional